Not a Chance - Writer's Commentary

Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Title: Not a Chance
Author: rhap_chan
Theme(s): 13. Heads or tails, you lose; Dice; Ace
Pairing/Characters: Hiiragizawa Eriol/Mizuki Kaho
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.
Summary: Eriol is tired of being the strongest magician in the world. He would like for once to be surprised.

To read the fic without commentary, go here.

Hello, and welcome to the Special Edition Writer's Commentary of "Not a Chance." This is kind of like watching a movie with the director's commentary turned on. It details the motivations and inspirations behind the fic, as well as some behind-the-scenes information.

First, let me mention I wrote this fic in the middle of a fit of writer's block. 30_romances is the hardest comm I've attempted yet-- while some of the prompts were easy, others took forever to accomplish, and for the first time I "cheated" and wrote corrected short ficlets rather than fics at least 100 words. This one is probably the longest one in the series.

As for inspiration, "dice" was the only thing that really jumped out at me for this prompt. Playing games of chance with Eriol wouldn't be any fun, I thought...

( Read more... )

Masterlist: 30_romances

Community: 30_romances
Completed: 5 Feb 07
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura
Claim: Eriol/Kaho

Title: Wedding Night for Four [link]
Theme: 1. cold feet
Words: 566
Rating: G
Excerpt: "They're just like children," he said with a laugh. "Children, and you didn't even have to get pregnant, darling."

Title: Murder [link]
Theme: 2. bury
Words: 289
Rating: PG
Excerpt: "You think like the perfect murderer," Eriol murmured in her ear, and she laughed a little.

Title: Cryptic [link]
Theme: 3. anvil
Words: 451
Rating: G
Excerpt: "An anvil," Kaho said, not sounding amused.

Title: Love the Devil [link]
Theme: 4. diabolical; highest order
Words: 411
Rating: G
Excerpt: It didn't matter how short he was or that he practiced magic. There was something very special about him.

Title: Parlor Tricks [link]
Theme: 5. trickery; magic
Words: 214
Rating: G
Excerpt: He was also still such a boy, and she loved that about him, not in any weird sexual way, but in the sweetness of his heart.

Title: Antique Heart [link]
Theme: 6. Soooo not funny! ; Sarcasm
Words: 483
Rating: G
Excerpt: Her sarcasm is always elaborate and ridiculous.

Title: My Heart [link]
Theme: 7. think pink; blow
Words: 347
Rating: G
Excerpt: "It's very pink," she says doubtfully after a moment, running her finger along the edge of the construction paper heart, dislodging more glitter.

8. -skipped-

Title: Bolt [link]
Theme: 9. rush; thrill; exhilaration
Words: 725
Rating: G
Excerpt: That was her Eriol, a mixture of magic and domesticity. She leaned back onto her heels and smiled.

Title: Or the Modern Prometheus [link]
Theme: 10. dictionary; search
Words: 100
Rating: G
Excerpt: She only asked him once how Ruby and Spinel came to be, and her blood ran cold at his answer.

Title: In the Public Eye [link]
Theme: 11. mission impossible; limitation
Words: 119
Rating: G
Excerpt: They strode down the street, hand in hand, heads bowed, and the curiousity and judgment of the public pressed down around them, pulling them apart until only their fingers touched.

Title: Rock-Solid Security [link]
Theme: 12. gargoyle
Words: 100
Rating: G
Excerpt: It was a bit of a headache when it got the substitute postman.

Title: Not a Chance [link]
Theme: 13. heads or tails, you lose; dice; ace
Words: 420
Rating: G
Excerpt: Double three's," he said, rolling the dice without looking, and before he scooped them back up Kaho saw that his guess had been correct.
writer's commentary

Title: Pride [link]
Theme: 14. Craven; Democracy; Aristocrat
Words: 579
Rating: G
Excerpt: "Yes, I am sure it will," Kaho answered politely. "Mr. Hiiragizawa is new to town and I'm sure he wishes to impress us all."

Title: Persistence is a Virtue [link]
Theme: 15. take a hint; scram!
Words: 100
Rating: G
Excerpt: She was a bit worried about the fact that this boy seemed to be flirting with her and worse still, that she enjoyed it.

16. -skipped-

Title: Antique Heart [link]
Theme: 17. garden vista; Elysium El Dorado; carnival
Words: 483
Rating: G
Excerpt: He gave her roses, carefully pruned from his bushes, and in return she handed him a tomato, laughing.

Title: Glow [link]
Theme: 18. disheveled; in the rain; thunder
Words: 264
Rating: PG for puking
Excerpt: "You're so beautiful, darling," Eriol said, holding Kaho's hair back so she could retch.

Title: movie night [link]
Theme: 19. homebody; bubbles; stay
Words: 100
Rating: G
Excerpt: "We're just homebodies," Eriol says cheerfully, as he takes a seat onto the couch beside Kaho.

Title: Edge of Night [link]
Theme: 20. take it in your stride; walk
Words: 239
Rating: G
Excerpt: The stars were pinpoints in the velvet cloak of night and the moon produced a halo round her auburn hair.

Title: Antique Heart [link]
Theme: 21. the devil's advocate; advocatus diaboli
Words: 483
Rating: G
Excerpt: "And what if they're right and we shouldn't marry?" Eriol asked glumly, putting his face in his hands. "Physically, I am only sixteen, you know."

Title: Trip [link]
Theme: 22. shadow; flame; footfall; ouch
Words: 125
Rating: G
Excerpt: It took two years before he achieved his full height, and it was funny to watch him stumble around, she had to admit.

Title: First Date Smitten [link]
Theme: 23. Roses; daisies; carnations; water lilies; [Or any random flower]
Words: 380
Rating: G
Excerpt: "There will be four of us, someday, and it will be grand," Eriol said confidently.

Title: Antique Heart [link]
Theme: 24. the puppet master; strings; control freak
Words: 483
Rating: G
Excerpt: Who should she write back to first, the puppet master or his puppet?

Title: Grace [link]
Theme: 25. maillot; paradox
Words: 100
Rating: G
Excerpt: He didn't know she was a ballerina until he found the shoes buried in a box in her closet.

Title: Profitable Lies [link]
Theme: 26. oxymoronic; Ananias
Words: 162
Rating: G
Excerpt: "Can I be the princess?" Nakuru asked.

Title: Antique Heart [link]
Theme: 27. love, hate, and the like; emotions
Words: 483
Rating: G
Excerpt: But then again, it was their hearts she loved, not their bodies, and both of their souls were much older than her.

Title: Romeo [link]
Theme: 28. Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou?
Words: 524
Rating: G
Excerpt: Kaho was reclining on one of the reading couches with Spinel by her side, speaking in Shakespearian English with great fervor.

Title: Letters from England [link]
Theme: 29. affaire de coeur
Words: 801
Rating: G
Excerpt: "This came in my last letter from Mizuki-sensei," Sakura said, her eyes full of questions. "Why didn't she just write to you, Eriol-kun?"

Title: Your First-Born [link]
Theme: 30. anaesthiogen
Words: 3174
Rating: PG
Excerpt: "I cannot help you, Clow," she says, and her voice is cold.
"If you could not help me, I would not be here, would I? And my name in this lifetime is Hiiragizawa Eriol, Ichihara-san," he says, cocking his head to one side, and he looks so much like his forebear that she becomes hot all over, burning, and she thinks that she will never be able to be cold again.

Title: Hawking and Hitsuzen [link]
Theme: 31. library; bookshop
Words: 379
Rating: G
Excerpt: It was entirely an accident, Kaho thought at first, but of course, she thought later, hitsuzen makes fools of us all.

Title: Day to Remember [link]
Theme: 35. forget-me-not; memory; photo
Words: 377
Rating: PG for character death
Excerpt: She's delicate, and seems like a mirror to his first wife, but she's not Kaho and she can never be, so he declines the invitation to dinner.

Masterlist: 30_nights

Community: 30_nights
Completed: 26 Dec 06
Words: 100 per theme
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura
Claim: Eriol/Sakura

Theme: 1. You are never mine to begin with [link]
Excerpt: He lies awake at night, wearing his glasses as though he can see an answer in the darkness.

Theme: 2. I'm willing to sacrifice anything just for you [link]
Excerpt: I feel drawn to her, drawn as a moth to a flame, but that girl could easily destroy me.

Theme: 3. Find me in the dark [link]
Excerpt: Some nights he dreams that she knows, and he wakes in the cold sweats and Spinel says that he's been screaming in his sleep.

Theme: 4. Darkness in my heart [link]
Excerpt: Today I used a smile, a carefully crafted compliment, a kiss on the hand. I heard what Daidouji-san said about me.

Theme: 5. Release my darkness; bring me warmth [link]
Excerpt: But I touch the light, and Eriol likes to hide in the dark.

Theme: 6. Stolen heart [link]
Excerpt: She took my heart with a smile; I gave it to her without hesitation.

Theme: 7. First sunlight after the darkness [link]
Excerpt: My cards could have someone to love-- someone without the awful power of creation, someone who loved them as friends.

Theme: 8. One last date... [link]
Excerpt: I went to prom with Eriol, one last date before he went back to England.

Theme: 9. When all hope is lost [link]
Excerpt: Am I not just a shell of he who was?

Theme: 10. Together itsumo (Together always) [link]
Excerpt: "How long will I live?" she asked that night. She held his hand like she feared he'd leave.

Theme: 11. You will never look at me [link]
Excerpt: You will never look at me again without thinking about who I was, what I did to you.

Theme: 12. Your love is suffocating me [link]
Excerpt: Your light is suffocating my darkness, and who am I without the dark?

Theme: 13. Paint the night with stars [link]
Excerpt: She lay awake, wondering, like she sometimes did, about Li Syaoran and how things could have been, what they could have been, if only...

Theme: 14. Guardian angel [link]
Excerpt: I am a classmate with impeccable manners, the one who kissed your hand and left you with a million questions.

Theme: 15. Telling you the truth [link]
Excerpt: But he had never been normal, and he brought her a lot of worry, so he had to reveal himself.

Theme: 16. You don't know what you have done to me [link]
Excerpt: I fear I may soon make it difficult for you, Sakura, he (I) told you in a dream.

Theme: 17. Black wings; wings [link]
Excerpt: A fairy princess, he thought, and that was the moment he was lost to her.

Theme: 18. Listen to the music at night [link]
Excerpt: I lay there at night alone when he is feeling out of place, listening to the piano.

Theme: 19. Crying all night for you [link]
Excerpt: I dreamt that she had lost, that the Cards became mere paper.

Theme: 20. Never leave me again [link]
Excerpt: "Never leave me again," she said when he came back, her fingers clutched to his coat like she was drowning.

Theme: 21. Seeking for you [link]
Excerpt: I've spent my entire life seeking his heir, by night dreaming of a child's laughter and jewel-green eyes.

Theme: 22. Love you till the very end [link]
Excerpt: Even as the darkness fell and the future became uncertain, she loved me for helping her to grow and save those dear to her.

Theme: 23. Like an art piece [link]
Excerpt: Each of my nightly quests for her is an art piece.

Theme: 24. My heart is bleeding for you... [link]
Excerpt: My heart bleeds for you, her eyes say, because you are a boy pretending to be Clow.

Theme: 25. Release of the evils [link]
Excerpt: Are you my savior from my past, or am I your savior from the future?

Theme: 26. Frozen moment at the first sight [link]
Excerpt: Time stopped for Sakura when he looked at her and she saw night and space in his dark eyes.

Theme: 27. I'm soulless without you [link]
Excerpt: It had been a joke gift from Yuuko to Clow long ago, a book of sappy poetry.

Theme: 28. I feel safe with you by my side [link]
Excerpt: I don't know why I feel so safe with him.

Theme: 29. I will never hurt you [link]
Excerpt: Time is of the essence, yes, but isn't it always?

Theme: 30. It hurt to see you cry [link]
Excerpt: "For a girl with an invincible spell, you sure cry a lot," I taunted, wearing a Cheshire grin.

Theme: 31. Finally together [link]
Excerpt: It was perhaps a chance meeting, but there is no chance, only hitsuzen.

Theme: 32. I hate to love, but for you I'm willing to... [link]
Excerpt: I hate to love, but for her I think I'm willing to lose my heart again.

Theme: 33. I feel peace at night [link]
Excerpt: Perhaps I should say that Kero has peace at night, and Yue and the others.

Theme: 34. It's hard not to love you[link]
Excerpt: A wise witch once said that destiny can try to lead you somewhere you don't need to be.

Theme: 35. I'm poisoned from the very moment [link]
Excerpt: He saw deep into my soul and when he smiled he pulled all the wrong I've ever done to the surface, all my failures.

Theme: 36. Don't worry I'll always be by your side [link]
Excerpt: I will always be by your side, but you will never know.

Theme: 37. Threads of fate [link]
Excerpt: The threads of fate that bind us together are hopelessly skewed.

Theme: 38. Alone at night [link]
Excerpt: It is a big lonely house, but when she comes to visit I become extravagant: lighting candles, throwing a party.

Theme: 39. Hear the thunder roar and the lightning flash [link]
Excerpt: Clow and I have an affinity for the darkness a storm makes; she should love the bright lightning, but she does not.

Theme: 40. It's just a nightmare [link]
Excerpt: She wakes with the beginning of a scream on her lips; she stifles it so not to wake Kero-chan.

If the Wings Fit - Writer's Commentary

Comm: 1fandom
Words: 1173
Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Theme Set: 9
Rating: G
Author Notes: Mostly pre-canon, a few during canon, a couple post-canon.
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.
Summary: One can't sum Yue up in fifty sentences, but here are fifty aspects of his life.

To read this fic without commentary go here.

Welcome to the Special Writer's Commentary Edition of If the Wings Fit. This is kind of like watching a movie with the commentary turned on. It details the motivations and little details that went into writing this fic.

First, the inspiration. When I discovered 1fandom, I went through all of the theme sets and thought that I could write a character- or pairing-based fic on each of them. I chose this one for Yue because of the general feel of it; I particularly liked the words crave and wood for Yue's character. These sentences don't really build a story, they rehash canon/pre-canon from Yue's point of view. I don't write Yue much, he's hard to capture, but here's my fifty tries.

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Masterlist: 1fandom

Community: 1fandom
Completed: 12 Dec 06
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura (crossovers noted)
Claim: all tables (noted)

Title: Dual [link]
Pairing: Eriol/Kaho and Eriol gen
Theme: Table 1, all themes
Words: 1834
Rating: G, warning for one crossover sentence (xxxHOLiC)
Excerpt: He was born in a storm of light and magic, his first breath containing both air and knowledge, and when the voice in his head told him his purpose, the storm flowed into his eyes, therein to stay.

Title: Thoughtful, Thoughtless [link]
Series: crossover with xxxHOLiC Pairing: Clow/Yuuko implied (a few sentences)
Theme: Table 2, all themes
Words: 1010
Rating: G
Excerpt: Kero poked fun at him for weeks because the staff was pink, but he just smiled and thought about the little girl whose costumes would match.

Title: Key to Life [link]
Series: crossover with xxxHOLiC
Pairing: Syaoran/Sakura, Eriol/Sakura, OFC/Yue
Theme: Table 3, all themes
Words: 1277
Rating: G
Excerpt: Kero walks in on the beginning-- the first innocent kiss, followed by two surprised smiles-- and he walks back out, unnoticed.

Title: Happily Ever After [link]
Pairing: Syaoran/Sakura, Syaoran focus
Theme: Table 4, all themes
Words: 1343
Rating: PG for sexual reference
Excerpt: Sakura was the center of their family, the center of his life, and the center of the world, always.

Title: Something More [link]
Pairing: Tomoyo/Sakura, Tomoyo/OMC, Tomoyo/OFC
Theme: Table 5, all themes
Words: 1003
Rating: G, shojo ai
Excerpt: The relationship didn't last too long, with Sakura's ghost in the bed between them.

Title: Love Life [link]
Series: crossover with xxxHOLiC
Pairing: Fujitaka/Nadeshiko, Nadeshiko focus
Theme: Table 6, all themes
Words: 1142
Rating: G
Excerpt: He did his best to record her essence in photographs and videos (like Tomoyo would later, he would realize that there was no substitute for that real smile).

Title: The Nature of Family [link]
Pairing: Fujitaka/Nadeshiko, Fujitaka focus
Theme: Table 7, all themes
Words:1126
Rating: G
Excerpt: Sonomi's lip curled when she saw the way the teacher looked at her cousin (but from the way Nadeshiko was looking back, this was a lost cause).

Title: The Cat Doesn't Blink [link]
Pairing: Spinelsun gen, mention of Eriol/Kaho
Theme: Table 8, all themes
Words: 946
Rating: G, warning for character death
Excerpt: He spoke the least, but sometimes seemed to know the most.

Title: If the Wings Fit [link]
Pairing: Yue gen, hints of Yue/Clow and Yue/Eriol
Theme: Table 9, all themes
Words: 1173
Rating: G, hints of shounen ai
Excerpt: There was nothing worse than a set of wet wings and soaked hair; but if Clow wanted to play in the rain, Yue wasn't going to say no.
writer's commentary

Title: A Wink and a Smile [link]
Pairing: Nakuru gen, mentions Syaoran/Sakura
Theme: Table 10, all themes
Words: 1051
Rating: G
Excerpt: She only upset Suppi because it was so funny to see him flail around like that.

Apple - Writer's Commentary

Comm: 1sentence
Words: 1545
Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Pairing: Hiiragizawa Eriol/Li Meiling
Theme set: Delta
Rating: PG, warning for character death

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP. This fanfic is a derivative of canon material that is not my property. I do not profit from these writings. The opinions and actions expressed in these stories are not necessarily the views and beliefs of the original author or me.

To read this fic without commentary, go here.

Welcome to the Special Edition Writer's Commentary version of "Apple." This is like watching a movie with the director's commentary turned on. Motivations, inspirations, and behind-the-scenes details are nestled within the fic.

First, of course, the inspiration. I knew I'd do all of the theme sets for this community, because it was only writing 250 sentences, and I could do that easily. I looked over the word set, and something about it made me feel Eriol. Fire and some other words made me think Meiling. And I hadn't written an Eriol/Meiling fic in a while, so I decided to go with it. I knew it would be hard to get a relationship going in 50 sentences, but I decided I was up to the challenge.

Another side note is that, strangely enough, four of my five 1sentence fics involve main character death. I'm not sure why this has been on my brain lately, but it has.

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Masterlist: 1sentence

Community: 1sentence
Completed: 10 Jan 07
Claim: all tables (noted)

Title: Could Be [link]
Series: xxxHOLiC
Pairing: Clow/Yuuko
Theme: Table Alpha, all themes
Words: 1276
Rating: PG for character death and sexual references, slight crossover with Cardcaptor Sakura
Excerpt: "I knew you were on this Earth to bring me pain," she said, tears filling her eyes, and he replies thoughtfully, "I thought I was here to bring you wine" (but the joke falls flat; he is still going to die).

Title: No Complications [link]
Series: xxxHOLiC
Pairing: Clow/Yuuko
Theme: Table Beta, all themes
Words: 1414
Rating: PG for sexual references, crossover with Cardcaptor Sakura
Excerpt: "He was a strange man," Kero would say later; if asked, Yuuko always said there was more strange than man (but she let him have his quirks).

Title: Do Not Touch [link]
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura
Pairing: Tomoyo/Sakura focused, Syaoran/Sakura
Theme: Table Gamma, all themes
Words: 1409
Rating: PG, warning for shojo ai and character death
Excerpt: She dressed Sakura in red for prom and watched Li's eyes light up in delight, wishing that someone would see that her expression was exactly the same.

Title: Apple [link]
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura
Pairing: Eriol/Meiling
Theme: Table Delta, all themes
Words: 1545
Rating: PG for character death
Excerpt: "You don't have to write to him-- it's not a duty," Syaoran says to her, and she looks up from her paper, filled with her careful English script (the dictionary is at her side, because she wanted to write him something special, in his own language).
writer's commentary

Title: Shut His Eyes [link]
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura; CCS/xxxHOLiC, CCS/Tsubasa
Pairing: Touya/Yukito
Theme: Table Epsilon, all themes
Words: 1480
Rating: PG13 for character death
Excerpt: Yue is a shadow in their relationship for a while, but Touya lures him out when he asks Yue's permission to marry Yukito (he thinks about it for a long while, but he agrees in the end).