221B ficlets, and other stuff

I discovered the 221B ficlet format this weekend. Well, not so much discovered. I was familiar with it before (exactly 221 words, last word starts with 'b'). But I wrote one. And then another. And then another. Those suckers are ADDICTIVE. It's like writing a haiku or sonnet, packing as much as you can into a very limited format. I've created a series for them at AO3.

• "Love and Fear", G: Love and fear were this: John, in a darkened swimming pool, wrapped in a heavy winter's coat of plastic explosives and sweat with a murderer's words in his mouth.
• "Flashpoint", R: Alive, and burning with it, with the near-kiss of death still at his mouth. One exchanged look, utter clarity. Bodies slamming against a wall, mouths biting.
• "(Im)Patient", PG: John knows that the only thing worse than having a doctor for a patient is having a doctor's loved one for a patient.

I also got a pretty good start on what I've taken to calling the Giant Sex Drugs and Rock & Roll AU of Doom. (Listed on my WIP list as Someone to Watch Over Me--that title is growing more tentative as we speak.) Around 2,000 words of draft now, a bunch more in note form. I have no idea when this will be ready for posting, but I'm very excited about it. You can find bits of it posted on my Tumblr when the mood strikes me.