The Mephit's Tales

Current prompt:

No prompts are open at this time.

Overview:

From time to time, I seek a little outside direction in what to write; by giving me a task, especially one that’s for someone else (I can slack off way too easily if it’s just for me), it sometimes cuts through inertia that would otherwise leave me unproductive and idle.

That’s what this is about.

I’ll link to active prompt calls by way of their own subpages. In addition to being where comments should go for that specific prompt call, I’ll also link to the finished pieces as they go up. Here, I’ll go into general terms.

The basics are thus: Comment here with a prompt – a sentence or two about a theme to base the writing around – or, ideally, several. I will (pick one, and) write flash fiction in response to that prompt, where “flash fiction” is in the neighbourhood of 500 words, erring more on the generous side. (I will refer to this hereafter as a “block” of words: 500, within 5% low and 20% high. That is, each block will get you 475-600 words, and the margins add up with further blocks put toward any particular prompt.) No account is necessary; just fill in the name and email fields. Your email will only be visible to me, not publicly displayed; it’s mostly there to screen out spambots, but I can also use it to tie donations to comments.

I’ll do at least one prompt for everybody who issues them on a given call, gratis, in as timely a fashion as I can. They’ll be done more or less in the order they come up, though I may shift order somewhat if I have difficulty with one or get on a roll with another.

Donation Incentives:

As mentioned in passing above, I do take donations in the course of these calls. Donations are not mandatory.I will still do ~500 words for everybody as I can. Donations do have rewards, though, as follows:

• If you donate any amount, you get two additional blocks of words to allocate as you see fit. If you gave several prompts to begin with (as I would prefer for several reasons), I might wind up choosing one and writing it out long, or I might split your portion among several – depending on which of them grab me. If you really want a particular prompt as a priority, I can try to work with that, but it may risk a reprompt request if I get stuck. Extending an existing work (if you donate after your first prompt is answered, for instance, or opt to extend someone else’s) is generally a little more likely to work out than picking a prompt that hasn’t been written on yet, just in case I can’t make progress on it.
• For every $5 (Canadian dollars) you donate, I will add another such block of words.
• If you donate $35, bringing your base allotment to 10 blocks (1 free, 2 for donating, 7 at $5 ea), I will throw in another 10. This is enough for a short story of 10,000 words if they all get put to the same thing.
• However, I cap this at at 25 blocks per person per session. A single donation of $55 will get to that threshold (counting the total incentive; see below). Donations beyond that are of course appreciated, but I want to keep each session’s work reasonably self-contained and ensure I have enough time to get to everybody.
• If total donations reach $50, everyone gets an additional free block of words.
• If the total meets or exceeds $100, everyone gets another free block, for a total of three (cumulative with individual donor rewards).

What I Won’t Do:

• These are not commissions. If you donate, I will be grateful, and I will always try to make a piece that you’ll enjoy (donor or not), but the work will be done to my standards and the copyright will remain with me. If you want to point someone to a completed prompt, please link to it here rather than reposting it yourself; the publicity is important to me.
• As a general rule, I will not write with someone else’s existing characters, your own or otherwise. I have enough trouble getting into someone else’s headspace at the best of times; for something like this I simply cannot afford the time and energy it would take, to say nothing of legal issues if they’re not your own personal characters. (Collaborative characters which are partly mine to begin with are more flexible, and in general, exceptions may apply if I know the characters well enough – see the next section, “What I Will Do”.)
• I will not commit to hard kinks with which I am not already familiar. Kinks are hit-and-miss to begin with; I don’t want to promise something that I turn out to be unable to deliver. You’re welcome to push the envelope – exploring new themes is a valuable outcome in these prompt calls – but please don’t do so as your only prompt(s).
• I’m probably not going to do anything mind-screwy with these; in the interests of keeping things moving swiftly, I simply can’t get that wrapped up in any one piece.

What I Will Do:

• The default for a given prompt will be standalone characters for that prompt, with no relation to any other writing. This may change if I see a good opportunity to fit it in somewhere else. I do love a good serial, so if I can see such an opportunity and it doesn’t feel forced, odds are decent that I’ll take it.
• I will do anthropomorphic animals (please stick to air-breathing vertebrates), humans, or standard fantasy races like elves, though they’re likely to get a personal slant. Default will probably be random furries, or humans. If you have a preference, say so in your prompt.
• I will work in settings in which I have previously written, here or on my LiveJournal. If the pre-existing stories are incomplete, I may ask for a reprompt in the event that the prompt covers things I want to get to in my main writing. This also includes settings which I co-author, principally I.C.Q.
• With reservations (the “hesitation” kind, not the “book in advance” kind), I might work in existing settings which lend themselves to original characters, if I’m already familiar with the setting. This manner of writing doesn’t really lend itself to the extensive research that would be required to fit into a new setting for me. If this happens, you’re likely to get my own crazy head-canon, not necessarily a dead ringer for the official line – partly if not only because some authors sometimes seen to be downright crazy in the decisions they make regarding their own canons. Suggested tweaks to the canon may be a part of the prompt. (This might be best to avoid unless either you know me or you’ve seen me do work in that setting.)
• I will do clean or adult material. If your prompt can be completed without being naughty, I will assume you want it clean unless you specifically say naughty is okay, or have given me a “naughty is okay” signal in the past and not since revoked it. Even then, I’ll generally only do it if it makes sense to do so; I won’t put in adult material for its own sake. Even at my most gratuitous, I’m much too fond of plot and character development.
• Your first block will always be from within your prompts. If you don’t specify, that’s also where I’ll put any donor incentives (your own or group-total). However, you’re welcome to ask for an extension to another piece in this prompt call if it catches your eye. My usual problem is hitting the word cap rather than not coming up with enough, after all.
• If I’m stuck on your prompts, either overall or those you’ve specified for some degree of work, I may ask for a reprompt in order to have something I can work with. I’ll try to do so sooner rather than later, though I may move on to other work while waiting for a response.

Prompts generally run for a week, though see the specific details on the current prompt’s page to confirm that. Requests should go on the call’s subpage; any comments here should relate to the overall structure (I’d be glad to clarify something if it’s needed, for instane) rather than a specific call. If you donate, please either use your PayPal address when commenting with the prompts, or otherwise tie them to you, to be sure I can get you the work you’re due. If a donation goes for more than a day or two without me knowing who sent it, I’ll update the prompt’s page to mention this. It may be worth at least mentioning that you tossed something in the tip jar if you’re new to my prompt calls; that way, if needed, I can ask for more detail.

Much as I’d like to have a nice simple “Donate” button for the tip-jar, PayPal now insists that the Donate button be used for registered nonprofits, and I’m certainly not that.  Thus, I’ve had to discontinue using that button; I don’t want to give PayPal any more excuse to grab my money and walk off with it than they already may think they have. So, if you want to donate, please do so by making a payment to shurhaian@gmail.com and mentioning the name of the prompt call (e.g. “QuickFic #13” or “QF13”). Do not include details about your prompts in the PayPal transaction; leave those on this site.

That about covers the important bits. Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any prompts or donations!

-V