The 2019 Sequel Solstice Story Share: The Sequel!

J. A. Rama

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Summer (or winter, if you live in the future, that is, Australia) is here! NaNo is over. Sisyphus is (nearly) over. Camp ain't for all of us. What ARE we going to do in the dead times?

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Well!

IT'S BAAAACK!


THE SECOND ANNUAL SEQUEL SISYPHUS - THE SEQUEL!

What is it?

The Sequel Sisyphus is a fun game run by J. A. Rama (a.k.a. Jay) where we all write stories to a set of prompts we vote on, then share!

How It Works:

1. You provide up to 3 prompts.

2. Once the submission period is over, you will vote for your 3 favorite prompts of all those submitted. You may only vote for at most one of your own prompts.

3. The Top Three Chosen Prompts with the most votes shall be Revealed By Jay.

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4. The writing begins! You will have at least a few weeks to write a story of any length based on at least one or any combination of The Three Chosen Prompts. Also, if another prompt that didn't win caught your eye, feel free to go ahead and write it! The more the merrier! Don't worry, this deadline is written in jello, with jello, for jello. (The jello is sentient. Don't ask.)

5. Once the writing period is over, you will submit your story to Jay along with a short excerpt of about 200 words. (The excerpt is what I will use for the Guessing Thread.)

6. After the deadline, we will create a Guessing Thread (traditional Sisyphus style), where we all try to guess who wrote which stories.

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What you get:

- A chance to stretch your short story writing muscles in a low key, low pressure environment.
- A chance to get that productivity flowing without getting eaten by the Dead Times.
- A chance to continue hanging out with your awesome AW peoples!
- A chance to write as badly as you want with no pressure. Let the typo-stricken, plot hole-riddled, genre-bending chaos drafts fly free!

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Rulez 'N' Shit:

1. To sign up, you must post in this thread during the sign-up period with your prompts. You may post up to 3 prompts. If you wish to serve as a beta for this challenge, please include that. You must ALSO rep me (you can use this post) with your email address, a written promise to provide a story by the writing deadline, and a solemn swear that you're up to no good promise to abide by these rules. I will then send you an email once I have received these that you are good to go. You will NOT be counted as a participant unless you have done all of these things!

2. Please do not submit overly long, specific, or detailed prompts. Different people work differently, so it is courteous to leave wiggle room to allow for differences of genre and style.

3. You can only vote on a prompt if you are a participant.

4. Signing up with a prompt and a rep with your email, and then voting on a prompt, is a commitment to participate. Jay Will Frown Sternly Upon You For Voting And Then Not Participating.

5. You may only vote once. To vote, rep Jay with up to 3 favorite prompts. The top 3 will be selected for the competition. You may only vote for up to (1) of your own prompts. Please do not use all 3 of your votes on your own prompts.

6. You may write your story using any combination of the Three Chosen Prompts that you want. Bonus, if any of the other prompts catches your eye, you are welcome to throw them in as well! LET THE CHAOS REIGN!

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7. PLEASE COMMUNICATE if something comes up. I realize that life gets busy/crazy/stressful. I am certainly willing to work with you in that case, but please don't make me hunt you down. If you ghost without a word, it delays the guessing thread for everyone, and we don't want that, do we?

8. You must submit your story by emailing it to me in .PDF, .DOC, or .DOCX format OR a Google Docs link. All content will still belong to you. Along with your story, please provide an excerpt of about 200 words for the Guessing Thread. You can format your doc however you'd like, but please be sure you include any content or trigger warnings at the top of your story as necessary.

9. Once every story has been guessed, you may request to read other people's stories or share your own. You can share in the formats mentioned above (usually those are easiest for everyone) or a Google Docs link. Sharing a link means that people can download your doc to their Kindle or other e-reader to read offline, which is allowed for ease of reading, especially for those without constant internet access. However, all content belongs​ to the original writer! No sharing with anyone outside of this group without the written permission of the author. If a lurker wants to read someone's story and emails them, it's up to that individual whether they want to share with someone who isn't playing. If you are not comfortable sharing your story, you absolutely do not have to.

10. If you beta a story, or are otherwise aware of who wrote what story before the guessing opens, you are not allowed to guess that story in the Guessing Thread.

11. We know you guys are all Mature Adults (TM), but please play nice. Hatred, flaming, bigotry, and intolerance will not be tolerated.

12. Special Request: If you write about bugs in any more detail than mentioning their existence, please include a content warning. I will at least be skimming all of your stories, and I kind of have a phobia about them. Similarly, please include any appropriate content or trigger warnings for violence, explicit sex, any other phobias, etc. Thank you.

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Schedule:

June 15[SUP]th[/SUP] – June 30[SUP]th[/SUP]: Sign ups. Everyone posts prompts.
July 1[SUP]st[/SUP] – July 15[SUP]th[/SUP]: We'll post the full list of prompts. Rep either Jay with your vote for up to 3 of your favorite prompts. You may only vote for 1 of your own prompts.
July 15[SUP]th[/SUP]: We will post the top 3 prompts.
July 15[SUP]th[/SUP] – August 31[SUP]st[/SUP]: You guys write a story based on at least one of the prompts. Or write one story combining all three prompts – or if you’re a real over-achiever, write a story for each prompt separately - whatever your imagination demands!

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The deadline for all stories to be in is August 31st, although I can adjust it if people need more time to wrangle the chaos!

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Another Special Note: Your input is valuable, as this challenge is for you guys, and we want you to have the MOST BEST, MOST FUN experience we can create! Therefore, if you have any input or suggestions to change or improve this challenge, you are most welcome to share them.

Guessing will tentatively begin on September 1st, depending on whether the deadline changes.

Are you ready?

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Thought so. LET'S GO!

................

Voting is now CLOSED!


................

Aaaaand off we go!


Our winners are!


* Science fiction fairy tale reboot! Bonus points, somehow use ALLL the prompts!


* A child inhales a seed of magic, and must live forever after with the consequences as it takes root and grows through their bodies.


* Space opera where a mind-ship goes around collecting people it thinks fulfils it's crew requirement and doesn't let them go.


You have until August 31st to produce a story using any or all of these prompts! Please talk to me if something comes up and you can't produce a story, or even if you need more time! Remember, the deadline is written in jello!


AND WE'RE OFF!

Betas:

Norman Mjadwesch
SciSarahTops
CobraMisfit
 
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Kjbartolotta

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I was not expecting this.

1) A story set in a city that is a literal maze.
2) A lost manuscript that offers a very different take on a nation's history.
3) Slime.
 

Friendly Frog

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We love you, Jay. :e2flowers

I think I can handle this timeline, so I am in.

prompts:
1. A cowboy and a mermaid, together they fight crime.
2. Something has escaped the space zoo/menagerie/bothanical garden.
3. Imageprompt: Nightpool by Hüyesin Sahin, can be viewed at: http://www.huseyinsahinart.com/work/21
 
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lilyWhite

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I'll join in this year! =^_^=

My prompts:
1. "A romance with a flower", to be interpreted as desired.
2. The secret story behind a selfie.
3. Sirens (of any sort).
 

J. A. Rama

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Woo hoo, we are OFF TO A GREAT START!

Now, just to add a little chaos to the mix...MY PROMPTS.

1. Picture prompt! Write a story about THIS PLACE. (Not my art.)

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...

2.
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...

3. Science fiction fairy tale reboot! Bonus points, somehow use ALLL the prompts!



Reminder, after you have posted your prompts, please remember to rep me with your email, intent to provide a story, and a statement to abide by the rules per the rules.
 
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Ruby Road

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1- An obscure cult creates a prophecy that your MC will ____________.

2- MC gains a special ability that is incredibly strong but is also slowly destroying them (either physically or mentally). The destruction will not stop until the MC loses/relinquishes the power. Otherwise they will continue to degenerate.

3- A scientist creates a robot that doesn't know it's a robot and releases it into the world in order to _________.
 
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Justobuddies

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I'm in

Prompts [added]

1. A group of ne'er do wells are always coming up with the next big scheme, using magic (or tech if you're feeling sci-fi) in ways it was never intended by The Man! (Basically Cheech and Chong with magic, or sci-fi tech)

2. She'd always dreamed of living in a world of unicorns, fairies, and other magical things but now, surrounded by them, she wasn't so sure any more.

3. "Magic, it's always just there in the world, right? Whenever we need something conjured, just tap into the endless flow of it, say the right incantation, flick of the wrist, and Boom!" ___ said, picking up a taco he/she had just conjured. "Except, it's not endless, I found its source, and it's depleting, fast."
 
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Caitlin Black

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1. A human, living in non-magical, non-sci-fi, modern times, realises she/he is actually the person who invents magic.

2. Every single lightbulb on the planet secretly has a spy camera hidden within, planted there by an alien blackmailer.

3. Fire is actually a single sentient being.
 

Sue77

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Hi all, I've been very quiet for quite a while, but I'd love to join in. Last year was great fun.

Prompts to follow asap!

Okay, here are my prompts.

1. Your character's android lover has been killed. How and why was he/she killed; what does your character do?

2. A child's dream-world begins to physically bleed into and interfere with real life.

3. Dwarves, who are mining for precious stones, uncover something either deadly or unexpected.
 
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Albedo

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Whoops, I've got to do some prompts.

1. Tell me about some specific art-based magic, that's tied intimately to music, dance, or the like.

2. What's in the most dangerous room in the world?

3. Werewolves (or werellamas, or whatever) are moving into the suburbs. Tell me about their boring suburban lives.
 

Tazlima

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I'm in!
1) The nanites made me do it.

2) Riding a time pony.

3) Tell us about a society that evolved from, or is inspired by, one or more of these actual animal species: a. Lumpsucker - b. Bananaquit - c. Slightly-musical conehead - d. Pink Fairy Armadillo
 
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Justobuddies

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Whoops, I've got to do some prompts.

1. Tell me about some specific art-based magic, that's tied intimately to music, dance, or the like.

2. What's in the most dangerous room in the world?

3. Werewolves (or werellamas, or whatever) are moving into the suburbs. Tell me about their boring suburban lives.
:ROFL:
 

Coddiwomple

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Ooh ooh! Pick me! I wanna play.

I'll whittle down to three prompts and add them before the deadline.

***

And here they are, inspired by quotes from a few of my favorite snark-monsters. Choose the prompt I came up with, or use the name of the prompt as inspiration for your own.

1. “Dang nature you trashy”

A fungus drugs the townsfolk to make them _______ nonstop.

From: Biology-Parasitic-fungus-makes-cicadas-quot-do-it-till-they-drop

Hat tip and/or apologies to Introversion and Kjbartolotta


2. “Pixie Drone Pilots”

Pixies pilot miniature _______ in a battle to save _______.

From: We-had-nobody-in-the-drone

Hat tip / apologies: cbenoi1 and Brightdreamer


3. “The low-hanging fruit that is Uranus”

You wake one morning to find _______ growing from your _______.

From: President-Proposes-Bold-and-Super-Normal-Reassessment-of-Planetary-Classification

Hat tip / apologies: Kjbartolotta and Marrisa D
 
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Norman Mjadwesch

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I am in. Prompts to follow…

ETA:

1. Impending death can be passed onto someone else via dreaming.

2. A camera that takes pictures 30 minutes into the future.

3. A vengeful laundry machine.
 
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ajaye

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Looking forward to this. Thanks for doing all the legwork, Jay :)

1. fishing in the old reservoir has been banned because instead of fish, people have been catching_____

2. the queen has died from food poisoning and you're the cook

3. a woman wakes up to find a smoking crater in her backyard
 
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Brightdreamer

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Okay, I'm going to take a swipe at this.

Prompts:

1 - A dragon develops an allergy to gold and must find an alternate substance or item (or concept?) to hoard.

2 - A child inhales a seed of magic, and must live forever after with the consequences as it takes root and grows through their bodies.

3 - A mishap throws a character (player or NPC) from a role-playing game into the body of a player - just as the game is shut down for good, barring the path "home."
 

ajaye

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Ok, all these wonderful prompts are going in my folder (and straight to the poolroom) for future ponderings.
 

Friendly Frog

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Oh man, so many good prompts, having to pick just three is going to be agonising!

Also, yeay! to all the people joining us! You lot are amazing. :snoopy: