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Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007
:siren: :siren: Promptpost :siren: :siren:

As everyone knows, I am a lazy gently caress. God knows when you'll get crits for the sorry piles of offal you're about to spew onto the flawless patent leather of my judgin' shoes.

So I was thinking to myself, wouldn't it be awesome if everyone could make up their own drat prompts, but that's not exactly in the spirit of a weekly judged fiction contest, plus god knows what you chucklefucks would come up with on your lonesome.

Luckily for you, someone else thought there needed to be some kind of prompt-generating device for children!

Your prompt is to use This website to generate your own prompt.

So it'll work like this:
1) Click the above link
2)Pick a genre, or for more fun, pick the ~scrambler~
3)Select your grade level
4) Spin spin spin as many times as you want, until you have a prompt you like
5) Write some story

Rules
-Post your prompt, genre and which grade level you chose in your signup post.
-No changing prompts after you've posted yours

:siren: And most importantly: This is a children's prompt generator, but these stories are all grown up, baby. That means that your story cannot be in the least childish. I should have no idea that you had to use a child's creative writing tool to come up with your story.

edit: Even if your prompt instructs you to write a letter/list/etc, it should go without saying that there should still be an identifiable plot arc and etc.

Wordcount: 1300
Sign-ups: Friday the 5th at 11:59 PM, PST
Submissions: Sunday the 7th at 11:59 PM, PST

Judges
Me
:siren:Fuckin' Fanky
:black101: the indomitable Sebmojo

Fodder

S. Muffin-
Genre: Fantasy
Grade: 4-6th
Prompt: Write a futuristic story about an obnoxious shaman who is looking for an invisible door.


EgoEgress
Genre: Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Describe the secret wish of a sneaky lawyer who wins the lottery.


Bachelard rear end
SCRAMBLER
Grade 4-6
Prompt: [Write a to-do list for] [a depressed] [movie star] [who ages 20 years in one day.]


Jonked
Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Describe the secret wish of a million-year-old game show host who discovers a secret city.


Jeza
Scrambler
Grade 4-6
Prompt: Write a folk tale about a depressed snow leopard who solves crimes


Voliun
Genre: Scrambler
Level:4-6
Prompt: Write a horror story about a stubborn movie star who is always getting into trouble with her parents.


Mercedes
Adventure
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Make up a conversation you might have with a scatterbrained artist who finds a strange package by the door.


perpetulance
Scrambler,
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Write a to-do list for a powerful spider monkey who races go-karts.


Noah
Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: [Describe the secret wish][of a brainy][carnival clown][who rides comets].


Erogenous Beef
the Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Write a funny story about an Arctic private eye who finds an undiscovered island


Whalley
Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Describe a day in the life of an old dentist who is always getting into trouble with her parents.


Systran
Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Write a story about a jittery vampire who lands on a faraway planet


Fumblemouse
fantasy
Grade: 3
Prompt: An amazing story about a bitter maid who is leader of the fairies.


CHAIRCHUCKER
Adventure
Grade: 3
Prompt: Describe a fun vacation with a disagreeable lemon who must walk across a rickety rope bridge.


Kaishai
Genre: Scrambler
Grade: 3
Prompt: Write a fantasy story about a brainy octopus who lives in a museum


Steriletom
Genre: Science Fiction
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Write about eating lunch with a shivering tourist who travels on beams of light


N00bile Hillock
Genre: Scrambler
Grade: K-1st
Prompt: Write a two line poem about a cold apple who lives on a cloud



Schneider Heim
Sci-fi
Grade 3
Invite to your school a red metal spider who writes science fiction


Nikaer Drekin
Fantasy
Grade 2
Write a short legend about a famous stallion whose mirror can see into the future.
+200 word buff equipped.


Baggy_Brad
Genre: Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
[Describe a day in the life of] [a sunburned] [police officer] [who rides comets]


Toanoradian
Genre: Scrambler
Grade: K-1st
Prompt: Write a one-sentence postcard to a short boy who is invisible.
:siren:Flash rule: The one sentence must be at least 500 words long, or your piece must be a short story surrounding the one-sentence post card


V for Vegas
Scrambler.
Grade: 2
Prompt: A fantasy story about a pickled princess who lives on a mountain


crabrock
Scramble
Grade: 2
[List five good things about] [a nervous] [cowboy] [who never, ever smiles]


Bad Seafood
Genre: Scrambled
Grade: 4-6th
Prompt: Write a horror story about a million-year-old vulture who is shipwrecked on a desert island.


Symptomless Coma
Grade:
4th-6th
SF
Prompt: Write a story about a sweating shapeshifter who builds the smartest computer in the universe.


Manoueverable
Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: [Write a funny story about][a jittery][game show host][who lands on a faraway planet]

Sitting Here fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Jul 6, 2013

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SurreptitiousMuffin
Mar 21, 2010
Genre: Fantasy
Grade: 4-6th

Prompt: Write a futuristic story about an obnoxious shaman who is looking for an invisible door.

SpudCat
Mar 12, 2012

gently caress it, I'm entering the 'Dome for real this time. I didn't like this avatar anyway.

Genre: Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Describe the secret wish of a sneaky lawyer who wins the lottery.

I'm actually a little unsure if this prompt is kosher, since it's not nearly as nonsensical as it could have been. If the Most High and Powerful Judges feel that it isn't properly silly, I'll do this alternate prompt:

Describe the house of a nervous firefighter who invents a spaceship to go to Pluto.

Gaston Bachelard
Mar 26, 2009

When the image is new, the world is new.
:black101:SCRAMBLER:black101:
Grade 4-6

[Write a to-do list for] [a depressed] [movie star] [who ages 20 years in one day.]

Jonked
Feb 15, 2005
So, just so we're clear, the idea is to taking a children's story prompt, and write an adult tale? We're specifically NOT writing it for children?

Scrambler
4-6
Describe the secret wish of a million-year-old game show host who discovers a secret city.

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007
edit: ^^^^ yes.

EgoEgress posted:

gently caress it, I'm entering the 'Dome for real this time. I didn't like this avatar anyway.

Genre: Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Describe the secret wish of a sneaky lawyer who wins the lottery.

I'm actually a little unsure if this prompt is kosher, since it's not nearly as nonsensical as it could have been. If the Most High and Powerful Judges feel that it isn't properly silly, I'll do this alternate prompt:

Describe the house of a nervous firefighter who invents a spaceship to go to Pluto.

Nah that's just fine. Nothing is off limits, sometimes a seemingly "obvious" premise can yield more interesting results than simply lolrandom. I like what I'm seeing so far.

Oh, and I might add this to the judgepost: Even if your prompt instructs you to write a letter/list/etc, it should go without saying that there should still be an identifiable plot arc and etc.

SurreptitiousMuffin
Mar 21, 2010
So, I kept spinning and respinning different wheels until I got something coherent I thought I could use. It seems like everybody else is just doing one spin and taking what they got. Did I misread point #4 or something?

Jeza
Feb 13, 2011

The cries of the dead are terrible indeed; you should try not to hear them.
Scrambler
Grade 4-6



Yeah, so I set myself a mild rule that I could only spin the wheel three times and choose one from the three I got. They are all clearly amazing so if anybody fancies one of the other two, feel free. Or maybe random a different opener from 'birthday party invitation' Jesus Christ.


Write a birthday party invitation for a thousand-year-old rhinoceros who is a tour guide in your neighborhood

Write a folk tale about a depressed snow leopard who solves crimes.
- Doing this one.

Write a birthday party invitation for a self-conscious owl who rides comets.

Voliun
May 31, 2012
Genre: Scrambler
Level:4-6

Write a horror story about a stubborn movie star who is always getting into trouble with her parents.

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007

SurreptitiousMuffin posted:

So, I kept spinning and respinning different wheels until I got something coherent I thought I could use. It seems like everybody else is just doing one spin and taking what they got. Did I misread point #4 or something?

Since there's literally no way to enforce people doing one or the other, you can either spin until you get the one you want OR just pick the first thing you get. The way to Thunderdome victory is a wide, trackless plain and the victorious are those among us who carve our own paths.

Mercedes
Mar 7, 2006

"So you Jesus?"

"And you black?"

"Nigga prove it!"

And so Black Jesus turned water into a bucket of chicken. And He saw that it was good.




Adventure
4-6

Make up a conversation you might have with a scatterbrained artist who finds a strange package by the door.

perpetulance
Mar 24, 2013

THUNDERDOME LOSER
In.
Scrambler, 4-6
Write a to-do list for a powerful spider monkey who races go-karts.

Noah
May 31, 2011

Come at me baby bitch
Scrambler
4-6
[Describe the secret wish][of a brainy][carnival clown][who rides comets].

Erogenous Beef
Dec 20, 2006

i know the filthy secrets of your heart
In. I chose the Scrambler and it tossed me these Grade 4-6 eggs:

Write a funny story about an Arctic private eye who finds an undiscovered island.

Well, that's not as bad as it could have been.

crabrock
Aug 2, 2002

I

AM

MAGNIFICENT






I'm using the Martello excuse of "I'll be away getting married and poo poo" for the next 2 weeks, during which I'm assuming my writing will devolve back to complete and utter poo poo.

Thanks for the crits, mein judges. I see ways that I can make that better now.

Wungus
Mar 5, 2004

I'm in for my first time ever, because I need to get good at writing and involved in a community of talented jerks :ohdear:

Describe a day in the life of an old dentist who is always getting into trouble with her parents.
e: Scrambler, 4-6

Wungus fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Jul 2, 2013

angel opportunity
Sep 7, 2004

Total Eclipse of the Heart
In with more space vampires

Scrambler, Grade 4-6
Write a story about a jittery vampire who lands on a faraway planet

angel opportunity fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Jul 2, 2013

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007
^^^^ Where's my genre and grade level????????

:siren:Oh btw the next few people to post after this cannot use the grade 4-6 setting. How many is a few? IDK. I'm capricious. I'll tell you when I feel like it.

And I'd like to remind you again, just because you get a list, letter, etc, doesn't mean you need to take the formatting literally. And don't think of getting cute with me by posting some super literal, cheeky, or gimicky piece.

Fumblemouse
Mar 21, 2013


STANDARD
DEVIANT
Grimey Drawer
I had a look at fantasy, k1 and got "a tea party with a rude princess whose hat comes alive", but I wrote almost exactly that two rounds ago (albeit with a dowager not a princess). So I went up to

fantasy, k3,

an amazing story about a bitter maid who is leader of the fairies.

I shall try to make it suitably amazing. No more half-arsery.

Chairchucker
Nov 14, 2006

to ride eternal, shiny and chrome

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2022




Adventure. Grade 3.

Describe a fun vacation with a disagreeable lemon who must walk across a rickety rope bridge.

What.

Oh and I'm in however, what.

Fanky Malloons
Aug 21, 2010

Is your social worker inside that horse?
Some of these self-made prompts sound really amusing, and I've been a lazy rear end in a top hat/bumming around in the desert lately, so I will offer my judging services if you want them SittingHere?

I predict I will regret this life choice at least as much as usual.

Also:

EgoEgress posted:

Describe the secret house of a sneaky lawyer who invents a spaceship to go to Pluto.

:colbert:

Fanky Malloons fucked around with this message at 20:59 on Jul 2, 2013

Kaishai
Nov 3, 2010

Scoffing at modernity.
In. Also, that wedding picture is rad.

Genre: Scrambler
Grade: 3
Prompt: Write a fantasy story about a brainy octopus who lives in a museum.

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007
^^^Thanks, Martello is an invigorating subject. For painting.

Fanky Malloons posted:

Some of these self-made prompts sound really amusing, and I've been a lazy rear end in a top hat/bumming around in the desert lately, so I will offer my judging services if you want them SittingHere?

I predict I will regret this life choice at least as much as usual.


Yes please. Misery loves company

:siren:Oh and consider my edict against 4-6th grade lifted BUT I will say that a more diverse range of grades will make me a happier and less hateful judge.

edit: You bastards better watch out cause Sebmojo will be joining me and Fanks on the judge's podium. While you jokers are mashing asscheeks to keyboard, 'Mojo and I will be arguing over who's GI Joe and who's Cobra Commander between the two of us.

Sitting Here fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Jul 2, 2013

Steriletom
May 11, 2009

My inability to write has angered the ghost of Thunderdome! Beware my example, lest you be haunted.
In.


Steriletom
Genre: Science Fiction
Grade: 4-6
Prompt: Write about eating lunch with a shivering tourist who travels on beams of light

autism ZX spectrum
Feb 7, 2007

by Lowtax
Fun Shoe

Genre: Scrambler
Grade: K-1st
Prompt: Write a two line poem about a cold apple who lives on a cloud

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007
Nubile that better be the best two line poem I've ever read or will ever read.

None of you be as clever as him.

Lily Catts
Oct 17, 2012

Show me the way to you
(Heavy Metal)
Thank you Kaishai and Nikaer Drekin for the crits. If anything, I agonized while editing my story--thought I had to cut out a lot of stuff. It shows, but at least the proof of concept isn't bad.

I will be in this week with--

Sci-fi
Grade 3
Invite to your school a red metal spider who writes science fiction

Nikaer Drekin
Oct 11, 2012

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2020
^^^^^ No problem!

Anyway I thought I had replied to this but I guess it didn't go through or something. Anyway, I got:

Fantasy
Grade 2
Write a short legend about a famous stallion whose mirror can see into the future.

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007

Nikaer Drekin posted:

^^^^^ No problem!

Anyway I thought I had replied to this but I guess it didn't go through or something. Anyway, I got:

Fantasy
Grade 2
Write a short legend about a famous stallion whose mirror can see into the future.


:siren: Flash bonus :siren: For being the first and only person so far to pick grade 2, you become the teacher's pet. Enjoy 200 more words, should you choose to use them.

Baggy_Brad
Jun 8, 2003

THUNDERDOME LOSER
It's been a while, but seeing that Fanky is judging I am in.

Genre: Scrambler
Grade: 4-6
[Describe a day in the life of] [a sunburned] [police officer] [who rides comets]

toanoradian
May 30, 2011


The happiest waffligator

Sitting Here posted:

'Mojo and I will be arguing over who's GI Joe and who's Cobra Commander between the two of us.

Wow, the judges are sticking to the theme by having a childish argument! Nice job.

Genre: Scrambler
Grade: K-1st
Prompt: Write a one-sentence postcard to a short boy who is invisible.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

V for Vegas
Aug 31, 2004

THUNDERDOME LOSER

V for Vegas fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Jul 15, 2013

crabrock
Aug 2, 2002

I

AM

MAGNIFICENT






Ok, I lied; I just couldn't stay away after reading some of these fun prompts.

Grade 2
Scramble
[List five good things about] [a nervous] [cowboy] [who never, ever smiles]

I have to write and post this tomorrow so I hope I don't pull a mercedes...

Only registered members can see post attachments!

Sitting Here
Dec 31, 2007

toanoradian posted:

Wow, the judges are sticking to the theme by having a childish argument! Nice job.

Genre: Scrambler
Grade: K-1st
Prompt: Write a one-sentence postcard to a short boy who is invisible.



Hmmm I sense impudence. :siren: Flash rule: Your one sentence must be at least 500 words long. You may evade this flash rule by creating a story around a one sentence post card to a short boy who is invisible.

Nikaer Drekin
Oct 11, 2012

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2020
Okay, here are the rest of my crits!

Jonked: This struck me as solid if a little rudimentary. The writing wasn’t bad, necessarily, but I think sometimes you “told” a little bit too much. Like, when you mentioned his paranoia about a gas leak, I think that’s a far more interesting way to go about things then having his daughters just discuss that he’s taking precautions. I think expanding on the characters in this would work quite well, if you decide to edit it further; details like him childishly playing with his granddaughter were really nice and I’m curious to know what those “unmentionable adventures” mentioned in the first paragraph are. Also, I thought the switch from dread regarding death to comfort and relief provided a nice ending.

Sitting Here: I think the voice in this piece really worked to its advantage, highlighting the main character’s philosophical mindset (as well as the delirium of the heat) with the decidedly ordinary and blunt exterior. Also, having us only looking at Sam without being able to intervene or stop him mirrors your protagonist’s mindset and gets us into his head.

Also, I like that you didn’t have the girl die; I felt like it could have been going in the direction of cheap tragedy, but you sidestepped it nicely and added further to the surreal picture of that afternoon. Really I could go on about things that worked well but it basically all did, and I don’t think I had any doubt after reading it that this was the winner, as nice as many of the other pieces were.

systran: Well, first off, I have something of a weakness for Ancient Egypt stuff, so you earn a few points from me right off the bat. However, it feels somewhat stiff, maybe because the central conflict is introduced a little too late. Though I sort of anticipated that the three younger wives would get prioritized over Ara, she doesn’t find out until close to the end, and I feel like a lot of potential drama is explained in a few quick paragraphs rather than allowed to play out. It seems to me that much of the meat of the tale is there, not in the opening exposition.

Jagermonster: I dug this. While you may have waited a little too long to clue readers in that we were looking at things from the perspective of a chupacabra, I think the sort of sparse, western-ish voice added a great deal to the mood. I’d love to see more of the adventures of these two; actually I think there might be something wrong with someone who doesn’t want to see an undead cowboy and a chupacabra team up to fight Mexican cartels, but maybe I’m biased.

SurreptitiousMuffin: Aaaagghh, this was a tough one for me. While I really liked the voice and atmosphere of the piece, I don’t think it was quite strong and coherent enough narratively. Plenty of wit and cleverness to be found here, but it could stand to be hung on a steadier framework. Probably in my top three anyways, though, just based on the quality of writing, but I still feel Sitting Here’s was a more complete story.

V for Vegas: In much the same way, your piece gave me a very strong image without delivering a strong story with it. I mean, I guess it’s a poem, so that’s not quite as necessary, but I still would have enjoyed it. Anyway, I feel like this is almost more of a “painting” in words than a short story, if that makes sense. Well, it’s only about 500 words, so if we’re going by the old saying it would technically be half a painting, but that’s just splitting hairs.

Nubile Hillock: You can do better. Deliver!

Fumblemouse: This was just sort of strange. The first paragraph was all right, kinda metaphorical, but it de-evolved into some weird trashy romance thing that feels like it was just thrown in to satisfy the prompt. You can do better too.

I don't have crits for the two that submitted past the deadline, MAYBE I'll get to those :colbert:

Mercedes
Mar 7, 2006

"So you Jesus?"

"And you black?"

"Nigga prove it!"

And so Black Jesus turned water into a bucket of chicken. And He saw that it was good.




Nikaer Drekin posted:

I don't have crits for the two that submitted past the deadline, MAYBE I'll get to those :colbert:

:( I had computer problems!

Fanky Malloons
Aug 21, 2010

Is your social worker inside that horse?

Baggy_Brad posted:

It's been a while, but seeing that Fanky is judging I am in.

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.

Mercedes posted:

:( I had computer problems!

EXCUSES ARE FOR CHUMPS, STFU.

Martello
Apr 29, 2012

by XyloJW
Happy birfday

autism ZX spectrum
Feb 7, 2007

by Lowtax
Fun Shoe
An untitled poem, 37 words

Dragged by a thousand tiny anchors or left to wither in the sun? Enigmas writ without an answer; a final breath was drawn.

Strange fate, muted ripple in Time’s tide: a noctilucent cloud with an apple inside.

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Bad Seafood
Dec 10, 2010


If you must blink, do it now.
Oh hey, Internet's back. That's neat.

Genre: Scrambled
Grade: 4-6th
Prompt: Write a horror story about a million-year-old vulture who is shipwrecked on a desert island.

Those of you who turned in your homework, good job. Critiques and the reasoning behind each of your assignments coming whenever I can be bothered to do so (so probably tomorrow).

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