[Edit note: Some how this post was published on the 5th, complete, then “unpublished” right afterwards, and then was kinda stuck in limbo, without the last few paragraphs. Sorry about that. This should have gone live on Monday.]
I mentioned in my September Challenge post that I was taking part in the 9-1-1 Bingo. But I honestly just realized that I should explain what that means.
A Bingo is a writing challenge. You’re given a classic bingo-style card with prompts on the various boxes. Some challenges require you to black out the card, while others just want you to get a bingo. Depending on the bingo, you’re able to write a story, create and art piece, make a playlist, or something else. You’re also given a time limit, which is usually several months long.
In the case of the 9-1-1 Bingo, it’s a blackout bingo hosted by the 118 discord. We had the option between a 3×3 or 5×5 sized card, filled with random prompts.
Of course, I ended up choosing the 5×5, because I was feeling overly ambitious that day. That means 24 prompts (and a free space). Luckily the time limit is very generous, running from last April until the end of January 2022.
Here is my bingo board:
As you can see, it’s a variety of different prompts. Some are AU’s, which mean Alternative Universe. Those are either marked with AU, or are alluded to with “Paramedic Buck” (who is a Firefigher with EMT Level 1), “Doctor Chimney” (Firefighter/Paramedic in canon), and “Officer May” (currently a 911 Dispatcher/soon-to-be college freshman). Others are quote prompts, which means that you’re supposed to either use or heavily incorporate the line into your chosen medium. Finally, there are more classic prompts and tropes, such as “Forbidden Love,” “Earthquake”, and “Meet Ugly”.
For me, I’m focusing on writing. The word count has to be above 500 words, and I’ve been hitting that consistently with what I’ve already written. It’s actually been a lot of fun, as the 118 Discord frequently has writing sprints and a good amount of us use those to write.
As of the writing of this post, I’ve posted two stories (for the prompts “playing with their hair while their head’s in your lap” and “Earth to dumbass”), one is completed and I’ll be posting soon (the “painting the house that ends in a paint fight” prompt) and I have ideas for at least three others.
The ones I’m going to probably struggle with are the AU prompts, as I’m not much of a fan of them in the first place. Writing them is going to probably be a test of my patience. The thing about AU’s is I much prefer to stick within the canon of the universe, within reason. Writing full AU’s isn’t exactly fun to me, it’s a test in patience.
Since I don’t have to be done until January, I’m mostly taking my time and working on prompts in between Whumptober prompts (as well as a 9-1-1 Halloween fic that I just remembered I signed up for). It’ll be a while until I’m done, but I’m already happy with what I’ve got.
In short, bingos are fun, and if you have the time, give them a whirl!
Until next time!
