Recent comments in /f/WritingPrompts

TankVet t1_iyazuuh wrote

“Love?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Why are explicit details about our sex life in what was supposed to be a young adult novel about unicorns accepting a troubled rhinoceros.”

“Ah. Yes. That. The publisher thought a different direction maybe.”

“This seems a very different direction. Although opportunities for a ‘horny’ joke abound.”

“Very adult of you to refrain.”

“She says, yet abstaining from offering an explanation.”

“She is working on that.”

“He’s listening.”

“The book sucked. I threw together a romance at the last minute to meet a deadline. And they say write what you know so I…”

“Wrote about my ‘magnificent throbbing-‘“

“Okay! So I was in a mood and we’d just gotten back from vacation and we’d had a lot of fun and it very much on my mind and, well, it was all I could come up with.”

“Us? Cast as a mysterious traveler possibly a spy and a disenchanted heiress looking for love?”

“It’s selling very well.”

“I imagine it is, it’s pornography with a dust jacket.”

“You’re for real? Not happy for me? For us?”

“You’re better than this. You’re better than unicorns and rhinos too! You’re as good as Madeline Miller, as Amor Towles, as Richard Powers! You can write like that! Why do you write drivel when you could write that?!”

“So what if I am? So what if this is it? Isn’t this enough? Isn’t this good enough? It’s selling so who cares? The deadline’s met, the thing is published, so who cares?”

“I care that the love of my life is scribbling with crayons on a silly placemat when she could be changing the world!”

“I’m not good enough for you.”

“No. You’re just better than this. It’s not about me. It’s about you treating your enormous talent like you’re somehow unworthy of it.”

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AutoModerator t1_iyaylko 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

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1

Totally_a_Human__ t1_iyavzx7 wrote

Once upon a time I was a famous detective,
I thought I was the greatest of all that had ever been detected.
But soon I realized a problem,
That every situation I solved was wildly contrived.

The clues I found were all too convenient,
The solutions to each case felt too obvious and evident.
I thought, why is this the way it is?
When I figured it out I could no longer resist.

The answer that I had finally found,
Was that I was a character in a book renown.
My life had been written out for me,
And the story was never meant to be free.

My every move was predetermined and planned
For the pleasure of a reader's hand.
My life was just a work of fiction,
No matter how hard I tried, I could not change my condition.

Though I was disappointed and feeling blue,
I still continued to see things through.
As the fictional detective I had always been,
I finished each case without fail and was done.

4

Totally_a_Human__ t1_iyav6qy wrote

As a teacher by day, a superhero by night,
Your mission was to tutor a student after school,
The secret you must keep out of sight.

The lessons were a success, your pupil was quite adept,
Time to say goodbye, you bid them adieu,
But when you looked outside, your heart skipped a beat.

The enemy you had been fighting for years,
The villain you thought you had outrun,
Was standing right there by the car, sending chills up your spine with no fear.

You knew it was time to do battle,
But how would you protect your charge?
You must think fast, for the clock was ticking, no time to dawdle nor enlarge.

Your mind raced through the options,
But in the end, you knew what you must do,
You quickly formed a plan, and put it into motion, with your student none the wiser, true.

You escorted them to the car, acting as if all was as it should be,
Your nemesis had no idea what was about to happen, of that you were sure, you could see.

You walked away, a plan in place,
Ready to face the fight of your life,
Your student's safety was your number one priority, no matter the cost and the strife.

The battle was fierce and it lasted for hours,
You emerged victorious in the end,
Your student safe and sound, and your nemesis defeated, the story to tell a friend.

The sun was setting, the day near done,
Your superhero identity was safe and sound,
You had not only saved the day, but your student, who was now safe and sound.

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alexgibbs11 t1_iyauqib wrote

Actually i was using the trope of "Device that tell Hero when and where crime is to stop it" more so then imply that Heros and Villains start at exact times, well villians do but not most Heros

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Totally_a_Human__ t1_iyaued7 wrote

You jump out of your seat in shock, your headphones slipping off your head. Your heart is pounding as you watch the demon hovering in mid-air, its eyes burning red as it stares right at you. You try to back away but you're rooted to the spot. You open your mouth to say something but all that comes out is a stutter.
The demon frowns. "Why did you call me in the tongue of old? You must have known the consequences of such a deed."
You shake your head, still in shock. You had no idea what you had done. You try to explain that you were just singing along to a song in a language you didn't understand, but the demon doesn't seem to believe you.
Suddenly, a voice speaks from behind you. "I summoned you here," it says. You turn to see an old man standing in the corner of your room. He looks familiar, although you can't quite place where you know him from.
"This is my grandson," he continues, "and I asked him to call upon you in the old language because I knew it would be the only way to get you to grant my wish. I know it was wrong of me, but I was desperate."
The old man explains that he is dying and wants to see his family one last time. He can't leave his home, so he needs the demon's help to bring his family to him.
The demon listens to the old man's story and agrees to help him. He tells you to bid farewell to the old man, and then disappears in a puff of smoke.
You stand there in shock, wondering what just happened. You had accidentally summoned a demon, and he had granted an old man's wish. You shake your head in disbelief and take a few moments to let it all sink in. You then take a deep breath and put your headphones back on.
You smile to yourself as a new song in a language you don't understand comes on. You laugh as you mumble along and think about the strange events that just occurred.

15

AutoModerator t1_iyatb6o 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

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1

faderjack t1_iyass88 wrote

That story was included at the end of the full published version of Gyo. I consider Gyo to be one of his weakest works, so I'd probably just find Enigma of Amigara Fault online, because it is one of his best short works. His best longform story is Uzumaki, which is def worth purchasing if you find you enjoy Amigara.

10

AutoModerator t1_iyap70r 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

🆕 New Here? ✏ Writing Help? 📢 News 💬 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

EvilNoobHacker t1_iyannsg wrote

The way I interpreted the prompt was like this:

Imagine if, after your whole life, learning how to use hands and feet, living with the idea that after this it was over, you gave up everything to be with your loved ones. They were with you the whole way. Thousands of great memories. Life changing moments spent with the ones you love.

Then, in a moment, that's all stripped away from you.

You wake up in an unfamiliar body that doesn't feel right, being talked to in a language you understand but don't like hearing, and every single feeling you ever felt deep in your heart was chalked down to nothing but a simulation where none of what you felt was real, and where what you were ripped from turned out to be nothing but pixels on a screen.

How would you react to that?

Of course, I wanted to make it a little more eldritch, so I added some mild body horror and a possibility that the world he woke up in is all a simulation too, but that's the general premise of it. If you want to add another layer to it, I'd love to read it.

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