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The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!


elliotcat

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Week of January 10, 2020:

 

Face Your Fears: Write the kind of scene you find most difficult. Falling in love? Action? Smut? Exposition? Description and scene-setting? High emotions? Every writer has something they find hard to write. It’s only human to avoid including it. But at some point your story will need that kind of scene. Face your fear now.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Monuments: Beings everywhere create monuments. They can be statues or walls or great tomes or endowments to museums. Made to heroes, to wars, to governments, to benefactors, to saints, or even stupidity. They may be ancient or recent or forgotten. They may be revered or reviled, or maybe even both at once. Perhaps monuments to your character, desired or not, known or not. Write about your character’s interactions with monuments.

 

Carry On: How does your character get back to “normal”? To recover from their injury, whether physical, mental, or emotional? Life goes on and so does your character. How do they do it? Some recover with barely a pause, others take longer. Not everyone has healthy coping strategies. Maybe they cope by moving through unhealthy or destructive habits before they can start to heal. Sometimes healing leaves scars that never go away. Write a story about your character carrying on. Keeping calm optional.

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Week of January 17, 2020:

 

Travel Without A Map: This one is easy for those habitual pantsers out there. Write a scene or a whole piece without having any (or as little as possible) preconceived idea of where it’s going. Let your characters tell the story they want to tell. They might surprise you! Write the whole thing, beginning to end. Don’t go back and change things! Not even typos! Or try not to fix typos–that’s hard. The goal this week is a word-vomit, totally unplanned draft that nevertheless is complete of itself. Travel without a map or GPS, but do make it home at the end.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Love Triangle: Two men vying for the affections of one woman, the oldest trope around. But there are endless permutations possible: Three men, three women, any combination of two genders and one of the opposite, nonbinary, aliens. Consider, too, nonsexual/aromantic triangles, where “affection” is "deep and abiding friendship” and the point of contention has nothing to do with physical attraction, but social status, physical distance, or something else. This week, write some version of a love triangle.

 

There’s No “I” in Team: As you play you pick up companions aplenty, maybe make friends in groups, and head-canon a lot of NPC involvement in your personal story. Over time, you wind up developing a team of players who work together in some fashion. Without that team, your character would never have the level of success they’ve achieved. Write about either how your team learned to mesh with each other, how they function as a unit now, or how they bond in the aftermath of a mission. Prompt courtesy of @sillymonkey71.

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Week of January 24, 2020:

 

Self Care: Write the kind of scene you need to write or read. Not necessarily the next one to finish your fic. The kind you need to write: fluffy happiness, cathartic violence, something silly, something deep and philosophical, something satirical and full of sharp cutting edges. This is for no one but you. There’s no obligation to share it with anyone, even SFWC. And if you prefer, take the week off and write nothing. Recharge. You have permission. Take care of yourself this week, however that looks to you.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Burnout: Working long hours with no end in sight. Tired of doing the same thing every day. Has your character burnt out on anything? A job, a career, a hobby, a show? What was it? Why did they start in the first place and what turned them off? Burnout can also be a catalyst for change. What does your character do afterward?

 

Favorite drinks: Living things eat and drink, and sentient creatures with cultures have a variety of beverages to choose from. With variety comes favorites–so what is your character’s? Cocktails automatically come to mind, but a favorite drink can be any beverage. Your character could have different favorites for different parts of the day–their favorite wake-up drink won’t be the same as their go-to wind-down libation. It might be something they grew up with, or something a loved one recently introduced them to. Maybe it used to be a favorite but they grew out of it, associated it with painful memories, or relocated and simply can’t get it or the ingredients. Expensive or cheap, rare or common, mind-altering or otherwise, share one of your character’s favorite drinks.

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Week of January 31, 2020:

 

Complete Something: Remember that word-vomit first draft from a couple weeks ago? Edit it to completeness. Alternately, pick something from your WIP pile and finish it, whether it’s the first draft or final, ready-to-be-posted version. Choose a work that’s not done, and finish it. Move it from the inbox to the outbox. There are few things that feel as nice as finally finishing something. Wrap up the Month of Meta with that feeling of accomplishment.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Why They Fight....and Why They Don’t — Characters manage to get into all kinds of altercations, large and small. Fights. But why? Not the easy answers: for the Empire, for the Republic, for family or the Force or bad luck any of the other reasons they might give to themselves or others. Why does your character choose to fight? Under what circumstances do they choose violence as a solution, and where do they draw the line? Even cowards and pacifists have reasons for their choices, and borders they will not cross. Explore it. Check out this excellent essay on @howtofightwrite for a more in-depth examination of the question.

 

It’s All Downhill From Here-! The situation is handled, crisis solved or averted, nothing left but the cleanup and a smooth glide to the end. On the other hand, maybe it’s more like a downhill slide into a swamp or off a cliff. It’s fun to shake up reader–and character–expectations. Throw up some roadblocks or dig some potholes in their easy ride. Make that smooth landing less so. Complete disaster optional.

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Week of February 7, 2020:

 

Right Person, Wrong Time: When has your character met another who could be a perfect fit…but not now? It might be a soulmate, a mentor, a social connection, or a patron. But your character isn’t ready for their help, guidance, friendship, or love yet. Maybe your character is, but the person they meet is the one at the wrong time. Why are “the stars wrong”? Does the relationship require a personal change on someone’s part, or are there social or cultural forces in play? Do they ever figure it out? Or do they remain out of sync for the whole story?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Missing Something: We have things we’re good at and things we’re not. What happens to your character when something they rely on is suddenly useless or unavailable? The obvious situation is if your Jedi or Sith can not call on the Force for some reason. But what about a sniper without their trusty rifle, a smuggler without their contacts, or a trooper without their squad? How did it happen? What does your character do?

 

Life has no Reset Button — Your character makes decisions every day, from minor ones, like what to wear, to vital important ones that change lives. Whether to capture or kill a prisoner. To stay with a partner or break up. To follow an order or disobey. They do the best they can under pressure and with limited time. What choices do they regret? Which ones might they do differently, now that they’ve had time to reflect? Would they make the same choice, knowing the consequences? Are they even more convinced they made the right decision?

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Week of February 14, 2020:

 

Chocolate! It’s Valentine’s Day here in the US and everything is red, white, and shades of pink. And chocolate! Does your character’s world have a day for romantic love? Is there a food or treat associated with it? Is it like chocolate: sweet, creamy, indulgent and yet ordinary any other time? Is it actual chocolate? Who would your character give it to, or who do they hope to receive it from? What does that person mean to them? They don’t have to be lovers, after all. Or does your character ignore the whole meaning thing and use it as an excuse to stock up? All of the above?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Luminous Beings We Are – Life is bound up, figuratively and literally, with light. Whether it’s the physical study, the Light Side, or the dawning at the most unexpected times, we may find light altering the living space, illustrating the spirit, or showing the way. Write about your character’s interaction with light. Prompt courtesy of @brightephemera.

 

Treat Yourself: Indulge! What’s a treat for your character? Food, a spa day, a movie/theater/holovid/musical? Surely they have something they love to do that they maybe don’t do often, something that makes them feel good about themselves. We torture our characters enough. This week do something nice for them.

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Week of February 21, 2020:

 

Found Family: Many of our characters collect a wide circle of friends and hangers-on. Do they have a closer inner circle that’s more than friends? A found family, a collection of characters that interact the way a tightly bonded family might but aren’t related? No one has to fall into stereotypical roles. There doesn’t have to be a “Mom” or “Dad,” “Kid Brother” or “Big Sister.” They don’t always get along, but they always support and care for each other. Write a story involving your character’s found family if they have one, or their adventure with someone who does.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Another Day on the Job: Our characters lead pretty interesting lives. Things they consider routine are anything but. So what does one of those days look like? What’s a regular day in the life of a special-forces trooper or Dark Council member? What problems do they face on a day-to-day basis? What unique occupational hazards do they avoid–or what perks do they enjoy? Even an ordinary day for your character is bound to be extraordinary in some way. Write about it.

 

Set the Standards: What’s the minimum your character will accept, be it service, the kinds of jobs they’ll take, or the places they’ll go or stay? What about the people they’ll work with or date? Do they have standards for decency or conduct? How do they define them? What’s their reasoning for their personal limits? Have they ever been tested? Are they reasonable, inflated, underrated, irrational?

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Week of February 28, 2020:

 

Ride or Die: Who sticks with your character for all their adventures, good or bad, boring or exciting? The one they call for a spontaneous vacation, to get them out of jail, or to help them move to a second-story walkup apartment. Hopefully their love interest (if they have one) qualifies, but Ride or Die is neither exclusive nor necessarily romantic. It doesn’t even have to be reciprocated. Write something where this relationship is front and center. The story doesn’t work unless the characters absolutely, unequivocally, have each other’s back, no matter what happens.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Flashback/Flashforward: Both very common storytelling devices and, like all tropes, sometimes handled well and other times, not so much. Ideally, a flashback provides readers with important character or situational information. A flashforward, on the other hand, more often shows an alternate future that the character rejects–unless done at the very beginning–in which case the entire story is a flashback. For this exercise, try something different from the standard “traumatic moment” flashback. Maybe the character recognizes the significance of an item, statement, or situation they didn’t the first time around. Maybe what feels like the end of the story really is the beginning. Maybe the flashforward future is one the character wants and will fight for. If it doesn’t happen, maybe they recognize it as a fantasy in a flashback. Experiment!

 

First Impressions–of someone else: Our characters encounter many others during the course of their stories. Some become strong allies, loyal companions. Others implacable enemies. Some end up just plain useless. Still, it’s hard to size up someone in a glance. Write about your character’s initial encounter with someone who becomes important later in their story.

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Week of March 6, 2020:

 

Time Change: When has your character been out of sync with their surroundings? In space all planets have their own day-night cycles as well as years. Travel to a new place at light speed or more means having to adjust to a wildly different schedule upon landing. And what time does the crew keep in transit? Is there an agreed-upon standard or does every captain choose their own? Fantasy settings can still have abrupt time changes: long-distance teleports, extended sleep spells, world-altering magic. Does a place like Discworld have time zones? Maybe your character is the habitual early riser in a world or night owls, or the reverse.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Reunited: Characters who spend time apart must come back together. Do they look forward to it? Dread it? Count every moment until they can reunite, or invent ways to prolong the separation? Do they have any special rituals? A particular knock or bell ring, a call to their partner, a hug or kiss? Furtively sneaking in and hope no one notices? How do they catch up? Long conversations? Bare mumbles? Does it matter for them how long they’ve been apart, or is a few hours separation as hard to bear as a month?

 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Pictures can also provide inspiration. A scene in a movie, a well-known painting, a screenshot, a character portrait, if you’re lucky enough to have one. Write the “thousand words” (figuratively) behind the picture and share both if you can.

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Now for the current week's prompt!

 

Week of March 13, 2020:

 

Bad Advice: What’s the worst advice your character received? Something so patently wrong they disregarded it immediately and questioned the giver’s sanity or intelligence? Something they thought was valid but proved less so in practice? Something they fervently believed in until their own repeated experiences made them change their mind? Write about your character and some colossally bad advice.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

A Good Villain: Every hero needs an antagonist, someone who thwarts them at every turn. This week’s challenge: write a story centered on your character’s main villain. This might be an enemy the game made for your character or one you invented in your character’s story, but either way, this is their time in the sun. Make it good. Or bad, as the case may be.

 

Censored! [Redacted] Strikethrough! Restricted! Takedown!: When has your character encountered censorship? What was it? Something they wanted or needed but weren’t allowed? Why? Something they created that was blacked out, altered, or removed? Was it a report, a discovery, a work of art or fiction? Did they agree with the censor or fight the decision? What problems occured because of the restriction–or lack thereof?

Edited by alaurin
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@Kitar- awwww, thanks :).

 

Happy Friday everyone, here's the new prompt......in a timely fashion this time!!! :eek:

 

Week of March 20, 2020:

 

Rock Your World: When has your character received unexpected, life-changing news? Was it good or bad? Both? Maybe they learned about an otherwise-unknown relative, received a large inheritance, or acquired a large debt. Perhaps they received medical news–positive or negative. A domestic animal showed up on their doorstep and decided it lived there. Whatever happened, their life is different from this day forward, and it isn’t their choice. What do they do?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Boring Conversation Anyway - Our characters talk to a lot of people. Sometimes these conversations end well. Sometimes they end…less well. Conversations may culminate in agreement, anger, happiness, thoughtfulness, kisses, or bloodshed…or get cut off before any satisfying conclusion is reached. Write about the way one of your characters’ conversations ended.

 

A Matter of Public Record: Every character is a wealth of information, and it’s probably to someone’s advantage to know it. Everything from basic information like name, species, and gender, to more specific things, like school records, close relatives, or their favorite snack food. So what do they know about your character? What’s on their public record and is any of it accurate? Has it been changed, erased, or confused with someone else’s? Who might want to know? Why?

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It's a little late in the evening, but at least it's still Friday.....so have a prompt!

 

Week of March 27, 2020:

 

Forbidden Knowledge: The secret technique, a hidden history, a coded text. What does the secret technique do and why is it secret? What was your character taught, what really happened, who hid the truth and why? Is the code unbreakable or was the key lost on purpose? Is it really a code or is it actually a lost language? What does the text say? Worlds abound in knowledge that’s forbidden to to learn or at least difficult to find. Have your character search for, find out about, or discover some this week.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Where are they Now? – As our characters move through their stories they change the lives of many others, most of whom we never see again. The Force-sensitive Flesh Raider on Tython. Seh-run, the Abyssin on Korriban. Zi’am on Hutta. Paul and his elderly parents on Ord Mantell. That’s just a few examples. Whatever happened to them? Did they become stalwart allies or bitter rivals? If they died because of our character’s actions, do they have relatives looking for revenge? We often remark about how characters from early on in the stories show up later to help or hinder our characters, or how characters from different class stories make cameos in others. How about some of these forgotten ones?

 

Trolls: Not the bridge-dwelling kind, though just as troublesome. In modern parlance, trolls troll. They argue and take opposing positions to make others angry. We automatically think internet, but trolls need not be so impersonal. Has your character worn something explicitly because another hated it? Picked a food to antagonize a squeamish tablemate? Argued a point they didn’t care about because someone else did? When has your character engaged in trolling?

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It's that time of week again......Prompt Time!! Hope you are all well and Happy Friday......or as my daughter likes to say, it's Fri-YAY!

 

Week of April 3, 2020:

 

Cooking: We’ve had several prompts about food, but how about its preparation? Does your character cook? Does their species prepare food at all? What counts as preparation--and how literally do they “gather” or “hunt down” ingredients? Do they like cooking but usually leave it to someone else? Are they terrible at it but clueless to that fact? Are they really quite good cooks, whether they enjoy it or not? Do they only ever prepare one certain dish? Or are they perfectly content to survive on their world’s equivalent of instant ramen, military ration packs, or cheap takeaway?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

The Sounds of Silence: Tell a story without dialogue. Perhaps the characters are cannot speak or choose not to. Maybe the characters are incapable of speech. Maybe communications are cut off. Thoughts don’t count unless they’re audible in some way, and while journal entries or written correspondence fit the letter, they miss the spirit. Challenge yourself!

 

Serendipity: Merriam-Webster defines serendipity as “the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also: an instance of this.” For many, stumbling on the original thread was an instance of serendipity. Not all surprises are bad, and sometimes good things happen when you least expect it. When has your character experienced serendipity?

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Happy Friday!!! Hope everyone is well and that the muses are treating you all kindly. If not, perhaps the new prompt will help....

 

Week of April 10, 2020:

 

Auto/Biography: We often write backstories for our characters with no intention of using the information directly in their adventures. But suppose someone in their world did? Who would write your character’s biography? What would your character want in it? What would they write if they did it themselves? Is your character protective of their legacy or are they willing to authorize a warts-and-all tale? Would your character exaggerate their adventures for the sake of a good tale, or downplay them as irrelevant to their later work? Do they want to be venerated as saintly and good, or feared as a tyrant no one would dare cross? Something in between? And who would read or listen to the tale?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Butterfly Effect: In essence, tiny changes in starting conditions leading to wildly different results. Modern behavioral psychologists contribute the nudge: a small push toward a desired behavior or goal. Our lives are filled with examples. How about your character? Is there a slight difference in their backstory--or current story--that could change it entirely? When did they receive a nudge and how did it shape them? What events pushed their later actions? We had a prompt for turning points, which was more about large, obvious events that put your character on their path. A butterfly effect might be so small as to go unnoticed at the time but proved no less influential.

 

A Punny Story: Often derided as the lowest form of wit, some of our most respected writers --like Shakespeare and Alfred Hitchcock--adored puns. Making and understanding puns requires a large vocabulary, a vital thing for writers. This week’s challenge: write a pun story; a story that exists for the sole purpose of setting up a pun. See this TVTropes link for some examples (click at your own risk), a wonderful music related one here by Peter Schickele (the story begins at 4:48, but the intro is totally worth it).

 

*Relying as they do on wordplay, puns rarely translate well outside their native language. If your story ends in a non-English pun, please include both the original and a translation/explanation.

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Big spoiler but this part of the story has been out for 5 years. Still enclosing in spoiler tag just in case, and for space conservation.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

Title: Forbidden History – Our Galactic Hero

Character: Darth Paingur

Date: ~17 ATC

——————————————————————————————————————————-

 

The “interview room” was a tiny storage area in one of the back rooms at the Dealer’s Den on Coruscant. It was a respectable place as far as underworld gulp and guzzle crime hubs go. The floor was still sticky and the place always smelled like the cheapest Alderaanian nectar perfume. The spilt ale that made the floor so sticky was there to balance out the perfume with the sweet stench of what could have just as easily been explained by saying a whomp rat pissed itself and died behind the bar a week ago – and it’s still there. With the music that was too loud and the occasional shouting and blaster fire here and there, Vette felt almost like she was home.

 

Vette let out a seemingly forced chuckle and looked away to a corner that was further away in her imagination than it really was. The chuckle seemed to be less of an attempt to assuage feelings of nervousness and more like a failed attempt of her subconscious to wake her from a bad dream.

 

“We don’t have to do this,” said the Jedi. “I mean, it’s critical for us to hang on to this history – your history. It gives us hope. But if the pain…”

 

“It’s okay. I know. I need to do this.” Vette returned from the memories of better days and was once again in the room with the Jedi consular. There was a time when she would have found it odd that a Jedi would be dressed more like smuggler – more like herself – than the image of the robe-wearing do-gooder she had become familiar with all those years ago. He didn’t even have a light saber. Well, it was probably hidden, but that would be so contrary to the world she came from. “It’s just it’s… wow… what a strange time to be alive. I’m sitting here, talking to a Jedi, about my deceased Sith lover, whom the Jedi is calling a hero. The whole galaxy is, for that matter. It’s just a lot flying around in the head, is all. It’s like, ‘who gave control of the galaxy to the monkey-lizard while I was sleeping!'” And another somewhat nervous chuckle.

“Well, let’s start with something pleasant, shall we. What did you like most about Paingur? I hope it’s okay and that you understand why I prefer to drop his title.”

 

“Yes, absolutely” Vette agreed, yet in an almost defiant tone. “Everyone, Jedi, Sith, soldiers – are all so hung up on titles. He was always more than his title.” The question definitely touched one of the strong parts of her personality.

 

“Agreed. Paingur certainly transcended his title and role. So, what did you most like about him?”

 

“Well, that was probably it. He had a way of completely being Sith but not being so brain-slugged stupid about it. From the very beginning, when he picked me up on Korriban. The first thing he did was take off that dreadful shock collar. He told me, ‘Look, I need you to be an equal partner in my missions. I don’t need a slave. I need a cunning thief and tomb robber. Cross me and I’ll blast you into space. If I have to hunt you down, you will become one with pain and agony. And I can be very creative.'”

 

The Jedi laughed, “So that’s how he won your heart!” It was a bit too obvious that he had been needing a good laugh for a long time.

 

“Yeah. It is,” Vette smiled in realization, “now that I think about it. He was so practical.” She squinted her eyes as she thought about how she both admired and yet resented his practicality. “He cared nothing of Sith politics. He simply had a goal and he was driven to reach it. He needed me. And he treated me just like any of the business partners I had in my days of relic hunting. Except I felt like I could trust him – totally trust him.”

 

“What was his goal?”

 

“I never knew, really. Obviously whatever mission we were on for the Dark Council, or Baras, in the beginning, but he always seemed to have a single goal that drove him in everything he did. He never shared it with me and, sadly, I never asked. I guess I was afraid it would change my feelings for him if I found out he was after something crazy like becoming the next emperor or something.”

 

“Would it have?” asked the Jedi. Vette looked at the Jedi sharply. She knew the answer, but she had never asked herself that question. “Would it have changed your feelings for him if he was bent on becoming emperor?” the Jedi continued.

 

“No. I don’t think it would have. I think it was just the way he went about it.”

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“Well, a time on Tatooine just popped into my head. We were trying to find and recover flight recorders from a downed Imperial vessel..”

 

“That was you?!” exclaimed the Jedi. If the Jedi already had an idea what Vette was about to tell him, she noted he didn’t seem angry as she might have expected. Instead the Jedi seemed as if he had discovered who had painted his favorite piece of art.

 

“Um.. Yes. Like you said, ‘we don’t have to do this’ if it’s too much for you” Vette said with a wry smile as she took the advantage to mock the Jedi. Though, she was a bit suspicious at his excitement.

 

“My master told me that story. She had come across a large village of Sand People – all slaughtered with a light saber. There had been some sort of ‘trinket’ there – she could sense things like that. She never knew what it was, but she told me that’s how I would know the work of a Sith. Needless destruction for little to no reason. I would have never guessed that would be the hero who would unite Sith and Jedi against his own emperor. Wow!”

 

“No! It wasn’t like that at all! Well, it did turn into a slaughter, but that’s not how he was. Most of the time, when we were after something he would just walk in to a cantina, royal court, military base, it didn’t matter. He would just walk right in and say, ‘give me the thingy’. And a lot of the times, people would give him the thingy. Then he would leave. Sometimes people would look at me like I had their answer. I couldn’t understand why people would say ‘no’. Look buddy, if it’s not yours to begin with – or even if it is – if a Sith lord asks you for it, give it to him! Have you seen Paingur?! He’s not easily confused with the ‘oh maybe I can say no to this guy and get away with it’ type.” This time, there was a bit of pride in her chuckle.

 

“So you’re saying he wasn’t violent?”

 

“I’m not saying that, exactly. He was very violent, it’s just that it was not his first choice. Ever. To him it was a waste of time. That’s why the flight recorder incident ended the way it did. We had no choice. Those sand people… There’s just no bartering with them. They just kept coming and we kept ending them. It was self defense when you really think about it. I don’t think we could have changed our mind if we wanted to and walked out of there. Once they saw us, they just kept coming. Eventually, it was just all smoke and blood and bodies. I couldn’t even feel bad for them. They brought it on themselves.”

 

“Well, I’m not here to judge – and it is certainly interesting to hear the other side of that story – but let’s move on. How have you moved on? Or, have you been able to move on, since the fleet was lost?”

 

To Vette, this question seemed like going all out in an Aratech speeder and then slamming it into a 90 degree turn. One moment, she was back where she belonged, defending the most amazing person she had ever known, then suddenly ripped from that time and thrown into “Hey, he’s gone. How do you feel about it?”

 

“How do you think I feel about it, you jerk?” Vette felt like punching the Jedi and wondered how it would feel. “Probably like old times…” With that thought, she felt her anger quickly begin to dissipate.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. But I don’t know – I can’t imagine how it feels. Do you have any special observances or ways to remember him?”

 

“Actually, something in me believes he is still out there. He has to be… He’s just too driven. In fact, he’s probably worse that way now than he ever was! I’m sure wherever he is, whoever responsible is very much regretting their decisions. He can’t be… gone. I know he’s still out there. I just don’t know where to start looking. Yet...”

 

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@Yodapagoda: Welcome to the thread!! I like this idea, love how you have Vette reliving her past with Paingur and how they started out. I also like how she still feels he's out there still. Nicely done!!

 

 

Now, since it's that magical day of the week, I have a new prompt! I hope you are all well and happy writing!!

 

Week of April 17, 2020:

 

Won’t Get Fooled Again: Everyone’s been fooled sometime. When does your character notice a pattern? It is a similar scam, or the same person running a different one? What was it about the interaction that tipped off your character? Are they fooled, have they learned, or are they giving someone another chance? Is it worth it? Is the issue so minor that they don’t mind? Are they playing a game with a loved one or friend and fooling is the point? Is your character wrong and the exchange was on the level the whole time?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Rumors: What have you heard? Even characters who aren't well-known outside their local community will have some kind of reputation--if only as the newbie. What rumors circulate about your character? Their companions or crew? Is any of it true? Partly true? Greatly exaggerated, misrepresented, or misinterpreted? Is the truth worse? Or does your character deliberately spread rumors and exaggerate the stories to enhance their reputation? What might someone hear about your character?

 

What's the Worst That Could Happen? Inevitably, not what actually happens. In life the real result may more often be better, but as writers it's far more fun to make it worse. This week, put your character in a situation they're sure they can handle, and make it worse. What's the worst that could happen? Just let me get started.

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Happy Friday to you all! Once again, I hope everyone is well this week and that the muses are ready to roll because it's time for the new prompt! :)

 

Week of April 24, 2020:

 

No!: Not just no, but hell no. Absolute refusal, you can’t make me, never gonna do it. When has your character outright refused another’s request? What about orders? Demands? Did they agree and then think better of it? Did they go along and quit when they reached their limit? Did the request seem reasonable on the surface but turn out less so? Was it just awful from the get-go? Did they say no just for spite? What were the consequences for refusal?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Description: In the Short Fiction Weekly Challenge, we generally leap right into our characters, relying on quick sketches and familiarity to carry a reader. After all, that's how short stories usually work. How about we take a step back and really describe a character. How do they look? What kind of mannerisms do they have that a casual observer might notice? How do they dress? Go nuts giving a detailed description of what you'd see, looking at one of your characters. This prompt courtesy of AKHadeed.

 

Blame: When something goes wrong it’s human nature to try to figure out who’s at fault. Blame isn’t quite the same as being at fault, though. And while they can coincide, blame is often assigned regardless of actual responsibility. Has your character taken the blame for something? Blamed others or events? Were they innocent? Guilty? A combination of both? Blame often isn’t logical and events have complicated causes. How do they change someone’s mind, or make amends?

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Happy Friday everyone! I'm getting the new prompt posted early because we finally have a nice day to be outside this week and I am going to take advantage of it!! Hope you are all well and happy writing!

 

Week of May 1, 2020:

 

Relying on Technology: Regardless of setting, our characters rely on technological innovations. In a fantasy setting, those might be cunning spellwork or finely-crafted weapons. The far future could have memory-dubbing and cybernetics. In any setting, food production, travel, and medicine often employ technology we barely acknowledge. What technology in your character’s world do they absolutely rely on? What can they not get along without? Do they even realize how much they need it? What happens when something goes wrong in the way it functions? What if it breaks and can’t be repaired, or at least not easily or quickly? How much trouble do they have when the things they expect to work just...don't?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Obsession: Everyone has interests. Occasionally, they devolve into fandom, or even obsession. What things obsess your character? Is it a favorite holoshow? A musical group? Perhaps swoop racing or huttball? Maybe something more esoteric--akk dog breeding, archaeology, perfume making, fine-tuning hyperdrive engines, or something else. Love feels a lot like obsession in the early infatuation stage. Or might it be a true obsession: intrusive thoughts or actions your character can’t ignore. Write about some of them and how they affect your character.

 

Look Behind You: What’s behind your character, literally or figuratively? Where did they come from? What did they leave behind to get where they are now? A village, town, city, or planet? Family, lovers, friends, rivals, or enemies? Ideas or beliefs? Do any of them catch up or are they forever in the past? How does your character feel about that?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm so sorry, I completely forgot to put up last week's prompt :eek:.....so here it is and I'll make another post for this week's.

 

Week of May 8, 2020:

 

Ever Your Servant: Who serves your character? Not their friend, lover, or companion, characters or NPCs intended as equals, but someone of lower social station. Someone who’s hired for their skills and paid for their work. A butler (hello, Alfred), a maid, the barista at their favorite coffeeshop. Perhaps a slave in societies that allow it or a droid or a golem in those that don’t. This week write a story concerning your character and another who serves them.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Keep on Keeping on: Now that our characters have been on the job for quite some years, what keeps them going? What makes them do just one more job, instead of retiring, settling down, or doing something completely different? Tradition, momentum, habit, joy, satisfaction, can't think of a reason to change or anything else they're good at. Everyone's reasons are their own. What's your character's? Prompt courtesy of @frauzet​

 

Good Intentions: It's said the road to hell is paved with them. Most characters, outside of the truly villainous, want to help and to make things better. Usually we let them. Good intentions can backfire or have unintended consequences, some of which might be worse than the original situation. They can also be far better! It's our story; we do what we want, and things need not always be bad. This week, begin with your character's good intentions and tell us what happens.

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Now for this week's prompt! Hope everyone is well and happy writing!!

 

Week of May 15, 2020:

 

Because I Can: When has your character done something just because? Was it a harmless act done on a whim? A luxury or trip they can finally afford? A crime they knew would go unpunished? A cruel act enabled by power? A heroic one, likewise enabled by power, lack of oversight, or cleverness? Something small that makes them happy? This week, write your character doing something just because they can.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Something New: What's new? Never been tried, first time for everything? This week's challenge is to do something you've never tried before. A character of a different gender--or none. A pov you never write in. A tense that's unusual for you. Something fluffy, something angsty. A romance with no action; an action adventure with no romance. Fanfic of your favorite story or world if you never write fanfic. Something original if you do. Step out of your comfort zone: whether it’s a giant leap, a baby step, or barely a toe. A meta-prompt for a new year.

 

Listen: More important than being able to act, perhaps, is the ability to listen. To hear someone voice their concerns or point of view without filtering through their own experience or opinion. When has your character really listened to another one in your story? They need not be converted, but they ought to gain understanding. Some characters don’t care; that’s fine and valid. This week, let your character be the quiet one and really listen to someone else in the story, then show what they do with their new perspective.

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Eh, I haven't been to bed yet so technically it's still Friday....you know what that means! Prompt time!!! Whoo, whoo....

 

Week of May 22, 2020:

 

Bored: Everyone gets bored. Some more easily than others. When has your character been bored? They could be snowbound at home, waiting for an appointment, or a passenger in a vehicle with nothing to do. Perhaps it’s boredom spiked with danger. They’ve sent their distress signal and there’s nothing to do but wait. How do they keep themselves occupied? Do they bother? Can they easily escape their situation but choose not to? Write about your character dealing with boredom.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Friends: Our characters collect any number of friends and helpers during their adventures. In fact, few characters can do without friends. They're part of what makes a story vibrant and alive. Friends don't have to be sycophants; they can (and probably should) disagree with your character about things. Things that matter, not easy things like favorite foods or colors. Friends and companions breathe life into your character's story. This week, write something where one of your character's friends has an important role as well.

 

Breaking the Fourth Wall: These are a lot more meta than we usually explore; roll with them and have fun:

 

Addressing the Audience: Characters aren’t supposed to acknowledge their audience. Suppose they did? How would they speak to all those who’ve been reading and enjoying their adventures? What might they say to the complainers?

 

Addressing the Creator: If your character could say something about their writer, what would it be? Would they complain about something? Take the opportunity to give you a piece of their minds? Maybe ask for a favor? Or would they be grateful and thank you?

Edited by alaurin
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Happy Friday everyone!! Let's celebrate with a new prompt....

 

Week of May 29, 2020:

 

Welcome Back/Welcome Home: Some people have fond memories of your character. Parents, old friends, or mentors. Others, perhaps, not so much: exes, enemies, people they've wronged. What kind of welcome does your character get when visiting them again? Is it what they expect or very different?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Enemies to Friends: Occasionally, your character and an enemy end up on the same side. And beyond sharing a common goal or working together just this once, they begin hanging out and relying on each other. Why? What converts their enemy to a friend? Note: this is not necessarily a heel-face turn. If your character is villainous their enemy might end up on the dark side. They have cookies, after all. Maybe both decide the struggle is futile and retire together. What about your character’s other friends?

 

Tall tales and exaggeration: Our characters’ adventures are exciting enough, but even the most entertaining true tale gets better with a little embellishment. Has your character ever improved on the original events for cantina entertainment? Or to impress someone? Enhanced their reputation by bending the facts a little? A lot? Or has someone else on their behalf? Is it odd overhearing someone else telling stories about them? Are the tales even a little bit true by the time they come back? This week, let’s have some boasting, aggrandizement, and hyperbole.

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Happy Friday everyone!! Here's the prompt......in a timely fashion for once :cool:!

 

Week of June 5, 2020:

 

Putting Up a Front: A character might feign bravery to convince themselves or inspire others. They might pretend a breakup doesn’t hurt. Putting up a front is performative; hiding vulnerability behind a mask a person hopes improves or maintains their status. Suppressing emotions comes naturally to some characters, less so for others. When--if ever--has your character put up a front and why did they do so?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Can’t Get There From Here: Travel--or any plan--doesn’t always go smoothly. There are delays, changes in schedules, barriers blocking the way. What does your character do when their usual route is impassable? Do they follow the detour signs? Do they know--or think they know--a much better alternative route? What happens? Thanks to @frauzet for this prompt.

 

Mistakes Were Made: The perennial apology-not-apology. Someone made mistakes, frequently not the person making the statement. So what happened? Was your character the mistake-maker or the one wronged? Who is "apologizing" and for what? Will anything be resolved or is this papering over a systemic problem? Is it a way to give someone a well-deserved second chance, or a perpetual offender getting away again?

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Once again we find ourselves at the end of the week and I intend on enjoying my weekend! I hope you all do as well and hopefully a new prompt will help!

 

Week of June 12, 2020:

 

Do I Have To?: There are bound to be tasks your character needs to complete that they’d really rather not do. It could be anything from routine chores to some major (or expensive) repairs to their ship, home, or estate. It might be putting up with ridiculous demands from a boss or overlord. It could be something that goes against their moral code--wherever their personal moral compass points--that they nevertheless feel they have to do. It might be something they personally find unpleasant and no one else understands why. Maybe it’s something they’ve been putting off, or something they’ve only just been assigned. This week, write a story where your character asks, literally or figuratively, do I have to?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Play for Me--Musical Instruments: Does your character play a musical instrument? What one? How well? We often think of music as something that others make for our enjoyment, something we listen to but don’t participate in. People enjoy playing music at all levels of competency, though, and for any number of reasons. Imagine your character playing an instrument, why they took it up in the first place, and why they continue playing. (Hint: the voice counts! So do drums and other things that make rhythm!).

 

Coming Home: With the advent of strongholds, what or where does your character consider home? Do they have an apartment on Coruscant, a stronghold in the wilds of Dromund Kaas, a sky palace on Nar Shaddaa? Is their ship their home, wherever it travels? Maybe home is more about the beings they’re with--their squad, their crew, their companions. We had a prompt for “Stomping Grounds,” which was more nostalgia, a childhood or imagined home. This is more at the present. At the end of the day, where does your character come home?

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