In Search of New Dreams

Next challenge is up!

womanroaring — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 01:30:29 GMT

The next challenge is up, over at the new DW home for the community!

Also, I'm going to be deleting my LJ account at the end of the month. I don't feel comfortable being on LJ any more. Hope to see everyone over at the new digs.

Breadcrumb trail to dreamwidth

jalenstrix — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 16:42:47 GMT

Hello, my lovelies -- as promised, the imminent things.

A dreamwidth-based labyfic community can now be found here. This enables us to deal with some of the issues that were becoming difficult with lj (ex: preventing junk anonymous posting).

For now, I and the wondrous womanroaring will be taking the administrative helm over at dreamwidth. There, for instance, you'll currently find this month's drabble challenge.

So, please, jooooooooiiiiin us over there...joooooooiiiin ussssssss...one of usssss....

While we'll keep an eye out for cross-posting capabilities, it seems that currently cross-posting is only allowed to personal accounts and not to communities. So, for now, please join us over at the dreamwidth labyfic community if you can. We'll be waiting for you. :D

The plan

jalenstrix — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 16:11:27 GMT

So, based on the poll results, it seems like this is the best plan:

(1) set up a labyfic community over at Dreamwidth
(2) leave a link from this community to that one
(3) Enable the cross-posting feature maq_moon mentioned in the comments if possible, to enable community continuity

Stay tuned for this to happen imminently, along with this month's drabble challenge!

Poll: Moving labyfic community to dreamwidth?

jalenstrix — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:12:34 GMT

A couple of members (myself included) have noticed that livejournal is feeling a bit less hospitable than it used to, for a variety of reasons. Given this, I'd like to find out how many people would follow a labyfic community at Dreamwidth.

If there's sufficient support, I'll set up a labyfic community over there (likely with the help of womanroaring, who's moderated the longer fic challenges in this community the last few times). We could then leave a link from this community to that one, so that anyone who happens to find their way here would then be directed over there if they were so inclined.

So, please let me know your thoughts by voting below by September 7:

View Poll: Move to Dreamwidth?

And please feel free to leave any additional thoughts you might have in the comments section.

Drabble #59: Missing

jalenstrix — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 14:44:40 GMT

...we had a livelier response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 58, with entries by the marvelous maq_moon, the terrific 3iggy, and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix). We were bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by 3iggy, me, and maq_moon.

Huzzah, my fabulous labyfic collective! Your drabbles and comments warm my heart.

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots:

Missing

Who's missing, or what? Did someone miss something? (So many word senses, so little time....)

C'mon, you know you want to tell us all about it.

I admit, I've been thoroughly enjoying the 300 word limit, so let's continue with it for this month. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (Sep 1).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Drabble #58: Time

jalenstrix — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 07:01:07 GMT

...we had another quieter response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 57, with entries by the tremendous 3iggy and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix). We were bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by me and maq_moon.

My undying thanks to those of us who have participated, but, oh sweet labyfic collective, where have you gone? Come back to us...

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word drabble roots:

Time

Time for what? Or for who? Is time short? Dragging? Merciless? All of the above?

C'mon, you know you want to tell us all about it.

I admit, I've been thoroughly enjoying the 300 word limit, so let's continue with it for this month. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (Aug 4).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Drabble Challenge #57

3iggy — Sun, 25 Jun 2017 15:00:19 GMT

Word Count: 308
Drabble: #57 Tempest

Oh, how I miss writing these! I've got to get better about making time to visit you all see what you're up to!

Wind swept over the rugged coastline like a banshee howling its way through hell, claws ripping and tearing at the scraggly vegetation desperately clinging to salt stained rock. Sarah inhaled and let the wind tear her dark hair from its flimsy braid as obsidian clouds rumbled ever closer to her isolated perch of driftwood.

It was hard not to think of him on days such as this. Chaos surrounded her—fierce and wonderful—playful yet deadly. Two-faced to its core.
She was giddy with the storm’s incoming fury and the havoc it threatened to loose.

A razor sharp smile nearly sliced her as it flashed into existence, fast as lightening, but far more dangerous.

Kohl rimmed eyes swept the scene, took her in, and grew brilliant with glee. “Not a bad comparison,” his grin widened as he turned to survey the tumultuous water, wind ruffling his cornsilk hair.

The air was electric.

“It is rather accurate,” Sarah replied, looking past the fairy king to watch the foaming waves smashing the shore. “It’s hard to take your eyes off it, even though you know you should run home and batten down the hatches. You’re not sure if it intends to awe or break you.”

“Come now,” Jareth said, hardly needing to raise his wily voice against the roar of the sea. “I’m not that coy. You’ve know for quite some time what it is that I want.”

“Everything,” Sarah smiled, it was a weak and painful thing. “To be king and slave, to take and give, to put everything together and tear it apart—to turn the world upside down and inside out.”
He didn’t deny it. How could he? Fairy men were such fickle creatures.

“I want you to love me,” his haphazard eyes caught hers.

“Exactly,” Sarah sighed before turning back to watch the storm.

Drabble #57: Two-faced

jalenstrix — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 07:01:20 GMT

...we had a quieter response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 56, with entries by the marvelous maq_moon and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix). We were bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by me, womanroaring, and maq_moon.

My undying thanks to those who have participated, but, oh sweet labyfic collective, where have you gone?
Come back to us...

For this prompt, we return to our one-word drabble roots:

Two-faced

Betrayal? Deception? Secrets? All of the above? Tell us all about it....

I admit, I've been thoroughly enjoying the 300 word limit, so let's continue with it for this month. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (July 7).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Challenge 33: AHAB

maq_moon — Mon, 15 May 2017 23:00:42 GMT

Challenge: 33
Title: Ahab
Word Count: 1821
A/N: Um... it's a dark!fic. Based on the song "In All My Dreams I Drown" from "The Devil's Carnival". I was just being innocent and eating applesauce and my brain said, "HEY, DO THIS THING." I continue to be a disappointment to my friends and family.
Excerpt: "You thought such trivialities could protect you from me? From atonement? No, Precious. I don't think so. You know the stories."

She had never seen the sea, but she was all too familiar with the taste of seawater. She woke every morning with a dry mouth, spitting out the bitter taste of salt and brine, then scrubbing out the stink of fish. How, she wondered, could dreams bleed so fully into reality?

Every night was the same. She tossed and turned until sleep took her. Then she was taken by the ocean.

At first she would be alone, standing on the deck of a wooden ship of her own imagining. The sky would be calm, cheerful even. Then the clouds came, and with the clouds came the Captain. He was familiar, startlingly so, with his swagger and sneer and strange, cold eyes. The ship would rock with every step he took, waves crashing upon its hull.

"You haven't slept in weeks," he would say.

"I'm sleeping now," she would reply, shivering.

He would cock his head. "Are you so sure?"

Then came the great wave. It filled her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth with seawater; it soaked her thin gown; it tossed her about the deck like a ragdoll. A hand would grasp her wrist, painfully tight even in slumber.

"Please wake me up!" she would entreat.

The Captain would frown. "One day, I'm going to let you drown."
---------
Her doctor thought that sleeping pills would solve the problem. A deeper sleep might yield a sleep with no dreams.

She fell asleep more easily that night.

The ocean still came for her, and the Captain still waited on his ship.

"You thought to escape me," he said.

"Not you," she replied, "the sea."

The clouds came, the waves battered the hull, and the Captain approached. "Aren't we the same thing?" He moved ever closer, and she retreated one step for each he took. Her back hit the main mast. "Tempestuous, beautiful, unattainable by day... Oh, Sarah, you are becoming woefully miserable at identifying metaphors."
She watched his lips form her name and wondered how he knew it, how he knew her, and then reminded herself that this was only a dream.

Suddenly she found herself bound to the mast, not with the coarse rope of the rigging, but with silk. She could only watch in horror as the great wave came crashing down upon her. She fought- oh, how she fought- to hold on to her oxygen, but her lungs filled with seawater and she struggled against her bonds, eyes and nose burning.

She didn't know how long the ocean had her. She only knew that she was free of it when she heard herself crying and felt her hands and knees slam into the splintery wood of the deck.

"Please," she whispered, looking at the Captain through half-closed eyes. "Please wake me up."

Smiling, he walked over to her and patted her on the head. He was dry as desert sand. "One day, I'm going to let you drown."
---------
She didn't take another sleeping pill.

Her therapist recommended imagining things that could help her. She was, after all, lucid dreaming. If she was aware, she could control it.

Emboldened, she fell asleep quickly.

It was already storming when she arrived. The Captain smiled, an ugly thing that reached his eyes but held no mirth.

"You think you have power here," he said menacingly.

"And why not? It's my dream," she challenged.

"Oh, Sarah," he sighed. A gloved hand caressed her cheek. "Can't you see? You know the stories. You are Jonah. I am the whale."

"You intend to devour me, Captain?"

He laughed. "Something like that. And you may call me by my name."

She pursed her lips, puzzled. "What's your name?"

As though surprised, he blinked. "Call me Ishmael if you truly don't remember."

The ship rocked, knocking her off balance. "Who are you that I should remember?"

The great wave crashed over them, soaking her to the skin and leaving her coughing, collapsed on the deck. The Captain helped her to her feet. He studied her face with precision and gently wiped droplets of water from her cheeks. He took her chin in his hand and brought his lips to hers.

She didn't move a muscle, even as he tried to kiss her properly. She didn't so much as blink. Her breaths were sharp inhalations through her stinging nose, and her heart was hammering. What was he doing?

After a few moments, he stepped away. "I expect better next time."

"Please wake me up," she squeaked.

"One day, I'm going to let you drown."
---------
Power naps. If she only slept in short bursts, her brain would never get REM sleep and she wouldn't be able to dream. She drank a lot of coffee and slept as little as possible.

Still, the human body can only take so much, and the psyche is just as delicate.

The waves were gnashing at the ship, spilling onto the deck when she arrived.

"You can't escape your penance, Sarah." The Captain looked amused, his eyes becoming more frenzied with every lightning strike.

"What penance?" she cried. "What did I ever do to you?"

The rain poured, the drops heavy and hard on her skin. He grabbed her arm and tugged her to a cabin, then shoved her onto a bunk. The storm rocked the ship, the wood groaning, and the thunder made it nearly impossible to hear him.

"You destroyed everything!" He shouted. "And despite it- despite it all, I still crave you. You're like a drug, Sarah, and you're going to kill me."

"I don't even know you! You're just the man from my nightmares."

He laughed in earnest then, a hollow sound, and sat next to her on the bunk. "You're the woman from my living hell. You have to pay in some capacity."

She huffed and turned to face him. "Fine. Fine. You want to kiss me? I'll kiss you back. You want to fuck me? I'll be the best goddamn lay I can be. You want me to scrub down this whole ship? Okay. Whatever. Just let me have my dreams back. I can't go on like this."

He paused, gave a small smile. "In these dreams you're mine. I can get you to do whatever I want if I'm patient enough, and I have nothing but time. So, no. I won't be giving you back your nights."

She shut her eyes to stop the tears from spilling. "Then please wake me up," she ground out through gritted teeth.

"One day, I'm going to let you drown, Precious."
---------
Precious.

Of course. Traditional means of curing nightmares didn't work because these weren't normal nightmares. She cursed at herself for forgetting his face and voice. It should have been so obvious. As for his name... she wasn't clear on that either. It wasn't in her little red book.

First things first: protection from the supernatural. The easiest thing to acquire was salt. The difficult thing about salt was that there were so many kinds. And so many of them were sea salts. Just looking at their names made her mouth go dry and put a latent taste of fish on her tongue. She grabbed everything on the supermarket shelf (and the bag of road salt from her garage). She also picked up bluebells from the local nursery, and turned all of her shoes upside-down, making sure the toes pointed toward the head of the bed.

She flung the bluebells about her bedroom haphazardly and threw the different salts on the floor indiscriminately. If this trifecta didn't work, she didn't know what would.

Nervous but optimistic, she tucked herself into bed.

The eddies were terrifying. White-capped waves crested high against the creaking, thrashing ship.

She saw him in the distance, his golden hair plastered to his face with rain. "Ishmael!" she called.

He was on her in half a heartbeat. "You have to do your penance," he said, seething. His curious eyes were wild, feral, looking at her but through her, unfocused and hyper-vigilant. "You thought such trivialities could protect you from me? From atonement? No, Precious. I don't think so. You know the stories."

And then he was gone. For the first time ever, she was alone on this nightmare ship. Even though she knew he wanted to punish her, that he must hate her, she shouted for him. "Captain? Where did you go?" His silence had been anticipated.

She tried to think, but it was so hard- the great wave would come at any time, and the Captain had abandoned her. What is it that I'm supposed to know about the stories?

He had called her Jonah. Jonah had been eaten by a whale, then forgiven and vomited up. Did that mean he was going to forgive her? But there was something more. There was something about a worm. He called himself Ishmael. Did he mean the Biblical one or the one from Moby Dick? Probably the latter.

The ship lurched, and the wind picked up, catching the sails and causing the ship to spin out of control. She wanted to get to the- what are they called? the steering wheels? oh, it doesn't matter!- but she didn't know where to look, and even if she did, she wouldn't know how to steer a ship. And what did Jonah have to do with a worm?

"Captain!" she tried again. "Captain!" Once more: "Goblin King!"

He appeared beside her, dry as a bone.

"Think about it, Sarah, before it's too late."

"The worm... ate the plant..." she stammered, "and Jonah wished he was dead!"

He leaned in close, lips touching her ear. "Do you wish you were dead, Precious?"

"No! Please wake me up, please!" She twined her fingers into his hair and held his eyes.

He pressed his forehead against hers, and his shout was a whisper in the storm. "What's my name?"

"You said to call you Ishmael."

"Why do you think that is?" He shirked his gloves and put his fingertips on her eyelids, her lips, her cheeks, her nose, as a lover might.

"Because-" she gasped, pulling away. "Because Ishmael was the only one alive to tell the tale, and you are going to let me drown."

He cradled her as she cried, petting her hair and peppering her head with small kisses.

"Please don't," she said, imploring. "Please wake me up."

"I can't. I could have done, had you not tried to shield your mind. If you had accepted that you were wrong and done your punishment, I could have given you everything."

She sniffled. "Can't or won't?"

"Is there a difference?" He smiled at her kindly. "You were always brave; don't stop now."

She was alone. The ship was still. The sky was blue and clear. The nightmare was over.

Then she saw it: a great watery wall towering over the vessel, green and vicious and calm.

"Please wake me up."

Drabble #56: Falling & Trust

jalenstrix — Fri, 05 May 2017 07:01:24 GMT

...we had a more lively response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 55, with entries by the marvelous maq_moon, me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix), the tremendous twitchy_bunnies, and the wondrous wordrevolt. We were bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by me, twitchy_bunnies, and maq_moon.

Hurrah, my lovely labyfic collective, I love you! Mwah!

This prompt comes courtesy of maq_moon -- a quote from Robin Skynner:

"To walk, we have to lean forward, lose our balance, and begin to fall. We let go constantly of the previous stability, falling all the time, trusting that we will find a succession of new stabilities with each step."

Mmmm, can you just imagine the possibilities? Falling and trust and instability and assurance. Tell me all about it. All the falling. All the trust. All of it, I say!

I admit, I've been thoroughly enjoying the 300 word limit, so let's continue with it for this month. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (June 2).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Challenge #33: Effective Immediately

jalenstrix — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 17:48:21 GMT

Title: Effective Immediately
Word count: 1334
Summary: Department Chair Sarah has an unusual encounter with the new Vice Provost of Graduate Studies. Written for the challenge 33 prompt of “protection”.

Associate Dean MacMillan had just popped his head into my office, and I tried to hide my irritation from him. “The new Vice Provost? Why does he want to see me?” I cast a despairing look at my overflowing email inbox. “And why this afternoon?”

“That new graduate program you’re building for the department, I’d guess.” MacMillan flicked that half-smile of his I’d learn to be wary of. “He’s very interested in new graduate programs.”

That gave me pause. “The Vice Provost of Graduate Studies would presumably have sway over the Grad Council in the Academic Senate?”

“Indeed he would.”

Well. That could be useful. It never hurt to have blessings from the Powers That Be when trying to get the Academic Senate to approve anything.

“Anyway, I’d suggest making that meeting if I were you.” And with that, MacMillan popped back out.

Hmmph. I pulled up the email announcing the Vice Provost’s arrival to campus. Dr. J. Aran, originally a theoretical physics professor, then Dean of Arts and Sciences at his home institution before coming to us. Hopefully he was amenable to areas of studies outside his own -- you could never tell with these high muckety-mucks.

I stood in the Vice Provost’s reception area, trying very maturely not to tap my foot like an impatient child as his secretary knocked pertly on his closed office door. “Vice Provost Aran? Dr. Williams is here.”

“Lovely -- send her in, please.”

I stopped, the world freezing in that peculiar way I distinctly recalled from when I was fifteen. No. It simply couldn’t be.

“Dr. Williams?” The secretary was giving me a concerned look. “Are you alright?”

I blinked, swallowed hard, and straightened my spine as I made for the door. “Quite, thank you.” It had to be an acoustic illusion. Just a brief burst of temporary auditory processing insanity.

I had stepped just inside the door when the Vice Provost swiveled around in his chair to face me, and the door clicked shut behind me with the finality of a dungeon gate.

Acoustic illusion, my ass.

Of course, he wasn’t in armor as black as shadows and a flowing cape this time, and there was a distinct lack of meticulously haphazard elven locks shot through with glitter. He had apparently traded all that in for a tailored grey suit and Zegna tie, with a gorgeous undercut for his hair that made me want to run my fingers up the back of his neck. But still. It was unmistakably him, and he was sitting in the Vice Provost’s office like he belonged there in his executive wear.

And the bastard had the gall to smile like a benevolent angel on top of it.

I worked on unfreezing a single one of my muscles. Just one. I knew I could do it. I just needed another moment. It wasn’t a spell I was caught in, of course, because I didn’t believe in spells anymore. This was just unadulterated shock. Right? Right.

Jareth stood and gestured me to the chair in front of his desk. “Dr. Williams -- Sarah, if I may?”

I found myself walking to the chair and sitting down before I could think. I shook my head sharply. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“That thing that you’re surely doing to control my behavior at this very moment.”

“And what exactly might that be?”

I struggled to unearth the right word from my memories. “Compulsion. A spell of compulsion.”

He clucked his tongue. “That would be cheating, don’t you think?”

I arched an eyebrow. “It sure would.”

His laughter rolled over my skin like liquid sunshine. “Ah, how I’ve missed you. Fine, then. We can dispense with the less subtle methods.”

And with that, my skin suddenly stopped stretching over my limbs with an immobilizing tightness. I let out a slow breath, enjoying the sensation of muscle control. And then I leveled a good solid glare at him. “What are you doing here?”

He waved a hand around at the office. “Vice Provost-ing, apparently.”

Gears were churning rapidly in my head as I sorted through the barrage of questions I wanted to ask. At last, I settled on the most basic one. “Why?”

He shrugged. “You needed protection.”

“What?” I blinked rapidly, trying to process his words into sense.

He fanned his fingers together, and rested his chin on top of them. “You’ve been stepping on quite a number of toes, Madame Chair.”

I kept blinking. “I have?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Apparently unintentionally. Perhaps that should be expected, given your general proclivities. Still, this doesn’t attenuate the collective ire of those whose toes you’ve mashed flat.”

“Whose toes? How?”

“Let’s just say you’ve been remarkably energetic in implementing new ideas since assuming your department’s Chairship.”

I crossed my arms. “Well, of course. We’re basically building a department from scratch. It takes doing.”

“Indeed, I quite understand, more than you think. Goblin kingdoms don’t build themselves from nothing. But still -- the toes.” He sighed and spread his hands wide. “So, I’ve taken it upon myself to stand between you and the powers of the Administrative Darkness while you’re on your noble quest.”

I stared at him, trying to put 1 and 1 together to make 13. “You...have become Vice Provost of my university -- and I won’t even begin to ask how much reality twisting that had to involve -- in order to...protect my academic world-building endeavors. You. The adversarial embodiment of my teenage psyche who looks remarkably like a fae David Bowie and heads a population of creatures with low attention spans and questionable personal hygiene.”

He flashed me that sunshine smile again. “That about sums it up, yes. You’ll admit I have experience building something from nothing, and managing unwieldy groups.” He stretched back in his chair, perfectly at ease. “I can help you, Sarah.”

Now I was trying to put 1 and 1 together to get a rainbow pony. I gave up. I pressed my fingers to my forehead, focusing on the situation at hand. “Look, I really appreciate the sentiment but you can’t just...I mean, how can you…” I blinked slowly and tried again. “You can’t just do this.”

He leaning on one elbow, looking positively roguish. “Apparently I can.”

I sighed. “Look, it’s all well and good to make up a background and insert yourself into reality, but as a Vice Provost, you can’t just swan around clearing the way for me. You have lots of other responsibilities.”

“Do I? How do you know?”

“What do you mean?” I shook my head. “Vice Provosts do lots of things.”

“Such as?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it abruptly. “They...meet with people?”

“And how often do you meet Vice Provosts and other administrators of that kind?”

Silence curled between us.

“Precisely. So, I think it very possible indeed that I ‘swan around’ clearing the way for you. I’ll call it interfacing with vital human resources and motivating the implementation of strategic goals.”

I closed my mouth again, because it had fallen right open at his effortless use of bureaucratese. “Where did you pick up that phrasing?”

He look very pleased with himself. “You think ruling a kingdom is all about dancing around and singing musical numbers?” His face fell slightly at my expression. “Ah, Sarah. A bit more faith, hmmm?”

I shook my head, making a quick decision. Looking gift rainbow ponies in the mouth and all. Besides, I knew what they said about effective leaders -- often wrong, but never in doubt. “Forgive me. It’s been two decades and I apparently received only a very select view of your royal activities. I’d be most grateful for your aid and protection, Vice Provost.”

His sunshine smile returned as if it had never left. “My great pleasure, Chair Williams.” He extended his hand. “I look forward to working with you more.”

I extended my own hand and felt the warm solidity of his as we shook. “As do I, Vice Provost.”

Challenge 33: Protection

womanroaring — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 04:43:05 GMT

SO it's been ages since challenge 32 and it seemed like the time was ripe to set another one.

We had two responses last time; Double or Nothing from jalenstrix and Two Many Jareths from womanroaring. It seems we're dwindling a bit so if anyone has any suggestions on how to perk us up again, I think we'd all like to hear them...

Anyway, onto the next challenge!

I thought for challenge 33 we could get down to fairy basics: protection. Protecting children against being taken by fairies or generally protecting your home or family or cattle or whatever from the fair folk (or their equivalent) was superstition 101 at various points in human history so there's lots for our fandom to draw on; but if people wanted to interpret the word "protection" in other ways, then by all means, go nuts.

We had been doing ok last year with a two-month deadline, so let's try that again, making deadline for this challenge June 17. That's almost midsummer's eve!

Anyone can participate and here are rachael1918's pointers if you haven't taken part in a challenge before.

Anyone is also feel free to set the next challenge.

Happy writing, Labyficcers!

So...

womanroaring — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 08:22:28 GMT

...does anyone want a challenge prompt?

Drabble #55: The Cruelest Way

jalenstrix — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 07:01:04 GMT

...we had a very quiet response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 54, with a lone entry by me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix). I was very bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by the wondrous twitchy_bunnies.

But alas -- my lovely labyfic collective, where have you gone? Perhaps a different prompt might inspire us more in the coming month.

This prompt comes courtesy of my_quorum -- a quote from Helen Oyeyemi's White is for Witching:

But then, maybe "I don’t believe in you" is the cruelest way to kill a monster

Epic possibility. The drabble world is your oyster, I tell you!

Since our longer fic challenges are still on hiatus, let's keep the lengthier limit of 300 words for this month. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (May 5).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Extremely Late Challenge #26 Response!

annissag — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 13:15:40 GMT

So... remember Challenge #26? Well, I didn't actually see it until November 2015, and then it took me over a year to actually write something share-able. But now I have, and even though it doesn't count toward that challenge, I thought you might be interested in it anyway. It's still a WIP, but everything but the final draft of the last chapter has been written. The challenge prompt appears in chapter 13, which I posted this morning.

Challenge #26: By the Pier
Title: Mad World
Word Count: 77,087 (so far)
Rating: Explicit for sexual situations, depictions of child abuse, sexual assault, mention of sexual abuse of a minor, and suggestions of forced impregnation and birth.
Author’s notes: Lots of angst here and some stuff that horrifies even me, but I promise, it's not all doom and gloom.
Summary: The morning Sarah leaves home to go to college, she is taken by a Fae woman, transformed, and dropped into Jareth's kingdom. With Jareth's help, she must learn the magic necessary for her to become Goblin Queen in order to return to her family Above. But the work is difficult and time is short.
NC-17 version posted on AO3 and R-rated version on Fanfiction.net

Drabble #54: Star

jalenstrix — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 08:01:50 GMT

...we had a quieter response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 53, with entries by the wondrous womanroaring and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix). We spirited two were also very bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by 3iggy, womanroaring, and me.

Thank you, my lovely labyfic collective!

Continuing with our one word prompt roots, this month's prompt is

Star

One star, two stars, red star, blue star? Starring who? In what? Teeeeeell meeeeeeee....you know you want to...

Since our longer fic challenges are on a bit of a hiatus, let's up the limit this month to 300 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (April 7).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Drabble #53: Charming

jalenstrix — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 08:02:11 GMT

...we had a lovely response as we shared our collective labyfic drabble memories in Drabble 52, with entries by the marvelous maq_moon, the amazing annissag, the tremendous 3iggy, and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix).
And of course, we were also bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by annissag, 3iggy, maq_moon, and me.

Thank you, my dear labyfic collective!

Returning to our one word prompt roots, this month's prompt is

Charming

Take it in the literal, magical, or any other sense that crosses your writerly heart, and write, my lovelies, write!

I've been liking the 250 word limit, so let's keep that for this month as well. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (March 3).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

This didn't post properly on the weekend, sorry...

womanroaring — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 10:39:33 GMT

Despite being careful, I still somehow accidentally posted this to my non-existent livejournal blog rather than to the community. Sorry about that. Here's what I posted:

I'm happy we're doing this. I have whole pinterest boards devoted to this stuff so this was quite easy for me :)

First off, I guess, is the plain Bowie stuff -- please enjoy these hamsters dressed in many of the man's iconic outfits.

If you'd like to dress a paper doll of the man himself, go nuts (that one that was a free download? I printed it out and put it up in my office at work. Nobody batted an eyelid).

Here is one of the rarer of my favourite Bowie songs -- this live version of Moonage Daydream. I don't even really like the album version much, but this one, I love:

I think we were going to share some Labyrinth-related stuff that we love, as well? Here's Grace Potter's cover of As The World Falls Down, which she put up on Bowie's passing. I really like how it pulls out some more 60s kind elements that were already there in the song, but I never noticed:

Moving on to Labyrinth-related fan art, it's often GIFs and memes that I find the funniest. For instance:

(I wish I had sources for these but they're just saved on my computer and I think they came from pinterest and tumblr, not connected to any original creator, anyway)

As for actual proper fan art, if you don't know Janey Jane on Deviant Art, you're missing out. I especially like this gorgeous Art Neaveau-style one she did but this one makes me smile every time.

Now, please enjoy fan art on a mug! I own this one. It is my favourite mug.

I'm so tired, I'm sorry if I'm rambling. But I hope everyone enjoyed some of my links/pics/etc.

x

O hai, we're celebrating David Bowie this weekend, aren't we?

idunn — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 17:12:50 GMT

Profuse thanks to maq_moon for organizing Bowie Appreciation Weekend. (Details here if you missed them.)

***

I can't believe it's been a year already.

What fascinated me the most about Bowie wasn't even his art but his thought process. This was a man who clearly knew who he was and never allowed stagnation into his life in any way.

Bowie was freakishly well read. Everyone who ever met him frequently mentioned that. Bowie could analyze a painting, insert the most random references into his music videos, carry a conversation about philosophy, you name it. I mean, you never expect intelligent conversations from Ozzy Osbourne or Mick Jagger. Bowie once said that he was scared his friends would steal his library when he moved to America in the 70s, so he shipped 400 books over from England and lugged them around with him. And this was even during his early days when he was high all the time. Bowie was intelligent. People are still picking apart the obscure occult references he left behind in Blackstar.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite interviews showcasing Bowie's genius.

Bowie talks about creativity (or why you should "never play to the gallery"):

By the way, this is from a longer interview called Inspirations (shot in 1997). It's worth the 14 minutes it'll take you to watch it.

On gratitude and living without regrets:

On science, spirituality, and moral decay:

Interviewer: Do you remember anything of the 70s, or ...?
Bowie: I've read up on it a lot. It gets past '74 and I have to read books to see what I was doing then.

[Interviewer asks if Bowie has any regrets.]
Bowie: I can't get into that. I don't think I've got enough time. Every day is really important to me. My primary criteria is how much do I enjoy every 24 hours and how much can I get done in that amount of time? And so to sit back and reflect on the past and even be adventurous to try predicting the future for oneself or one's family and all that is a road to insanity. You've got to dwell on THIS day.

Maq's Music Picks

maq_moon — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 05:34:30 GMT

While my list of beloved Bowie songs is miles long (I don't have to tell you guys...), I've whittled it down to a few precious gems, in no particular order. All the links open to YouTube vids in new tabs ;)

"Word on a Wing", VH1 Storytellers version.

I particularly love this performance because of the intro. It always bothers me that the audience laughs, even though I know he's making weird faces. This also feels a lot more emotive than the track on "Station to Station".

"Absolute Beginners" Live at the Beeb

This will be my wedding song should someone be foolish enough to marry me XD It's also the best thing about the movie for which it was written.

Seven

I first heard this right before my granny died and associate it with her. It also doesn't help that, in the panic of her last moments, the final words I said to her were Bowie lyrics. Bowie and Granny, bound forever in my heart.

Please, Mr. Gravedigger

An oldie but one of his very best imo. I think this showcases his abilities as an actor; there is no music, only his voice and the storm. It's haunting and perverse and beautiful.

"Starman" on "Top of the Pops"

I was a weird kid and a weirder adult. This is the song that made me feel truly connected to other oddballs in the world. I was also into wearing costumes just because well into my 20s, wigs especially, and bought a wig to match Bowie's hair in this vid.

Valentine's Day

I initially saw the title of this and went "eeeuuuuggghhhh", but it's so gorgeous. Even though it's technically topical, I think it'll hold up because good music generally does.

"Time" from "Ziggy Stardust: the Motion Picture"

My epileptic ass should not watch this performance, but it's so outrageous and artistic. The lyrics are ridiculously deep. Time is anthroporphic, a drug-addicted whore? Also, y'know, it's when he mimed fellatio on Mick via guitar.

"All the Young Dudes" from the Isle of Wight

All-time favorite. Yes, I know it was written for and first performed by Mott the Hoople, but this is a *Bowie song*. There was controversy about its deeper meaning. There still is. Would it be a David song if it was 100% straightforward? While many fans call "Rock'n'Roll Suicide" the song that saved their lives, this is the one that saved me.

~Honorable Mentions~
-Heroes Chante En Francais
-Happy Birthday on Conan O'Brien (seriously, look this up)
-Under Pressure (naturally!)
-Queen Bitch
-Girl Loves Me

And everyone's favorite...

That's all from me for now. Post your favorite songs, stories (yours or links to someone else's), fanvids, fan art, anecdotes... anything!

Drabble #52: Memories

jalenstrix — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 08:01:02 GMT

...we had a more low-key response to the quote prompt of Drabble 51, with entries by the fantastic 3iggy and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix).
And of course, we were also bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by maq_moon and me.

Thank you, my dear labyfic collective!

Inspired by maq_moon's fantastic suggestion, I suggest we repost on this thread any drabbles we're particularly fond of (links to drabbles posted off-site are also welcome). They can be yours, or anyone else's!

Since this is a reposting of any drabbles you adore, we'll leave off the word limit for this month. But do try to keep them drabble-ish length.

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Drabble: $the_beautiful_drabble or $link_to_the_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (February 3).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. (And in this case, shared joy.) So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Drabble 51

3iggy — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 13:10:46 GMT

Drabble #51
Word Count: 298 (Sorry!)

Everything had gone according to plan. That’s what made this so frustrating. Sarah fumed as she glared at the traitorous watch that wound around her wrist—a metallic basilisk.
It was the day after Christmas and she’d planned a nice, cozy day in with a book, alone, with the exception of Fido the tabby cat who slept in the vacated space left by the presents underneath the tree. However, she’d lived through 8 A.M. three times now, she was sure of it.
“Has to be him,” she mumbled as she took a sip of her third cup of coffee. “Who else would take pleasure in spoiling my alone time?” She asked Fido over the rim of her mug. “Who else would find it amusing to have me stuck in 8 o’clock?” These odd little things tended to happen when one found oneself the paramour of bored immortal.

“I thought you’d like it,” came an lilting voice from the kitchen. “You always go on and on about how you never have enough time in the mornings, about how this is your favorite part of the day.”
Sarah turned her head toward the small kitchenette and sure enough, there he was in all his otherworldly glory, making a mockery of her little ordinary apartment. No matter how often it happened, it just didn’t make sense, it wasn’t logical.

“Yes, dear, that’s true. But, part of the reason people enjoy things is because they don’t get enough of them. Have you heard the expression “too much of a good thing?” Sarah asked as he walked nimbly across the usually creaky wood floor and collapsed on the sofa, the picture of spoiled prince.

“I just don’t understand you people,” he frowned as the hour on her watch slipped over to nine.

Birthday/Anniversary Event?

maq_moon — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 20:06:22 GMT

Hello, fellow Labyficcers!

I can't be the only one who has noticed that activity has dwindled over the past year, and it's pretty obvious why. We miss our Muse. Many of us are still mourning. David's birthday- and therefore his death day- are rapidly approaching. As a way to sort of give ourselves some catharsis and also celebrate our King...

I propose that sometime in January we have a few days of stress-free posting. How will it be stress-free? We won't post anything new. We can re-post something we're particularly proud of. Or we can even just link to some of our favorite fics as a way to entertain each other. We can embed our favorite videos- Bowie vids, interviews, Laby fanvids. We can link to/embed our favorite fanart. Just do something to get us active and to commemorate David without freaking ourselves out. I'm not a mod, so I can't make this a "thing", but I think it might be neat.

~~Please leave a comment saying when in January is good for you. If the poll goes "Yes", we'll set a date.~~

Since everyone seems to be on board, how does Sat.-Sun. Jan. 14-15 sound?

View Poll: #2060043

Drabble #51: Love and Logic

jalenstrix — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 08:01:56 GMT

...we had a more low-key response to the lyrics drabble prompt of Drabble 50, with entries by the marvelous maq_moon and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix).
And of course, we were greatly bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by me, maq_moon, and womanroaring.

Thank you, my stalwart labyfic collective! You're the best.

Inspired by suggestions from maq_moon, I offer a quote from William Goldman's The Princess Bride:

Love is many things, none of them logical

Right? So darned true. So tell us all about it. You know you want to.

Let's continue with the 250 word limit for this month. (But remember: 250 is the limit, not the requirement! Feel free to grace us with shorter pieces as the fancy strikes you. :) )

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: $your_word_count
Author's notes: This can include anything you want readers to be aware of (ex: warnings for graphic sex or violence, openness to concrit).
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (January 6).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)

Drabble #50: Hope in Those Squeaky Clean Eyes

jalenstrix — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 07:01:14 GMT

...we had several delightful responses for the lyrics drabble prompt of Drabble 49, with entries by me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix), the dazzling tmwillson3, and the magnificent my_quorum.
And of course, we were greatly bolstered by the commenting love of the labyfic collective, represented this past month by tmwillson3, my_quorum, me,

I adore you, my drabbling and drabble-supporting labyficcers! You rock.

Inspired by suggestions from my_quorum, I offer another lyric snippet from Bowie's Teenage Wildlife (performed here):

Blue skies above
and sun on your arms
strength in your stride
And hope in those squeaky clean eyes

Squeaky clean eyes, eh? Do tell.

Let's continue with the 250 word limit for this month. (But remember: 250 is the limit, not the requirement! Feel free to grace us with shorter pieces as the fancy strikes you. :) )

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: $your_word_count
Author's notes: This can include anything you want readers to be aware of (ex: warnings for graphic sex or violence, openness to concrit).
Drabble: $your_beautiful_drabble

I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Friday of next month (December 2).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand.)