I Challenge You!

[rivkat]

scribblinlenore and I, in our infinite wisdom, have decided to issue a challenge. Please spread the word: We want cliches. Dozens of 'em. Actually, this dozen:

- Trapped in an elevator or other small space
- Amnesia
- Drunken first-time sex (as Te puts it, "too drunk to be straight" or "two beer queer")
- Waking up hungover in compromising circumstances with no memory of the night before (may be combined with previous)
- Hooker fic - how about some Lex? Y'all have written stories where he reminisces about selling his body just for the hell of it, but we rarely see him do it except with or in front of Lionel. Hooker!Lex without incest, I say. Or Hooker!Clark. Actually, I'm not terribly picky.
- The X-Files Memorial Cliche: Two people. One hotel room. One bed.
- Forced to have sex [by aliens, bad guys, the Kryptonian version of pon farr...]
- Body switching
- Sex change – waking up with different equipment
- Truth or Dare
- Lookalike sex substitute – we've seen Lex do it a dozen times. Give us someone else. Preferably Clark.
- Sudden disability requires one person to care intimately for the other.

We would like at least one entry in each category, and we already have a few stalwart volunteers. If you (you know who you are) don't volunteer, we'll be forced to come after you. With poky sticks. Deadline: the end of August.

I'll also try to link to any preexisting stories to which I'm alerted that fit the guidelines, if the author wants.

Who's going to play?

Unrelatedly, over halfway through the first season of Stargate: SG-1, I have two questions for long-time fans. First, is it a deliberate joke that Scully's dad/the General/Don Davis never says no to any request? He's like the big old sugar daddy of the group. Second, is the SG-1 team ever going to stop destroying irreplaceable alien technology and start capturing it for further analysis? They're worse than the humans in Pohl's Gateway series, who were pretty damn wasteful.

And that episode "Heat," I mean "Hathor," when Daniel points out that most of the cellular residue from Hathor's alien babies is likely to be his and Jack says, reflectively, "Eww"? I loved that moment.

Finally, Evanescence's new video for "Going Under" is up at Launch, and it is quite creepy. The basic conceit is a concert video, only the concertgoers flash in and out of being demonic rather than human in aspect; the glimpses are short enough that one doesn't want to trust one's eyes. Nicely done.

Comments

- Sudden disability requires one person to care intimately for the other.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

::almost runs away screaming::

The old hurt/comfort.

::psychic scream::

That's pretty much the cliche list of hack writing. Go you guys.

Holds up hand...

[digitalwave]

Here's my contribution to the Cliche-a-thon, the ever-popular Trapped in an elevator or other small space.

The name of the fic is 'Knocking on Heaven's Door' and can be found over in my LJ.

[destina.livejournal.com]

First, is it a deliberate joke that Scully's dad/the General/Don Davis never says no to any request? He's like the big old sugar daddy of the group.

He does say no every now and then. You have another six seasons yet to discover, and he changes and becomes more fully fleshed out, as they all do throughout the course of the series. One of the things I do love about the show are the complicated character arcs. Turns out the general is the equivalent of a teddy bear suit set atop a titanium frame.

Second, is the SG-1 team ever going to stop destroying irreplaceable alien technology and start capturing it for further analysis?

Yes. Usually, when they do, it's a disaster. Sometimes it works out well. But I do find myself shouting at the screen when they get ready to bring technology home or allow it on base (Upgrades, Message in a Bottle, Holiday, Sight Unseen, etc); "Don't do it! You know what will happen!"

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

Um, hi. *waves* You don't know me but I found you through seperis and was intrigued by your challenge.

I've never written any fanfic (though I read a lot) and I haven't actually seen very many Smallville episodes... So I'm not very qualified for this challenge. But I really want to start writing/learning to write fanfic, and I think I need something like this challenge to get me going. It's perfect timing, really!

Don't know which cliche I'll write yet, but it'll probably end up being a fairly short fic. Hope that's okay, you didn't mention anything about a length requirement. And I hope you don't mind a newbie using your challenge to hammer out her first fic :)

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

It's all good ... or at least it's all trying to be good, even if Lionel is its daddy. If you need a beta reader, give a shout-out here and I'll try to set you up.

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

Meep. *waves feebly* I had been meaning to friend you for some time, Rivka. I hope you don't mind me barging in like this. I heard also that you were at the convention but I didn't get a chance to meet you, sadly for me!

Forgive my ignorance, but is any pairing okay for this challenge? i.e. could I write about my great 'n t00by H/D love for it? There's nothing like a list of classic cliches to get your brain churning. Mmmm.

Also, do we get to volunteer for any specific cliche, or do we just take what we get?

Thank you for this challenge! I'm eager to read the responses!

--Aja from H/D-land

[devin-chain.livejournal.com]

I don't have time for the challenge, so of course I volunteer. Hee! I haven't posted SV in MONTHS, but this challenge looks irresistable.
(((hugs)))
D.

Boozefest - link?

[tboy.livejournal.com]

- Drunken first-time sex (as Te puts it, "too drunk to be straight" or "two beer queer")
- Waking up hungover in compromising circumstances with no memory of the night before (may be combined with previous)

I ran the multi-fandom Booze Fuh-Q Fest, in celebration of that one particular cliche.

There are SV boozefest fics there (happy hour archive), and on the links page (gatecrashers), I've listed a pile of boozey fics from all fandoms, including a great many SV.

If you want to link to the boozefest itself, there are banners available.

http://boozefest.netfirms.com

cheers
Lynda

[penelope-z.livejournal.com]

I've started an amnesia fic some time ago, so yes, I'm going for amnesia. Great that this challenge exists, cause it will force me to finish the fic on time, otherwise it would be done by Christmas.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I'd been thinking Smallville, since that's where my *writing* interest lies at this point, but if you feel inspired (especially to write H/D) then I say go for it, and I'll just create a new section of the website when I put it up.

Welcome!

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Great! When you know which one you want to do, let me know so I can keep track of what is & isn't covered.

Re: Boozefest - link?

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll put a link up when I get a page together, and in an entry when I start collecting the results.

[nerodi.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a fun idea rivka. I look forward to seeing the results.

[jowolfie.livejournal.com]

I'd never written any fanfic before and was inspired to do a Hooker!Fic by the comments to Lenore's own wonderful 'thon WIP Hooker!Clark.

Good luck!

[jowolfie.livejournal.com]

I've already posted by fic on my LJ, but it's unbeta'd and I would love to have a beta for it before submitting as an 'official' entry.
Which I don't know if is actually possible, cause I've
done Hooker!fic, which is so ably Lenore's in this 'thon.
Can we pick? Can there be more than one entry per cliche?

[lexcorp-hope.livejournal.com]

AHHHHHHHHHHHH, I can't believe you are actually asking people to write "Sudden disability requires one person to care intimately for the other" stories, you and Lenore are total psychos! (I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.) Oh lordy, worst cliche ever. I still have nightmares from X-Files fandom- I don't remember the title, but all I remember is that Mulder sustains a traumatic brain injury, and Scully and Skinner take turns changing his diapers and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

*runs off screaming into the night*

[aelita.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... I'm in the process of writing an amnesia fic but I'm not sure whether it'll qualify for this challenge. Let's just say it's one sick puppy of a fic. I still don't know whether I want to thank my muse for it, or strangle her.

I can email it to you when it's done and let you decide.

[nestra.livejournal.com]

- Forced to have sex [by aliens, bad guys, the Kryptonian version of pon farr...]

Oh, come on, you have to call this one "Fuck or die!" It's time-honored.

I love how you've got two of the classic Trek three covered (pon farr, trapped in a turbolift, and holodeck hijinks.)

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

I'm thrilled! I've got an amnesia fic going too, but it's not very nice.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Multiple entries are of the good. One of the fun things about playing with cliches is that they aren't all the same, even if they start with the same basic idea. I just came back to the office and discovered a terrible deadline, so it would be a bad idea for me to beta, but I'll try to attract one.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

So I take it that's the one I should sign you up for, correct?

We had some beautiful stories about Lionel that followed this pattern, based on canon -- Sarah T. did a couple, I think. You don't have to use diapers.

Then there werealways the "What Really Happened" stories, written I think by a nurse, about the career-ending, life-changing injuries Mulder sustained on a regular basis. Obviously, couldn't be a series, more like a theme.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

That's great; mine's sick too, so we can have twisted amnesia fic together. Please send it along when you're done!

[lexcorp-hope.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhhhh, you're smooth. So very smooth. Are these stories, in theory, supposed to be good stories using cliches, or are badfic entries allowed? (Because if it's the former, I'm leaning toward forced to have sex, if it's the latter, I can probably handle sudden disability.)

And while we're at the cliche trough:

Lookalike sex substitute - I have one (http://www.anywherebeyond.com/stories/pieces.html); it's Lex, but it's novel (ha!) because there are not one, not two, but three Clark substitutes in this one, plus Lex actually gets Clark!

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thankyouverramuch. I'd prefer good stories using cliched premises; I'm rather proud of how Switch turned out, for example -- cliches become cliches because they tap into some solid character-exposing situations.

So, forced to have sex it is! I knew I could count on you.

And I like your story. If you don't mind, I'll add a link to it from the challenge page-to-be -- I only want to add retroactively if the author volunteers.

[evangelene.livejournal.com]

I want in!!! I have been so into the cliche fic lately! I must write some of my own (as if I haven't already).

I'll take whatever's left! I don't care! Give me something!