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July Writing Prompts 2021
July is here! Strange things are afoot in the Nexus of late, and it seems Coyote has caused quite a ruckus among the populace. It's been a joy to see your creativity in how your characters' desires have backfired on them, and the development they've had in the aftermath. What other opportunities might there be? Stay tuned! And As always--
Disclaimer: I never close old writing prompts from previous months. People can and should be encouraged to post on old month's prompts and I highly encourage players to track these posts to catch stragglers or new people writing on old prompts.
Now. With that out of the way, onto this month's prompts.
1. So, this is how it all began.
2. A spontaneous, thoughtful gesture for a friend.
3. "You know, you wouldn't think that'd be the case, but you'd be wrong."
4. What does your character procrastinate on?
5. "...and that's when I pushed them into the pond."
Bonus image prompt:
no subject
Not gonna lie. It's GRIM with no happy ending - yet. We're working on that. There is, however, a tiny fragment of hope in the notes at the end.
(Trigger warnings for discussion of grim apocalypse, child mortality, physical violence. No sexual content - I keep that shit well away from my kid characters.)
This fleshes out the details of the songfic 'A Black Sun' and tells of Asiaak's original life, his death, and his resurrection as a prince of hell.
no subject
"Nightmares and Dreamscapes"
There is a huge warning on this for nsfw in the non-sexy sense. I mean huge. Because apparently I just can't have anything nice and peaceful, I gotta mess with it.
A spontaneous, thoughtful gesture for a friend...
Another spontaneous, thoughtful gesture for a friend!
3 - a casual discourse on the subject of alternate worlds
Isamu glanced up from the novel he was reading. It was one of his old favorites from the Harry Potter series, probably one that he could recite both forwards and backwards by this point. And one that, as they both knew now, captured moderately accurate real world events in another world.
“I suppose that could be the case. I mean, I certainly cannot rule it out.”
“Then it’s possible that we’re basically background characters in all our favorite stories.”
“Minoru, within a multiverse, there are infinite possibilities branching across infinite realities. Billions upon billions of moments had to happen in perfect synchronicity for our families to meet and mingle at the various points that eventually led to our existence. Can you imagine the chances of that happening anywhere else? And even if it did, with that many changes, we likely would not even recognize ourselves.”
“You know, you’d think that wouldn’t be the case. But you’d be wrong.” Minoru countered, plopping down on the couch with a small bag of apple slices.
“Excuse me?”
“Loki said so.” Minoru shrugged. “He said, even though you THINK there’s going to be billions of ways you could be different in different universes, that every other version of himself he met pretty much has the same set of recognizable characteristics. That there are things that make you, well, YOU, even across space and time.”
“Fundamental essence? Despite obvious genetic variations?” Isamu slowly closed the book.
“Yeah, something like that?” He offered while munching. “Like, things we just kind of have a knack for. They might be the same no matter where we are.”
“So by virtue of my intelligence, you would propose that in at least one version of Hermione’s world there’s, at some point - perhaps in the past or perhaps in the future - a Ravenclaw student walking around by the name of Isamu.”
“Mmhm.”
“And a Slytherin student named Minoru doing parkour on a broom?”
“Something like that, yeah.” Minoru grinned. “Or, well, basically, that there’s a greater chance of you being a Ravenclaw because of the things that make you fundamentally you, than, say, you being a Hufflepuff that plays the magical violin in a famous wizard orchestra. If that’s even a thing.”
Isamu put the book down on the table in front of him, thinking about this hypothesis. (And not just the possibility of a magical violin or a wizard orchestra.)
“Or in Dr. Malcom’s world, if you’re working for the park, you’re probably sequencing genes or breeding dinosaurs instead of being a ticket collector or a ride operator.”
“Heaven forbid we have counterparts in that world. You would probably be out there trying to wrangle them.” He mused, the first image coming to mind being one of clicker training a velociraptor. Because if anyone was fast enough to get out of that paddock alive, it would be Minoru.
“Not gonna lie. That sounds about as fun as scaling skyscrapers with Jack.” Minoru noted, quickly changing topics as Isamu gave that familiar glare. (Because if there was one world Isamu really didn’t want to think about having counterparts in, it was the one containing Hunger City.) “Okay, okay. But you get my point.”
“I do.” He nodded. “And it is a particularly fascinating thought exercise.”
“Like, I could be cleaning up the same hospital as Dr. House while you’re running labs. I could be a Power Ranger, while you’re back at the Command Center figuring out how to make Zords work. Or I could be a Jedi Knight and you could be a Jedi… uh…”
“Jedi Librarian, of course. They did exist. At least, in the books.” Isamu smirked. “And while I do not doubt you are crazy enough in multiple universes to wield a plasma blade in far too close a proximity to your own head than should be reasonable, you also cannot meditate for more than ninety seconds before wanting to go crazy.”
“Okay, fine. You think of one.” He laughed.
It did not take Isamu long to suggest, “I could be a Prestigious Starfleet science officer and rare human graduate from the Vulcan Science Academy, while you serve on the same ship’s medbay and do Ninja Warrior runs on the holodeck.”
“Who says you’re even human? You could actually be a… uh… Vulcans are the ones with the pointy ears, right?”
“Yes, and have a biological as well as cultural affinity for logic above all else. While such a description would fit me perfectly, If we are to assume that we remain twins, it would need to be discounted because it does not also fit you. Unless of course, our parents were from different species, the same way Tom and Aletayria…”
“Hang on, you think we’d still be twins?”
“You did propose a set of recognizable characteristics that define an individual across space and time.” Isamu nodded. “I cannot think of a more significant characteristic for either of us. Nor would I want to.”
Minoru smiled. “That’s sweet, Bro.”
“Of course, there is always the possibility of me being a chemist at TGRI and you accidentally mutating yourself into a half-human, half-snake creature that is then mistaken for a villain by four already-mutated reptiles.”
Minoru laughed so hard that he snorted.
This could (and probably would) go on all night.
This is how it all began - Ziggyverse AU
“Sorry that took so long.” He immediately apologized. “Not only were they short-staffed, the computer system was down. I had to handwrite all my documentation.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Dee insisted, “It gave me plenty of time to go over some song ideas with another composer.”
“Oh?”
“Jeremy, this is Erik. Erik, Jeremy.” He started to make the introduction as one of the usual waitresses passed them by.
“Oh, hi, Jay.” Despite living in LA for years, the woman never fully lost her Brooklyn accent. “Hadn’t seen you ‘round in a few weeks. Want me to put on the usual? Or should I bring you out a menu?”
“No, no. Not tonight. Thank you. I’ve got a salad in the fridge waiting for me at home.” He waved her off. A hand went to his midsection. He blushed slightly. “and a tux I still need to squeeze into next month.”
Dee smirked. “You know I think you’re perfect just the way you are.”
Jeremy couldn’t help but glance in Erik’s direction as he blushed. Not everyone had such an open view about homosexual couples, not to mention one with a visible age difference. (On top of the 12 year gap between them, as thin as Dee was, people often assumed he was younger than even that.) Fortunately, he was in good company.
Dee added, to the waitress. “Check please. And chair.”
“You want me to bag the rest up for you to go?” She nodded to the half-eaten plate of pancakes.
“Yes, please.” He nodded politely and she took it back for him.
As she walked off, he finished the introduction, “Jay is my fiancé.”
Erik shook his hand, and asked, “ah, are you a musician too?”
“I play the violin. Though, not as much professionally.” He replied. “I’m a local agency nurse.”
“It’s how we met, though.” Dee added. “We performed in the same symphony program. It was the summer after my sophomore year out here. I’d auditioned for a part in the chorus, and he was first chair violin. Very well deserved, I might add. But it wasn’t until the winter program, when I had a solo part, that we started, well, getting to know each other better.”
“You collapsed on stage during dress rehearsal.” Clearly, given his day job, he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. “You kept insisting you were fine. That you’d just been standing for too long.”
“It was true.”
“The part about standing too long was. The part about you being fine was definitely up to interpretation.”
It seemed a bit comical how they talked about the situation so casually now. Beneath the gentle ribbing there was a serious tone underneath - one that rose to the surface when the waitress pushed a simple wheelchair around the corner with a bag tied to one of the handles.
“Here you boys go. You have a safe night, all right?” She smiled. “Come back and see me again real soon.”
“You know we will.” Dee nodded. “Thank you.”
He slowly shifted himself toward the end of the booth, while Jeremy offered an outstretched arm. Dee braced himself on it, as well as the table, and carefully stood up. Both arms and legs shook under the strain.
“Would you like help?” The older man asked softly. He held onto Dee’s arm, providing support, but didn’t push. Clearly, at this point in their relationship, he trusted the younger man to be honest about what he needed and wanted. That trust was something that Dee cherished, a rare gift no one else in his life ever thought to give.
“No, no…” Dee shook his head. “…Just need a second.”
When he fairly sure his legs would support him, he let go of the table. He still held onto Jeremy’s arm, but their grips had both loosened. He walked the few steps over to the waiting wheelchair and dropped down into it.
“For the record, I could stand a lot longer back then.” He added, to clarify the story. “But… I may have also been a little more reluctant to accept help when I couldn’t.”
“A little?” Jeremy raised an eyebrow.
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” Erik didn’t want to put his new friend on the spot, but the two of them seemed rather open about a lot of things. Dee wasn’t hiding his disability any more than he was hiding his sexuality. Though, he still greatly appreciated being asked, rather than being pitied or fawned over.
“I was born with something kind of like muscular dystrophy. But not exactly that.” Still, it proved the best point of comparison, being a condition most people had at least heard of. “I didn’t really show any symptoms until I was a teenager. Got diagnosed in high school. Parents immediately started me on a treatment regimen. Therapy, steroids, the works.“
Erik nodded as he followed the story. Most people did. But the nodding usually stopped at the next turn. His doctors and his parents all prioritized beating the disease. But over the course of a year, he’d had to drop one activity after another. Eventually, he had to drop out of school entirely - in too much of a fog and debilitated by side effects to do anything he cared about. They assured him this was for the best. It was what he needed to do to prevent his muscles from wasting away. But no one seemed to notice or care that it was his life that was now wasting away instead.
“The day I turned 18, I called the doctor and told them I was done. My parents fought me on it, but they couldn’t legally stop me. Or stop me from leaving. I got my GED here in California, took the admission exams for CalArts. Once I got in, I never looked back.”
Being told ‘you will be completely bed-bound, if not dead, before you’re 25 unless you do something aggressive right now’ is a very strong motivator for most people. But for Dee, the desire to make music was a stronger motivator. It made what was going to be left of his life worth living.
“My final recital actually combined rock vocals and violin. We got a few of his friends to play the other instruments. The sound was amazing. I keep working on new pieces under my stage name, The Prophet. I still want to get an album out, maybe even go on the road. See the world.” The passion in his voice, was genuine. More importantly, it was shared. He reached a hand up to his fiancé, who took it. “Together. Of course.”
Erik didn’t want to say anything, but by the look of things, his condition was outpacing many of those dreams. It was Jeremy who noticed the concerned expression first.
“It’s definitely still possible.” He added. “About six months ago, I learned about a new treatment, a biologic coming out of World Enterprises. It hadn’t been used on his specific condition, but it had showed a lot of promise in other types of degenerative muscle wasting. And with a lot fewer side effects. I asked if he wanted to try it. And after a few weeks, he finally said yes.”
Dee laughed. “He was more nervous asking about that than when he proposed.”
“Well, I knew you were going to say yes to that. This, on the other hand…”
There was a very real possibility that Dee would have shut him down. And while he would’ve ultimately respected his decision, it would have been difficult. Jeremy had definitely fallen for the younger man. They’d moved in together after Dee graduated, and the relationship only grew from there. The thought that he might not be around for much longer was heartbreaking to say the least.
“I go in for an infusion once a month. I’m pretty tired and queasy the day afterwards, but that’s the worst of it. It’s not anything like what I went through in high school.” Dee smiled, relieved. “And they say it’s working. The deterioration’s stopped. At least for now. It shouldn’t get any worse.”
“It’s too soon to tell if the changes are permanent, or what muscle mass he might be able to regain. But we’re optimistic.” Jeremy smiled back. “About a lot of things.”
Erik smiled in turn. He’d definitely share the demo with the rest of the guys. Maybe he’d even work with him on some new pieces. Playing guitar and violin off each other could make for an amazing sound. And the Prophet had a gift for writing lyrics - he’d chosen that stage name for a reason, after all. They could all make some incredible music together.
They nearly started talking about music all over again when Jeremy’s stomach provided its own rhythm section. Dee laughed out loud, earning an embarrassed eye roll from his fiancé.
“Come on, if we don’t get home soon, you will find me finishing your leftover pancakes AND ordering a grand slam. Diet blown.”
“All right, all right…” Dee laughed. He turned to his new friend and future collaborator. “Call me later? I’d like to work on this some more.”
Erik nodded. Dee waved goodbye as Jeremy pulled the chair back down the aisle until he could turn around. The host at the front held the door open for them.