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

[edenfalling]

Er. Slight technical difficulty: despite this being an AU, Naruto and Sakura still end up in Team 7 with Sasuke, because of Reasons. Shinnin is in a different team with two OCs, one of whom has been glancingly mentioned (Zenryou Haruka, Sakura's chief tormentor) and one of whom has yet to appear anywhere on-page (Arisawa Tora). Are you okay with a fic about the two teams on a joint genin mission?

(I am not going further into the future than that, partly because I do want to hang on to the option of writing a third novel at some point, partly because I haven't worked out the AU changes that far, and partly because I am still not entirely sure how I'm going to resolve the giant clusterfuck at the climax of "Guardian" and that really NEEDS to be resolved before I can write anything in-depth closer to the canon timeframe.)

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

Ahh! Spoilers! ;) No worries. I would love to see a story with the two genin teams working together. I enjoy any and all fic from this AU, and it always makes me happy that you're willing to write more side stories from it, especially ones based on my prompts.

Oh, and potential third novel based on this universe?!? Yay! :D I look forward to reading it sometime in the future once "Guardian" is finished.

An Unorthodox Pedagogical Approach

[edenfalling]

Spoilers for a thing that happens to Naga between "Guardian" and the start of canon. :D

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"This can only end in tears," Naga said quietly to Kakashi while their respective genin trios stared warily at each other and the stretch of mud and marsh that had been a road and wheat field until the huge storm two days ago. "Tears and snot and blood."

"I find your pessimism groundless and hurtful," Kakashi said in a wounded tone. "One of your cute little genin has been best friends with two of my cute little genin since they were so tiny they might as well not have existed!"

"True. Know what's also true?" Naga leaned back against the trunk of their observation tree and ticked off points on her fingers: "Shinnin and Sasuke are sworn rivals. Haruka bullied Sakura for years. Naruto wants to make Tora like him when Tora just wants to be left alone. Plus Shinnin's finally learning to work with Haruka -- bets on whether Sakura and Naruto take that well?" She waved through the leaves toward the increasingly tense standoff beneath them. "Like I said, tears and blood."

Kakashi tucked away his copy of Icha Icha Paradise with a thoughtful hum. "You may have a point. Kids this age are a stew of confused emotions and unjustified egotism. Clearly we can't train them out of that in a single afternoon, so as responsible teachers, we'll just have to make sure they direct their aggression toward a single target."

Naga eyed him suspiciously. Kakashi was never this helpful without a catch, and delaying the start of their joint culvert-repair mission by stealing her paperwork was unlikely to be the last chaos he caused today. "Right. Sure. That target being?"

Kakashi closed his one visible eye in an exaggerated wink. "Us, of course!" he said, and leapt down from the tree to a chorus of outraged shouts.