Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Challenge Secret Ingredient Challenge

...because the one thing the boards need right now is more challenges!

Okay, seriously now: You know how in cooking-contest type shows, the contestants will be given an ingredient to work with, but otherwise can make whatever they want?

Basically, I'm gonna toss out a theme, and y'all who are interested can write a fic around it. Come to think of it, I think we had a drabble thread like this some time ago. The difference, though, is that the fics can be of any length. Also, they will be due in one month. (Sept 3.)

When your dishes--er, fics---are done, link to them in this thread. Linked stories will then be entered into a poll for judging.

Sound ok?

Da Rules:

1. Fics must use the theme ingredient. *How* it is used is up to the author, but its influence must be detectable at the very least.

2. Fics can be any length, but must be completed and linked here in their entirety by Sept. 3

3. Fics must be PG13 or under, so as to keep the voting field even (IE, not everyone can read Nfic, and Nfics may therefore lose votes to Gfics.) Nfics may form their own contest, if so desired.

4. Anyone who wishes to respond to the challenge but does not wish to compete may do so; just post your fic as normal without placing the link in this thread.

5. Only linked fics will be judged

6. Fics can be of any type (waff, angst, comedy, revelation, nextgen, death, etc) and focus on any character(s).

7. Winner gets a hearty congratulations, and whatever random FoLCs decide to shower him/her with.


Still reading? Good.

Today's secret ingredient is:
Any questions?

can you put that in a sentence? still not getting it that well...

Take the word provided - Shiboleth in this case - and write a fic around its theme.

Which reminds me - what happened to Jojo's Drabble Challenge? I was enjoying those!

LabRat (who is also fairly sure JoJo still owes her some of those for the Archive....)

Sure! (To be honest, the Answers.com definition sort of confuses me too, and I already *know* what the word means. Perhaps I should have gone with something else...)

Anyway, Shiboleth---I've gotten conflicting data on what it actually means (a torrent of water? a grain plant?) so that'll be left up to your own research, if you choose to take the word literally. As for what the word was *used* for, in olden times, the ancient Hebrews (it was them, right?) would use this word to sniff out enemy spies from some other tribe whose name I can't remember, because the enemies couldn't pronounce the word.

Thus, in modern times, a "shiboleth" (aside from being whatever it actually is in Hebrew) is something that you use to verify that so-and-so is an outsider, maybe even an imposter!

Does that help at all?

Here's Wikipedia\'s take on the subject .

And a related article from the TV Tropes Wiki ; particularly if you scroll down to the Truth In Television WWII examples

Clark felt like a shiboleth while with the New Kryptonians?

Carol

More likely, he would have failed a New Kryptonian shibboleth.

Here's a good example:
Suppose Lois is people watching at Metro U and sees a "fashionable young blonde" wearing clothes that are 10 years out of style. The clothing shibboleths the girl as being from a hick from a small town.

There's an absolutely wonderful West Wing episode on this subject. Not that that's here or there, I'm just saying.

Lisa, whose muse has found this topic very interesting

2 weeks, ladies and gents. How's the writing coming?

Getting closer, folcs. Anyone still wanna join in? You have until the 3rd.

Two days! Write a Shiboleth fic, post it, and link to it here!