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Post by admin on May 2, 2018 0:49:42 GMT
Stuck for inspiration? Just looking for something to flex your creative muscles? Then Rock the Block! Welcome to Canalave Library's monthly prompt challenge! How it works is simple: Below, you'll find a set of prompts. One is a theme, one is a scene, and one is an A/V...een (or, more appropriately, either a video link or an image). Your main goal is to create a creative work of your preference inspired by or based on one or more of these prompts. You can settle for one, combine two, or if you're feeling particularly ambitious, create a Frankenstein prompt out of all three. The choice is yours! Once you complete your prompt work, post it in the appropriate forum (fics in Fic, art in Art, and so forth) and attach an author's note at the top that says you did it for [insert month and year here]'s prompt set. (You don't have to mention which prompt you used, but it would help!) And boom! You're done! (Yes, incidentally, your work must be posted to the forums to count. We can't count what we don't know about!)
Kinda-sorta FAQs/Further ExplanationsQ. What do I get for completing a prompt?A. Other than the satisfaction of speed-completing a creative work in a month and having material for the Underground at the ready, you will also be guaranteed a review by the Head Librarian. Additionally, works that manage to complete prompts will be showcased at the bottom of the appropriate prompt post. That is to say, if you complete May 2018's prompt set, a link to your fic will be added at the end of the post for May 2018's prompt set. Additionally, completing and posting a fanfic within the month will enter you for a chance to be featured in the next issue of the Underground. To be more specific, one fic per month will get a coveted spot in the zine(, meaning there will be two featured fics per issue). You might also get a few other side perks down the road if you push yourself into completing prompts on a regular, monthly basis. Q. Can I complete prompts for different months?A. Why, yes, you can! You'll only get the main perks (read: the review and hypothetical other swag) if you fill the prompts within the month they go up. For example, you can complete May 2018's prompt set at any point in time, but you will only be guaranteed reviews for works that fill May 2018's prompt set in May 2018. Q. Can I fill a prompt more than once, and can I submit more than one prompt fill per month?A. Yes and yes! There are very few hard and fast rules beyond "don't be That Guy and violate our forum rules," so if you really want to be ambitious, feel free to submit prompt fills or fill specific prompts as many times as you'd like. Q. Can I use an existing chapter or material to fill a prompt? What about using a current WIP or a new chapter I'm working on?A. And herein lies your first unfortunately no. Prompts can only be filled by new material. While you can write a chapter for an existing work that fills a prompt, you cannot use preexisting material for this challenge. There's also an asterisk there. Again, it's okay to write a chapter for an existing work in order to fill a prompt, but keep in mind that not every prompt may fit your current plot and that we don't particularly encourage you to do this. If a prompt manages to jumpstart your creativity on your current project, by all means, but try not to bend over backwards to make your chapter fit a prompt. Q. How closely do I have to follow the prompts?
A. You only have to be inspired by the prompts; you don't have to quote a prompt word-for-word or include images or the scenes described exactly. However! Your work still needs to be recognizably inspired by the prompt to get the swag (including being included in the link libraries). If we give you a prompt about Godzilla and you come back with a word-for-word copy of Les Miserables, that's probably not going to fly. (Also, that would be plagiarism. Don't do that.) However, if you write a story about a lizard with delusions of grandeur, we might be able to squint and say you filled the prompt if your author's note explaining the fill is convincing enough. Q. Can I submit a prompt?A. You sure can, good buddy! Please PM the Head Librarian or DM her via Discord if you have prompt suggestions. Prompt suggestions will be placed in a queue and used up whenever we've got a spare month. That will usually mean the next month available unless it's February, October, or December (at which point, appropriate holiday-themed prompts will be given priority). Please note that you should submit posts privately to avoid ruining the surprise! 
Index of Past Months |
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Post by admin on May 2, 2018 1:27:10 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
May 2018 Prompt Set
Theme It's spring! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and it's juuuuust right for ... pokémon journeys! Your mission is to create a piece highlighting all the wonders of being ten years old and allowed to travel across gorgeous wilderness armed only with a magical alien pet and a rudimentary understanding of wilderness survival. Or in more generic terms, create a piece that captures the essence of what it means to be a trainer.
Scene Professor [Tree] has jump-started many journeys over the years, but when their latest batch of new trainers has just failed to stop the evil plot of the crime syndicate of the season, destiny comes knocking on Professor [Tree]'s door to choose a starter. (Destiny may or may not be a literal being.)
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Post by admin on Jun 1, 2018 4:47:42 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
June 2018 Prompt Set
Theme It’s summer, and you know what that means! BEACH PARTY. Whether you take inspiration from the ubiquitous anime beach episode, actual science, old surfer movies, or that time you and your buddies had that wild beach bonfire you’re not allowed to talk about anymore, your mission is simple: write a fic inspired by the sunshine and waves.
Scene Your character was just minding their own business on the beach when they came across a message in a bottle. When they cracked it open and read it, the message inside jump-started a seaside adventure. What was that message, and what will happen next?
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Post by admin on Jul 1, 2018 16:24:15 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
July 2018 Prompt Set
Theme This Rock the Block, we’re going to be aggressively American because it’s our first July 4th, and some people (Firebrand) are aggressively American. So for your themed prompt, write a fic inspired by any of these words: unity, freedom, fireworks, patriotism, culture, bald eagles. Please note that we’re not telling you not to write a dystopia. Or a fic about Canada. Or something like that. Just sayin’.
Scene How would trainer journeys go in your country/region/state? Write an opening chapter for a trainer fic set in your neck of the woods! (If you live in New York, France, Arizona, Hawaii, or any of the Japanese regions already covered by canon … do your best to not submit a transcript of a canon game. Although that would be hilarious.)
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Post by admin on Aug 1, 2018 4:07:03 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
August 2018 Prompt Set
Theme AUs. Now that I’ve chased most of you away, let me tell you about the magic of AUs, or alternate universes. They’re the fantastic what-ifs. The grand opportunity to explore new themes and ideas with the same characters. Or, according to Tumblr, a handy excuse to write about a bunch of characters hooking up in a coffee shop. Which, you know. Can be fun too. Hence this month’s prompt! Your mission for this month is to ruin your baby. Take your pet characters (the main OCs of your work, someone else’s work, your favorite canon characters, or what-have-you—any character in an already existing work, really) and throw them into any one of the fandom AUs listed here: ghostflowerdreams.tumblr.com/post/142307666907
Scene Let’s play with AUs even more! The villain of your fic (or a canon villain of your choice, if you don’t feel like spoiling your work) wins. Write a scene involving your protagonists a year later. In a coffee shop.
Hall of Fame
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Post by admin on Oct 1, 2018 4:29:09 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
October 2018 Prompt Set
Theme It’s October. …. While it’s tempting to leave it at that, allow me to continue. October is that wonderful time of the month, where the weather grows colder, the leaves turn color, and, if you live in America, you have already endured two months of reminders that Halloween is coming. Eleven if we’re counting the ones you give yourself. So for this Rock the Block, let’s delve a little into the reason for the season. Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to write a Halloween special for your fic of choice. It doesn’t have to be yours, and it doesn’t have to be horror. Cheesy Nickelodeon-style Halloween specials are completely okay too. Cheesy Nickelodeon-style Halloween specials about someone else’s fic are likewise okay.
Scene What would a demon summoning be like if you're already in a world where children routinely capture abominations against nature? Write a scene in which a trainer stumbles across a demon summoning about to go ... not quite according to however those cultists had planned. Buffy-style antics are thoroughly encouraged.
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Post by admin on Feb 1, 2019 5:08:44 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
February 2019 Prompt Set
Theme Pokémon has, for all 2+ decades of its existence, been home to a positive wealth of creative minds. That includes people who like to mash characters together and name the resulting souffle of love. Your task for this month is simple: go on the incomplete shipping list, pick a pairing you’ve never created fanwork for, and create at least one romantic work centered on that pairing. Yes, all pairings are fair game, including the crack ones. The only rules are: 1. The pairing must be on the above-mentioned list. 2. You must not have created a work for that pairing before. 3. Any work you create must show these two in a romantic situation of some kind. Date, cute domestic scene, wedding, coffeeshop AU—whatever you choose. 4. Just remember: we’re not allowed to post porn.
Scene It sucks that February’s all about romantic love, right? Well, let’s fix that. Let’s say a parent or a sibling of a standard pokémon hero protagonist who hasn’t ever gone out on a journey before picks out a starter pokémon and follows their child/sibling after catching word that they’re engaged in some kinda shenanigans involving the local evil team. Create a work based on a scene from this hypothetical fic. Are they battling a gym leader? Confronting the head of the organization themselves? Battling their own flesh and blood? Whatever you do, be sure to capture the love and dedication this person has towards (what should be) the hero protagonist!
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Post by admin on Mar 1, 2019 5:00:43 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
March 2019 Prompt Set
Theme March is a magical month, my friends. The first inklings of spring, St. Patty's Day, even Mardi Gras this year, so that's pretty rad. So your theme this month is the Fae. Not necessarily fairy-types. I mean the Fae. Think magic and mischief and maybe a little bit of green and greed. Whether you end up with a fairy tale or a Faustian bargain, your story must include a trickster character of supernatural origin, a mortal, and sheer, raw shenanigans. Good luck!
Scene Your character (one of the ones from your biggest WIP, for example) finds a magical tome one day. It calls to them, whispering promises of incredible power if they unleash certain unspeakable horrors or give up a part of themselves in exchange. What does your character do?
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Post by admin on Apr 1, 2019 4:07:09 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
April 2019 Prompt Set
Theme Welp. Although we got done with a prompt set focusing on the trickery of supernatural beings, we got a request for trickery of a more … practical approach. It is April Fool’s season, folks, and it’s time to show off your cleverness with some good ol’-fashioned mind-bend. Your mission this month is all about deception. Now, anyone can write about characters getting caught up in a lie or entire fics being all Just a Dream. We have entire television genres for that, folks. So what you need to do this month is find a way to trick the reader. Unreliable narrators? Yes. Unexpected genre shifts a la Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared? Yes. Wham beats at the very end? Throw the rules out partway through in favor of some House of Leaves shenanigans? Absolutely. Optical illusions, clickable/transparent images with hidden meanings, and alt text abuse? PERFECT. Whatever you’d like to do so long as not everything is as it seems. Except for one thing, anyway. For this challenge, you have just one “do not do” rule: no jumpscares or screamers. Other than that, be creative!
Scene A character wakes up and goes about their daily lives, only to realize that something is off. It’s subtle, but there’s something definitely amiss. As they go through, they find more and more subtle hints that things aren’t quite right. Your job is to figure out what’s going on and how the character deals with it. Good luck!
Audio/Visual
(Playlist. Good luck, mortals.)
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Post by admin on May 1, 2019 4:11:35 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
May 2019 Prompt Set
Theme Is anyone getting hungry in here, or is it just me? Trick question! We’re all gonna get hungry by the end of this prompt set.  Your theme of the month is food. For artists, this is probably going to be a piece of cake, so hold your sauces for a twist (of lemon-lime?). For authors, this might be a proper challenge. Food is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Cooking, baking, candy-making—all of it can be a work of art, one that excites all five of a person’s senses. You’re going to need all of your skills with imagery to get through this round. Whatever you choose to do with food, food must be the star of your work, and it must be mouthwatering. And now for the twist! To help inspire you, we’d like to see something specific: your favorite recipe. Artists, feature your favorite recipe, fully cooked, somewhere in your work. Writers … feature the dish being cooked. Think about what you love about cooking that dish and use that as a springboard to fill out your sensory descriptions. Bon appetit!
Scene Food isn’t just fun to cook; it’s also famously a great equalizer. Your mission this month, if you choose to accept it, is to feature two characters who don’t see eye to eye … until they share a meal. Whether they’re soldiers on opposing sides of a war breaking bread together or a couple on the world’s most awkward date, by the time they finish that meal, they suddenly feel a little more willing to talk things out. How does this play out?
Hall of Fame
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Post by admin on Jun 1, 2019 4:00:14 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
June 2019 Prompt Set
Theme It’s Pride Month, my lovelies, and we’re celebrating. For that reason, this month’s theme is super simple but also super complicated. That is to say, your mission is to feature a character who falls under that lovely rainbow umbrella. Whether you’re gay, lesbian, bi, trans, aro, ace, nb, questioning, or something else entirely different, all manners of folks are welcome here! Of course, the complexity comes in the form of a few rules to this one, folks. We just want to make sure your fic fits the theme in a way that’s, you know. Not offensive. To that end, the additional rules: 1. At least one character must be of a LGBT+ identity. Yes, ace, aro, trans, and nb all count. No, allies do not count. We’re not getting into the argument of whether or not kink is an identity, but considering the fact that it’s very difficult to portray BDSM relationships without going into the bedroom and therefore violating our content rules, we’d like to ask you not to pursue that one there. 1a. Polyamory and queerplatonic relationships will also count towards fulfilling this prompt, just so folks know. 2. If you’re writing fic, that identity must be a vital part of the piece. This doesn’t mean that the piece itself needs to tackle common LGBT issues (coming out, exploring identity, facing -phobias, etc.); it just means that this identity must be brought up and, in some way, play a clearly integral part in the character (and by extent, the plot). In other words, if you can tell the exact same story with a straight, cis character and end up with the exact same product, from plot to conversations to general atmosphere, then it does not fulfill the prompt. (Note: You can, on the other hand, draw a character and say they’re bi, for example, and we’ll take your word for it.) 3. Most importantly, your piece must be respectful of LGBT-identifying people, especially if you’re cis and straight. Please do your research if you wish to tackle this month’s prompts!
Scene Sometimes, the cutest, sweetest things are the most normal things. To that end, your characters (a queer couple, queerplatonic lifemates if we’re talking about aces/aros, etc.) enjoy a morning together before going out and facing the world outside. What happens afterwards is up to you. No, really. That’s it. Like, literally. Cute people enjoying breakfast and running errands. Think about it.(Please note that the same rules that apply towards the theme also apply here!)
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Post by admin on Jul 1, 2019 4:37:38 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
July 2019 Prompt Set
Theme It would be so easy to make a theme based around that one extremely patriotic holiday that everyone and their mothers talk about all over the internet this time of year (Canada Day), but we’re not going to because it’s summer vacation. Unlike the beach episode prompt of the first Rock the Block, this theme is asking you to reach back into your childhood and use those childhood memories to hammer out a Pokémon story. Road trips, barbecues, amusement park visits, pool parties, camping, and trips to that capitalist hell that is the American mall are all completely valid and encouraged. Or you can go the extremely fun route and make Ash Ketchum get a summer job. It’s up to you!
Scene Did you know that in The Electric Tales of Pikachu, trainers are actually on leave from school? It’s true! They don’t go off on multiple consecutive journeys for years on end like the anime’s Ash Ketchum but rather take a(n unspecified) time off to explore the world and bond with pokémon. So anyway, your scene for this month is one of these trainers got back, and they’ve written a what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation-style essay to present to their educational advisor/mentor/teacher. This essay is, to put it lightly, effing wild. Extra points if you actually do write it from Ash Ketchum’s perspective. (Warning: As always, the points don’t matter.)
Audio/Visual(Music.)
Hall of Fame
None yet! |
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Post by admin on Aug 3, 2019 3:19:36 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
August 2019 Prompt Set
Theme Let’s keep this short and sweet. In honor of our new forum, your theme for this month is original. Do you usually write canon characters? Try your hand with OCs. Normally a fic writer? Try original fic. Already write original fic? Switch genres and try your hand at writing a fic not set in any universe you’ve already created. Go hog wild with new ideas and populate that new forum!
Scene An author has just found out that someone else has plagiarized their story. The troubling thing? It’s one of their characters, who has not only realized that they’re in a story but has also decided to take control of their life the best way they can: by writing it themselves, changing the names, and claiming it as their own work. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to write the author’s confrontation with their own character.
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Post by admin on Sept 3, 2019 2:29:28 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
September 2019 Prompt Set
Theme You know, there are a lot of themes one can do for September. School AUs. The beginning of pumpkin spice everything. Existential dread of realizing that there are only two months separating you from now and the holiday season. But why not combine the visceral emotion found in all of these things into one heated theme? One that brings out the high schooler in all of us, the almost instinctual revulsion to those with different tastes than us, and the looming understanding that not too long from now, you will be competing against countless others for survival in a bleak, peppermint-scented dystopia? That's right, folks. Your theme for this month is rivalries. The more bitter, the better. Pit your OCs against each other over deep-seated grudges built up over years of bitterness and potential toxicity. There's something cathartic in writing characters who utterly hate each other, even over minor inconveniences, so don't be shy! Go all out! And then have them turn into bittersweet lovers. Idk, I don't rule your life.
Scene Classic rival battle, my folks. If you're an artist, this should be pretty straightforward: draw two characters duking it out in as spectacular a way as you can muster. If you're not an artist, here's a more detailed prompt: two rivals have been at each other's throats since childhood, right up until they've formed rival ... bakeries. Your scene-based mission, if you choose to accept it, is pit these two characters against each other in a final showdown at a baking contest to create the best poffin in Sinnoh. (Simply tasking you to write a battle would be far too easy.)
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Post by Manchee on Jan 1, 2020 15:45:09 GMT
ROCK THE BLOCK!
January 2020 Prompt Set
Theme New year, new decade. Welcome to the 2020s, everyone. This is always a time of year to look back on everything that happened since last year and to look forward for everything to come- and look forward is what we’re going to be doing this month, but probably a little farther into the future than this coming year or even this coming decade. Your theme for the first month of 2020 is future. Whether that means later this year, a futuristic utopia in space, or anything post-apocalyptic. You could even utilize future tense for an extra challenge if you feel like it!
Scene It’s the future. When? You decide. But it’s not as exciting as you’d think. Or, at least, that’s your opinion. The sky malls just aren’t as popular anymore. And that song on your holoplayer? Sooooooo 3000-late. And, suddenly, you’re presented with the opportunity to travel to any year, any decade - past, present, or future. As long as it’s past the year 2020. For some reason, the time-warping batteries just don’t have enough juice to go back that far. Go wild, future friends. Dialga visiting this boring future to take your character on an adventure across time is not required, but also not forbidden. See also: androids, if you please.
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