will write for food...

[edenfalling]

I am having serious trouble working up motivation to write, which is frustrating. Like, I will open a document, check where I was in the story, type maybe five words, and... nothing. Blank. It's particularly annoying if I've been mentally juggling and arranging ideas earlier in the day so I know roughly where I want to go and just can't quite get there once I am actually trying to type letters on a keyboard.

One thing that I've found helpful in the past when I've had trouble writing is to switch gears and write something completely different, and also -- this is the key part -- something with an external rather than internal pressure/reward system. Like prompt!fic.

So.

Give me one to three characters plus a mood, a scenario, or a prompt word, and I will write you a ficlet that is at least three sentences or 100 words long.

Help me out, please?

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1. Kiss the Bride: Susan Pevensie as Queen of Narnia, coping with marriage proposals. 425 words, for madamehardy. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

2. In Sure and Certain Hope: Dave, John, Jade: somber but hopeful. 275 words, for shinyrock6498. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

3. Under Pressure: Lessee. How about some Naruto: Sakura, building pressure. 400 words, for branch-and-root. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

4. Literal Interpretation: Jade, John, Davesprite, god worship. 675 words, for asukaskerian. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

5. Freedom Ride: Kanaya, Aradia, Prompt word: whoops. 425 words, for gracefularchitect. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

6. Tall Ship of War: How about Shezan and/or Ilgamuth, and boats? 225 words, for autumnia. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

7. My Sorrow's Share: Arwen and the pro/con of choosing humanity. (I'm on a Silmarillion kick.) 125 words, for mmarycontrary. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

8. Crowning Glory: How about Susan Pevensie, combs or haircombing? 625 words, for cat_i_th_adage. (Also a cottoncandy_bingo fill, because why not!) [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

9. Picture Perfect: Karkat, Dave, Davepetasprite, likeness. 150 words, for primtheamazing. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

10. Pay It Forward: Ayakawa Yukiko and educating the next generation, please. :) 1,150 words, for wistfulmemory. (Also a cottoncandy_bingo fill!) [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

11. Mischief Night: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke; "strangely satisfying". 550 words, for eos_joy. (Also a cottoncandy_bingo fill!) [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

12. Necessary Measures: Rose, Jasprose, and Kanaya, bickering. 200 words, for primtheamazing. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

13. In Abeyance, In Arrears: Bro, Dave, dour. 150 words, for anonymous on Tumblr. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

14. Broken If Revealed: Daredevil: awkward reveal, "This is- it's not what it looks like...?" 2,150 words, for shinyrock6498. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

15. An Unorthodox Pedagogical Approach: If you’re willing (and can without spoilers), I would love a future fic showing Naruto, Shinnin, and Sakura working together as a team while on a mission. 300 words, for wistfulmemory. [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

16. Part of Your World: Jade, Rose, prompt word: adventure. 675 words, for gracefularchitect. (Also a cottoncandy_bingo fill!) [Tumblr crosspost; AO3 version]

Comments

Mischief Night

[edenfalling]

The prompt text kind of fell out of this ficlet between inspiration and final result. Oops?

Anyway, this is another Tides AU installment, because apparently I feel bad about never actually writing the second and third fics in that sequence. This one kind of gives away the ultimate ending -- Team 7 come home together after plot stuff involving Akatsuki and whatnot -- but that was never a huge secret. It's also a Cotton Candy Bingo fill for the prompt play. *grin*

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"This is objectively a terrible idea, not to mention stupid," Sakura says as she clings to the side of the Fire Lord's residence, disguised by darkness and the most delicate and unobtrusive genjutsu she can managed. "I hope you brought gloves because I am not healing any scratches unless they're through your eyelids or your dicks, or something equally hilarious."

"That's mean, Sakura-chan," Naruto says reproachfully. "Mean and also a lie. You love us too much to let us suffer."

"Both of you shut up and let me concentrate on breaking the security alarms," Sasuke says as his hands dance just over the surface of the windowpane, occasionally plucking and moving chakra threads invisible to normal sight. "If we're doing this at all, we're doing it right."

"Obviously we're doing it," Naruto says. "D-rank missions don't create themselves! We're making work for new genin teams, which is practically a patriotic duty when you think about it, and we kinda need to polish up our loyal Leaf-nin credentials if we're finally coming home. Oh hey! That reminds me -- once we finish replanting all the sweet potatoes upside-down, we should paint the Hokage monument for old times' sake. I bet Tsunade-baachan will love that."

"Clear," Sasuke says before Sakura can draw breath to explain to Naruto all the ways in which his logic fails to make any sense at all. "The seals will reset in half an hour -- I can't disrupt that without setting off a failsafe alarm -- so if anyone has suggestions for luring a cat into the open, share them now."

Wordlessly, Naruto fishes a tin of tuna out of his pocket. Sakura holds up a small bag of catnip.

Sasuke closes his eyes and looks pained.

Sakura turns her head to meet Naruto's amused gaze. "He didn't plan ahead, did he," she says.

Naruto shakes his head in exaggerated sorrow. "Nope. He never does. I don't know why I expected anything else."

"It's tragic," Sakura agrees.

"I don't know either of you," Sasuke says. "And I'm going to catch Tora while you're still figuring out how to open that tin without a can-opener." He pushes the windowpane up and swings in through the narrow gap, landing soundlessly on the polished wood floor of Lady Shijimi's music room.

Sakura watches him stalk across the room, around the piano, and out the door without bothering to check underneath or inside any of the furnishings. He also doesn't bother with a genjutsu, which is probably going to bite him in his very nicely shaped ass when a guard spots him and he remembers he can't use lethal force against a fellow Leaf-nin. (Naruto isn't using genjutsu either, but Sakura has given up being surprised at his improbable knack for stealth.)

"Do you ever think we should stop teasing Sasuke so much?" she wonders.

Naruto flicks his fingers at her headband, still blank and showing no allegiance for one more night before they all come home for the third and hopefully final time. "Nah. If we stopped, how would he know we still care? Now come on, the sooner we grab the cat, the more other fun stuff we can pull off before we have to start acting responsible again."

He rolls through the gap between sill and glass and beckons Sakura to follow.