COBALT

Reed '02: "First time," any au, any pairing, write about a first time...

  • Title: Soon
  • Universe: ATF
  • Pairing: C/E
  • Rating: R

Reed '03: Costume Challenge: Write a story with your favorite couple (or grouping, whatever) in costume for any reason.

Reed '06: Three challenges. Choose three characters. Include these three details, either literal or as inspiration: traveling, kiss, weather. Three paragraphs long, no word limit.

  • Title: Proper
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: PG

Elder '02: Whatever universe or pairings you desire, write something short under 3500 words, let the boys have some fun with their relationship a bit on the eye brow waggling naughty side.

  • Title: Presence
  • Universe: ATF
  • Pairing: B/E
  • Rating: R

Elder '03: Write a story involving any couple of your choosing that involves them dealing with living together. You can make it riddled with angst or funny. There is a wide range of things that one has to rethink when you go from being single to 'married'. I want stories that showcase those life adjustments, good or bad, I leave it to you to decide.

Elder '04: Write a story that incorporates a non-traditional version of some ghost, spirit, divine entity or what have you that isn't about making everything right. No waving wands, no midnight conversions, no being terrified into changing your ways, no artificial happy little family. Give me some irony. Give me some grit. A little divinity that isn't quite what we expect it to be. Lucifer used to be an angel, and Prometheus was punished by the gods for giving man fire. Feel free to incorporate any religion, any god/goddess, any type of spirit, angel or devil.

  • Title: His Due
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/?
  • Rating: PG-13

Elder '05: Write a story about one of the Seven's gear - I'm thinking mainly Old West like spurs, saddle, bridle, chaps, hat, lariat, boots, horse, etc but if you're into ATF or one of the modern series then a car or computer or secret decoder ring would work also. Bonus points if the gear comes or is given as a Christmas present. Tis the season coming up!

  • Title: Lead
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: B/C/S
  • Rating: R

Birch '03: Make a mess with another person or persons, gold star if you can make chocolate part of the mess, or the reason for it.

  • Title: Strays
  • Universe: Seven For Hire
  • Pairing: B/JD
  • Rating: R

Birch '04: Write a 'first time' story. Now in the slash genre, this usually means when the fellers first get together as lovers, howsomever, for me, any first time will do. I *love* first time slash stories - to me those are so romantic (I'm a sucker for that!) but any first time experience for your pair/trio/or more...is fine. This will blend well with an earlier challenge on established couples moving in together...so it could be a first time they do something together in their new abode too.

  • Title: Termination
  • Universe: Renegade
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: R

Birch '05: Make the setting central to your story. I don't care if it's inside or out of doors, seasonal, local or foreign climes - just spend a bit of time helping us to really *see* and *feel* where we and the boys are - and bonus points for making the place pivotal to the plot.

Birch '06: Write a story that deals with the aftermath of Christmas/the holiday season. It could be nice and easy, drinking leftover eggnog and trashing wrapping paper, laughing over the gag gifts and lovingly packing ornaments away. It could be hard, dark or stressful, coping with a job that kept loved ones away from each other. It could be emotional - maybe some of our boys really hate the season, or really hate seeing the season *go*.

  • Title: Right
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: R

Rowan '03: One of the Seven or more must accidentally, even accidentally on purpose, hurt another of the Seven or more, and while waiting for medical attention to arrive, they must tend to the hurt person(s). This can be any au, can be funny or serious, long and drawn out or short and sweet, but must be chock full of H/C.

Rowan '04: This challenge comes with physical instructions. Here we go:
1) Go to your music collection (for the sake of arguement we will call it your cd collection; however, feel free to replace cd with cassette, album, 8-track, or fluglehorn if you so prefer).
2) Select, at random and without forethought, ten cds of vocal artists.
3) Shuffle the cds into a random and unplanned order without looking at them.
4) Pick a number between one and ten.
5) Pick another number, between one and thirteen.
6) The first number is your cd. The second is the song on the cd (if you pick a cd with less songs than the number you selected, the last song on the cd is your song).
7) Listen to that song.
8) Write a story based on the ideas that come to your mind while listening to that song.
RULES: You cannot quote the song during the story, and you cannot have any character listen to that song, or mention it in any way. I'm looking for an 'inspired by' rather than a songfic. However, you should list what song you picked and who it is performed by, so the rest of us know. You can do it at the beginning, or at the end of the story. You can list the lyrics at the end if you want to, but you don't have to.

Rowan '06: Write about flexibility - emotional, physical, mental. Or, conversely, you could write about inflexibility of the same kind, but something along those lines. How the boys have to be flexible in their lines of work...or in the bedroom.

  • Title: What We Get
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: NC-17

Rowan '07: Only 100 challenge. Drabble, any universe, include or be inspired by: seasonal changes.

  • Title: Seeing
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: PG-13

Ash '03: Write a break up scene...can be short term, permanent or just one hell of a nasty misunderstanding... but ugly words and anger/hurt/disappointment/jealousy (take your pick) must be expressed or implied. It can be between any couple of your choice, or you can break up the entire team. Between the couple feel free to include make up sex. (big grin). If you choose to break up the team, then I'd like you to find a logical place for them to end up...new careers, job opportunities.

Ash '04: Stories about mothers. Any of the seven's moms, in old west or modern day, good or bad, sweet or nasty. From their POV or from their son's POV, I'll leave it loose so you can decide. Even the ones who are dead can come back to help with a situation. Ghost stories can be fun or scary.

Ash '05: The challenge is to write the boys of your choice participating in, practicing for, or going to a rodeo. Short or long, present day or Old West, let's see and hear 'em.

Ash '06: Warts and All. Can our favourite slashed pairings see faults in their partners? Is there a single personality trait, or a combination of traits, that irritate either in a specific situation, or generally as part of the other person's character? Is there a bad habit that drives one or other of them nuts? Of course there is, it's up to us to find them, illustrate them, and maybe suggest how our boys deal.

Alder '03: A bit of misdirection. For this challenge, write a fic with a twist. Lead the dear reader astray, then set things a right at the end. A mystery perhaps? Or the misidentification of impassioned prose [either in whom it was intended for, or who the speaker was]? A set up that just doesn't bode well - only to find how innocuous it all really is? Can be humorous, can be suspenseful, playful or devious. However you choose. Just make certain all is not what it seems ;}

Alder '04: The photo challenge. Three pictures. Take a look and let 1, 2 3, or all three inspire you.

Alder '05: "All in a day's work" is how I think of this one. There is plenty enough drama in the daily ups and downs of 'normal' life. life isn't a soap opera; there's enough that's dramatic in the day-in, day-out struggle that more than suffices. Write about everyday drama - in any variety. As a clarification this doesn't at all mean the "mundane" is drudgery, boring, tedious, etc. If you want them grocery shopping then tallying the monthly budget that would work, but a manhunt in the old west with lots of action and travel can fit as well -- it's more in the treatment than the subject. That casual, daily life feel of 'eh, it's what we do, what we are' mentality.

  • Title: This
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: B/C
  • Rating: R

Willow '03: To be caught literally or figuratively with ones pants down; whether it is good or bad is entirely up to y'all.

  • Title: Discoveries
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V, B/C
  • Rating: NC-17

Willow '04: "Other" challenge: Write that niggling idea that you've put off or thought "hmm, no, I can't write *that*." Write in a universe you don't normally [expand into old west, go to the ATF, any other open au], especially if it's a good idea you've never quite made yourself do -- write a pairing you don't usually, whether it's a fleeing idea between the coupling or a rather involved plot you'd put off because it isn't the two [or hell, three or four] you are "comfortable" dealing in.

  • Title: Willow Snippets
  • Universe: Varied
  • Pairing: Varied
  • Rating: PG-13 - NC-17

Hawthorn '03: Ok here is the challenge that I call the "Satin, Silk and Leather challenge". If you could use all three materials and/or the song "Black Velvet" in your story extra bonus points. With the song you can have it in the background while they dance, or one of the guys singing to another ... whatever your heart desires.

  • Title: Untitled
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: R

Hawthorn '04: A crossover fic. It could be one of the guys with a new guy, or it could be someone from another fandom that crossover's with the M7 guys in any universe.

Oak '03: Pick any couple or pairing. One member plans to celebrate a day of significance to them...could be first kiss, first glance, first year together...whatever. The celebration can't go off as planned in part because the rest of the team doesn't realize the couple you choose is in fact a couple and have committed the frustrated paramour to being elsewhere. Hawthorn '04: A crossover fic. It could be one of the guys with a new guy, or it could be someone from another fandom that crossover's with the M7 guys in any universe.

Oak '05: Let there be travel. On a boat, plane, car, train, bus, horse, wagon, bicycle, spaceship, camel, or dog sled - long road trip or short jaunt. Here's the trick, though: the story should take place DURING the traveling, rather than before or after. Overnights in the middle are okay, but preferably focus on the "in transit" parts.

Oak '06: Set the timer for fifteen minutes. Write until it dings. Post what you churn out in that time. Done. If you need a more specific prompt, consider: memory.

  • Title: Restore
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: R (death fic)

Holly '03: Someone from one of the guys' pasts comes along. Doesn't have to necessarily be the past of one of your pairing: could be, say JD's past wreaks havoc for Vin and Ezra, or Josiah's past causes problems for Chris and Buck. All that matters is that the person from the past be somehow connected to one of the seven, and that same person is a catalyst in some way for your duo/trio/quartet/quintet/etc.

  • Title: Leverage
  • Universe: Designation 4-C
  • Pairing: E/V/C
  • Rating: NC-17

Holly '04: Make dancing the central theme of the story.

Holly '06: Kiss challenge. Give us a kiss. Chaste, horny, private, outs the pairing, reunion, parting, sweet, dirty. Just seal the deal.

  • Title: All This
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: PG-13

Hazel '03: Write a fic that has a lie/an untruth as a central or pivotal point in the story.

  • Title: Cake
  • Universe: ATF
  • Pairing: C/E, C/V
  • Rating: NC-17

Hazel '04: Write your Anti-Peeve story. Either the Peeve happens and our hero(s) have to deal with it/resolve it, or write a story that deliberately avoids the peeve altogether - say, X gets beat up and we see Y dealing with not having sex for six months during the recovery.

  • Title: Exuviate
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: NC-17

Hazel '05: The Bard. Well I decided to go all British on you, so Shakespeare. Take his words as your inspiration, a whole play, a sonnet, a poem or just a quote, you don't have to use the words as such, just take inspiration from him.

  • Title: Salmon
  • Universe: ATF
  • Pairing: ?/?
  • Rating: PG-13

Vine '03: Write a fic that revolves around an 'outing'. Who gets 'outed', by whom, whether it happens deliberately, accidentally or maliciously and what the consequences are - is up to you.

  • Title: And So it Goes
  • Universe: Dueling C's
  • Pairing: E/V, C/B
  • Rating: R

Vine '04: Write about one of the seven's father. Good, bad, indifferent, unknown, whatever you think about him - how did he affect his son?

  • Title: Catch Colt
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: JD, C/B
  • Rating: R

Ivy '03: Write an honest to god PWP; all action, no plot, short, sweet and definitely sweaty.

  • Title: Encumbered
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: R

Ivy '06: Drabble challenge. A drabble is 100 words. Make it Old West on a hot day. From there it's up to you.

  • Title: Oasis
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: NC-17

Mistletoe '02: One-day, one-shot challenge; you must answer it the same day you open it by replying to the post and typing your answer in. Today you're going to show us a tender, romantic moment between your choice of our favorite seven men. Gold stars go to anyone who can make that a tender, romantic *holiday* moment, but otherwise whatever you come up with is fine. It can be a paragraph or three, however much you're inspired to produce *right now* is fine.

Mistletoe '04: Holiday/winter drabble, on the romantic side.

  • Title: Untitled
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: PG

Mistletoe '05: "Festival of light." This can be taken literally or liberally. Luminaries tucked into the snow, what brings light to the holiday season for the boys or, more specifically, to their lives by the light of the Christmas tree, firelight, so on and so forth.

  • Title: Right
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: NC-17

Mistletoe '06: Word association challenge. Use 'mistletoe' as your prompt. Write six paragraphs on the theme, no word limit.

  • Title: Underneath
  • Universe: OW
  • Pairing: E/V
  • Rating: R