Char's Challenges: Writing Prompts Galore!

[FedoraChar]

Char’s Challenges

Writing Prompts Galore!

Hey writers! Are you feeling it? The crushing pressure of the dreaded writer’s block? Have you been staring at a blinking cursor for the last few hours, hoping that some Grecian muse will somehow materialize from the computer screen and bonk you on the head with a magical churro? Boy, I know how that feels. Heck, I’ve never even had a churro before. But that’s beside the point—point is, you’re down on your inspiration batteries and you need to get those creative juices flowing, am I right?

Well, this is the place for you, then! Every week I’ll be posting a writing prompt that will challenge you to approach your prose in a new perspective. You can wipe your slate clean and start fresh, or you can take your existing story and put this new spin on it. There’s no deadline, no expiration dates—these challenges are meant to be fun and flexible. Even if you’re not blocked (you lucky person you), feel free to pick up one of these challenges and write for the hay of it.

And when you’re done, please share what you’ve written! I’ll keep a record down below of your wonderful creations. And who knows—we might just feature ya on the main site!



Completed Stories:

Challenge I: Happy Birthday
-->Baby's First Surprise (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?296-Char-s-Challenges-Writing-Prompts-Galore!&p=4293&viewfull=1#post4293) by EmeraldSky

Challenge II: Music to My Ears

Challenge III: A Mile in Their Shoes

Challenge IV: Total Embarrassment

Challenge V: CURSED!!!

Challenge VI: Everybody's Got a Darkside

Challenge VII: Pressed for Time

Challenge VIII: Gender-swapped

Challenge IX: Random Story Generator

[FedoraChar]

****

Challenge I: Happy Birthday!



Welcome, welcome, ladies and gents of all shapes and sizes! Welcome to the grand opening of the Crossroads! What better way to celebrate than to write a piece of prose?

Wait, what’s that? You say you can think of better ways to celebrate a grand opening?

…True, true. But you know what I always say? THERE’S NEVER A WRONG TIME TO WRITE! 8D

Which brings us to our first challenge! Today’s almost like the Crossroad’s birthday, wouldn’t you agree? Our first challenge then, is this:

Hip-ha hurray, it’s somebody’s birthday today! Who could it be? Your main character? A side character? Your great villain? A canon character, perhaps, or an OC? Well, you’d better write and see. Tell us how their birthday went, whether it was sad or happy, a complete disaster or a dream come true. Feel free to use your existing characters, or invent brand new ones! Just be sure to share when you’re all done and… Wait, was that too much like poetry back there? Huh, weird.

[EmeraldSky]

It's not too late for entering is it? If not, here's a bit I did about the gang celebrating Dawn's birthday:


Ash and co.

in

"Baby's First Surprise"


"So Dawn's birthday is tomorrow..." a black haired boy muses as he looks at the calendar."What should we do for a party?"

"Why not give her a surprise party, Ash?" an orange haired girl suggests. "The mall's having a bunch of sales tomorrow, and that would make the perfect distraction for Dawn while you guys plan the party."

"But we only have today to get everything ready, Misty!" a brown haired girl protests as she ties a red bandanna onto her head.

"Relax, May--Dawn's like you when it comes to shopping--if there's a sale, she'll be in the store for hours!" Misty assures the girl. and besides, don't you guys have her presents already?"

"If she won't leave the mall for hours, how will we get her back in time for the party?" Ash is concerned.

"Pini?" a pink humanoid asks as its owner, a brown haired boy with tan skin, enters the room with some wrapping paper.

"Dawn's birthday is tomorrow, and we're going to give her a surprise party." the boy explains as he wraps a DVD. Happini, however, is interested in the confetti print paper with "Happy Birthday" in shiny gold letters.

Misty sees the pink humanoid and the boy at work. "Oh, Brock? Would you make the cake for Dawn?"

Brock is unsure. "Remind me what kind of cake Dawn likes, again?"

"Yellow cake, you pick the icing color." Misty reminds him.

"Got it!" Brock finishes wrapping the DVD, takes the pink humanoid creature in his arms, and enters the kitchen.

"Ha pini?" The creature is confused as to why she's not helping out as Brock begins mixing the batter.

"Well..." Brock thinks for a minute. He doesn't want to tell Happini about the cookie incident, but Happini wants to help out. "Think you can help make this cake look pretty?"

"Pini!" Happini smiles.

Brock gives Happini a book of birthday cake designs. "Look through here and see what design you like." He goes back to the batter as Happini pages through the book. Once the cake is in the oven, Brock retrieves some chocolate frosting, some pastry bags, and colored frosting. "So what design should we make?" he asks Happini as he preps a pastry bag with blue frosting.

"Pini pi!" Happini shows Brock some flowers on one picture. "Ha pi..." she adds, referring to some frosting lillies on another cake.

"Flower themed?" Brock asks as he removes the cake from the oven to cool. After letting it cool and lathering chocolate frosting on it, he's about to create a frosting lilly when Happini whines. "Now what?" Happini grabs one of the pastry bags and asks to be led to the cake. "Well...this is for Dawn, and I bet she'd want it to look very nice." he explains.

"Pini pi!" Happini insists, gesturing to the decoration book to prove her point.

Brock sighs. "Okay...but only make the flowers where I tell you to." Happini nods and goes to work making frosting roses as Brock designs a frosting lilly. Once the flowers are complete, Brock writes "Happy Birthday Dawn" in blue frosting beside the open lilly. "There! We're done!"

A black haired girl approaches the kitchen. "Mm...smells good in here..."

Brock panics--he can't let Dawn see her cake yet! "Don't come in yet!" he calls as he hides the cake in a cupboard and tidies his work area.

Fortunately, a crash distracts the girl. I'd better see what Piplup's doing... she sighs. Brock heaves a sigh of relief--at least Dawn didn't see the cake.

"Pi pini?" Happini is confused.

"We can't let Dawn know about the party we're giving her--that's why it's a surprise party." Brock explains. "Tomorrow, when Misty brings Dawn home from shopping, we're all going to jump out of the closet and yell "SURPRIIISE!" Happini pictures Dawn's reaction and giggles.

"Okay..." Misty enters the kitchen with Ash and May. "Here's the plan for tomorrow: I'll get Dawn out the door by 8 AM and get her home by two, so you have six hours to get ready." Everyone nods.

"What about the cake?" Ash is concerned that Dawn could find it, or worse, Happini eat some of it.

"I'll put it in the fridge in the garage--Dawn won't think to look there, and Happini won't be able to find it." Brock suggests.

"And I'll see to it you don't eat it either." Misty adds.

Ash is dumbfounded. "Do I look like I'd eat Dawn's cake?"

"I know you too well, Ash." Misty deviously smiles. She motions to a yellow mouse creature. "Pikachu, give Ash a static jolt if he even thinks about going for the garage." Ash just makes a pained face as everyone else laughs. "Now...Ethan, Kamon, Crystal, and Lyra are coming to help, so we have decorating covered....and Brock, refresh yourself on the chords to "Happy Birthday." Misty instructs.

"Got it!" Brock replies.

"Pika chu!" Pikachu agrees, giving a little salute for effect. Ash just sighs--if he gets shocked constantly for six hours whenever he has a craving, it will be the longest six hours of his life.

The next morning, Ash waves goodbye as Misty and Dawn disappear down the sidewalk. "Have fun, you two!" he smiles before addressing the group. "Okay, guys--Misty said the signal to burst out of the closet was when she turns the lights on and says "Take a look".

"Let's get started!" A blue haired girl hangs up a hat with her name--Crystal--on the hat stand, sets up a ladder, and starts hanging up a "Happy Birthday" banner, which a brown haired girl steadies as she hangs her white hat on the hat stand.

"Come back here!" Ethan chases after a blue penguin creature, who has another banner trailing behind him as he giggles. May has no time to react as Ethan and the creature round a corner, making them collide and sending party mix flying everywhere.

"BZP!" Ash jolts to attention, dazed. He longingly smiles, eager to dig into the cake, but gets another BZP! as Pikachu shocks him again.

"Gotcha!" Brock untangles Ethan, May, and Piplup and retrieves the banner. "We only have six hours before Misty and Dawn get home." he explains to Piplup. Happini offers Piplup a doll of Sapphire Wave, and so the two of them go to play "Yes! Pokemon 5"

Meanwhile, a red haired boy helps Crystal clean up the party mix, and Brock is warming up on guitar. Ash, however, is playing lookout, never mind Misty and Dawn won't be returning for several hours.

Then he remembers no birthday party would be complete without games.

He grabs some buckets from the bathroom and some sponges from the kitchen and sets them outside, where Misty and Dawn won't see them. Next, he finds an old bedsheet with a wingless Beautifly drawn on it and some plastic wings and hangs it up from two chairs. Once that's finished, he gets a sheet of paper and starts writing down silly song ideas.

The brown haired girl giggles at what Ash is writing down. 'Those are good! What game are they for?"

"A silly song game, Lyra." Ash explains as he writes down "Little green pills--soft rock" "I played it at summer camp once, and my whole cabin was laughing afterward. Only difference with ours is, we have accompaniment." May bursts out laughing at some of the other ideas--a rock song about Kleenexes, a rap song about the door, and a jazz number about forks, to name a few.

"How about a...disco song about plates?" Lyra suggests.

"That's a GOOD one!" Crystal snickers. Inspired, everyone else starts yelling suggestions to Ash:

"A Latin song about soap!"

"A funky song about accounting!"

"How about a J-Pop song about a fence?"

"An aria about pecans!"

"A funky song about trombones?"

"Ooh, that's a good one!"

"It'd be funnier if it were about a turkey baster!"

"Even better!"

Ash is frantically trying to keep up with the suggestions. "Hey, slow down! I can only write so much at once!" He flips over the page he was writing on and writes down more ideas.

Meanwhile, Happini and Piplup return, piqued in the noise. Piplup's eyes turn to stars as Brock sets the cake on the table, but Happini sees movement from the next block--Misty and Dawn are coming! "Pini pini!"

"They're coming?" Brock gasps. "Quick, into position!" The room erupts into chaos as Ash frantically tears the silly song list into little pieces and sets the pieces in a box, the ladders are put away, and everyone retreats to the closet, with Brock flicking the lights off as he enters with Happini and his guitar.

"Remember, don't say 'Surprise' until Misty says 'Take a look" and turns the lights on." Ash whispers to Happini.

"PI-!" Happini starts....

"SH! Not yet, not yet!" Brock hisses.

Ash listens as he hears Dawn say "Why is it so dark? And where's everyone?"

"Take a look!" With that, Misty flicks the lights on, and...

"SURPRIIIIIISE!" Everyone bursts from the closet and a "Happy Birthday" banner unfurls, complete with Ash blowing a party horn for effect.

Dawn's eyes turn to stars. "Wow...you guys did all this for me?"

"Anything for a friend of mine!" Ash smiles. A guitar chord gets his attention, so he leads the singing of "Happy Birthday" as Misty presents the cake, now glowing with twelve candles. Dawn thinks for a moment, then blows out the candles in one shot, making everyone cheer.

"Thank you all!" Dawn smiles. "It was a nice surprise!"

"Pini?" Happini offers Dawn a hastily wrapped frame.

Dawn takes the frame and unwraps it, revealing a stick figure drawing of Dawn and Happini hugging. The words 'Happee Burfday Dawn' hang over the picture. "Aw, that's cute, Happini--you did that all by yourself?"

"Pini pi--happini." Happini replies as Pikachu arrives with another wrapped gift. By the time all the presents are opened, Dawn has bath supplies and clothes from her excursion, a DVD from Brock, a silver DS Lite and several games from Ash, a poster depicting coordinators from May, and a movie theater gift card from Misty. Ethan has several fantasy novels, Kamon gives a few accessories for contests, and Crystal and Lyra give a few more outfits.

"How bout it? Did we do good?" Brock smiles.

"Good? You did great!" Dawn replies.

Brock gets a knife from the silverware drawer. "And now the moment we've--or should I say--Ash has been waiting for..." he jokes as he cuts the cake and gives the first slice to Dawn. Ash digs into his share with gusto.

"Mm...you always make good cake--or any kind of food." Dawn smiles at Brock.

Once everyone finishes their share of cake and ice cream, Ash leads everyone out to the center of the room, where everyone sits in a circle. As Brock retrieves his guitar, Ash addresses the group. "Okay...the name of this game is 'Silly Song Maker'" he explains as he grabs the box full of silly song ideas. "I'll be passing around this box, which contains slips of paper with a song topic and a musical style on them. When you take a slip, let Brock see it first, so he knows what kind of music to play--then you have to sing silly lyrics about what topic you have for 30 seconds--the person that performs the silliest song wins." Inspired, Pikachu darts upstairs, only to return seconds later with a familiar red harmonica in his paws.

Ash, meanwhile, digs in the box for a while and retrieves the slip marked "Magic-rap". He sneakily grins as shows Brock the slip and turns his cap back as Brock does a sort of beat box noise. "Yo! Yo! I am a mage of power, and I travel cross the land, Monsters run when they see me, cause the power's in my hand! Chicks really dig me, they think my power's really nice, anyone that opposes me gets the fire and the ice!" Everyone laughs and applauds Ash.

"Not bad for a rapper persona!" Kamon laughs.

Ash takes a bow for his audience. "Of course, that was just an example performance, so it doesn't count." With that, he gives the box of ideas to Dawn. "The guest of honor gets first pick." he smiles as he sets aside his example slip in another box. Happini is in the kitchen, writing down ideas to refill the box in case Ash runs out.

Dawn digs around in the box, pulls out a slip, and laughs at the topic: "Chocolate--swing". Brock stifles a giggle and begins playing a walking bass line reminiscent of a string bass. Pikachu improvises a riff on top of Brock's rhythm for a moment as an introduction before Dawn begins "I know a sweet treat everyone adores, Be it milk, dark, mint or white, I am always wanting more! Morning time, night time, anytime's the right time--for chocolate! Yeah!" Applause fills the air.

"I liked that!" Brock smiles as he writes down Dawn's score: 8.0

"We'll see when it's my turn!" May retorts.

Crystal, however, digs through the box and takes out a slip marked "TV-gospel". "Question!" Ash walks over as Crystal whispers to him. "Does the song have to be about TV in general or can I sing about a specific show?"

"Well, you can sing about a specific show if you want, but you'll score better if you sing about TV in general." Ash replies, unaware that Happini has abandoned writing suggestions and has set the digital piano to "Rock Organ". "Unless you do really well singing about a specific show."

"Thanks!" At this, Crystal clears her throat as Brock, Happini, and Pikachu begin a melody reminescent of "Amazing Grace". "As I was flippin' through the channels, lookin' for a cool new show, I saw a pink and white angel on the screen, and I just had to know..." Pikachu adds a riff over Crystal's long note. "What was her name, what was her story? And what was her jiiiiiive? Thus began my obsession with 'Yes! Pokemon 5!" Everyone roars with applause.

"I didn't know you could get into it like that, sis!" Lyra is impressed.

"May I introduce a new rule?" Brock interjects as he writes down a 9.0 as Crystal's score.

"What is it?" Ash asks as he puts the used slips in the discard box.

"If you want to add some bonus points to your score, or didn't think you did well on the slip you got, you should be able to draw another as an encore." Brock explains. "Do good on the encore, and you can choose to keep the original score, or use your encore score in place of your original score."

"Great idea!" Misty likes the idea--it was rare for Brock to have a good idea, at least to her.

May, meanwhile, digs through the box, but groans at what she got: "Procrastinating-disco". Brock plays a riff reminiscent of "That's the Way I Like It" along with the rhythm of the digital piano, which Happini has set to "70's Disco" "Um...I have an important paper to do, uh-huh uh-huh...and I'd rather play with the Wii, uh-huh uh-huh, but it's 11 o'clock the night before, and it's due tomorrow...yeah!"

"I applaud you for trying, but that one wasn't very good." Kamon groans.

"I'd like to use an encore?" May tensely asks--she knows that her attempt wasn't good. Ash brings the box of slips over and she digs through it again, this time producing a slip marked "Ponytas-classical" Now this one I can do! With that, Happini sets the piano to "Trumpet 1" and plays a familiar melody before May belts out to the tune of the Light Calvary March "When I go giddy-up. to my horse, Buttercup, Buttercup won't get up and get going! Oh, Buttercup, will not giddy up, I'm stuck in the saddle again! When I go tally-ho, she will not tippy toe, Buttercup isn't up to tiptoing! Sad so-and-so, will not tally-ho, I'm stuck in the saddle now!" Everyone laughs and applauds.

"May's on top with a perfect ten..." Brock smiles as he recovers from laughing.

"That's gonna be a hard act for me to follow..." Kamon swallows hard as he digs for a slip.

"Before Kamon takes his turn, May's on top with a perfect ten..." Brock reads off the scores. "Crystal's in second, and Dawn is in third...but we still have a lot of slips to go through and it's just the first round, so it's anyone's game!"

Meanwhile, Kamon grimaces at the slip he got: "Underwear-blues" "May I forfeit my encore to draw again?" he begs.

"Oh come on, Kamon, try it!" Ethan begs.

"Well, Brock?" Ash asks.

"Are you sure you want to forfeit your encore? You won't get another till the next round." Brock cautions.

"Try it! Try it!" Hiro leads the enthusiastic chanting and stomping. Pikachu helps by adding a bluesy riff.

Kamon, meanwhile, is restraining himself from losing his temper over singing a song about something uncomfortable in a genre he hates. "I'm still going to forfeit my encore for this round." he tells Brock, much to everyone's chagrin.

"Okay..." Brock replies as Ash puts the slip back in the box. "What you drew is going back in the box, and you're stuck with what you get this time."

"Deal." Kamon replies and digs through the box again. After unfolding the new slip, he sighs when he sees 'J-pop-DVDs' on it. I can't win, even at party games. With that, he begins singing in nonsense Japanese, with random words such as "movie", "love", and "magic" thrown in. The applause is a little subdued, mainly because no one had a clue what he was singing.

"I'll give you a 6.0 for trying, okay?" Brock assures Kamon, who has his face buried in his hands, embarrassed.

"My turn!" Ethan digs through the box and finds the slip Kamon rejected earlier. "Maestro..." he calls to Brock. Brock begins a blusey tune and Pikachu wails on the harmonica before Ethan belts out "I really need to do laundry...I have no clean underwear..." Everyone howls with laughter, but Hiro goes on. "I really need to do laundry...I have no clean underwear...Mama's just gonna keep bugging me, till I get some clean underwear..."

"YEAAAAAH!!!!" everyone applauds, Kamon included.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Lyra chides Kamon as she receives the box.

"At least let me sing something I like next round..." Kamon sighs. Lyra just giggles as she digs up her slip. But when she reads what it says 'Queen-folk" she smiles. This'll be a cinch. She motions for Brock to begin before she sings "There once was a queen in a land so beautiful, until she found her son stolen away. Not one to sit tight and call on a hero, she took it upon herself, a dragon to slay."

"Uh, I think you missed the point..." Brock sweatdrops--Alma might give him a little competition in the storytelling arena if that song was any indication.

"Well, a folk song tells a story, doesn't it?" Lyra protests.

"Let it go, Brock--it's just a game." Ash agrees. "We can fight about technicalities later."

"Okay..." Brock writes a 7.0 next to Lyra's score column. "So, only Misty's left--go for it!"

Misty digs in the box for a moment, then unearths a slip: Performing-elevator music. Happini giggles as she abandons the piano, then returns with the triangle from the rhythm instrument set.

"What's the triangle for?" Ash is confused.

Happini hits the triangle once. "Pini pi!" she smiles.

Ash smiles. "That's cute!" He mimics hitting a button on an elevator, then waits for everyone else to do likewise. Once everyone is in the "elevator", Brock starts a calm yet brisk walking bass line.

"So, welcome to the show, how are you today? I'll be your lucky star, is there more to say?" Misty begins, with all the sappiness you would expect in elevator music.

"Is this a song or a talk show?" Dawn asks.

"Or a roleplay?" Kamon agrees as he his the "button" to his "floor".

"Quit talking and let me perform!" Misty snaps before motioning for Brock to start over."So, welcome to the show, how are you today? I'll be your lucky star, is there more to say? I'll make you laugh, or make you cry, performing is so graaaaandddd....so I'll just keep singing untill no more you'll stand!"

Happini hits the triangle again. "Ha pini, pini pi!"

Brock writes "9.0" in Misty's score box--an extra two points just for the role play. "So at the end of round one, May and Hiro are tied for first, Crystal is second, and Dawn is third..."

Some hours later...

"...and that's the last slip!" Ash announces as he shows the group the empty box. "So, who won?"

Brock studies the score sheet, mentally calculating each person's score. "Well...we have a tie between Misty and Crystal...."

"Okay, for a tie breaker...we'll let everyone else choose your topic and the song style." Ash explains to Misty and Crystal. "Whoever can come up with the sillier song, wins."

"The song should be about a sword..." Kamon suggests.

"Done Celtic style!" Dawn adds.

Ash gets an idea. I could get one of my whistles if we're going to do it that way.... He retreats upstairs to his room, then returns with a small gold colored end blown flute seconds later. Happini smiles when she sees the whistle in Ash's hands.

"Okay..." Brock flips a coin. "Heads, Misty goes first, tails, Crystal goes first..."

Misty smiles and clears her throat as the coin comes up heads. "Hit it, guys!" Ash and Brock begin a calm melody as she begins "A mighty blade of light in an elven boy's hands..."

Later, Ash finishes a blazing solo as Crystal concludes "Both sides fought with skill and courage, the boy's sword prevailed again, hi-ri-yu, iliyo, hi-ri-yu, iliyo, now Hyrule is safe and peaceful, they owe their thanks to a swordsman green, hi-ri-yu, iliyo, hi-ri-yu...."

"YEAH!!!" everyone cheers.

"Crystal wins!" Ash announces.

We see the group watching a blindfolded Dawn pin a wing on the wingless Beautifly picture for a moment before fading to the group walking outside, where the sponges and buckets are located. Brock now has a silver referee's whistle around his neck. "Okay..we're going to have a sponge race!" Ash explains before letting Brock explain the rules.

"Okay...everyone split into two teams." Brock begins.

There is some reshuffling as two teams are formed by the buckets. "Dawn, be on my team!" Crystal begs.

"Nah, be on my team!" Ethan counters.

"I'm on Sis' team!" Lyra declares. Dawn runs over to Ethan's team.

After seeing that two teams have formed, Brock addresses the group. "Now, when the whistle blows, take a sponge and run over to this bucket here." He points out a water filled bucket some yards away. "Fill the sponge with water, bring it back to your team's bucket, squeeze out the water, and pass it to the next person. Whoever can fill their bucket first, wins...any questions?" No one says anything as Crystal and Ethan grab a sponge. "Okay! Ready...set..." FWEET!!!!

Pikachu and Happini watch as Crystal and Ethan dash over to the water bucket. Ash is nearby, ready to measure the water level once somebody claims to have filled their bucket. "Pika Chupi!" Pikachu cheers as Dawn is next to receive the sponge. "Pika pika pikachu, Pika pika!" he cheers as Dawn edges Kamon to make it back to her team first.

Happini, however, is interested in a box of bottles reading "Sprayable Soap", but a whistle blowing and cheers signal that a winner has likely been decided in the race--all that remains is for Ash to measure the water level in the teams' buckets.

With Ash busy determining a winner, she opens a bottle of pink soap and sprays it on the grass. Pleased with her handiwork, she next opens a bottle of yellow soap, assuming it will make orange soap, but all it makes is a pink-yellow mess. She finds several more colors and tries to make a scene of a beach, but instead it looks like a pink-yellow-orange-blue-green-purple mass of goo.

Dawn sees the rapidly forming mass of goo in the grass. "What's that?"

Ash looks up from measuring the water level in Ethan's bucket when he feels something slimy on his shirt. When he examines the blue goo that seemingly has appeared on his shirt and jeans like magic, it turns out to be soap. "Where'd this stuff come from?" He's about to abandon declaring a winner when Misty slips on a blob of pink soap.

"Did you make all this goo?" Misty growls as she struggles to get up.

"No, I was busy declaring the winner of the sponge race." Ash explains. "Crystal's team won."

"Then who did?" Misty demands as she eases herself to her feet, only to fall in the pink mass again. She sighs as everyone laughs. It's not funny, guys.

"Pini pini pi!" Happini is heartbroken that Misty ruined her soapy masterpiece.

"Next time, think before jumping to blame someone." Ash tells Misty.

"Look who's talking!" Misty retorts.

Kamon steps over the blobs of soap and grabs a can of green soap. "SOAP FIGHT!!!" he yells as he sprays Lyra. Lyra grabs some blue soap and sprays Kamon back. Everyone else runs to grab some soap and spray each other.

After several hours, the soap cans are in the trash, what soap cans were not used are packed away, and the gang is an array of colors. "Now that was a fun way to cap off my birthday--some unplanned craziness!" Dawn smiles as she watches the sun set over the soap filled yard. "It made for a memorable day!"

"I'm glad you liked it, but how are we going to clean this mess up?" Ash asks as he tosses his soap filled socks and shoes in the washing machine. Everyone groans--showering is the last thing they want to do.

Suddenly, May notices Brock has disappeared. "Where'd Brock go?"

Just then, Crystal yelps as she is hit with a stream of water, washing away the soap on her. When she turns to see who it is, she spots Brock holding the garden hose and laughing. "Gotcha!" he laughs.

"Brock..." May sighs.

"Wasn't the soap fight enough?" Misty complains. "We're ready to call it a day." She then feels a spritz on her neck--Ash has unearthed some waterguns and sprayed off the purple on Misty's neck and back.

"Boys will be boys, Misty!" Dawn laughs as she retrieves a water gun and joins the mayhem.

THE END

[FedoraChar]

Hey, EmeraldSky! :D I'm so glad to see a story! But for future reference, it would be best to post your stories out in the actual board rather than in here--that way people can comment on them! This thread's mostly for indexing, you see! ^^ After you make the thread out in the board you can just post a link here--I apologize if I hadn't made that clear earlier.

(So for now, to keep things tidy, I'll put your story in a set of spoiler tags ^^ I'm enjoying it so far, BTW)

Also note that it's never too late to take up a challenge! There's no deadline here :)

[EmeraldSky]

Okay--I'll remember that for next time

[FedoraChar]

****


Challenge II: Music To My Ears

For me, one of my greatest source of inspiration is music—and I’ve had a few short-stories that I’ve written based around one particular song. In fact, I’ve been working on one for the past few months. Yes, months. Yes, it is only a short story. But, you know how it goes.

Anyway, this is my challenge this week! Select one of your favorite songs (or maybe even one you’ve never heard before) and write a story from it. And here’s the catch: your story must feature a line from that song, or, if it’s solely instrumental, you must feature one of the main instruments somewhere. You can get creative with how you want to feature it, and it can come from the theme of the song or the general feel of the song.

HAVE AT YE!

[EmeraldSky]

Here you are: Shambala Under the Stars (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?537-Challenge-Shambala-Under-the-Stars&p=5503#post5503)

[FedoraChar]

****


Challenge III: A Mile in Their Shoes

When you’re stuck with a problem, it’s always handy to step back and look through things in a new perspective. For this week’s challenge, you’ll take that to an even higher level. Whether you use an existing story, using existing characters, or you write up a completely new story, your challenge this week is to switch shoes.

Approach this however you’d like to; you can literally have your characters switch bodies, or have them merely switch roles. Your villain suddenly becomes the hero, or your main character suddenly wakes up in the body of their Pokemon/friend/mother. Or, you can simply write through the eyes of a side character—someone who isn’t prominent in your main story. What are they thinking about the circumstances of your story? How do they see your main character?

Somehow, some way, someone will be looking through someone else's eyes.

[EmeraldSky]

Here you go: My Hero (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?641-Challenge-My-Hero&p=6564#post6564)

[Suicune's Fire]

MOAR CHAR! MOOOOOOARRRRR! I'd love to try and actually participate in some!


~SF.

[FedoraChar]

I'm actually planning on re-vamping this completely so I'll have 100 challenge prompts ready to go :)

I've just gotta find the time to get it done xD I'm glad for your enthusiasm--it's great motivation! :D

[Rival Max]

I will also be joining in! Let me know if you need any help!

[EmeraldSky]

Count me in, as well!

[SLC]

Chiming in to say that I'd give it a go too - I haven't written anything in quite a while, so it'll be handy to try and improve.

[Suicune's Fire]

YAY I'M EXCITED TO SEE PARTICIPANTS! <3


~SF.

[ninjaskarmory]

This looks extremely fun.
Plus, ahem, I might become front-page famous. I'm doing these.

[Song 7]

Is it okay if I attempt the past two challenges before I go for the current one? I have an idea for Happy Birthday and Music to my Ears, but not the other one. Yet.

[FedoraChar]

Alrighty guys, pardon my over extended absence, but I just wanted to hop back on and say that I shall continue working on this! There seems to be a lot of interest lately, so I'd better dust this good ole thread off! :D

Many of you offered your help, which I really appreciate! What I could use is some suggestions for prompts and possible themes--so if you have some ideas, please PM or VM them to me via the forum! :D
Song 7--Hey, no worries; there's no specific order that you have to do these in. If you feel inspired by one, then go ahead and write :) This thread is merely meant to whet your creative juices. If one prompt doesn't do the trick, then by all means skip over it :)

[Song 7]

Okie dokie, thanks! I shall now start writing straight away. owo
Also, I have a few ideas. Expect a PM soon.

[FedoraChar]

Greetings, fellow writers! Char's Challenges are back after a regrettably lengthy hiatus!

WAR saw a fantastic out-pouring of stories here on the WD--it might be over, but if you're still feeling that itch to write to a prompt/challenge, we got what you need right here!

I have a goal of reaching over 100 challenges here, and since the hiatus I've written 25 prompts for you to try out! Big thanks to all those who helped me come up with a lot of these! :D

Now, here's the first batch!


_______________________________


Challenge IV: Total Embarrassment

Have you been having trouble lately making your character interesting or relatable? Are they suffering from Mary/Gary-Sue syndrome?

Maybe things are just going too well for them… Life’s no fun if nobody ever makes mistakes. That’s what makes us (or characters) humans—er, or half-humans or cat people.

But that’s not what we’re talking about here! This writing prompts is all about making fools out of your character, MWAHAHA—er, I mean… Hey, let’s write a story about how someone fails epically and makes a complete fool of themselves, facing utter shame and embarrassment! That sounds fun! :D …maybe…


______________



Challenge V: CURSED!!!

This prompt brought to you by… Song 7!

Stevie Wonder once said, “Superstition ain’t the way”, but perhaps it IS the way to get over that pesky writer’s block!

For this challenge, write about someone or something getting a curse. Maybe it’s a humorous curse that gives them the sniffles or bad luck; maybe it’s a life-threatening curse that brings nothing but misery and exile. Whatever path you take, take some time to explore how this curse would affect your characters.


______________



Challenge VI: Everybody’s got a Darkside

“Do you love me? Can you love mine?” Whoa, two song references in a row. What’s up with that?

I’ve noticed lately that Nintendo has a particular affinity to Dark sides. You got Dark Link, Dark Pit, Dark Samus, Darth Kirby… Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some Dark Yoshi I didn’t know about.

I figure you can see where I’m going with this: write about the “dark-side” of one of your characters, whether a physical manifestation or just the side that they never show anyone. Dark thoughts, maybe doubts or fears. Or just that pesky shadow with a snarky attitude. You decide!

[FedoraChar]

****



Challenge VII: Pressed for Time

This prompt is brought to you in part by… Suicune’s Fire!

I’ll admit it: I’m a terrible procrastinator. I’ll put everything off until the last minute, and panic when a deadline rears its ugly head. I really struggle, too, when I only have a limited amount of time to get something important done.

How would your characters handle that? What if they only had three minutes to get something done? Get somewhere on time? It could be something drastic, like saving the world, or something inconsequential, like getting to school on time. Better hurry, though! Time’s a wasting!


______________


Challenge VIII: Gender-swapped

This challenge is pretty self-explanatory. What would your story be like if the guys were gals and the gals were guys? What would they look like? How would they act? What would the other characters think of their behavior? Like with any prompt, you can take a fun or a serious approach, but remember to have fun with it ;)


______________


Challenge IX: Random Story Generator

Back when I first discovered the writing sensation NaNoWriMo, a fellow author in my area posted a link to a site called Seventh Sanctum, where one can find a number of random generators geared towards helping authors come up with ideas. There’s a name generator, a prompt generator, and so on.

Your challenge is to go on to this site and use any of the generators listed on this page (http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-writ.php). Some are more serious, others are just plain hilarious. Whatever it is, try to use the first prompt you get. Let’s see what mine is…

“This is a tale about temptation and the war between the sexes. The story is about a prophet. It takes place in a grocery store in a town. The story begins with an alienation, climaxes with destruction, and ends with a funeral.”

Oooooh, exciting~!



______________

[FedoraChar]

****




Challenge X: X-factor

What better way to celebrate reaching the tenth challenge then by celebrating the numeral/letter/symbol X!

What a curious mark we have here. X can represent the number ten, as well as represent the presence of nothing or an unknown factor. X also indicates crosses and cancellations/in-correction and has been used to represent Christ (hence “X-mas”) or kisses. Historically, X was used by the illiterate to sign their name on contracts—and of course, to pin-point a location on treasure maps. The nerd in me wants to tell you all about its use in the video game Kingdom Hearts, but now’s not the time for that ;)

Given all this symbolism with this letter, X occurs in only 0.15% of English words, making it the 3rd least common letter in the language.

So what’s the challenge? Use the letter or the symbol X somewhere in your story. Maybe it’s a mark on a map? A signature on a form? An unknown factor or the mark of annihilation? The ultimate keyblade? Have fun kids, and write responsibly.


______________


Challenge XI: We are Family

…Must. Resist. Urge. To. Reference. A song. Bah, it’s not working. OH WELLZ.

Family: the fundamental foundation of our lives. Here is where we find some of the strongest bonds of humanity that ultimately shape us into who we are. This is where teaching—the kind that truly matters—begins, from our birth to our fledging. The choices and the life-lessons given to us by our family more often than not influence the kind of person we will be.

For this challenge, explore the familial bonds of your characters (or the lack thereof) and how they have impacted them—for better, or for worse. Sometimes to understand where your character is going, you’ll need to take a step back and see where they’ve come from.


______________


Challenge XII: False Prophet

This challenge is brought to you in part by Lord Dome Suicune’s Fire!

A lot of fantasy epics revolve around ancient prophecies that are meant to guide or find legendary heroes. I’ve recently finished a book in the Heroes of Olympus series, by Rick Riordan, where prophecies are particularly crucial (but never make any sense, of course). But sometimes you have to wonder… What if the people who believed in it had been deceived?

What if the prophecy was wrong?

Write about a false prophecy, and how it would impact the world you’ve created.



______________

[FedoraChar]

Challenge XIII: The 13th Anthology

Hey, look! An obscure song/game reference! …Yeah, it’s hardly surprising now, is it?

We have reached our 13th challenge, along with all its superstitious vu-doo. I thought about skipping it, but how would that be helpful? Since the “Embarrassment” and the “Cursed” prompts have already been used, we’re going to do something slightly different. And by different, I mean like Prompt Number X except with a number! :D

Write a story that somehow/somewhere incorporates the number thirteen. That is, if you dare…
(Ex. Friday the 13th, Organization XIII, 13th floor, ect)



______________


Challenge XIV: Illusions

This challenge brought to you in part by… Song 7!

Nothing is as it seems in this challenge… Maybe I’m telling you to write about an elaborate illusion. Or maybe I’m not. Who knows? Either way, it’d be interesting to see what you could write up for this. Are your characters the illusionist? Are they scheming something devious or crafty? Or are they the ones being deceived?

Extra challenge: Somewhere use the line, “Everything you know is a lie.”

______________


Challenge XV: Quote me on this #1

Hey, will you look at that! Here’s our first phrase challenge! The name of the game is pretty simple: all you have to do is incorporate a specific line into your story. Everything else surrounding it is entirely up to you. Then again, that’s how this whole thing works, isn’t it?

This challenge’s quote is: “We should never have come here.”

[FedoraChar]

Challenge XVI: Wishes

"When you wish upon a star…"

Why do people think that falling starts, water wells, and oil lamps grant wishes? That’s not the point of the challenge, but still. That’s kind of a weird combination of stuff.

Anyway, the focus of this challenge is on your characters hopes and dreams. What do they wish for? What would happen if that wish came true?

______________


Challenge XVII: The Interrogation

Your character did something. I don’t know what, but we’re going to get to the bottom of this. One way or another. So strap your character to that chair and shine the spotlight on them. The interrogator can be anyone—friends and foe alike. Make it as serious or silly as you’d like.

I wonder what will break first: their body or their spirit?

______________


Challenge XVIII: The Experiment

"Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions. Oh, let’s go back to the start..."

What? I’m not resulting to quoting song lyrics because I’m running out of witty things to say! Why would you say that?

Er, let’s cut to the chase: your character was part of an experiment—but what kind? Was it ethical? And what were the results? Were they as expected, or did something… unexpected happen? I’ll be interested in seeing your data.

______________


Challenge XIX: The Hidden Room

My older sister used to live in this old house that had a lot of nooks and crannies. Though it looked small on the outside, it actually had a lot of space. I swear it just kept going and going and going…

That’s the fun thing about old houses; every once and a while you chance upon a little secret. What if your characters chanced upon such a place? An old mansion riddled with hidden rooms? What if they found a secret passage they had never noticed before in a place they often frequented? Write a story about their discovery, covering all they discover.

______________


Challenge XX: Let it Go Let it Snow

Winter can be gosh darn awful when it’s nothing but miserably cold and windy. I can’t say I’m overly fond of it, but every once in a while you get that one storm; you know, when it’s calm and peaceful outside and wet, fluffy snowflakes are gently falling from the sky. I can’t help but feel enchanted by those storms, and they almost make winter worth it.

For this challenge, write a story that takes place in a winter wonderland. Do you wanna build a snowman? It doesn’t have to be a snowman.

______________


Challenge XXI: Worst Fears

This challenge brought to you in part by… Song 7!

I had a roommate once who had a pretty serious fear. What was it? She was deathly afraid of… butterflies. Nope, not even kidding. I remember doing a bug collection that semester for an entomology class, and she was fine with every other thing I caught. But if butterflies were involved, she had nothing to do with it.

Your characters’ fears may not be so silly—or perhaps they are. For this challenge, explore some of their worst fears, and what would happen if they ever had to face those fears.

______________


Challenge XXII: Undercover

“There is a man who lives a life of danger…”

This is a top secret mission—one only your character or group of characters can undertake. They must uncover the secrets of so-and-so through any means necessary, but it must be discreetly. The world is out to get them, and they have to hide their identity. Choose carefully who they trust, for a pretty face can hide an evil mind.

That is all for the debriefing. This challenge will self-destruct in three… two…

…What do you mean, that’s not in the budget?

______________


Challenge XXIII: CHAR!

What a coincidence! We have come to challenge 23—which is my current age at the time of writing this. To celebrate this happenstance, you must do as I command you and write a story involving my favorite Pokémon. That’s write! Hehe, see what I did there? Pun-y… What, you don’t like that?

Fine, now you must write a story that involves a Charmander… AND it has to include a pun. BWAHAHAHA!

______________


Challenge XXIV: The Alternative

This last week I went and watched Maleficent, and while I appreciated how it handled the themes of revenge and redemption, I thought that some of the other content was just… weird. But since I’ve watched it, the gear’s in my mind have been spinning, and I’ve been wondering what could’ve been done to make it better.

Have you ever watched a movie or read a book that had an ending you didn’t like? Maybe you did like the ending of something, but you’re curious to know what would have happened if things had been different. For this challenge, pick the ending of a book/fairy tale/movie/show and rewrite it. You could make the villain succeed, or maybe, give them a change of heart. Maybe, the hero became the villain… Feel free to explore and experiment!

______________

[FedoraChar]

Challenge XXV: Merry Christmas!

Merry writing, authors! We’ve reached the twenty-fifth challenge, and we’re going to celebrate by having Christmas in July—or October. Or whenever the heck you’re reading this. Basically, give your characters a holiday. Explore traditions and character interactions; what do they do this time of year to celebrate hope and joy? Let’s not forget those presents! What would character A give character B? Does character C even believe in Santa Claus anymore? Have fun, and don’t drink too much eggnog!

[FedoraChar]

Challenge XXVI: Explorers of Time

Have you ever heard of a book titled The Hourglass Door? Its series contains interesting concepts on the flow of time, and explores possible consequences of time-travelling and meddling with the past. Is time a river? Will it always flow to its destined course? What if someone could travel against its current? What would they do, and how would it effect the present and the future?

For this prompt, write a story either about a character or group of characters travelling to the past or the future, distant, or otherwise.

______

Challenge XXVII: The Climb

I love the great outdoors; being away from society, away from worries, and being surrounded by the beautiful creations of nature. Yet for all its beauty and serenity, the wilderness is not always kind. The mountain, while pretty to look at, is hard to climb, and those who are unprepared may lose themselves in the journey.

What if your characters were suddenly abandoned on the mountainside? What if their journey took them to a seemingly insurmountable peak? How would they survive? Write about their adventure, the good and the bad, and how the struggle would affect them, both emotionally and physically.

_______

Challenge XXVIII: Treasure Hunters

Brought to you by… Suicune’s Fire!

“This is it… the object I’ve spent my life searching for!”

Get out your whips and your hats, because for this prompt we’re going for some Indiana Jones action! We’re going to plunge into forgotten temples and bug-infested jungles in search of some treasure. Just be on the lookout for those snakes!

Alright, so the jungles and temples are optional, but the object of this challenge is in the quote I used above. A character has been searching for something their entire life, and finally, they get their hands on it! But what if things aren’t as they seem? What if it’s a trap? Or what if the ‘treasure’ isn’t as great as they thought it was? What did they have to lose along the way?