Old Prompts
These are a few prompts I've either already written, or am currently working on. I'd be open to variations or revisiting one of these if there's interest though!
Love Behind the Lines
(M x F - Romantic)This one has been a favorite prompt for a while now. I've always adored the idea of love blossoming in terrible circumstances. An American soldier and a French farmgirl, with the ever-present Nazi threat. What's not to like? As with all tales, there are plenty of possible variations on this theme, and plenty of places it could go. Let me know your thoughts!
Two hours had passed, and his hands wouldn't stop their shaking no matter how hard he tried to calm himself. He'd resorted to sitting on them, working to hide his fear so the other fellas wouldn't laugh. The cabin jolted and he looked up, gazing around at the pale faces of the others surrounding him, like the ghosts of soldiers past huddled in the red light of this loud and drafty metal tube, and decided it likely didn't matter. They looked just as terrified as he…
It'd been a whirlwind of activity over the past three months, training and retraining for this very day. He'd signed up to join the army a few months before that in a wave of patriotic fervor, despite the protestations of his mother, who'd lost her older brother in the Great War years past. Her tear-stained cheeks had returned to his thoughts every now and then throughout his training, along with her insistent refrain that he "not be a hero" while over there. She didn't understand, of course... being a hero was the reason he'd signed up in the first place! The reason he'd headed over to the recruitment center, dragging Bill and Paul, his best friends, along with him. Bill had not made the cut, unfortunately, due to the remnants of the Scoliosis he'd had since youth. When the man had read his name, "Jack Mason" along with Paul's, he felt like it was the proudest moment he'd ever experienced. This was it! A chance to prove his mettle, to fight injustice and evil... a grand adventure!
The Jack of today felt like heading back to that fateful day and slapping his fool self across the head. Thoughts of adventure had been swept away by the endless training, the reality of actually having to kill another human being, and on one particular day... by the body of a British co-pilot, pulled bloody and wreaked from the remains of a bomber that had managed to limp back to the base where they were stationed. The haunted, shattered look on the man's face had driven home that this was no storybook, no boy's game. This war was "for keeps", and if he wasn't careful, the next mangled corpse could easily be his own.
He'd known this particular day was coming, just not precisely when. Part of an advance force of paratroopers, his duty was to land deep within German-occupied France, meet up with others from his unit, and to help pave the way for the D-Day invasion force by cutting communication lines, destroying bridges, and what other mayhem they could accomplish. The danger inherent in this particular assignment was not lost on any involved, and they'd spent many a sleepless night with each other, talking about their lives, their regrets, and their hopes like condemned men. He looked across the shaking cabin, finding then meeting the wide eyes of Paul, who'd somehow made it into the same unit and assignment he had. This fact had given him no small measure of comfort, since he'd at least be jumping into this great unknown with a true friend. He thought about the conversation they'd had last night, about Bill back home, likely having a grand old time with the girls both of them had pined for over the last few lonely weeks. The other fellas in their unit had been little help in that regard. Some had talked of the special gals they'd had waiting for them back home, shown him pictures of their smiling faces, read the letters they'd sent. Jack had nothing like that, no girl at home waiting for him, and in his private moments, thought that maybe he was one of the lucky ones because of it. With that much less to lose, maybe he could face his approaching end with a measure less of regret for a future lost. A bleak point of view, to be sure, but such are the thoughts of a boy, hardly out of his teenage years, when staring down the barrel of infinity.
He was jolted from his reverie by the loud buzzing signal alarm, indicating that they'd reached the drop zone. He found Paul's eyes again, and they both shared a grim nod, an unspoken reminder of their agreement that no matter what - they'd find each other, stick together, and maybe somehow get through this. At once, there was a flurry of movement throughout the cabin, voices shouting in the dim red light, and the shrieking of the wind as the door was thrown open. Up now! Move, move, move! Forward a step, hand on the shoulder of the fella in front of you, another step, and another. Waiting for that moment, that sickening awful moment when it's finally your turn, taking that grand step outside the relative safety of the cabin into the unknown...
And before he knew it, there he was, outside and cold and terrified and being tossed around in the wind, hanging from the lines of his chute like a marionette. Automatically, his hands went to his guide lines and he worked to right himself, just like he'd been trained. It was all but impossible in this wind, however, and the darkness just compounded matters. He looked around, frantically, just trying to see and gauge where on earth the ground was.
His prayers for light and vision were answered, but in the worst possible way. An explosion, then another as anti-aircraft guns opened up, filling the sky with thunder and shrapnel. He saw the ground, a field of trees, and was searching for a spot to land when a terrific force struck behind him. An explosion of light, heat, and sound overcame him, sending him falling into a tunnel of darkness as his consciousness fled his body, and left him with only the sensation of falling down... down... down...
Light.
The first thing that came to his awareness was the light of the sun, then... singing? Heaven... Stretched out, surrounded by warm yellow sunlight, the smell of flowers and apples, and the singing of an angel. This isn't so bad, he thought to himself. Jack opened his eyes, seeing blue sky, leaves on branches, white fluttering cloth. He went to lift his head...
And an unbelievable pain shot through his neck and down through his body, eliciting an uncontrollable groan.
Pain? This can't be heaven. What had happened? Where was he?
He could barely move without agony, but needed to do something. Wait... the singing angel. Was she near? He listened and heard the same sweet voice, beginning to grow fainter now.
In a panic, with a voice as loud as he could muster, he moaned a weak, "Help!"
The Stowaway
(M x F - Romantic)A classic “star-crossed lovers” tale, with many different directions that could be taken. Is our stowaway human, or alien? Why are they there, and where are they going? Will romance blossom, or will this be a simple encounter before rescue arrives? When I wrote this, I had the Mass Effect universe in mind, and was thinking of a Human Blake and Asari or Quarian stowaway. This could easily be part of our own universe though, and I’m open to many different options. The idea of love blossoming in such circumstances between two very different beings is something I’d love to write out. How will their cultural differences come into play, to say nothing of their differing anatomy?
Blake groaned and slammed both hands on the blinking instrument panel in front of him. Not hard enough to break anything, mind you... another malfunction was the last thing he needed right now. Sinking back into the soft padded foam of his pilot's seat, he raised his eyes to the dusty ceiling, closing them and begging whatever god was actually out there to lift him from this mess. After a beat, he opened his eyes... blinked, and then looked around. Nope, still here.
Damn it to hell and back, he thought
This haul had been going so well so far! A shipment of engine parts, a few boxes of extro-protein rations, and a crate of medical supplies for the nearby Hestian colony. The pay wasn't as much as he’d usually get from some runs, given the meagre resources the colony possessed, but it was hard currency, with "no questions asked." All but irresistible for a guy in his position.
Blake’s taste for poker and some of the more exotic games of chance had gotten him into no small amount of debt with gang of slavers. With any luck, he figured, the payment for this shipment would keep them off of his back for at least a few more weeks. Long enough for a couple more runs to raise the funds to pay them off completely. Then I can go cold turkey, he’d thought, this time for real.
But, of course, his rotten "gambler's luck" had gone and screwed him again. A ripple in the ship's protective shielding, combined with a pea-sized asteroid during travel had done a number on the old FTL drive, shorting out almost everything on the ship apart from life support and lighting. Even the communications rig was down, so he was all but adrift until he could either get something fixed, or the one-in-a-million chance of some other ship finding him. Yeah, he thought to himself with another sigh, I'm a tiny speck in an infinite universe... not likely.
Well, he thought, pursing his lips, might as well see how badly I'm fucked this time. Blake stood up, slapped his hand over the glowing orange switch to open the cockpit door, and started his walk back to the engine compartment to check on the damage. As he did so, he idly hoped the emergency seals had at least remained intact or this was going to be an awfully short journey. As he made his way through the cluttered cargo bay, he paused a moment, hearing a soft clatter on the far end, followed by a distinct shuffling sound.
What on Terra was that?
Drawing the small las-pistol from the holster at his hip, he began to slowly walk towards the sound, ready for almost anything...
Higher Education
(M x F - Seduction)A classic forbidden love story, that between teacher and student. As a teacher in real life, I have zero interest in destroying my career though any sort of indulgence like this. Since this is written fantasy, though - why not? There are so many variations on this theme that could be fun, and I’d likely be open to most of them. Tell me what would pique your interest, and let’s write something educational!
Another semester, another section of Intro to Psychology. I've taught this course so many times now I could do the lectures in my sleep. For all I know I probably do, though my wife hasn't complained. Lecture slides prepared, videos recorded, assignments ready to be assigned... everything's set to go. Just like it was the semester before, and the semester before that.
Do I sound like I'm stuck in a rut?
Sitting in my office, I let out a sigh, gazing out the window at the light snow falling on the campus lawn. Perhaps I am... There's only so many times you can teach the same thing before it becomes routine. Really, the only change each semester is the students, but even they fall into the same old categories. There's the overachievers, who sit in the front of the classroom and ask 90% of the questions. The social media princesses, constantly tapping on their phones when they're not taking "look I'm in class" selfies. At least they're usually pleasant enough to look at, I suppose. You've got the jocks, present but usually sleeping, confident that their tutors will bring them up to speed before exams. And finally, the stoners and burnouts, who when they do show up are usually in another world entirely.
This semester though, there was something different. There was Anna...
I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't sometimes attracted to my female students. Let's be honest, they're at the very flowering of their youth and sexuality, and what's more they're typically very aware of it. The arrival of cold weather each fall is practically a blessing, since I'm no longer at risk of being distracted by all the firm, supple flesh on display in front of me. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, chubby, skinny, nerds, bad girls, and princesses... I liked them all.
And, for the most part, they liked me. I was one of the younger professors, almost 40, and one of the "cool" ones I suppose. I’d worked hard to keep my trim physique that most of my colleagues had long ago let slide. I kept my hair, my clothes, and my knowledge of pop culture as current as I could. I'd tell a joke or two during lectures, gently tease the ones that left their phone's ringer on, and was fairly lenient on grading. I even got a couple of those "chili pepper" ratings on the “Dr. Jack Summers” page on RateMyProfessor, you know, the ones that mean you’re “hot”? If I'm being honest, those gave me more pride than any of my academic honors. Occasionally I'd get a little flirtation here and there... a skimpy outfit when coming to my office to discuss grades, or a delightful look up a skirt during class. Pretty innocent stuff, really, and I’d never really had a serious attraction to anyone until she entered my class.
Anna’s different somehow… A bit shorter than most her age, but with a very sexy figure, nice eyes, and amazing dark curly hair. I couldn’t tell you why exactly, but for some reason I liked her the moment she walked into class on the first day. As the days went by, my fondness for her has grown. Maybe it’s her unbelievably cute smile in response to my jokes, or perhaps it’s just the sheer… intensity I feel from her stare. Under her gaze, I sometimes feel like I’m under a microscope, but, well, not in a bad way. Almost like I’m being, for lack of a better term, adored. It’s flattering, for sure, but I would never expect things to go beyond that. Students sometimes have a crush on their teacher, and it happens every now and then to me, but I’m married… to both my career and my wife. I’m not willing to risk either for some fling with an undergraduate, no matter how often the thought of doing just that wanders into my mind.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
It’s time. I stand up, gather my laptop and shove it into my backpack, and grab my coat. Just a quick check to make sure I’ve got the handouts I’ll need for today, and I’m out the door, headed to another session for this course. Lately, I’ve found myself looking forward to this class more than any other. I’d lie and tell you it’s because the students are more engaged, or that I’ve hit a sweet spot with my delivery, but it’s neither of those things at all.
It’s her...
Together Alone
(M x F - Romance)I've always liked the idea of love blooming, even in the face of adversity. What could be more adverse than being stranded on a desert island? I'd imagine the love between these two would be slower to develop, since survival is their first priority, but after basic needs are taken care of... what else is there to do while you wait for rescue? There are plenty of variations possible on this theme, and I'm likely open to most of them. Let me know what you think!
Sun and sand… isn’t this what I wanted?
Paul looked out over the crystal clear waters, waves crashing against the sandy shore just a few feet away. The warm sand shifted beneath him as he changed his sitting position, and the hot sun on his back had him thinking he ought to get in the shade soon before he got burned. With the breeze blowing across him, it was easy to forget just how powerful those rays were. He didn’t burn easily, but he would burn, and that would only add to his problems.
Scanning the horizon, he saw nothing but blue ocean as far as the eye could see. No ships, no planes, no other people. The only sounds he heard were the rustling of palm fronds as the breeze whipped between them, and the occasional cry of a seabird. He was alone.
Closing his eyes, flashes memory of the past day came streaming back. A long-awaited trip to Australia to visit his cousin. Excitement when he was upgraded to first class, making it the first time he could recall ever looking forward to a 14 hour plane trip. Dozing off in that comfy seat after a couple of drinks and the dinner they’d served… then hours later, chaos. The shaking of the plane jostling him awake, looking out the window to see flashes of lightning amidst the driving rain. The sounds of the other passengers around him… gasping, yelling, crying. The sickening feeling of going down, down… and the screams of those around him. Impact. Cold water. Wind. Grabbing on to something. Fire and lights and then… waking up here on this beach.
It was like a bad movie, like that one he’d seen with Tom Hanks a few years back. But that didn’t really happen, did it? Surely there weren’t any uninhabited islands left in the world. The thought bolstered him, and he decided he’d rested long enough. It was time to get up and start walking, looking for the people that had to be here so he could let everyone know he’d survived. Looking one way down the beach, then the other, he settled on heading to the right, towards what looked like a denser set of palm trees. Anything could be on the other side of those... something... anything!
When he stood up, a glint of something reflecting the sun’s light caught his eye, about halfway towards those palms. He squinted, and could barely make out what looked like a set of rocks, or… no, he thought, a person! Immediately he began to run as quickly as he was able to over the soft sand. As he got closer, all became clearer. It was a person, someone lying on their stomach… a woman. The sun was glinting off of a bracelet on her wrist. She wasn’t moving.
Oh god, he thought, please don’t let her be dead. “Hey!” he shouted as he got closer, “are you ok?”
