The 2020 Sekrit Solstice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Story Swap!

Coddiwomple

shipwrecked in antiquity
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 11, 2018
Messages
1,784
Reaction score
1,310
Location
Far away
(Hmm. Smells like lightly singed dog around here.)

Put me down for give and receive, please!

Receive:

She finds her heart's desire in an old _____, and it ruins her whole day.

Or

Falling in love with words (however you interpret that).

Bonus points for dragons or any creature loosely resembling one.

Content restrictions: No horrific violence, especially to animals. Swearing and smexy times are both fine.

Give:

I write fantasy. Please no hard SF, but squishy and soft SF I could probably manage. As for edging out of my comfort zone? I could be lured into an experiment with horror or explicit romance, but I cannot guarantee that an attempt at either won’t end up as unintentional comedy.
 

AnnieColleen

Invisible Writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
4,355
Reaction score
1,392
Location
Texas
Yay, it's back! I'm loving the prompts so far. I'm in to give and receive, and I can beta with a day or two notice.

Give: I can try most varieties of SFF (generally ending up with something oddball and in-between). Anything research-intensive will probably end up approximated, and I'm not the best person to attempt grimdark or sexy anything.

Receive: Someone is allergic to a crown. This is terribly important because...?
As above, please no grimdark or explicit sexytimes.
 

tianaluthien

What I do is not up to you
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 8, 2014
Messages
1,757
Reaction score
434
Location
Canada, eh
Website
twitter.com
I AM IN FOR BOTH!!

My prompt: Same as always because I love seeing what you people come up with. A TALE FOR A WINTER'S NIGHT. Set in winter, be it the season or a land of eternal winter. There must be snow and ice and sparkles. Also, I've had a serious case of life happening so please, happy endings only. I like stories of friendship and guy-meets-girl. No graphic sex or violence please. I like Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Science fantasy...

Brownie points for including:
-a red rose
-a white rose
-a sparkly dragon
-a snowglobe

WHAT I WRITE: Fantasy, SF, Steampunk, gothic horror. No graphic sex or violence.
 

Friendly Frog

Snarkenfaugister
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 23, 2011
Messages
4,098
Reaction score
4,944
Location
Belgium
Tiana! *glomp*

Thank you for your sympathy, and I hope your eyes are better, too. This time around had better be a trouble free time for our poor writing friends or else I’ll be having something to say about it to the Karma Gods, and maybe pen a letter to the CDC.
Thanks. :Hug2:The tiny eye volcanoes have been mercifully dormant, but I'm still on meds to keep them so and will be until into the new year. Then there will be allergy tests at the local hospital which I dearly hope will yield some useful info because one summer like this was quite enough.

But I'll think you'll have to ask for your money back on the trouble-free sisyphus as I know for a fact that in 2020 will start poorly for me and mine. Still doing the Sisyphus, though.
 

E.F.B.

Stories, stories everywhere
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Messages
6,352
Reaction score
1,832
Location
Valinor
Website
www.etsy.com
Oops, forgot the rep with my email... *sends rep*



*joins in the glomping of Tiana* :greenie



I've been skimming through the prompts, and wow! I'll be honest with y'all that in all the past three Sisyphuses I've participated in, I've picked out a small handful of prompts I was confident I could do and requested if the story elves would pick one of that handful, but this year... this year I'm tempted to put my full trust in the story elves and let them pick one without any input from me. It's giving me the twitches, though, because I'm nervous I'll get one that will make my mind will go blank and I'll then write the suckiest story that ever sucked, but I'M TEMPTED TO TRY ANYWAY. Should I take the leap???
 

AnnieColleen

Invisible Writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
4,355
Reaction score
1,392
Location
Texas
The story elves have been pretty on-target for me. And, there's a ton of leeway in how you interpret your prompt to make it work for you. I'd say go for it.


Other news: I've been nagging my brother for a few years to join in, so far unsuccessfully. But apparently he liked the idea enough that he and his wife and a few friends are holding their own story swap! So now I get to nag him instead to let me read his story. :D
 

Jaymz Connelly

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 2, 2012
Messages
12,797
Reaction score
2,700
Location
under a rock
Go for it, Efby! You write awesome stories and no matter what prompt you get, I'm sure you'll write another awesome one this year!
 

E.F.B.

Stories, stories everywhere
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Messages
6,352
Reaction score
1,832
Location
Valinor
Website
www.etsy.com
Okay, you've all convinced me. I'll jump!

*jumps off the top of Sisyphus hill*

5b274bbd751de58d6b6c8a776fddb2fe8859db363be506226ab37cbc3d61ace9.gif


*is run over by her own Sisyphus boulder*

I'm okay.
 

tiddlywinks

Chaser of Shineyyyy Plot Bunnies
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
9,424
Reaction score
3,719
Location
Trying to Remember Where I Stashed My Muse
Website
www.elainewitt.com
Tis I, the sparkly reaper, and I am totally in for both! ALL THE SISYPHUS THIS YEAR AND THERE HAD BETTER BE GLITTER. :greenie

Receiving: I'm sitting in a craft brewery as I write this, so I want gremlins who are craft brewers. Doesn't have to be the main element, but I need gremlin craft brewers. Bonus points if you include a beer name that would make it big as Cobra's next band name. :greenie

And should you wish to listen to Made for This by The Phantoms while writing your story, even better!

*cough* sparkly things are also always a welcome treat*

No arseholes, unless you are going to kill them off. And no gore. Otherwise, I'm cool with everything else (and I happen to LIKE vampires and zombies and sexy times, so if you should wish to include any of those, also cool, but not necessary).


Giving: I don't do hard SciFi, unless you want me to make you cry from how bad it is. I also don't want to do grimdark or violence. I love writing smexytimes, fairytale retellings, fantasy, humor, and I can do dark and mysterious, as well as some tearjerkers. Also, don't make me write about arseholes. Unless I can kill them off. :evil

Other than that, we be cool.

:hooray:
 

Shadowflame

Gametrovert
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 19, 2010
Messages
3,873
Reaction score
543
And.... I'M IN!
Receive and give please

What I write. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, some lit fiction, and really odd combos what's listed.
What I don't write: My funny bone was lost a long time ago (unless you count the occasional situational humor). I don't do smexy times at all. And I'm not good at the cute and cuddly. I do not guarantee happy endings.

What I read: Pretty much anything except smexy times. (Sorry it just does nothing for me.)

Prompt:
So out on a limb here. What I want is a technique. It can be any type of story. BUT! I want it told in reverse. I want the ending at the beginning and you have to work your way back from there!

:D Have fun!
 
Last edited:

CobraMisfit

I want to be Comic Sans.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 5, 2010
Messages
8,549
Reaction score
2,747
Location
Recalculating....
Hey, gang. Been on the road and only now arrived at our destination, so I'll get the spreadsheet updated and confirmation e-mails out later this evening. Sorry for the delay.
 

Biffington

Father of a thousand spawn
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
61
Reaction score
9
Location
Niffleheim
I'm all for giving. I don't need to receive anything this year. I enjoy writing out of my comfort zone, so I'll take whatever. I'd prefer something that would fit into a 3-5k word short story.

Just don't give me a love scene unless you want an awkward autistic description of the Hamiltonian equation between two bodies.

EDIT: Unless you want a pun on the three body problem...
 
Last edited:

CobraMisfit

I want to be Comic Sans.
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 5, 2010
Messages
8,549
Reaction score
2,747
Location
Recalculating....
Okay, the Story Elves have updated the spreadsheet and all confirmation e-mails are out!

We're sitting at 21 participants (22 once I toss mine in there). If you're on the fence about joining or know someone who'd have fun with this, the sign-up window will be open for another 2 weeks.
 

Jaymz Connelly

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 2, 2012
Messages
12,797
Reaction score
2,700
Location
under a rock
Prompt: (I'll fill this in probably tomorrow)

Hey, Shadowflame! It's 4 days past 'tomorrow', where's your prompt? :poke:;)


So, my back has finally stopped bitching at me, and I'm sitting here, reading prompts... Jaymz's thought process: 'ooh, that's a good one--hey, I could do that--that's an interesting idea...' So, basically, every single prompt made my long-absent muse perk her ears up. Bring on Promptmas!:e2bouncey
 

shortstorymachinist

The score is still Q to 12!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2015
Messages
2,169
Reaction score
1,293
Location
Japan
I'm sitting here, reading prompts... Jaymz's thought process: 'ooh, that's a good one--hey, I could do that--that's an interesting idea...' So, basically, every single prompt made my long-absent muse perk her ears up. Bring on Promptmas!:e2bouncey

Hear, hear! I feel like a kid in a candy store this year. Which means...is this the year I finally write more than one? Or even go Full Maggie and write ALL THE PROMPTS?! (probably not, that feat was jaw dropping, but still...flash fiction exists...)
 

Friendly Frog

Snarkenfaugister
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 23, 2011
Messages
4,098
Reaction score
4,944
Location
Belgium
How do you think Maggie managed it? (She is amazeballs good at it, though.)
 

Gang aft agley

defunct human bean
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
69
Reaction score
5
Location
PNW
I'd like to be doing the gifting and the receiving, please.

The gives: I write sci-fi(softish), fantasy, sf/f mashup, willing to give most anything a shot other than romance or erotica. I sometimes throw a scene or arc in here or there that's a little lovey or steamy, but definitely not central themes of those sorts.

The gets: SF or F. Adventure, or mystery, or thriller. Not overly romance or erotica themed. Not offended by anything, but not super entertained by love/smexytimes as a centerpiece. I think I would like something with a lazy robot/horse/elf/alien sidekick/whatever annoying/helping/hindering the MC.
 

SianaBlackwood

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 21, 2012
Messages
735
Reaction score
99
Location
Australia
Website
sb.siasan.com
Okay, I'm going to do it.

*closes eyes, jumps in*

I'd like to both give and receive, please.

Receive: I've received some very good stories as a result of it, so I'm recycling my regular prompt: add goats! Science fiction and fantasy needs more goats, and it's up to you to make it happen! I'd also like some kind of weird setting, and bonus points for something giant and glowing.

Give: I write softer sci-fi and/or contemporary(ish) fantasy, with some horror/gothic elements, a side order of comedy, and the occasional giant glowing thing. Lately I've been calling the style 'fluffydark'. I can sort of write romance, but it's going to be far more emotional than physical. You can expect my characters to get hurt a lot and dragged through hell (figuratively... probably), but things should end on a positive note.
 

Kjbartolotta

Potentially has/is dog
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 15, 2014
Messages
4,197
Reaction score
1,049
Location
Los Angeles
Hey everybody who hasn't signed up yet. I see you all looking. Don't be jelly, sign up and play! :)