The 2017-2018 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi Fantasy Story Swap

tianaluthien said:

[/I]Ok, I'm legit dying right now.

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Likewise. I think here's a pile of our corpses littering the thread by now.

paddismac said:

Yay! Edvard is back in the fold where he belongs! Once you've gone goat...

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Don'tsayitfroggydon'tsayitfortheloveofthetadpolesdon'tsayit

you never go ba-a-a-ack?

D'oh!

KateSmash said:

Maybe we should all make a pact, here and now, to be extra gentle with each other this year and extra extra gentle with ourselves. Not that we're ever rough, but, you know, really overkill the positivity for this Sisyphus season.

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Agreed. I decided to do this for myself a while ago and sweet mother of unicorns I'm amazed how much it made me feel better. Always one's own worst critic.

So being gentle it is! With myself, with others... but depending on the story maybe not with my characters.

Friendly Frog said:

Don'tsayitfroggydon'tsayitfortheloveofthetadpolesdon'tsayit

you never go ba-a-a-ack?

D'oh!

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Yuss!! I wasn't about to say it! So glad someone did!

Friendly Frog said:

Likewise. I think here's a pile of our corpses littering the thread by now.

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I suspect Aggy in the Study with the Candlestick.

KateSmash said:

I feel this in my bones, zanz. I think a lot of us do.

Maybe we should all make a pact, here and now, to be extra gentle with each other this year and extra extra gentle with ourselves. Not that we're ever rough, but, you know, really overkill the positivity for this Sisyphus season.

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Agreed! We are always super nice to each other, but we forget to do the same for ourselves. (That said, I just know I'm going to direct all that hate onto my characters, because that's where it pays off.

Blood.

Blood.

Blood.

Friendly Frog said:

Don'tsayitfroggydon'tsayitfortheloveofthetadpolesdon'tsayit

you never go ba-a-a-ack?

D'oh!

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paddismac said:

Yuss!! I wasn't about to say it! So glad someone did!

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Uh hhh.

You were just looking for a sca-a-a-a-a-pegoat.

tianaluthien said:

I suspect Aggy in the Study with the Candlestick.

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That would still go very well with Mr. White in the alligator pond with the tuba. (That is so becoming a story, darn you Richard.)

tiddlywinks said:

That would still go very well with Mr. White in the alligator pond with the tuba. (That is so becoming a story, darn you Richard.)

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*perks*

*Miss Scarlet exits the scene with the revolver which may or may not be smoking*

What's that? Just Zanzjan shattering the record?

No biggie....

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I still have that list of Cantina-themed Clue we made, god, a few years ago now.

Is it weird that I'm more excited about opening my prompt on Christmas morning than I am about any of the tangible gifts under the tree?


C'mon Dec. 25th, just get here already!!

paddismac said:

Is it weird that I'm more excited about opening my prompt on Christmas morning than I am about any of the tangible gifts under the tree?


C'mon Dec. 25th, just get here already!!

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Newp. Not weird at all. I may or may not check my email every fifteen minutes after I wake up to see if it's arrived

So, I was planning on just lurking on the forums for a few months before deciding to join, but this thread was just too enticing. So with my inaugural post I will throw my hat in the ring to both give and receive a story.

Question of etiquette: If I just can't decide between 2 different prompts, can I post both and let the winner of my prompts choose which to write?

Justobuddies said:

So, I was planning on just lurking on the forums for a few months before deciding to join, but this thread was just too enticing. So with my inaugural post I will throw my hat in the ring to both give and receive a story.

Question of etiquette: If I just can't decide between 2 different prompts, can I post both and let the winner of my prompts choose which to write?

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Welcome to AW and the best event of the year! And to answer your question, I don't see any reason why not. Cobra gets the final say, of course, but there's no harm in posting both prompts to start and if he asks for just one, you can remove the spare.

So here is what I would love to read:

Want #1: A steampunk society where magic and science exist simultaneously, with an ongoing conflict between scientists and magicians both trying to disprove the "laws" that govern the other. The conflict has now escalated to the point where war may be inevitable.
I really don't want to see a romance plot drive the story, it would feel too much like Romeo and Juliette.

Want #2: The story after the story. You've done it! The king is dead, the Heroes/Villains lie slain/defeated at your feet, and the world is now yours to control. Unfortunately, you have no practical experience in governance, so have no idea how to do the job you now have: running the world.

Don't Want: explicit sex, explicit violence/gore, or horror

My skills are best in Fantasy: Epic, high, low, or urban/modern setting, soft sci-fi. The receiver will be disappointed if I attempt romance, and I refuse to write graphic sex, violence/gore, and horror.

It's high time I joined in again, and this time I don't have endless amounts of study to do over the holidays!

I would like a story in which a character is not what people expect of their kind, e.g. a slovenly elf, a stay-at-home werewolf mum, a charming and erudite chestbursting alien. Show that stereotypes are just that. Over-the-top violence and prodigious swearing is appreciated, but not mandatory by any means.

At be frank's suggestion, story must involve cannibals, bin chickens, or cannibal bin chickens in some way.

I mostly write science fiction of a slightly warped bent, but I'll tackle horror or fantasy. If you want romance I absolutely guarantee it'll be warped. My sense of humour is generally known here.

paddismac said:

Is it weird that I'm more excited about opening my prompt on Christmas morning than I am about any of the tangible gifts under the tree?


C'mon Dec. 25th, just get here already!!

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Not weird at all. There are a few tangible presents sitting under our tree right now and most days I don't even look at them...but my prompt? I waaant myyyy proooompt. I keep forgetting I have to wait another eleven days. *grumbles*

I'm looking forward to this. There are couple that have caught my eye and a few I don't think I could write at all. Then there are few that would push my boundaries, but stretching is not always a bad thing.

I saw this...

Albedo said:

charming and erudite chestbursting alien

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...and thought of this:



Huh, I had never heard of bin chickens before. I wonder if they have trash pandas as well, or if that's just an American thing?

shortstorymachinist said:

Not weird at all. There are a few tangible presents sitting under our tree right now and most days I don't even look at them...but my prompt? I waaant myyyy proooompt. I keep forgetting I have to wait another eleven days. *grumbles*

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I feel the same way! I waaaaaaant my proooooompt! I can't wait!

I'll get excited to get my prompt after I finish my current project. (It'll be done well before Christmas, maybe even today or tomorrow, so no worries there, but it has to be done so I can get enough brain space to be excited about a new project!)

J. A. Rama said:

I saw this...


...and thought of this:

Huh, I had never heard of bin chickens before. I wonder if they have trash pandas as well, or if that's just an American thing?



I feel the same way! I waaaaaaant my proooooompt! I can't wait!

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This. This gif should be a prompt in itself. (What hath we wrought?)

i was going to say that if one is not familiar with the habits of the noble bin chicken then one could write about your bog standard cannibal chickens instead, but then I noticed that zanzjan has already ordered a chicken story, and That's when I realised this year's game is going to get weird.

Albedo said:

This. This gif should be a prompt in itself. (What hath we wrought?)

i was going to say that if one is not familiar with the habits of the noble bin chicken then one could write about your bog standard cannibal chickens instead, but then I noticed that zanzjan has already ordered a chicken story, and That's when I realised this year's game is going to get weird.

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GET weird? Dude, last year I wrote a story combining black holes, lava lamps, and a llama spitting on someone. Shit's BEEN weird, and it's why we love it so.

Maggie Maxwell said:

GET weird? Dude, last year I wrote a story combining black holes, lava lamps, and a llama spitting on someone. Shit's BEEN weird, and it's why we love it so.

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And that was such a fantastic story too!

Also, what's wrong with having two weird chicken stories? It only makes it harder to guess.

Maggie Maxwell said:

GET weird? Dude, last year I wrote a story combining black holes, lava lamps, and a llama spitting on someone. Shit's BEEN weird, and it's why we love it so.

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Jaymz Connelly said:

And that was such a fantastic story too!

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The best part is, the black holes, the spitting llama, and the lava lamp aren't even the weird bit...

J. A. Rama said:

Also, what's wrong with having two weird chicken stories?

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There's a sentence I never thought I'd say.

J. A. Rama said:

Also, what's wrong with having two weird chicken stories? It only makes it harder to guess.

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Yeah, it starts at one or two, then suddenly everyone's writing weird chicken stories. And then we have an anthology of weird chicken stories. And then what??

Albedo said:

Yeah, it starts at one or two, then suddenly everyone's writing weird chicken stories. And then we have an anthology of weird chicken stories. And then what??

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We rent a booth at the National Poultry Association meeting and make a killing?

If anyone wants another chicken-related thing: around here we have a bird known as the turbo chook.