They're Coming To Get You, Barbara

Write a fic with 6 puns/references/inside jokes in 7 sentences.

Write about the meaning of life, the universe, or everything in exactly 42 words.

Write a smut scene in 69 words.

Write a fic of 101 words that includes at least one dog.

Write a 10 sentence fic about why one character hates another.

Write a 666-word fic about a dark omen.

Write a fic containing substance use that is 420 words long.

Write a fic that's 404 words long about a character who can't find something.

Write a fic with a three-digit word count (100-999) that contains your AO3 user number.

Write a 314-word fic that contains a mathematical concept.

Write a new backstory in exactly 52 words.

Write a 616-word fic that takes place in our universe (for a fandom that doesn't).

Write a dystopian future!fic that is 2046 words long.

Write a fic about an evil government that is 1984 words long.

Write a fic that is 177 words long and contains the number 76 and a reference to football.

Write a fic about a hacker that is 1337 words long.

Dear diary this list came to me in my dream! Looks like AU-gust 2026 is here...

What is AU-gust? It stands for Alternate Universe August, and it is a creative challenge for everyone. Writers, artists, fans; anyone can join! Be sure to check out our FAQ for more answers! Join us on BlueSky, AO3, Discord and under the tags #au gust and #au gust 2026.

Special thanks to @yaoyorozoops for creating our wonderful graphics!

Those of you who notice such things will know that in a little less than two weeks, it's going to be a year since @petermorwood departed this plane of existence.

As the date's been getting closer, I'm becoming increasingly clear (due to mood swings and sleep disturbances and other such stuff) that it would be a really good thing for me if I don't have to live through this first anniversary of his loss anywhere near the house where he breathed his last.

For that day, and ideally a couple/few days on either side of it, I really need to get away from here.

So that's my plan, if I can get all this to come together (with everybody's help). ...It's not like any brief escape will get the pain to stop, you know? That's years away... if ever. But at least this move will prevent a short-term crisis, and allow me (after the really painful day has passed) to start getting back to what around here now passes for "standard operating procedure"—meaning writing, and doing other work, and getting on with the rest of the current form of life—as quickly as possible.

What I have in mind is to spend the days on either side of May 9th—and the day itself—as far away from the cottage as physical issues will allow me to travel. Let's think of it as a long weekend, an hour or two's flight away. To manage that, though, I need to boost sales at the Ebooks Direct store over the days to come. If the necessary funds manifest themselves over the course of this week, I'll have time to make the necessary arrangements.

So can I get those of you who see this post to reblog it, and bring the Ebooks Direct store to people's notice as widely as possible? ...As numerous ebook bundles are available at discount prices. (There are more than show in the slide below: that's just a snapshot of how the front-page carousel looks.)

...And if none of these appeal (or if you've got them already and want to give them to somebody else): hey, there are gift cards! (I finally managed to get these things organized correctly...) 😅 They come in per-bundle versions, or in a number of cash values to suit your preference.

Finally: if you've already got too many ebooks, or otherwise just prefer to drop a little something into the kitty to help me escape for a few-ish days, here's my Ko-Fi.

...So let's see if this can be pulled off. And for all your past help, and assistance to come: thanks, friends. I appreciate you so much... as your voices, heard daily, are pretty much all that makes the local silence bearable.

Weekly Bookish Question #489 (April 26th - May 2nd, 2026)

A very ill-timed nasty spring cold has meant I’ve been able to do way less promotion on our now-running Kickstarter to fund Ducks in a Row and Duxxx in a Row, curated collections of stories from Duck Prints Press’s first 2 years. We’ve got 48 hours left in our campaign, and we’re only 80% to our $9,000 goal – about $1700 short.

And all you need to do to help is boost this post! Of course, if you’re interested in the books, I hope you’ll check out the campaign, but we are a small press that relies on word-of-mouth for advertising. More people simply seeing that this project exists is critical as we try to make our goal before we run out of time.

Ready to learn more about what it’s about? Visit our Kickstarter now or read on!

Since Duck Prints Press was founded in January 2021, we have published over 200 stand-alone short stories by dozens of authors, ranging in length from just over 1,000 words up to 9,999 words. Most of these short stories are available for purchase individually from our webstore or are only available to people who back our Patreon… until now! With Ducks in a Row: A Curated Collection of Short Stories and Duxxx in a Row: A Curated Collection of Explicit Stories, Duck Prints Press dips into our vault, anthologizing stories we published from 2021 to 2023 into all-new collections!

Whether you’ve looked at our short story offerings and weren’t sure where to start, or you’ve heard about Duck Prints Press and wanted a tasting selection of what we offer, or you’ve wanted all your favorites in one lovely volume, or you had no idea we existed until today and just heard “short stories by queer authors” and said “SIGN ME UP,” Ducks in a Row and Duxxx in a Row have a little something for most everyone, with stories in different genres, with different types of characters, and by many different authors!

What we’re offering:

Ducks in a Row: A Curated Collection of Stories: includes 22 stories by 22 different authors, 236 pages long, in e-book (no DRM!) and trade paperback formats.

Duxxx in a Row: A Curated Collection of Explicit: includes 19 stories by 19 different authors, 264 pages long, in e-book (still no DRM!) and trade paperback formats.

Art prints of the front covers: our gorgeous cover art is by Pallas Perilous, and we’ll be making it into 8 in x 10 in/20.3 cm x 25.4 cm matte art prints.

Bookmarks of the front covers: you can see how we cropped the front cover art to make two charming bookmarks, 2 in x 6 in/5 cm x 10.2 cm, below! The backs will feature the (digital) signatures of all the book contributors.

Red Bowtie Dux die-cut sticker: our adorable mascot, Dux, created by Alessa Riel, is red-feathered for this campaign sticker! You can learn more about Dux, our Press mascot, here.

Red Bowtie Dux enamel pin: our first-ever enamel pin of our mascot will feature iridescent metal – including as the bowtie! – and pearlescent red enamel feathers.

Our ENTIRE back catalog of print books (not the e-book only releases) are also being offered as campaign add-ons!

Many of our past merchandise, such as stickers, enamel pins, magnets, and key chains, can also be added on!

Learn more about the contributors, the stories, the merch, the Press, the add-ons, the budget, the schedule, you name it, by visiting our campaign page!