Jinkies, gang! We’ve got a mystery on our hands.
Elysian Fields is pleased to present the first (and hey, maybe “only”) Elysian Fields Mystery Fic Event. This event is unlike any we’ve done before and we have no idea how it will go, but we’re excited to find out.
So, what IS the big mystery? Are we doing a scavenger hunt? A round-robin? Are we all very stoned? Well, here it is folks. The mystery is actually: your fic.
Okay, you need more than that. We get it.
Starting July 1, Elysian Fields will announce a prompt. This prompt can be anything—a character, a line of dialogue, an object, a trope, a theme, a genre, a category… you get the picture. Each mod is in charge of a prompt. Your objective is to write a chapter per prompt, with the fic CONCLUDING with 5 chapters. One chapter per prompt, one prompt per mod.
In essence, then, there are two mysteries:
- What will the prompt be?
- How will you work with it?
Like we said, a bit different than your standard EF Event.
How It Works
- You must write a 5-chapter fic, each chapter of which must be completed and posted within the designated time window.
- Each chapter will contain one prompt provided by an EF mod. This prompt can be the inclusion of a specific item, character, line of dialogue, theme, trope -- really, it’s whatever we come up with. You’re at our mercy.
- The endnotes of each chapter MUST identify that week’s prompt and include the line or passage that satisfied said prompt. (EXAMPLE: Prompt: A broken refrigerator containing spoiled blood and an excess of mayonnaise. Fulfilled: Copy/paste the relevant lines from the fic)
Rules
These rules will be checked and enforced in real-time. Fics that fail to follow the rules will be disqualified, lose the event icon, and be ineligible for end-of-event awards.
- Chapters must be published during the specified timeframe (ex. Chapter 1 posts July 5-July 11; Chapter 2 posts July 12-July 18).
- Fics must include the end note identifying the prompt and referencing how it was satisfied.
- Fics must not exceed 5 chapters.
- Each chapter must be a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 14,500 words.
Dates
All dates commence at 12:01am and conclude at 11:59 PM, site time.
Prompt #1 Announced: July 1
Posting Days for Chapter 1: July 5 - July 11
Prompt #2 Announced: July 9
Posting Days for Chapter 2: July 12 - July 18
Prompt #3 Announced: July 16
Posting Days for Chapter 3: July 19 - July 25
Prompt #4 Announced: July 23
Posting Days for Chapter 4: July 26 - August 1
Prompt #5 Announced: July 30
Posting Days for Chapter 5: August 2 - August 8
AWARDS: All authors who successfully complete the Mystery Event will receive a shiny on their author profile.
Other Questions You May Have
So how do I sign up?
Post a chapter of your fic within the first designated time window. The event icon will not be available after July 11, nor will the ability to check that your fic is part of the event.
Really, just 5 chapters?
Yes, really.
But I want to write more!
Great! We love sequels!
What happens if I write more than 5 chapters?
It’s no longer an event fic and you lose the icon and are ineligible for the event award.
What happens if I don’t finish my chapter in the given timeframe?
See above.
What happens if my chapter does not include the prompt?
You should know the answer to this by now.
What happens if I don’t include a note for the mods to find the prompt?
Then the mods don’t know that you’ve included the prompt and…you know where this is going.
What if I forget to include a note just because I am naturally forgetful?
You will have until the end of each chapter’s time window to include the note. So if you post on Monday July 5, then realize on Thursday July 8 that, in your eagerness to post, you forgot to include the note, you have until Sunday July 11 to get that added. The mods will not be sending reminders to authors who neglect to do this (sorry; ain’t nobody got time for that). We encourage all participants to refer to the rules prior to posting each chapter to make sure you don’t forget anything.
What happens if I bribe the mods?
Interesting. How good’s the bribe?
What if I don’t like the prompt?
It’s inevitable that not all prompts will be universally popular. However, in order to receive your award, the fic must be complete within the allotted time frame AND nicely tick off each of the rules. This is why the award is tentatively titled, “I Survived the 2021 Elysian Fields Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event and Have the Story to Prove It.” We know this ain’t gonna be easy.
Excited? Nervous? Scared? Turned on? We’ll take all of the above.
Time to get our mystery on. Tune in on July 1 for the inaugural prompt.
--The Mods on June 24, 2021 02:55am 26 Comments
Ooo! This is exciting!
Bring. It. 
Will the prompts be more open-ended, such as "the illusion of control", or specific, such as "It was such a beautiful night; the bright moonlight illuminated the sky, the thick clouds floated leisurely by just above the silhouette of tall, majestic trees, and I was viewing it all from the front row seat of the bullet hole in my car trunk"?
[Citation]
@Cosmic Tuesdays - Can't say. It's a mystery.
Oh... I love regular prompts.... I'll probably do some of this, but I'm going to be traveling from the 9th through the 18th, so I'm guessing I won't be able to make deadlines. But it sounds like great fun!
I am so ridiculously excited for this! Once again, you EF mods are a wily, creative bunch and I love you for it! 
Interesting! Hmmm... wow, why do I feel like my WIP is going to be sitting sadly in the corner during July?
This sounds like FUN!
I love your instructions lol 😂
😆 Whose idea was it for the FAQ to be facetious?
I'm not a mod, but I wanna try my hand at a ridiculous prompt:
Buffy's fabulous, pink heels are standing
in whipped cream. Oh, the horror!
Something tells me a lot of these prompts will inspire crack.
Question- does the fic have to BE a mystery, or it can be any genre that uses the prompts within the deadlines?
Sweet
@Sweetprincipale - Outside of the prompts, the fic can be anything you want it to be. You just need to be prepared for the genre/categories/characters to change at a whim.
Oh this sounds like so much fun! Putting the prompt dates on my calendar!
Wow, this sounds like FUN! Like slaymesoftly, I will be travelling during parts of this, however, if I tweak it JUST right and manage to post immediately before and immediately after my trip, I can swing it... barely. I love writing humor and I have a feeling that by the end of this challenge, it's going to look like we WERE all stoned when writing.
I’m super excited for this and I think I’ll give it a try!!
I've never written anything yet but this challenge seems soooo much fun... I'm not sure I'd be able to do it but I might try... 😬
Oh this sounds like so much fun! Putting the prompt dates on my calendar!
I am excited about this. Heheheh
Never written any fanfiction before but I'm kinda excited to try this out. This may be the start of a beautiful writing adventure.
So, looking at the schedule, it looks like if you post at the end of each of the posting windows, you'll have a sneak peek of what's to come since the next prompt will already be up. Am I understanding that right?
@Dusty: Yes, you are correct
Newbie Gal question for the mods: Am I allowed to modify the name of my challenge story mid-challenge and still be considered part of the challenge? I'm not sure if I want to at this point, in the case *any* reader is following it by name. It's just that I realized how I would've jazzed up the story name a bit if I'd taken more time to think about it.
OOoo. I'm doing this one.