A drabble writing community. Write 100 words based on the weekly prompt.
Prompt #12: Quote II
Hello from 100 Words!
This week's prompt is a quotation: Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart. (Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore)
Your response should be exactly 100 words long. You do not have to include the prompt in your response -- it is meant as a starting place only.
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Original Work... Aka, another (bad) thing about Sputnik 1
I wish you still cared about me.
When you sent me into orbit, I shone in the sky, and I swear I could see the world's eyes shining back at me. I was proud; I took my pride for granted.
But the moment I disintegrated in the atmosphere, that shattered. Time marched on, but I was stagnant, a ghost held together by an illusion of self-worth, immortalized by a legacy. A legacy? Did I do nothing but pave the path for my superiors?
I would burn to pieces a million times, if it meant you would care about me again...
You keep making me have all of these sad feelings about machines, and I love it!
Powerful stuff!
Oh, the feelings you invoke! Wonderful!
Poor thing! Gorgeous last sentence.
"Remember"
original fiction
Do you remember when we were still children?
I remember.
Remember holding hands as we climbed over the rocks, how it felt warm. I'd always get too hot, except winters. We'd curl up together and tell stories over hot chocolate and laugh.
I remember that, he admitted, eyes bright before he looked away—the stars, the lake, anywhere else.
You don't think about that, do you? she said softly. You remember when we were older. You remember the funeral.
You pulled away. You stopped touching me.
I stopped touching everything. It wasn't you.
Silence. She held out her hand.
Touch.
So poignant and lovely. Well done!
Thank you!
I love the slightly more hopeful take on this prompt (which has mostly inspired angst from me). Awesome drabble!
Thank you! I just run with what comes out.
So very poetic. I particularly like "the stars, the lake, anywhere else." So sad. And yet at the end... just perfect.
Thank you! I like trying to hit that emotional moment in a drabble.
Fandom: Friends, set at the end of 10.03 (TOW Ross's Tan)
Pairing: Joey/Rachel
Joey imagined his relationship with Rachel lasting forever. Instead, it barely lasts a week.
Joey never thought issues with physical intimacy could ruin them. Ironically, his “relationships” with other women usually featured sex without emotional attachment.
Rachel is the only woman he’s ever loved, and Joey knows he will never stop loving her. Their fond goodbye on the couch only confirms this truth.
The next day, he pretends the breakup isn’t tearing him apart. He hoards the memories of their brief time together like the beautiful treasures they are and ignores the ache of longing he feels, for her sake.
Oh. Double ouch! I love how you put this together.
Thank you. As a Joey/Rachel shipper, I hate thinking about their breakup but it fits this prompt to a T.
Poor Joey! I love the last line.
Thank you! And poor Joey. :-(
Hoarding the memories -- how sad, how lovely!
Thank you!
original fantasy
The memories rise up through her skin, warmth washing over her—
—bread baking, its good smells filling the kitchen as grandmother's hands help hers to knead the dough, "Careful, little one," a smile at the edge of her voice.
—father's deep voice rumbling in his chest and through her body on his lap, a story's pages spread over them both, night falling gently around them.
—a lover's caress, whispers in each other's ears, so close, she breathes him.
—in a sharp ache, screaming through its exit. She blinks.
"Your fee," the memory taker states.
She takes the money, and forgets.
Oh wow, I wasn't expecting that ending! This packs quite a punch. Beautifully done.
Thank you!
The part after the italicized memories was so startling. Well done!
Thank you so much!
Fantabulous!
Thank you!
Original Work
I don’t need you to tell me that magic doesn’t exist. I don’t need admonitions on the foolishness of faith.
You say gods and fiends are no more than dreams born of the fears and follies of men. My guile tells me you are right, and I need no further convincing.
But my heart will not stop singing for something more.
An endless flight of weeks since I left the saray, yet still I long for the cool corridors of your father’s home. The days of the khumlukh are long, and without you, the night chill sinks bone-deep.
Oh, this is so beautiful! And evocative and poetic. I love the foreign words in there too and the end nails it.
Thank you! This is a snippet from a longer piece I'm working on for NaNo. ;)
You have created an incredible world in just a few lines. Bravo!
Thank you!! ;))
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: River Song/Twelve
Memories can drown a Time Lord. Each regeneration clings to a few, some so sharp they bite, hurt enough to stick. Susan's face as the TARDIS fades away. Romana playing with K-9, well before she says goodbye. The Clara-shaped hole that is elusive, never quite leaving.
And River. How many memories of River he hangs on to. Not his "first," her sacrifice. That one hurts too much. But backwards down her timeline, to the others. The time their lips first met. Her voice, chortling "Sweetie!" Touches in the dark, fingers twined together. His tears, their last night.
He drowns willingly.
Argh, this is so sad. I loved this line:
It makes you wonder what's sadder: losing memories, or keeping them? Awesome job!
Oh, this hurts so much. It's so good.
Thank you! <3
Original, superhumans military
She waits on point, where outer wall meets internal hallway straight to their target.
"Mirage, I need a way in," Vision says.
Mirage complies. Molecules turn at angles, reality melting around her power as she bends an opening in the wall. Her team scrambles silently through.
"Good work, Kalien," warm memory rushes through her. Her mother's name for her, her brother's when she was still a soft, little girl worth protecting.
He's not here to protect her, and she no longer needs it. She steels her heart, walks inside as the air around her melts. There are guards to handle.
Great character study, it's awesome how much emotion (and plot!) you were able to pack into so few words.
Thank you! She's an interesting character and this prompt brought her right to mind.
I want to learn more about this world :)
Thank you! Sometime I'll write up a primer on Kingdoms and Thorn.
That would be cool.
It means I must learn how to write a primer. :headdesk: But I shall try.
Oh, break my heart. 💙
Sorry. That is a thing I apparently like to do.
"Silenced" Original fiction
Memories.
"Remember the good times," they say.
She steals herself.
The perfect man. Everyone agrees.
And she his princess.
"You're so lucky." they said.
Expectations of perfection. Unspoken, then spoken.
"You can't wear that!" he demanded.
"We're seeing my friends." he insisted.
No questioning her perfection by anyone but him.
"Treat her better than that." he informs.
She played by his rules.
"Your knight in shining armor." They said.
Leaving was not his rules. Yet he controlled that anyways.
"Don't let him get away." They said.
Nightmares, not fairytale endings.
Along, the pain washes over her.
Ouch. Well done.
Thanks - not quite sure where it came from.
Argh, this is so painful. I love it!
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Oh man, do I GET this. Very nicely written!
Thanks - I think this line best sums up the duality of looking perfect from the outside, but from the inside, having a different take, and having no one pick up the signs of it from the outside.
Fandom: Supergirl (2015)
Characters: Kara Danvers & Clark Kent
Title: Memoriae
She makes a pot of hot tea, which she knows Clark drinks with heavy helpings of sugar and milk, as a kid might. Kara lays out her Aunt Martha's quilt, so he can hold onto it if he has to.
She sits him down and he clutches the teacup with both hands, as if to warm them, even though it doesn't, while she tells him about his parents. She tells him about the things that made his mother laugh and that's when he pulls the quilt close.
When that's no longer enough, she simply holds him and lets him weep.
I love the unique way you approached the prompt here; e.g. using memories as a conduit to transfer feelings (from Kara's memories to Clark's emotions), rather than solely focusing on the emotions of the person holding the memories. Beautiful!
Thank you! :D
Is this canon? Tell me this is AU. I'm so behind on Supergirl.
Really, really well done.
It's canon that Superman (Kal-El/Clark) is on Supergirl for the first two eps of the season and they talk about getting together so Kara can tell him about his parents. Which I think would be a kind of traumatic get-together. They also talk in Kryptonian together, which is adorable. They are both adorable together anyway.
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), set during 5.07 "Ina Paha" (If Perhaps)
Characters/Pairing: Steve-centric, with Danny, Chin, and Kono. Possible slight Steve/Danny subtext.
Warnings: After-effects of non-consensual drugging and torture, backstory character death.
Steve feels disoriented when he wakes up and sees his team surrounding him. The last thing he remembers is sitting on the beach with his father, drinking beers, enjoying companionship and the warm Hawaiian day.
Steve asks to see his dad and immediately knows something is wrong when Danny's worried expression turns sorrowful, Chin glances away, and Kono leans down in concern. Danny gently whispers that his father is dead. Steve gazes at Danny, his Danny, the real Danny, the one who would never wear Hawaiian shirts. Painful memories flood through Steve’s mind, and he sobs at the sudden loss.
Oh, I love Steve's dad. Way to make me break out the tissues.
Thank you! The end of that episode was so heartbreaking. Poor Steve.
Fandom: Angel the series, set during 3.11 (Birthday)
Pairing: Angel/Cordelia, Cordelia POV
Warnings: Near main character death, discusses the effects of the visions
When the memories return, so does the persistent pain caused by the visions. The headache, precursor to her imminent death, is nothing compared to the wound that seeing Angel vulnerable and scared left in Cordelia’s heart.
She talks to Skip and demands a loophole that allows her to live and keep the visions. He explains that he could make her part demon but warns that she may never lead a human life again.
Cordelia glances at Angel, his face frozen in agony. Warmth and tenderness suffuse her heart, and she faces Skip with a resolute gaze.
"So, demonize me already."
Brave, wonderful Cordelia! Great job!
Thank you! She is amazing.
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), references to 3.20
Pairing/Characters: Steve/Danny, Freddie Hart
Warnings: PTSD, backstory character death
The memory of that last day with Freddie flashes vividly through Steve’s mind. The warm friendship between them as Steve nicknames Freddie “Daddio,” the sweltering North Korean summer day, the knife in his chest when he sees the scarlet blood seeping from Freddie’s body.
Steve startles awake with an anguished gasp.
“Another nightmare, babe?”
Steve turns his head to see Danny, worry etched on his face.
Steve lowers his gaze. “Freddie.”
Danny’s expression becomes solemn and understanding. He wordlessly opens his arms to Steve.
Steve allows himself to sink into Danny’s warm embrace, and Danny holds Steve as he weeps.
I love that it takes one word to make everything clear.
Thank you! Danny is definitely aware of how much Freddie's death affected Steve in canon, and he would be even more aware if Steve and Danny were together.
Fandom: Angel the series, set during 5.12 (You're Welcome)
Pairing: Angel/Cordelia
Warnings: Major Character Death
Cordelia warmed Angel’s cold, dead heart with her smile, her laughter, her friendship, her inexplicable faith in him. She made him feel almost human.
Memories of the past year and the thing that wasn’t Cordelia ripped that same heart to shreds. The warmth left, to be replaced by a block of ice.
For a brief moment, she was here and Angel felt the warmth return. She kissed him, and Angel’s heart melted completely.
Now, standing alone in a cavernous office, clutching a phone in his hand, Angel feels the frost creep back in. Warm memories are all he has left.
Lovely! I liked the way you wove the cold/ice imagery throughout. Poor Angel.
Thank you. I thought the cold/ice thing would be an interesting metaphor for a vampire.
The contrast between the real Cordy and the fake one -- oh! Well done!
Thank you! I'm glad I was able to portray the huge difference between real Cordy and fake, possessed Cordy.
Fandom: Dragon Age Character: My OC, Alim Surana
During the day Sula was up in their mother’s arms, greedily pulled into the storm of Adda’s exclusory affection. The gulf between the favoured and the rest was so wide that Alim preferred to ignore his sister and flee the house before bitterness could bloom.
But at night Sula was waved away from Adda’s pallet and shoved toward the blanket that the other children shared.
“Mama?”
“Get away,” Adda would hiss. “I need my sleep.”
A sniffle, then Sula would toddle over and curl into her brother, not settling until Alim had wrapped a warm and welcoming arm around her.
This was so heart-wrenching yet sweet. The language throughout was beautiful, but I especially loved this line:
Thank you! That's actually the line that I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get right so your comment makes meextremely happy. :D
This is so sad and yet so perfect!
Thank you!
"Stars" original character
Clear skies at night were the worst. Kirsi could look up and pick out every familiar star and constellation - the ones she'd been taught to navigate by; the ones that gave them hope and told the stories of the People for generations.
It was so easy to feel the familiar rocking of their houseboat, the wood under her back, the smell of the sea and the sound of water sloshing.
So easy to hear the screams of the dying, smell the blood, feel her own life slipping away.
Cloudy skies, at least, only reminded her of grief after the fact.
The stars are so central to this -- very nicely done all around, but in particular how something that should be guiding her only leads to sorrow. Nice!
thank you! i'm still working out the twists and turns of her character, but it's such a fun process I don't even mind. :)
I love the way this starts out (relatively) benign, and slowly coalesces into a bundle of messy feels. That last line is perfect. <3
Thanks! :) Kirsi generally IS a big bundle of messy feels, so it's good that I got that across.
Original work:
I remember those good old days when you would grab my hand and cuddle up to me.
But now here we are, all broken and sad, why can't we go back to the good old days?
I remember how I once fell out of a tree. You climbed right down to kiss my bruises and wipe my tears away.
But now you stand above me, bottle of beer in your hand, and instead of kissing my bruises you hit me one more time.
Why? Why can't we go back to the good old days where we were so happy?
Ugh, this is awful and wonderful. The comparisons between then and now... it hit me right in the feels. :(( Lovely work!
Aw thank you so much. This was my first time posting so I greatly appreciate your comment! :)
Oh, this is so... geez, "sad" doesn't even cover it. Poignant, scary, depressing, wonderful.
Awww thank you so very much <3 Your comment makes me really happy!
This was brutal. The juxtaposition of the changes in their relationship. The past and the present. From the soother to the abuser. This is sharp writing. It's good, heartbreaking, but so good.
Aw thank you so much! I appreciate it because I'm only young and I'm still learning the way of writing. I always appreciate positive comments. Thank you again!
(This was 162 words when I wrote the first draft. Cutting 62 words was a hell of an exercise in writing!)
Fandom: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Waking is a joy and an agony. Briefly, McCoy forgets the last year; then he remembers Jim’s gone. His therapist swears the pain will ease. She’s full of shit: as the remnants of Jim’s presence fade, it only gets worse.
Work is McCoy’s refuge and, today, salvation: they warn him to calibrate the device carefully, or the patient could become lost in the memory they’re recovering. McCoy nods. He takes it to his quarters, sets it to “recover” the happiest years he’s known, and dials the intensity to maximum.
I don’t need a doctor, damn it, I am a doctor
Ahhhh this SO PAINFUL!! Beautifully written. (And your editing was spot-on! Every word you kept was a stab right in the feels.)
Thanks so much! I don't normally want to hurt people, but this prompt wouldn't go any other way in my brain. And thanks for the editing kudos! I can't tell you how hard it was not to change "full of shit" to "wrong" when I needed to cut two last words, but damn it, McCoy would say "full of shit". lol.
I love your Kirk/McCoy stuff so much, but this one really hit it out of the park. Just fabulous.
Memories may warm you up from the inside, but I’m learning it's very true they can tear you apart from the inside as well. Learning my once-friends support Trump and his horrific behaviour shattered those friendships, and with them, my fragile ability to trust.
I value loyalty above all. Once I give it, it takes a good deal to break it, but break it they did, with snide comments suggesting I was ‘sensitive’, or had been corrupted by moving to California. I have two decades of memories turning to ash, ripping me apart inside, wondering how I missed the fractures.
:((( I feel for you. Lovely work!
Nicely reflective, and so, so true. Well done!
Not a fandom, but based off Wish Is Over by SEDO sounder (so I guess fandom could be considered vocaloid?)
I used to be inspired by you.
You knew that what you did was difficult, especially for people like us. You knew others' standards were nearly impossible for you to achieve, but you tried anyways.
Your smile kept me alive.
The road for us was barbed, and jagged, with none to pave it for us, but you inspired me to pick myself up, clean my cuts, and march forward. Even though every fall felt like my last, I stood for you.
But then I looked forward, and you fell, and never stood... I wonder how much longer I can stand.
So very, very nice! And then the ending -- a one-two punch.
This was so wrenching and lovely. Beautiful work!
Memories warm in good times, but what once warmed rages now, a fearsome inferno, a laval firestorm that rips the soul asunder.
How long had the fractures been growing, like cracks in glacial ice, eroding a once firm foundation? How did I not know that our values had diverged so much? Never could I support that which promotes treason, rape, racial hatred, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, and worse.
Destruction always leads to rebirth. Wildfire burns away that which is no longer necessary, and I emerge from the forge fires a new person, tears of release and renewal washing the ash away.
I love your use of language in this, especially all the juxtaposition of ice and fire imagery. Beautiful!
Original Work
She clicked on the "On The Day" icon. It had become an addiction; the quick walk through memory lane. One by one it brought back status updates, photo albums and old conversations.
Sometimes she laughed, wondered about the context behind a post. Other times, like today, her chest tightened. A greyed out icon, a snippet of conversation. Memories of a friendship that only existed behind a screen.
She remembered the post that shook her world. Her friend's mother posted on her wall that her daughter had passed.
She cried.
Years later, she cried again as she remembered her old friend.
Oh, OUCH. Nicely done.
Thanks. It's surprising how much FB On This Day can hurt at times.
Oh, Facebook. How I love it and loathe it with equal fervor. Lovely story!
Thank You!
Fandom: The Fosters
Characters: Ana Gutierrez
Ana is grateful for her memories.
Without a family, friends, or a cent to her name, they’re all she has.
They keep her warm at night when the bottle and the deadbeat lying next to her won’t suffice— allowing her to lose herself in the happier times whilst simultaneously reminding her of everything she’s lost as a result of her own selfishness.
It’s a heavy price for such temporary moments of solace, she thinks— having to encounter that regret every time she looks back— but it’s a price she’s willing to pay.
After all, isn’t that what she’s used to?
This is chilling. I can see Ana as we first met her thinking she'll never get her life back on track, which is all the more heartbreaking in hindsight knowing how far she eventually comes.
Thank you! I usually have to think of ways to tie the prompt to Ana, but this quote could have easily been written for her so the drabble pretty much wrote itself. I've spent a lot of time thinking about Ana's headspace circa S1, and I agree that she probably never imagined she would actually succeed in getting clean and back on her feet someday. She was too isolated and lacking in resources at the time, which is why I wanted to explore the idea that her memories were all she had for comfort-- despite the fact that reflecting on them also caused her pain.
Fandom: Tiger & Bunny. MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS.
"Who in the past 2 years would you trust to tell you the truth?" Dr. Smith asked.
After years of "Uncle" Maverick's mental manipulation, Barnaby sat in the psychologist's office.
It had been a year since Barnaby had found out Maverick had been modifying his memories for his profit and agenda.
He was still trying to sort out his memories, sort out what he wanted from his life. Trying to find his truth after 21 years.
"Kotetsu. He helped when I thought Jake killed my parents, and when I found out my entire life was a lie. He was there."
I don't know this fandom at all, but this is making me curious! I really like how you framed the whole story between the two lines of dialogue.
Thanks, it just kind of worked out that way. The fandom itself is an anime from 2011. If you're a fan of superhero stuff then I'd suggest you check it out. Just instead of the first 2 episodes, I'd watch the movie "The Beginning" because it's an extended cut of the episodes.
Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Ship: Kotetsu/Barnaby
Was falling in love for a second time supposed to hurt this much? Kotetsu knocked back another drink and stared out the window of the Heroes Bar.
He hadn't expected to fall in love again. Tomoe was supposed to be his one and only. Loving Barnaby was unexpected; falling for his new work partner wasn't part of the plan.
Would telling Barnaby he loved him erase Tomoe's importance in his memories and heart? Kotetsu didn't think it would. Before he second guessed himself Kotetsu pulled out his phone and dialled Barnaby's number quickly.
"Hey Bunny, can I come over tonight?"
marvel (mcu), steve/tony, captain america: civil war spoilers
Steve's face is filled with hate and Tony knows his own is filled with fear, fear of dying, fear of Steve. The shield comes down to his face and he knows he is going to die, he knows this is the end and screams and screams-
"Tony, it's ok, you're ok".
Steve's voice tries to be soothing, it should be soothing but it’s not, can’t be after what happened between them, and he wakes up gasping for air and pushes him away.
"Tony?"
Tony crawls away from him and off the bed, scared.
“I’m sorry, Steve, I just. I can’t”