The 2018-2019 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Story Swap!

Give: Normally I say I'll try anything (but my hard science will not be hard). This year, I will still try anything, but I'd love a prompt to work with that is definitely SF. The last few years I've written all fantasy, even when the prompt could have gone either way and I've wanted to do SF, so I'd like to be forced into it if possible. But if that's too complicated, anything! I am told I am decent at romance (though no one has ever read my sex so that could be horrific) and combat.

Receive: I would like to know why the bells are tolling a warning.

Anything goes for this one too. Fantasy or SF. I only ask the bells are definitely bells - so no substitute electronic alarms. A humorous take on a spaceship with people going what the f even is that thing? A monastery in an ancient kingdom? Church bells in an apocalyptic wasteland? Wooden bells on an isolated island? You choose! Tone wise it can be anything; I only ask, if you do go dark (especially if you go DARK dark) you make sure that's clearly signaled in the first page so I know what I need to brace for

21 amazing prompts in under 24 hours! GO US!

tiddlywinks said:

*cough* Bonus points if there's something sparkly and or a penguin. Or both combined.

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We've had sparkly goats and sparkly reapers, what's a sparkly penguin among friends?

Ok, signing up right away so I don’t chicken out.


I would like to both give and receive.


For giving – I write mostly fantasy and love doing world-building. I also like a darker tone to the story, but can accommodate happy endings. I’m not so great at humor, but can do some light romance (no smexy times, but LGBTQ characters are fine with me) and gore/violence.


For receiving – I would like some kind of Lovecraftian/gothic horror story. I’d also like it to include at least 1 penguin (it can be a real penguin, a zombie penguin, a mechanical penguin, a toy penguin, etc.) It can be violent if need be and it can have some romance, but no extreme smexiness, please. Bonus points if it really scares me.

EvilPenguin said:

I’d also like it to include at least 1 penguin (it can be a real penguin,

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A real penguin? Or a pet penguin...

I'm in again this year.

What I write: Space Opera, Military SF, Fantasy (S&S and epic), Dark Fantasy, Steampunk, Fantasy Noir, and Action-Adventure. I have just dipped my toes into horror (but it still leans more toward dark fantasy - not big on gore and dismemberments on screen) and unless you want really awkward romantic scenes, I'm probably not the guy for romance/erotica.

My prompt: Something waits at the crossroads. This can be a physical or metaphorical crossroad. It could be the protag waiting at the crossroad, someone waiting for the protag at the crossroad, two streetcars waiting for traffic to clear to cross .... however you want to approach it, but the crossroad needs to be integral to the story.

Albedo,

Somehow fluffydark sounds worse than grimdark.


Hmmm.

Mary Love said:

A real penguin? Or a pet penguin...

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A real pet penguin!

HUZZAH! At last it is that time. All hail SSSFFSSYSSFSFSF-EIEIO! Or something like that.

I'm in for giving and receiving.

GIVING: I do SciFi and Fantasy or a mixture of both. I've tried my hand at horror and at best I get to mildly creepy. I don't do gobs of bloody violence or explicit sex, and my attempts at romance can best be described in a perfect Mary Berry voice as "A bit of a mess."

RECEIVING: I would like a story, NOT HORROR, about a doll (or dolls) that come to life. It can involve magic or technology or some other heretofore unmentioned means of animation, and should include a little girl, no more than ten years old. Please keep any violence or sex at PG-13 or lower.

For giving: No horror (can't do the genre justice), no rape, no incest. No hard sci fi (time). Otherwise go wild. Can write LGTBQ.

Prompt: Two good people who are enemies due to circumstances body swap. No horror, rape, or incest. Comedy or drama fine.

Can beta.

Richard White said:

Albedo,

Somehow fluffydark sounds worse than grimdark.


Hmmm.

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fluffydark sounds like a villain who is also a cat

Jade Rothwell said:

fluffydark sounds like a villain who is also a cat

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I’d read that.

Cobra, thank you for organizing this event. It’s so much work!

Also, I'll be back soon to properly volunteer as tribute.

This was such fun last year - count me in again!

Give and Receive.

Happy to write just about anything except smut.

Prompt: Tomorrow is yesterday and yesterday is sometime next year, but next year is the year your grandfather will be born.

GIVE and RECEIVE, please. I cannot beta this year.

Give: I can write Fantasy, Fairy Tale retellings, and while I’m not an expert at Sci-fi, I’m not against attempting to write it again, just don’t expect it to be Hard SF because I’m not good at writing the technologies like that. My current WIP is actually a romantical story, so I think I’d rather NOT write something romantical for Sisyphus, just to have a change of pace. I’m willing to write action-y violence, but not graphic/gory, or sexual violence, and I don’t write smexy times, grimdark, or foul language. I prefer writing happy/hopeful endings over sad, but I don’t think I’d be very good at straight up comedy. I also don’t write vampires, zombies, or werewolves, smexy, emo, or otherwise.

Receive: Picture prompt!




Edit: Link didn't work...Let's try that again: Click HERE for a bigger version. *crosses fingers*

I am wondering what the story of this place and the person (adult or child is up to you) sitting and reading under the tree is. Is the tree magical? Is the library magical? Is the person magical? Are they alone or are other people around? Just throwing some ponderings out there, none of these things are required.

Let the picture inspire you and have fun. Anything goes EXCEPT erotica, grimdark, or creepy paranormal, all of which I do not like. While violence is allowed, this sensitive individual does not want graphic/gory, sexual violence, or foul language. I also do not want smexy times, and similarly to what I said I’m willing to give, I’d rather the story I receive not be romantical, just for a change of pace. (Strong friendships are a bonus, though not required.) And, I do not want vampires, zombies, werewolves (shapeshifters that aren’t scary are fine, it’s the scary part I don’t like), depressing depressingness, or horror in any form. Happy ending please.

The nerves are nervous as usual, but with each passing year I gain a little more confidence. Thanks, Cobra, for running this for us!

I"m in!

Give
I'll try my hand at anything except romance and erotica. No promises it'll be any good, but I'll try!

Receive

The story should contain a parrot/other animal with remarkable but limited linguistic capabilities comparable to those of a parrot (it does NOT have to be an animal one would normally expect to be able to speak).

However, this creature doesn't just speak. There is something unusual and distinctive about the entirety of its vocabulary (not just an unusual voice - although that's certainly permitted. I want the word choices themselves to be unusual). It may know only profanities, or speak only in baby-talk, or twenties slang, or use a different language from the characters around it, or speak only in words that have homophones (leading to wacky misunderstandings), or in phrases that seem to be plucked directly form the listener's mind and delivered in the voice of their dead loved ones (less wacky). The sky's the limit!

I'm also going to incorporate a prompt I originally proposed for the summer event. I'd like the story to contain a "knall" - a fictional weapon described in detail in a short story by Primo Levi. My translation can be found here. The knall can be as described, or it can be an early model or the most modern version with bells and whistles, but it should be recognizable as a knall.

I'm in, to give and receive. I can also beta with at least a day or two notice.

For giving, I can try most varieties of SFF (generally ending up with something oddball and in-between), but anything research-intensive will probably end up pretty approximated, and grimdark will likely read like a bad parody. Likewise sexy anything will end up sounding silly, and I'm probably not the best choice to attempt it. For receiving, I'm perfectly happy to read a bunch of carefully researched (or made-up-on-the-spot) detail if anyone feels like attempting it , but grimdark and sexy anything are probably not the best option.

And, since someone mentioned recycling summer prompts, I'd really like to know the answer to this:


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What is it? It's something SFF. It's desperately important to someone. Beyond that — that's the story.

Cobra, I want to sign up, but the rep icon isn't showing up on my phone. For some reason, it NEVER shows up on my phone. What can I do to get the statement regarding the rules and my email address to you?

Thanks!

Receive
Please write a story about an individual/creature who is stereotypically evil, but in this story isn’t. For example: a vampire prince, heir to the most evil of bloodlines, finds he has a knack for playing matchmaker and is really good at selecting human soulmates. Feel free to use that one or come up with your own.

Optional bonus plot: If you can work it in, I’d love to read about a curse.

Also, if your muse takes you on a journey elsewhere else, go follow it. This really is a no-stress event.

Give
I’d like to write fantasy this year. Forte is grimdark or high fantasy, but honestly I’ll do anything as long as the setting is fantasy. From sailor blushing sexytimez to something completely insane that doesn’t fit a genre like Kanye-gets-teleported-to-Asgard.

(Please don’t make me write about Kanye.)

Jade Rothwell said:

fluffydark sounds like a villain who is also a cat

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Blinkk said:

Kanye-gets-teleported-to-Asgard.

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My smartass self is about to smash these two together for this years prompt, just 'cause I would totally read that.

Justobuddies said:

My smartass self is about to smash these two together for this years prompt, just 'cause I would totally read that.

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Please do!