Recent comments in /f/WritingPrompts

PapayaAgreeable7152 t1_iyacllx wrote

>story where Death becomes known as Life, the story about the Skips, and the story about not looking at the Moon

These sound interesting. Do you know the titles of them? Or where I can find them?

15

FearMeImmortals t1_iyabxx9 wrote

A man is kidnapped and given extraordinary super powers. Turns out, it wasn't a government experiment gone wrong - the villain just wanted an enemy.

No, no, no! Something without superheroes. No matter how cool they may be. They're so overdone - even original ideas seem like tropes now. I've got to come up with something else.

You're out for your daily walk when suddenly you come across an abandoned space ship. You investigate further and discover something shocking... dogs are really aliens!

Okay, that one is unoriginal. I think I've seen the same thing a thousand times, maybe with some details exchanged for others. I mean, come on, aliens? Really? What the hell is wrong with me?

No, I have to come up with something better. Something so original no one will think "typical superhero or alien prompt".

Aliens are invading! They reveal to humanity that all aliens are superheroes and supervillains. They destroyed their old planet fighting - Earth is their new playground.

God, really? Alien superheroes? I swear, it is so hard to come up with prompts now.

Wait.

That's it!

An r/WritingPrompts user struggles to write a prompt that isn't about superheroes or aliens.

Technically it's still about superheroes and aliens in a way, but at least it's somewhat creative, right?

..right?

★★★

Unironically love some of the prompts I came up with for this lol. But hope you enjoyed this! It was super fun to write even if short!

2

MechisX t1_iyabmy7 wrote

2

HoodieSticks t1_iyab9h5 wrote

I love gushing about this book, so just to give people a taste of how meta this book gets (and because I'm pretty sure nobody here is actually going to read this book far enough to see these plot points), allow me to spoil some things for you:

>!So this isn't actually about someone realizing they're inside a book. This is a book about someone reading a book about someone else who's realizing they're in a book. To keep things straight, I'll use names.!<

>!Hilda is reading a book about philosophy that was written by her father (who we'll call "the author"), and it was written explicitly for Hilda. In the book, a girl named Sophie is taught philosophy by a mysterious man named Alberto. Halfway through the story, Alberto reveals to Sophie that they are both inside Hilda's book. Alberto has known the whole time, but he didn't want to tell Sophie because then Hilda would also find out.!<

>!Once Sophie (and by proxy, Hilda (and by proxy, us as readers)) find out that Sophie's world isn't real, the author drops all pretenses. Fairy tale creatures appear and strange phenomena just happen, because the author knows he doesn't need to justify it anymore. Sophie and Alberto start trying to figure out which parts of their lives are part of Hilda's book and which parts were skipped over, so they can start plotting against the author to escape the book. As the story nears the end, the author has to make things happen faster and faster, to avoid any kind of time skip and prevent Sophie and Alberto from having time "off-camera". Hilda at one point wonders if she can give S&A some privacy by skipping past a few pages.!<

>!The point of the book, though, is that Hilda repeatedly wonders to herself whether or not she is real or fictional. She realizes at one point that there's nothing she can do to prove to herself that she is real (because of course she isn't - we as readers know she is indeed a character in a book). Which then prompts the question: how do we know that we're real? What if we are also just a character in someone else's book? And if we are just characters in a book, how should we react to that information?!<

3

Kurai_Tora t1_iyaam7w wrote

Orcs. A belligerent race predominantly carnivore whose most infamous activity is raiding human settlements for the food stores when winter or drought strikes. They were strong, few humans could battle them head on. But they had to be careful with the looting, too much and a powerful party would be called to eliminate them.

Angorod was the third son of the chieftain, growing up he was fed with human supplies. The soup was much better than a simple roasted deer leg, the cheese melted in his mouth, and the wine brought a pleasant fuzz over his body. He was taken by the ambition to craft more of these delicious treats, and perhaps create new recipes.

Once it was time for his Trailcrush, a journey to prove he was an adult, he was resolute in his goal to become the first refined chef in his tribe. Angorod had learned a few human words, and hoped it would help convey his desire. Armed with a pack, clothing for every terrain, and his trusty machete, he set off down the ravine.

It failed. Every adventurer band he met was hostile, despite him putting away his blade and trying to reason with them. He was currently running from a squad intent on skinning him, apparently his tattooed skin and red tusks were very coveted. His mad dash had him trip into a faceplant in a clearing, and looking back revealed that the humans were held back by some invisible barrier.

A woman was reading a book by a chalet when she spotted the poor bastard. A few waves had the orc strung up in the air defenseless. "What do you want?" Margot had a fireball ready to roast his family jewels. "Teach! I want learn!" The spell was snuffed and the woman had an appraising look.

"What is your goal? Your mana is too weak for casting, your only saving grace is muscles." Her eyes were like a Carmine Rattlesnake, which had him trembling in his sandals. "Food. Cook. Please." She giggled at his sad look, it was the first time she saw something so cute in months. "Now I understand why he adopted that kid."

===

Angorod began learning under the witch, both cuisine and language. "Depending on your performance, I might teach more." She taught him how to test plants and mushrooms for bad reactions, which proved vital when a dab of macerated mint made his hand swell double its size. "So even orcs have allergies. Be careful, anaphylaxis can lead to a fast death."

The woman was stricter than his pops when it came to learning. She had him pick up herbs all day long, from steep cliffs and deep in dangerous beast nests. Then he would spend his nights identifying his haul. Then he was kicked into a mine to dig minerals, then identify his load. Rinse and repeat.

While the witch did teach him the basics of cuisine, she was also drilling him about the ingredients he could find in the future. "I have no interest in experimenting with food. But it would be a damn shame if you died to a destroying angel." Well, he supposed that potioncraft was close enough to cooking to start his knowledge pool.

"Drink this." Margot offered a bottle with swirling multicolor sparkles. "Drink...?" Angorod was suspicious, it resembled the potions she forbid him from touching. "Brat, if I wanted to kill you, you would be bones by now." She snapped her fingers, dropping the liquid straight in his stomach.

He collapsed in a fetal posture, his blood felt like it was boiling. "Rejoice~ You're my first official apprentice!" The potion was supposed to strengthen his core, enabling him to access alchemy and healing spells.

===

Training with Margot was difficult and torturous. The time taken perhaps had convinced his tribe he died during the journey. But no, he was treading a different path from his brothers. He wasn't a berserker or a walking bastion. No, he wasn't a combatant at all, but that was fine.

He was in the first stage to become a true chef, and there was much to learn about culinary and the wealth of ingredients in this world. Angorod had a new goal, to write a recipe book about everything he hunted, from every continent he'd explore, like the sea serpent he was facing right now.

32

pyrodice t1_iyaakje wrote

Is she Terra, Sarah, or both and just has a pen-name? Couple tiny typos, like the first "as"... "wanted me now to read it", and you have a "yo" where it was supposed to be an "up", but pretty solid!

2

Restser t1_iyaai4a wrote

Hey Katpoker666. Succinct and lyrical. You paint a picture of loss without ever saying the words.

To nitpick for a moment, "my duvet" might work. The following sounds episodic even though the MC might think this way:

>Lacing on my running shoes, I bolt outside into the chill November air. I race down the cobbled streets.

To reduce the depence on "I":

>I lace my running shoes then bolt down cobbled streets in chill November air.

The chill November air can only be outside.

You've written a deceptively deep piece. It is a joy to read. Cheers.

2

AutoModerator t1_iya7yww wrote

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

&#127381; New Here? &#9999; Writing Help? &#128226; News &#128172; Discord

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

AichSmize t1_iya7gnx wrote

28