The Eight (and then some) Days of Fic-can-ukah - 2013 Edition

[elrhiarhodan]

ETA: Yes, yes - the first eight slots have been filled, but please continue to sign up! Last year, I filled sixteen of the eighteen prompts and the year before, I filled fourteen. And in neither of the previous years did I give myself as much time as I've done this year. So keep them coming!

My lovely friend, rabidchild does the Twelve Days of Ficmas. Many others on my flist participate in Yuletide and have fun filling Fandom Stockings. My gift to you, my awesome flist, comes on the eight days of Fic-can-ukah, which coincidentally occur on the eight nights of Hanukkah.

But you say, it’s only late October and not even Halloween, what’s this with Hanukkah? Well, a few things. This year, the Festival of Lights begins on the earliest possible day – the night BEFORE Thanksgiving. Yes – November 27th. And I have other fic’ing commitments – like a couple of Big Bangs – to finish. So consider this an exercise in planning ahead.

Fic-can-ukah works like this...I will write a short fic(let) for each of the eight days. And by short, I mean 300-500 words (yeah, stop laughing, please). To make this easy on me (because I know my limitations), I'm giving you the prompts, and you get to pick which prompt you want me to write and the character(s) and/or pairing(s), or if it's simply writer's choice.

Shapes like stars
The sound of a thousand secrets
The secret history of anger
It’s either the beginning or the ending
Beyond the confines of ordinary language
He called you by your real name
Lost in the shadows of time past
Something moves in the distance

Only here, only now - theatregirl7299 (1)
Staying awake all night - kanarek13 (2)
The weight of sleep - calis_1st (3)
I was meant to be someone else - sinfulslasher (4)
The world before you were born - algeiban (5)
What waits at the top of the staircase - anodyneer (6)
In the back of a closet - kaylashay (7)
The last stop before arrival - angelita26 (8)
A collection of lies - ultracape (9)
He has a confession to make - pooh_collector (10)
A painting, dark and ancient - daria234 (11)
This is the moon I was born under - coffeethyme4me (12)
The details of unremarkable days - aragarna (13)
It shimmers in the distance - sapphire2309 (14)
You’re eavesdropping - miri_thompson (15)
The stranger at the crossroads - sahiya (16)
The moon made them do it - joy2190 (17)
In search of impossible light - doctor_fangeek (18)
A lie someone told him - embroiderama (19)
Lighting the first lamps - photoash (20)
Your lover’s pillow - sheenianni (21)

First come, first served, and one prompt per person. And yes, I am aware that none of these prompts are particularly fluffy or holiday oriented. In fact, they’re all kind of angsty. Just the way I like ‘em.

If you want a short outtake from a current 'verse (Wonder(ful) Years, Paladin, Vinegar Hill, Gloriana, Orchestration, etc., but not Vampire World, which no one has ever asked for anyway - that one will be finished for the Final Touches big bang) let me know, and I will try to honor your request. Of course, if more than eight people sign up, I will try to fill every one's request, but I will only guarantee the first eight. Fills will be posted starting Wednesday, November 27th (the first night) and will run to at least December 5th.

Participation is ecumenical - there is nothing inherently Jewish about Fic-can-ukah, and you don't have to be Jewish to sign up. Think of it as my masochistic version of Fandom Stocking. For what it's worth, last year, I filled sixteen prompts, and would likely have filled all eighteen requests but life, in the form of staying alive, intervened

PS: To those of you who may be wondering (and I'm not going to name names), RPS is a welcome request.