Challenge 56

[foxrafer.livejournal.com]

Use one of the following as the opening line to a story.

Is that a ladder in your stockings or the stairway to heaven?

I've never had premonitions, but I think one day I might.

You simply must stop taking other people's advice.

Gone are my blues and gone are my tears.

I believe the last is from Gold Diggers of 1933 but I neglected to write down the source of the first three.

The deadline: February 10

Any fandom, any genre; real and fictional person pairings; slash, gen or het; fics, graphics, or videos. The goal is to inspire creation of any stripe and color. And most importantly, have fun.

If this interests or intrigues you, if you think you'd like to play around with the theme, or if you already have an idea that's just itching to be realized, please comment to this post to express your interest. This doesn't commit you to creating something based on this challenge; it just gives us an idea about what things the community members find most compelling.

Questions? Check out the info on the profile page. Otherwise, please contact me by PM or email.

Comments

[not-a-lamb.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You inspired me. There might be more at some point. I have so many half started fics, that I really don't want to lure people in with the promise of more. And here it is:

You simply must stop taking other people's advice.

“You simply must stop taking other people's advice.” If Orlando's mum had told him once, she'd told him a thousand times. Gullible. That's the word Elijah used—as in, “Jesus Christ Orlando! I can't believe you fell for that! You're so fucking gullible!” Elijah'd shouted it joyfully in his ear, as he, half-drunk, leaned half-drunk on Orlando just a little too much. The volume wasn't the only thing that hurt.

Orlando's problem, as he saw it, is that he trusts people. When he likes someone, he trusts them quickly and he trusts them deeply. What? He believes in people's better angels. Is that so freakishly hard to believe in this day and age? Orlando sighs. That thought makes him sad... until he remembers that he just has to have faith in the human spirit, that justice and right will prevail in the end...And he's doing it again—the hopeful optimist thing, the unfailing faith in the old-fashioned goodness in every person's heart! Wow. This isn't going to be easy. Well, he figures, it's been 23 years coming, this might take a while. Still we're talking about first steps.

With a purse of his lips and a scrunch of his nose, Orlando screwed his determination to the sticking place. He looked his gullibility in its metaphorical eye and said, “No more!”... maybe with a matador's cape. He looked hot in red. Snicker. Red Hot! See what I did there, he asks his inner audience? I made a funny. He smiles until he realizes that his train of thought's run off the track and mere capes (red or not) are not going to be enough to prevail in this fight. Big exhale. Looking quickly across Pete's back garden to check and make sure that no one sees (and mocks!) him doing this, Orlando turns his back on the party and puts a hand over his heart and makes a solemn oath to himself. And so he whispers:

“I, Orlando Bloom, do hereby proclaim myself a cynic. A pessimist. A doubter. And an all-around suspicious sort of fellow. I swear to be diligent in my cynicism, to always assume the worst in any possible situation, and to spread doom-and-gloominess wherever I go. For now and for forever. So mote it be!” He wasn't totally sure what the last bit meant, but it certainly sounded offical, didn't it? Yes it did. And so, with a satisfied little nod, and a determined gait, Orlando headed back into Pete's to rejoin the party with a hardened heart.

[foxrafer.livejournal.com]

I like Orlando's voice in this, the mixture of light and serious. Makes you wonder about what happened before and what is to come. And I'm also really happy to see that this sparked an idea and inspired you to write.

It would be lovely if you could put this as a separate fic post in the comm. It'll make it easier to link to, but also give the comm a little more "life" which it very badly needs. :-)