The A-Z of NaruSaku - Holidays Edition! Options

[Smiter]

The A-Z of NaruSaku Drabble Challenge is back!

This time, the prompts are all Holidays and New Year's themed, to get us all into the festive mood. Anyone and everyone is welcome to take part in this challenge, from newbies to accomplished writers! This is all for fun.

How it all works --Click here to view--

Why A-Z?

Because we're going to try and write NaruSaku drabbles for every letter of the alphabet! XD Every prompt will be in alphabetical order, and each one can be anything (object, emotion, action, etc.).

Every week, for five weeks, there will be five prompts (with six on the last week).

So, what do we write? Where do we put our drabbles?

For each prompt, you must write a 100-word drabble. 100 words, no more, no less. If you're not sure how to do that, then maybe this spoiler will give you some advice?

Tips and Advice for hitting 100 words! --Click here to view--

1. Keep the idea simple, don't overcomplicate it.
2. Strip your drabble down to its bare bones. Get rid of any unnecessary scenes/descriptions/lines etc. Make every word count! If it doesn't add to the story, take it out.
3. Concentrate your words. For example, "His voice barely above a whisper, Naruto spoke..." can be "Naruto whispered" or "Naruto breathed".
4. If your drabble ends up under 100 words, don't worry! It's much easier to add to a drabble, than to take away from it.

You can post your drabbles in this thread, though I also recommend starting your own drabble-fic in the Library. That way, even if this thread falls off the first page of the forum, people will still be able to read your drabbles in the Library!

Of course, make sure to at least reply with a note if you do only post to the Library, so everyone will know what you've done.

Who chooses the prompts?

The first person to complete ALL five of the week's prompts can choose next week's prompts.

If nobody completes all five, then the person with the most drabbles will set the new prompts.

Also, as a new rule, the same person cannot set the prompts two weeks in a row! In the event that the same person is the first to finish again after winning the previous week, the runner-up will choose the prompts. That way, everyone gets a chance.

What can I write?

It can be anything, even AU (Alternate Universe) if you like. However, it must be suitable for a Teen audience, so explicit sexual/violent themes are not allowed. The Mods and Admins of Heaven & Earth reserve the right to remove stories that are unsuitable for viewing. If you're not sure if a drabble of yours is OK, just PM it to me and I'll let you know.

And here are the prompts for the third week!


Kiss
Lights
Mulled Wine
Nutcracker
Ornaments


Congratulations to AchikaMiyu for being the first to complete all drabbles for F-J!

Past Prompts --Click here to view--

Angel
Bells
Carols
Decorations
Eggnog
Fruitcake
Gifts
Holly
Icicles
Jolly

Past Winners:
MonkeysTotallyRock

We'll have new prompts by 23:59pm Wednesday 28th December 2011 at the latest.

The first person to complete all 5 drabbles - or has the most drabbles - by the end of that day gets to choose the next prompts from K to O.

Good luck, have fun!

Reason for edit: Included New Year's in theme

[Madz]

Wow...
This sounds fun. Though only 100 words seem very tight...

I'll try to have a go at it.

[peanutbutter126]

Nice! I've never done any challenges or contests on H&E. Since I'm on a super long holiday right now, I'm glad that the old A-Z can be my first I'd be lucky to get all twenty-six done, especially since I'm the sort of person who can unconsciously spend 100+ words describing a rock... But I'm sure it'll be a fun ride

Good luck to everyone who participates! Hope we all have fun writing

[AchikaMiyu]

I love these challenges. Guess I'll go first. Here are two that I did during my lunch break.

Angel --Click here to view--

When I was a boy, my school put on a Christmas pageant. I wasn’t even in the play. The teachers forced me to usher the parents to their seats. I had to wear a Santa hat with bells attached, probably to make sure I couldn’t escape. So I got to sit and see the play. The play sucked except for one thing. Suspended from the ceiling was a girl wearing a poorly assembled costume. But despite her costume, she still smiled brightly. Her smile looked heavenly and I knew I was hopelessly in love. That night Sakura became my Angel.

Bells --Click here to view--

I hate high places. When my teachers cast me as the Angel in the Christmas pageant, I didn’t think I would survive. But on the night of the pageant, all I could hear were the chiming of bells. One of the ushers was wearing a Santa hat with bells on it. With each step and bob of his head, I heard them ring. I focused on the ringing of the bells and was able to push aside my fears. When the pageant started and the usher looked at me, I smiled at him. I could still hear his bells ringing.

[peanutbutter126]

I like your drabbles, AchikaMiyu! I like that the two are linked with two different perspectives. Great idea

I'm sure these questions have been asked in the past but just to check XD
1) By prompt, are we obligated to include the word in the drabble, or is having the idea there enough?
2) The prompts are holiday themed. Do the drabbles need to have the same theme, or can anything go?

[Sakura Blossoms]

I like your drabbles, AchikaMiyu! I like that the two are linked with two different perspectives. Great idea

I'm sure these questions have been asked in the past but just to check XD
1) By prompt, are we obligated to include the word in the drabble, or is having the idea there enough?
2) The prompts are holiday themed. Do the drabbles need to have the same theme, or can anything go?

1). Yes, we'd like you to actually have the prompt word included as the drabbles are so short, that's the whole challenge of writing for the prompts =3
2). Yes, the drabbles need to be holiday-themed, as that's the main purpose of doing these fun little drabbles at this time of year ^^

[peanutbutter126]

1). Yes, we'd like you to actually have the prompt word included as the drabbles are so short, that's the whole challenge of writing for the prompts =3
2). Yes, the drabbles need to be holiday-themed, as that's the main purpose of doing these fun little drabbles at this time of year ^^

Righty-o, gotcha! Thanks for clearing it up Seeing as I had to google 'eggnog', I foresee difficulty making them all holiday themed, haha. I'll do what I can XD

I came up with these two up last night. First time writing something so short. Succinct? Not me. But somehow, it was very fun. I hope these pass for holiday themed

Angel --Click here to view--

Angel

She loved snow. She loved listening to her friends laugh. She loved reading – especially beneath a tree.

One stray snowball was all it took to complete the recipe for disaster.

Naruto tentatively approached the mound of snow beneath the tall oak. “Sakura-chan? Are you… okay?”

He jumped back when a pink head burst through the pile. “Gah, I’m sorry!”

Her face was exp​ressionless. “Naruto.”

“All the white, err… makes you look like an angel. Yeah! You’re so pretty, Sakura!”

“Naruto.”

He gulped. “Yes…?”

Sakura calmly brushed herself off. It was unnecessary – the snow melted off her. Then she smiled.

“Run.”

Bells --Click here to view--

Bells

Naruto gave his first genin team the bell test. The kids never even touched them, but he passed them for the same reason Kakashi had.

For the Christmas season, Naruto decided to make the bells a permanent accessory.

Sakura tells him it’s a stupid idea. It’s childish, annoying and breaks every rule in a shinobi’s stealth manual.

What she doesn’t tell him is that, sometimes, the sound of the cheerful chime amidst a bloody, chaotic battlefield is the only thing keeping her whole.

“The enemy will hear you miles away, you idiot.”

“Doesn’t matter as long as you can, too.”

[MonkeysTotallyRo...]

The dribbles so far have been great!
peanutbutter126, I really liked the Bells one!
And AchikaMiyu, I really liked Angel
Anyway, here are mine.

Angel --Click here to view--

The strawberry-blonde child giggled as Naruto twirled her around. “The Christmas tree is done!”
The child squinted at the angel. “Are angels real, Daddy?”
“Of course!”
“How come I've never seen one?”
“I've seen one.”
“Really?”
“Oh yes. She had beautiful jade eyes, the softest hair, and whenever I'd feel lonely, she'd gently comb my hair and make me remember the happiest memories.”
“Like mommy!” She giggled excitedly.
Naruto gasped. “You're right! You think Mommy's an angel?”
A playful slap landed on Naruto, and Sakura turned away, hiding a faint blush.

Bells --Click here to view--

Konoha's winter bells stopped ringing years ago. A desperate ghost, unable to pass on, cursed them. Until he saw true love, the bells would never ring. Still, Naruto came here every Christmas eve.
Naruto froze, detecting chakra. Suddenly, he was blindfolded and tied against the tree, unable to move. Slender, graceful fingers began to interweave with this.
He smiled, the sent of sakura blossom shampoo wafting towards him. Then, from an intoxicatingly close proximity, he felt her warm breath as she whispered, “One date. Just. One. Tomorrow. 7PM.”
And she was gone.
In the distance, he heard faint bells.

Carol --Click here to view--

Naruto sighed, mentally preparing himself to knock on the door. He hated caroling. It was a tradition – all the orphanages did it as a fundraiser. But few doors that opened were friendly to him. Even fewer actually gave him money or food. To cut their losses, they sent Naruto by himself, making the situation even worse.
Taking a deep breath and hoping he'd memorized all the carols, he knocked on the door...
Kind green eyes and gorgeous pink locks greeted him excitedly. Smiling, she happily directed him inside. “You must be cold.”
“Not anymore,” he said softly.

Decorating --Click here to view--

Naruto quietly slipped away from the festivities. He didn't feel bad making his way home. After all, Christmas was a time for family. How could he ask them to include him in such a personal day? They did so much for him already. Perhaps he'd get a tree this year. Yes, and he'd decorate it with different flavored ramen!
He gasped when he saw the large, half-decorated tree currently occupying his living room.
“Orange ribbons?” She snorted at the thought. “He'd probably decorate this thing in ramen.” Luckily, he had her.
He wiped away a happy tear. 'Sakura-chan...'

Eggnog --Click here to view--

Why did her husband insist on making his horrendous version of what was supposed to be eggnog every year? Nobody liked it – not even the grandchildren. Still, every year he'd insist.
Finally fed up, Sakura approached the man about it. “Naru, why do you insist on making that disaster of a recipe every year?”
His grayish blonde locks swayed as he faced his loving wife of forty years. “You remember when we first met?”
She smiled. “Of course. You were attempting to carol. I invited you inside because you were freezing.”
“And gave me eggnog.”

Edit: Edited to have all 5 drabbles in the same location for convenience.

This post has been edited by MonkeysTotallyRock: Dec 16 2011, 09:59 PM

[digifruit]

I never really gave drabbles a chance, but I enjoyed these. AchikuMiyu's parallel entry was pretty clever, I literally lol'd when I imagined a disgruntled Sakura hanging from the rafters by a rope, haha. I really liked peanutbutter's "bells" entry too, that last line was really great, though the holiday connection was a little forced. The last line in Monkeys' "carols" entry had a lot of impact too, great stuff

lol, and peanutbutter, I also had to look up eggnog in wikipedia

[AchikaMiyu]

What! You all don't know what Eggnog is? For shame! If you haven't tried it, you must. It's delicious!

Thanks for the input on the first two prompts. Here are two more:

Carols --Click here to view--

It was a tradition for all of the kids to get together and sing Christmas carols. Naruto was the loudest of the group, but also the worst singer. It didn’t help that whenever they sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Naruto would always add those stupid extra lines. The group decided that Sakura would stand next to Naruto, hoping that her lovely voice would drown out his. Surprisingly, he behaved once the change was made and the night went on without a hitch. Sakura wouldn’t know what the big fuss with Naruto’s singing was. She thought that he sounded great.

Decorations --Click here to view--

“Hey Sakura! Come see!”

Sakura walked out of the house to see her husband’s handiwork. She was silent for the longest time as she turned her head one way and then the next.

Naruto beamed. “So, what do you think?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little . . . much?”

“Of course not! It’s just some lights here and there. Am I missing a spot?”

“Honey, I think they could see the house from space. You did save some lights for our tree, right?”

Naruto laughed nervously. “I’ll go buy some more.”

Next year, Sakura was putting up the decorations.

[MonkeysTotallyRo...]

I concur, it's pretty good! I had my first eggnog this Thanksgiving at a friend's house (my family is from India so we don't really celebrate Thanksgiving,) and it was really good!
AchikaMiyu, another great submission. =) I like the carols!

[Nick Soapdish]

This is great! I love all the drabbles. But I can't believe that some people don't know what egg nog is. For shame!

[AchikaMiyu]

Here's another one:

Eggnog --Click here to view--

When we first had eggnog, it was the type that you bought at the store. It was the only kind we knew about until high school. Naruto had asked me once whether or not there really was egg in eggnog. I told him that there was, but he said he wouldn’t believe me until I made it from scratch. I should have known at the time he was setting me up. It was his way of getting something special from me for Christmas. At least I had gotten him to help me make it. Now we do it every year.

[Candleguy]

I've got entries for the drabble contest. This was way harder than I initially thought it would be.

Angel --Click here to view--

Sakura knew he wanted it, he was just too afraid to ask. But she wanted it as much as he did.

They glanced fondly at the glittery, powdered snow

“Snow angel!” she blurted before dropping to the ground.

Surprised and impressed Naruto plopped down beside her. They flapped their arms and legs in the snow, laughing like fools. As Naruto’s arms moved up and down his fingers brushed against hers. He blushed and grabbed her hand, she blushed and smiled.

“Sakura-chan it’s—“

“--Freezing cold-” she continued

“This was-“

“-A mistake” she laughed.

“Yeah” he grinned, gently squeezing her hand.

Bells --Click here to view--

She wanted to wait until Christmas morning. But his enthusiasm was infectious.

Naruto held two small bells before her. “One for the husband, one for the wife, every Christmas morning we ring the bells.”

“Why?”
“
Why?” He glanced at the bells. “I don’t remember-it doesn't matter why. This could be our new Christmas tradition.”

She smiled, “Our own unique tradition huh?”

“Yeah” he shrugged sheepishly. “Do you think its stupid?”

“I think next year” she patted her belly “we may need an extra bell.”

Speechless, he opened his arms. She walked into his embrace. The bells jingled in his hands.

Carol --Click here to view--

Naruto loved Christmas carols. But he couldn't really sing. He knew it, and it was obvious his family knew it. Whenever he started singing, which was frequently during the holidays, his teen daughter would roll her eyes, she had her mother's eyes, but she wouldn't ever leave the room. Sometimes his young son would join in; most times there were more interesting things in the house. He had his father's attention span. His wife well, even when Sakura-chan winced her warming smile never left her face. Yeah he didn't have the best voice. But it wasn't about his voice anyway.

Decorations --Click here to view--

Color-coordinated ornaments decorated the tree, wreaths everywhere, and two stockings hung by the chimney. Naruto's fiancé sat peacefully on the couch warmed by the fire. Deftly he fished a plastic star from his coat and placed it atop the tree with expert symmetry.

“That took forever” she muttered when he sat down beside her.

“I had to find the perfect star--”

She sat up nestling herself against him. “The decorators are what matters not the decorations or the gifts.”

His drew her closer. “That's good to know because I forgot to buy you a gift.”

She stiffened

“I'm kidding.”

Eggnog --Click here to view--

Sakura enjoyed Ino’s Christmas parties. But she had more “intimate” plans for Christmas Eve. Unfortunately Naruto had yet to meet a party he didn't like.

“Naruto its getting a little late—“

“BEST PARTY EVER!” he interjected.

Gleefully he handed her a cup of eggnog before diving into his own. He resurfaced with a cream mustache.

Inspiration struck her.

“You got a little…” She swiped at his upper lip with her thumb then she licked the cream off her finger, smiling seductively.

Naruto released his breath. Beet red he glanced around the room. “It's getting a little late isn't it?

[Sakura Blossoms]

Awesome and wonderful drabbles so far guys! Keep 'em coming!

And because it wasn't made too clear before, just want you guys to know that the drabbles can be about the Christmas/Holiday season and Happy New Years

This time, the prompts are all Holidays and New Year's themed, to get us all into the festive mood.

[peanutbutter126]

I had absolutely no idea what eggnog was XD Heard of it but never thought deeply about it. Before googling it, I'd associated it with unicorns. Don't ask I am determined to have eggnog this year!

Coincidentally, I loved everyone's eggnog drabbles. Monkey's one was heartwarming, AchikaMiyu's sweet, and Candleguy's hilarious. Really nice!

I actually completely forgot about the drabbles until an hour ago, haha. Here are the last three of mine XD Looking forward to the next prompts!

Carols --Click here to view--

Carols

He didn’t really remember her name, so she became The Pretending Girl.

It was during the fourth rehearsal, two days from their Christmas performance, that Naruto noticed she wasn’t pretending today. In the middle of the last carol, he nudged her.

He sang particularly loudly to cover her squeak.

“Why don’t you sing?” he whispered.

Her green eyes widened. “I-I am.”

“You’re just moving your lips. You can’t fool the future Hokage!”

She flushed. “Ami says I sound like a frog.”

He grinned. “Trust me, frogs are awesome.”

She began to smile.

“They get kissed by pretty girls like you.”

Decorations --Click here to view--

Decorations

“You know, if we were all decorations, Ino would be mistletoe.”

Those bright blue eyes were staring expectantly at her. Sakura gave in. “Why?” she asked, and his grin widened.

He pointed up.

Ino, riding on Chouji’s enlarged hands, was fussing around the top of the Christmas tree with the star in her hands. She passed above their heads.

Sakura smiled unconsciously. “Oh.”

Naruto had already leaned in. Their foreheads touched.

A shower of tinsel, and a black head between them.

“What would I be?”

Expletives bounced around Naruto’s mind.

Sakura’s fist came down on Sai’s head. “A light bulb!”

Eggnog --Click here to view--

Eggnog

He’d planned it perfectly. Not only did they get free fireworks and lights in the background, it’d give them an anniversary date he would have no trouble remembering.

Sakura smiled. “So why did you drag me up here?”

In a flash, Naruto produced an orange mug. “Homemade Uzumaki eggnog. One of a kind. It’s got a special ingredient.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow. But what could go wrong?

Below them, the countdown began.

“Marry me, Sakura.”

As the village welcomed the new year, their Hokage caught a spray of eggnog in the face. A silver ring rebounded off his forehead protector.

[Nick Soapdish]

Calling all Monkeys!

You get to pick the prompts for this week!

[MonkeysTotallyRo...]

Yay! This is so exciting! And unexpected! Okay, I hope this set of words will be sufficiently awesome and Naru-Saku-tastic!



f - fruitcake
g - gifts
h - holly
i - icicles
j - jolly

Good luck to all!

[Nick Soapdish]

Yay! This is so exciting! And unexpected! Okay, I hope this set of words will be sufficiently awesome and Naru-Saku-tastic!



f - fruitcake
g - gifts
h - holly
i - icicles
j - jolly

Good luck to all!

Yeah, it should be. I jumped the gun two days early because I didn't see Smiter's note about the extension.

But you still finished up first and I bet people could start use a few new prompts by now.

[AchikaMiyu]

Here are my drabbles for this week:

Fruitcake --Click here to view--

She had never pegged him as intelligent. When she ended up partnered with him on the latest science experiment, she thought for sure that she would have to do all of the work. But surprisingly, he carried his weight and they ended up beating all of the other pairs in trying to build a device that could launch a fruitcake the furthest. Turned out, Naruto got fruitcakes for Christmas every year. He hated them, but loved chucking them into the woods with a sling. Funny how the first ‘A’ he got was for a project involving his most hated gift.

Gifts --Click here to view--

He was like any other kid: he loved getting gifts. However, it seemed like his Christmas gifts were always lackluster. There were the usual suspects: socks, underwear, and worst of all fruitcake. He was getting the fruitcake prepped on his new ‘A’ plus catapult when she came around the corner.

“Hey Naruto, I brought you something for Christmas.”

The gift was a batch of homemade gingersnap cookies. “Wow, thanks! These are delicious!”

“Glad you like them. Thanks for helping me get an ‘A,’” Sakura said with a smile.

Now Naruto had a gift that he could truly appreciate this Christmas.

Holly --Click here to view--

“I think it landed here.”

“Do they usually go this far?”

“No, there must have been extra dates in this one. The filling gives them more lift. Hey, I think its in this bush.”

“Careful Naruto! Don’t let the leaves prick you.”

“Ow! It’s really in there deep,” Naruto said as he crawled out. “Wow, this sucker is still intact. Ready to shoot it again?”

He had dirt smudged on his pants and holly leaves stuck in his hair. His eyes lit up like sapphires. Sakura laughed as she pulled a few holly leaves out of his hair. “Yeah, ready.”

Icicles --Click here to view--

“A few more degrees to the left.”

“Okay. Do you think this will work?”

“It should. Is the catapult armed?” Sakura asked.

“Ready when you are!”

Both teens placed their hands on the lever and smiled to each other before pulling it down. The fruitcake sailed through the air and crashed into a tree. The impact caused all of the icicles on the tree to shatter as the fruitcake bounced off and rolled to the ground in one piece.

Sakura was amazed. “This thing is indestructible!”

The teens laughed as they ran to retrieve the fruitcake. “Let’s do it again!”

Jolly --Click here to view--

She was having the time of her life. Sakura always enjoyed the holidays, but she had never experienced it like this before. It took at least five more tries before they were able to successfully destroy the dessert. The explosion of fruitcake was nothing short of hilarious. She had never laughed as hard before in her life. With the holly stuck on Naruto’s clothes, he certainly knew how to have a holly, jolly Christmas.

“I had a lot of fun today.”

“Thanks, we should do this again next year,” Naruto smiled.

“Yeah, next year.”

“Merry Christmas Sakura.”

“Merry Christmas Naruto.”

Loving all of the ones that everyone's submitted. Keep them coming. There's no restriction on doing past drabbles, even if the week is up.

Merry Christmas everyone!