Anybody want to give me prompts for drabbles in Torchwood, Discworld, or X-Men movieverse?

I'm going to be signing up soon for the latest round of remixthedrabble, and I'd like to increase the number of fandoms I can sign up to be remixed in. The minimum qualification is five stories of 100 words of more, and I have four in each of the above fandoms, so I'd like to write one drabble or ficlet in each. Responding to prompts is much easier for me than trying to pull story ideas out of the ether, so I turn to you.

This isn't a "first response gets a story" kind of thing; anyone who wants to leave prompts is very welcome to do so, but I can't guarantee that I'll write any of them. However, all prompters will have my gratitude.

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1) If you've ever thought of giving Blake's 7 a try, now is a good time, because a rewatch-and-discussion has just begun at b7rewatch. Discussion for each episode will be split into two posts: one general and one designed to accommodate new viewers, in which spoilers past the episode under discussion are not allowed. The general post for episode 1x01, "The Way Back," is here, and the spoiler-free post is here.

Blake's 7 is a show that deserves a larger following. Yes, the sets are wobbly; yes, the costumes and hairstyles are dated. But the worldbuilding, characterization, and dialogue are first-rate, especially in S1 and S2. The show explores genuinely difficult political and ethical questions without preaching, platitudes, or any guarantee that the good guys will win. Or even that the good guys are good. At its best, it blows every other science fiction show out of the water.

The DVDs are available at amazon.co.uk. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about, you know, stuff.

2) The wonderful DW community queerlygen has begun its multi-fandom, prompts-claim ficathon of gen stories about queer characters. The definitions of both "queer" and "gen" are well thought-out and flexible, and the characters you write about don't have to be shown as queer in canon. The prompts post is here.

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The latest round of remixthedrabble is starting up. This one is a "drabble purist" round--all remixes must be 100 words exactly. It's a fun, low-pressure remix ficathon.

To make it even better, sign-ups are split. To have your fix remixed, sign up here; to remix someone else's fic (you can volunteer to write up to three remixes), sign up here. Many people do both, but you don't have to.

Sign-ups are accepted through May 11, and then you have a month to write.

Right now there's a shortage of sign-ups in British fandoms, so if you write Doctor Who, Torchwood, Blake's 7, Merlin, Hot Fuzz, etc. etc., I especially urge you to sign up (at least to have your fix remixed). Save me from having to remix somebody's Harry/Draco fic, please!

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The second EDA ficathon is accepting sign-ups until April 20th. It's a very cool thing and you don't need to have read every single EDA to participate--if there are areas of EDA canon you don't know, you can so say in the "things I don't want to write" slot.

I'll be signing up as soon as I've decided on my requests.

Right now there's a surprising lack of Fitz-centric prompts and no Eight/Fitz prompts at all. It's odd. Are there actually people who don't like Fitz? Or maybe they feel Fitz gets a disproportionate amount of attention? This is, I suppose, true, but since the EDAs are a tiny corner of Who fandom it's still not very much attention overall.

Yes, the above was a plea for people to sign up with Fitz prompts.

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fandom_stocking is a nifty community for Yuletide-style stocking stuffers. You can join here, listing your fandom interests, and then the community mods make a post for you. Anyone who feels so inclined can reply to that post with ficlets, fanart, or general good wishes. Comments are screened until the reveal at the beginning of January.

I think it's still possible to join, but act fast. Signing up doesn't oblige you to write or draw anything; it's all purely voluntary.

If you want to leave me a little something in my stocking, it's here.

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I appear to have signed up for both lgbtfest and the Eighth Doctor Adventures ficathon (which is made of awesome and really needs more participants). And I'm already signed up for remixthedrabble.

Also, I am moving halfway across the country at the end of May and I don't have a new job lined up yet.

*does not panic, does not panic, does not panic, does not panic*

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Tomorrow (March 7) is the last day to post prompts for lgbtfest, the ultra-cool ficathon focused on the experience of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. You don't have to participate to suggest prompts.

It would be really great if there were more Blake's 7 and Doctor Who (especially class Who) prompts. Hint, hint.

The prompts post is here; be sure to read the instructions first, as the mods have worn themselves out correcting people who can't be arsed to post their prompts correctly, and are now just excluding incorrect prompts.

P.S.: I would also like to note that in my most recent batch of prompts, I added a bunch for Warrick Brown from CSI, because nobody had posted any so far. There were CSI prompts, but they were all Nick/Greg, which is strange because Warrick and Nick have much more subtext. The lack of Warrick is a disheartening example of fandom ignoring characters of color.

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Were you (like me) tempted by remixredux but scared of the commitment? Then how about remixthedrabble, where short is better? The maximum word count there is 1000, and 100-500 is better.

There are separate signups to write a remix and to have one of your stories remixed. Deadline for both signups is March 7.

I'd really love it if more Blake's 7, Doctor Who, and Torchwood writers signed up, because those are the fandoms I'd most like to remix stories in.

*prods you all*

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My morning has been made more cheerful by the fact that lgbtfest has opened for prompts. This is a very cool ficathon, organized by penknife and mireille719, for stories about the experience of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. I think it's a great idea, both because it'll produce some less-common kinds of stories and because it encourages slash fandom to think about LGBT issues.

You can submit prompts even if you're not planning to write, which is also cool.

The intro and rules post is here. Check it out.

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Words written today on Forty or Better Smutathon story which is due in two weeks: 384.

Words written on gratuitous Avon/Blake porn: 835.

Why is the stuff you don't have to write always so much easier? It's not that I'm not happy with my Smutathon prompt--I am, and I like the idea I finally came up with. And yet.

Ah, well. At least some progress has been made.

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The Tardis Big Bang challenge (tardis_bigbang) is seriously tempting me, although the name makes me giggle like a twelve-year-old. It's a longfic (20,000 word minimum) challenge, but not a fic exchange--there are no prompts and the fic isn't "for" anyone.

It seems like it would be a good way to tackle my fear of longer stories and of plot. The deadlines are very reasonable, too--the first draft isn't due until late March. Plus, there's a second component where fanartists make art for the stories, and I think that would be way cool.

I even have a couple of possibly workable ideas. Both, naturally, are in obscure corners of Who fandom that four people in the world, besides me, would want to read. (A Karl/Doctor sequel to The Year of Inteligent Tigers is one possibility. As the plot's taking shape in my head, it's looking to be every bit as depressing as the original. *whimpers* Alternatively, I might try some Two/Jamie "season 6b" [post-"The War Games"] adventures. Both of these ideas involve reunions and amnesia, for some reason.)

So, all in all it seems like a good idea, and yet I am afeared.

What do you think, internets?


Poll #1059198
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 18

1) Should I sign up for the TARDIS Big Bang challenge?

2) Bonus ticky box question: Which Doctors are sexy?

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antennapedia is organizing the 2007 Ethan Rayne ficathon. I strongly encourage all you Buffyverse-y people to go sign up. (And if anyone wants a crossover with Ethan and John Constantine [and Giles, if you like], now's your chance, as I said in my signup that I was willing to write one.)

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It's all glossing's fault that I signed up for the apocalyptothon. Because, um, she linked to it. And I have until June to write a story, that'll be easy, right? (*remembers the due South Seekrit Santa and laughs ironically*)

Also, and not randomly--it really fucking annoys me when people sign up for ficathons and specify that they won't write slash. I can understand not wanting to write certain pairings or to slash certain characters (I'd never want to write, say, Giles/Angel, and I pretty much loathe all Giles het pairings). And I can understand not wanting to write sexually explicit slash. But, really, no slash at all? Not even G-rated slash with handholding and maybe a smooch? Isn't that a bit extreme?

For my part, I have never written a het fanfic. But if for some reason I had to write Buffyverse het, I could, without too much wailing and gnashing of teeth, write Xander/Cordy, Xander/Anya, Buffy/Angel, Buffy/Spike, Doyle/Cordy, Fred/Gunn, and probably some other pairings that aren't occurring to me right now. Probably the fic wouldn't be explicit, but I'd write the damn thing and try to be fair to the pairing.

Given how het-averse I am about fanfic, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect as much open-mindedness in the other direction.

At the risk of starting a kerfuffle, I really have to say that "I will not write slash" looks . . . kinda homophobic.

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He's tricksy. He's dangerous. He's got a damn sexy voice. He can wear a red shirt like nobody's business and he's been known to paint his face with his own blood.

You know you love him.

That's why you should sign up for the Ethan Rayne ficathon, organized by trkkr47.

Gen, slash, and (if you're one of the three people in fandom who think Ethan is straight) het are all welcome.

C'mon. Think of all the amazing adventures a chaos-mage-for-hire must have had. There are hundreds of good Ethan stories that haven't yet been told. Tell one of the them.

Sign-ups end on February 10, so don't delay.

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It's very late, and I should really be in bed, but instead I am Posting While Annoyed (always a risky thing).

Here's the question that's vexing me:

In a ficathon for a particular pairing, is it legitimate, if the requester hasn't specifically asked for it (or hasn't asked for depressing fic or some such generic permission) to write a fic that ends with one character rejecting the other's romantic overtures? Or in which the two characters are together for a while but then break up?

I mean, on the one hand, I think ficathon writers should have a lot of freedom and shouldn't have plots dictated to them by requesters (a subject I've previously ranted about). On the other, it would really suck to be the recipient of a story like that: it's a pairing you (presumably) like, and you're getting a rejection fic or a breakup fic. And we are, after all, talking about pairing-specific ficathons, in which you might reasonably expect, well, romance. I don't mean schmoop, necessarily, but . . . not the denial of romantic or erotic possibilities, either. It seems almost like pairing-bashing (and in one case, I think it probably was), which is pretty damn rotten in that kind of ficathon.

I feel like I've seen this sort of thing a lot recently, and it's bugging me. But I am kind of torn; I'd hate to see a ficathon specify "happy endings only" or some such.

What do you think?

Well, my dears, it's now more-or-less Valentine's Day, and therefore it's time for the Rescue Romance from Badfic Challenge stories!

( The Rules )

Writers, please post a link to your story in the comments section. Please include the title, pairing, and (if it's not AtS/BtVS) the fandom. I'll create a master list as things are posted.

( The List )

Many, many hugs and sloppy kisses to all who participated.

I've been thinking lately about schmoop and the fear of schmoop. The term almost always has a trivializing quality: people write tender, intense, loving moments between characters and then say "Oh, it's just schmoop."

Now, we all know that bad schmoop is everywhere. It's probably the largest category of fanfic. Discerning readers cringe; discerning writers try to stay far, far away from That Stuff.

But the fear of schmoop can have bad consequences. In my own writing, I'm afraid to let my characters have romantic moments. I'm afraid to dwell on the pleasures of love. Perhaps some of you feel the same way. And that's a shame, because romance is an amazing thing. Why should bad writers ruin it for the rest of us?

And so, I present the "Rescue Romance From Badfic" Challenge. Select any three (or more, if you like) of the following schmoopy things.

Objects:
Flowers
Chocolate
Champagne
Strawberries/raspberries
A ring or rings
Candles
A love letter
Silk anything
Velvet anything
A drawing or photograph of one or both characters

Places and Events:
A birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, anniversary
A wedding/commitment ceremony (not necessarily that of the main characters)
A special meal
Breakfast in bed
A picnic
The beach
The mountains
A romantic city (Paris, Venice, etc.)

Miscellaneous:
A first kiss
The words "I love you"
Singing, playing music or reciting poetry
A dog, cat, or child
Riding on a carousel or ferris wheel
Looking at the moon and/or stars
Holding hands in public


Now, write a good, non-cliched romantic story using your chosen schmoopy things. Any length, any rating, slash or het, BtVS and/or AtS.

A few guidelines:

1) The schmoopy things may not be used ironically.
2) The schmoopy things may not be "buried" in the story (e.g., if you select Christmas, you can't just say "It was the week after Christmas and . . .").
3) The story must have a happy ending.

Stories are due on or before February 14. (Sorry. Had to do it.) When you're done, post the story to your LJ and put a link in the comments below.

This isn't a contest, so there will be no voting or prizes. Just the joy of well-written romance!

Please feel free to pimp this anywhere you think appropriate (not mailing lists, though, please: I don't want to be flooded with badfic).

Also, additional suggestions for schmoopy things are encouraged.

Happy writing!

(Also, hugs to ros_fod, who encouraged me in this madness.)

ETA: RPF and RPS are acceptable, provided they feature people from BtVS or AtS. (And that's a lot of acronyms in one sentence.)