Writing Prompts

[Krulle]

I deserve that.

I just wonder from what they'll subtract them?

[Cthulhu]

I just wonder from what they'll subtract them?

What, you can't see the numbers in the bottom left corner whenever you blink three times? Don't tell me that you haven't been vaccinated yet?

Jokes and silly conspiracy theories aside (but not vaccinations, do get them), I've written a draft for the first chapter. There, my protagonist shall fight against a devious Umiak trap and go down with glory, guns blazing, ships exploding, comrades dying. Ahem, it's for character development. And DRAMA, can't have a short story without heaps of that devious spice. After some editing I'll upload it in a few days.

[GrandAdmiralFox]

The thing is, EVERYONE is going to get more authoritarian no matter what you do, largely because of the technological context. As technology advances, rights and freedoms fluctuate. Privacy might be a good thing in yesteryear, but the evolving context is making it a fail-deadly right... in the form of every idiot with more ideology than sense getting what was advanced biotech equipment.

Stuff like the Dollar Flu from The Division? The tip of the metaphorical iceberg. We would be lucky if we have something akin to the webcomic GENOCIDE Man...

... and my setting A New World: A World of Conflict and Sorrow is where the various nations agree that privacy is to die. Which is a scary contrast to the Loroi now that I think about it...

[Tamri]

It is a pity that the Beacons and Nathan stories are frozen so far. It was interesting reading.

[Snoofman]

It is a pity that the Beacons and Nathan stories are frozen so far. It was interesting reading.

Same here dude. But writing takes time and effort. It’s easy to build the story in your head. But writing it all down is like construction; it takes time and effort. That… and it’s hard write when you don’t feel your muse.

[wolf329]

To help possibly reignite this thread, here's an opening to a story that I like as a concept, but don't have to time to work on. I've used <> to indicate sanzai when the perspective is third person omniscient, but when the perspective shifts, I don't. You'll see what I mean.

~~~~

Planetfall, abrupt and unintentional aboard a sabotaged Umiak cruiser...

..in the shadow of a glacier...

<His body temperature is lower!> Beryl nearly cried as she held the med scanner against Alex's forehead.

<Calm yourself, listel,> Tempo said as she frowned at her. <You have done what you can. The reflective blanket should reverse it.>

Beryl glanced at Alex, still unconscious from the crash and shivering despite the glistening foil sheet wrapped around him. <The usual and simplest protocol for hypothermia for a warm-blooded species is- is body heat regeneration, but...>

Unspoken was the simple truth: his body, a human body, required a much higher temperature than a loroi could provide.

Fireblade snorted. <It is hardly that cold, anyways.>

<It is far colder than his species experiences, Teidar,> Beryl snapped. <His planet only goes a few dozen of degrees below freezing in habitable areas. This- this place is well below that.>

<Weakness, regardless.> Fireblade crossed her arms and turned away.

Beryl's face screwed itself into petulant rage. <You- You don't care if he dies, do you?! He-They could be allies to us, have you- You have no sense of duty!>

Her hair whipped through the air as she turned on the petite analyst, and Teidar Fireblade towered over her. <You pathetic little xenophile leg spreader, I dare you to say->

<ENOUGH.> Stepping between them, Tempo sighed. <She is upset, listel, because of what I am going to ask her to do.>

<What?> Beryl said.

<Do you think my name was given by whim, listel?> Fireblade replied. She turned away again.

With growing awareness, Beryl looked between her and Alex's shaking form. <What of his... lotai?>

<She does not have to read his mind, only warm his skin,> Tempo said. <And given enough contact, she shouldn't have to do any more.>

<Get him stripped, listel,> Fireblade said as she began to remove her armor. <You can do that at least, and I'm sure you're eager to anyways.>

Refusing to react to the provocation, Beryl unwrapped Alex and began tugging on his suit. The odd straps and old fashioned closures stymied her for a bit, but eventually she managed to remove it all. With a rapidly blushing face she turned back to see Fireblade, equally naked, grasp up the sheet and lie down next to him. Wrapping the blanket back around her body and Alex's, Fireblade shivered. <Blast, it is cold. This had better work, Parat.>

<Can you sense anything?> Beryl said, her scientific curiosity overcoming her embarrassment and definitely, without a doubt, absolutely not jealousy.

<No!> Fireblade snapped. <Maybe. I can...> She struggled to get a hand up to his face where it was visible, and held it against his bare skin. She closed her eyes. <Listel, use the gauge to see if I'm having any effect.>

She held the scanner over Fireblade's hand. <...Yes! His skin is warming. Be- be careful?>

<It is... not easy. Please keep the monitor scanning,> Fireblade said as she squinted, <on both of us. I am trying to warm his blood without boiling mine, and it is a very short distance. I am not... good at this sort of precision, especially over such a broad area.>

~~~~

Warm. That was the first sensation Alex felt. Odd, since from the last thing he remembered in the crash was the skin shredding cold wind blowing into the cabin.

Alongside arms wrapped around him, and smoothness of naked skin against naked skin. Which made him inadvertantly think of Ellen, and their last tryst. Who is Ellen? Which surprised him, because he knew who Ellen was. But a voice inside his head did not. More importantly, however, was the question of who was holding him, and how cool they felt, yet his skin still felt almost uncomfortably hot. God, he stinks. Well I've only managed to take sink baths for several weeks now- Wait a minute! There it was again, a thought inside his mind that wasn't his. He was sure of it this time. Unless he was mistaken-

"Alex? Can you hear me?" He glanced up into the worried face of Beryl.

"..yes," he mumbled. His head still felt groggy. A throbbing pain on one side of it told him he probably had a mild concussion. I could really go for some roast bizal. A fear swept over him and he took stock of the loroi he could see. Beryl, Tempo... By the cave's entrance, Talon and someone else, Flint? Thus by process of elimination, and why his skin was being warmed by a comparatively cooler loroi body...

"Um, Fireblade, what is 'bizal'?" he asked without turning around.

"It... it is a root vegetable, Alex, but why did you ask that of Fireblade?" Beryl said as she raised an eyebrow.

Because you can hear me! The surprise in the thought Alex knew for certain came from the warm, cool loroi pressed against his back and wow those are-

"Gyah!" Alex jerked as a sharp burning sensation flared at his lower back. Keep your opinions about my body to yourself. I can't! I don't have any way of *not* thinking about something you tell me not to think about, that's not how humans are wired! He looked up at Beryl, who along with Tempo were staring at him in stunned amazement.

"Alex, are you communicating with Teidar Fireblade?" Tempo said. She looked the most surprised of all. "In sanzai?!"

"I, uh, I think so?" he said. She turned her attention to Fireblade for a moment.

Three point one four one five nine. Tell Tempo that number.

"Er... three point one four one five nine?" Alex said.

Tempo's eyes grew wider. "Alright, he can't hear my sanzai, but he can sanzai with Fireblade. Alex. Have you noticed anything like this before during your time with us?"

"Yes," he said. "When Beryl was in my- during the Gola relay attack, Beryl tried to sanzai with me in... um... closer proximity, I could just barely sense something that I was almost certain was the presence of Teidar Fireblade."

Close proximity?! That's for sure! Oh, that's some good blackmail.

Oh good, I have a peanut gallery in my head now. He glanced at Beryl who was developing a vibrant blue blush across her face while avoiding eye contact with him and Fireblade. Tempo looked at her with crossed arms, a raised eyebrow, and a definite smirk.

"While I understand your desire to gain insight into the biology of humans, perhaps be a little more prudent in when you do so?" Tempo said.

"Yes, Mizol Parat," Beryl replied.

"Now, Captain Jardin, I am going touch your head and attempt to sanzai with Fireblade at the same time," Tempo said as she removed a glove. "As a mizol, I have more experience with delicate mental analysis than an untrained listel who should have been aware of that," she continued with a pointed look at Beryl.

Her hand was as cool as Fireblade's skin. Alex. A slightly different tone from Fireblade. Can you understand my words. I can hear you! This- this is amazing! His eyes went wide, as did Tempo's, who smiled at him. Yes, this is amazing. You are the first non-loroi in any recorded history who has been reached through sanzai; one or two other species can mask themselves, somewhat, but none are able to communicate with us via it. Yeah, yeah, is the human warm enough yet so I can stop humiliating myself like this?

Actually, I'm feeling a little colder, can you hug me closer? "Ow!" Alex shouted as another stab of heat prodded him. Fireblade shoved him away from her, and wrapped the sheet around herself as she stood up. Alex, already shivering, grabbed at his scattered uniform and hurriedly pulled it on. Tempo sighed and rolled her eyes. She rose to her feet as well.

"Alex Jardin, I am going to dispense with formalities regarding your temporary status. This is a very important issue, and we will require professionalism to deal with it," she said. "Do I make myself clear, enzin?"

Ensign, not captain. "Yes, ma'am," he said as he straightened up.

"Good. Now, Teidar Fireblade is going to- yes, you are. This is monumental, and as far as we know, you are the catalyst." She stared at the teidar who rolled her eyes, but grasped Alex's handed roughly. Bloody ape, you had better be a little less- for sake of the stars, can you stop thinking about that?! Alex quickly turned his head away from Fireblade as she pulled the blanket around herself tighter.

"Alex, I recognize that this is difficult," Tempo said as she stepped closer and took his hand as well. "But you must maintain decorum?" Especially with, hmm, attractive women? This is very odd. So we resemble human females so much? Yes. It's um, very distracting sometimes. Fireblade, you should probably get dressed, Alex doesn't need you to warm him anymore. Finally!

Fireblade dropped his hand, and quickly pulled her bodysuit on. Tempo turned to him, still holding his hand. Can you still sanzai? Yes. I can, uh... hear you? He waited for more. Tempo's brow furrowed, then she sighed and turned to Fireblade, now putting on her armor. The teidar snapped her head back up, very nearly snarled, and turned away. But without further complaint she walked back to their little circle and took Alex's hand again.

Now, was there any other time you sensed Fireblade? Yes, when you were relaying her description of her training days. You were scarred, across your right eye? Fireblade's expression softened just the slightest. Yes. It was a wound I had until it was healed by more skilled doranzers than the frontline medics. You can't see a scar now, right? He could almost feel just the slightest twinge of... embarrassment. No, I definitely can't, its invisible and you're beautiful. Damn. Very attractive, incredibly so. Sorry, it's just going to keep coming out. Almost certainly one of the most gorgeous-

Fireblade yanked her hand back, but rather than anger, her face was slightly flushed. Tempo was shaking a little, holding in laughter.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate," he said, speaking to her out loud. "I can't stop from thinking things I feel, but I promise you I mean no harm or offense?" He held out his hand, with as contrite as an expression as he hoped.

She sighed, and took his hand again, more gently this time. At least he isn't as ugly as a Nissek? Ugh. One of those things propositioned me once. Disgusting. Really? What did you do? I shot it. It was during a combat operation, he said what he wanted to do to me in graphic terms. You know, I, uh, don't think that counts as "propositioning". As fascinating as this conversation is we should try to examine- Alex! Alex! Alex!

"Ow!" he said. It had felt like someone shouting in his ear, inside his head.

All three turned to Beryl, who was staring at them expectantly a few feet away. Her mouth shot open and she clapped her hands. "You could hear me!"

~~~~

The floor is open. Consider this post-Umiak ship takeover thus purely speculative in potential upcoming plot although with the understanding that Alex has thrown in with the Loroi for certain at this point, and set on Generic Sci-fi Ice Planet. Everything else is fair game, including expanding on the intro better than "ship's fallen, everybody's cold".

[Bamax]

That ending was so Beryl! But Alex may rue the day Beryl ever got into his mind since she is a hyper nerd who basically never shuts up... ever.

Oh I know she can... she just does'nt want to

[Dan Wyatt]

To help possibly reignite this thread, here's an opening to a story that I like as a concept, but don't have to time to work on. I've used <> to indicate sanzai when the perspective is third person omniscient, but when the perspective shifts, I don't. You'll see what I mean.

~~~~

Planetfall, abrupt and unintentional aboard a sabotaged Umiak cruiser...

..in the shadow of a glacier...

<His body temperature is lower!> Beryl nearly cried as she held the med scanner against Alex's forehead.

<Calm yourself, listel,> Tempo said as she frowned at her. <You have done what you can. The reflective blanket should reverse it.>

Beryl glanced at Alex, still unconscious from the crash and shivering despite the glistening foil sheet wrapped around him. <The usual and simplest protocol for hypothermia for a warm-blooded species is- is body heat regeneration, but...>

Unspoken was the simple truth: his body, a human body, required a much higher temperature than a loroi could provide.

Fireblade snorted. <It is hardly that cold, anyways.>

<It is far colder than his species experiences, Teidar,> Beryl snapped. <His planet only goes a few dozen of degrees below freezing in habitable areas. This- this place is well below that.>

<Weakness, regardless.> Fireblade crossed her arms and turned away.

Beryl's face screwed itself into petulant rage. <You- You don't care if he dies, do you?! He-They could be allies to us, have you- You have no sense of duty!>

Her hair whipped through the air as she turned on the petite analyst, and Teidar Fireblade towered over her. <You pathetic little xenophile leg spreader, I dare you to say->

<ENOUGH.> Stepping between them, Tempo sighed. <She is upset, listel, because of what I am going to ask her to do.>

<What?> Beryl said.

<Do you think my name was given by whim, listel?> Fireblade replied. She turned away again.

With growing awareness, Beryl looked between her and Alex's shaking form. <What of his... lotai?>

<She does not have to read his mind, only warm his skin,> Tempo said. <And given enough contact, she shouldn't have to do any more.>

<Get him stripped, listel,> Fireblade said as she began to remove her armor. <You can do that at least, and I'm sure you're eager to anyways.>

Refusing to react to the provocation, Beryl unwrapped Alex and began tugging on his suit. The odd straps and old fashioned closures stymied her for a bit, but eventually she managed to remove it all. With a rapidly blushing face she turned back to see Fireblade, equally naked, grasp up the sheet and lie down next to him. Wrapping the blanket back around her body and Alex's, Fireblade shivered. <Blast, it is cold. This had better work, Parat.>

<Can you sense anything?> Beryl said, her scientific curiosity overcoming her embarrassment and definitely, without a doubt, absolutely not jealousy.

<No!> Fireblade snapped. <Maybe. I can...> She struggled to get a hand up to his face where it was visible, and held it against his bare skin. She closed her eyes. <Listel, use the gauge to see if I'm having any effect.>

She held the scanner over Fireblade's hand. <...Yes! His skin is warming. Be- be careful?>

<It is... not easy. Please keep the monitor scanning,> Fireblade said as she squinted, <on both of us. I am trying to warm his blood without boiling mine, and it is a very short distance. I am not... good at this sort of precision, especially over such a broad area.>

~~~~

Warm. That was the first sensation Alex felt. Odd, since from the last thing he remembered in the crash was the skin shredding cold wind blowing into the cabin.

Alongside arms wrapped around him, and smoothness of naked skin against naked skin. Which made him inadvertantly think of Ellen, and their last tryst. Who is Ellen? Which surprised him, because he knew who Ellen was. But a voice inside his head did not. More importantly, however, was the question of who was holding him, and how cool they felt, yet his skin still felt almost uncomfortably hot. God, he stinks. Well I've only managed to take sink baths for several weeks now- Wait a minute! There it was again, a thought inside his mind that wasn't his. He was sure of it this time. Unless he was mistaken-

"Alex? Can you hear me?" He glanced up into the worried face of Beryl.

"..yes," he mumbled. His head still felt groggy. A throbbing pain on one side of it told him he probably had a mild concussion. I could really go for some roast bizal. A fear swept over him and he took stock of the loroi he could see. Beryl, Tempo... By the cave's entrance, Talon and someone else, Flint? Thus by process of elimination, and why his skin was being warmed by a comparatively cooler loroi body...

"Um, Fireblade, what is 'bizal'?" he asked without turning around.

"It... it is a root vegetable, Alex, but why did you ask that of Fireblade?" Beryl said as she raised an eyebrow.

Because you can hear me! The surprise in the thought Alex knew for certain came from the warm, cool loroi pressed against his back and wow those are-

"Gyah!" Alex jerked as a sharp burning sensation flared at his lower back. Keep your opinions about my body to yourself. I can't! I don't have any way of *not* thinking about something you tell me not to think about, that's not how humans are wired! He looked up at Beryl, who along with Tempo were staring at him in stunned amazement.

"Alex, are you communicating with Teidar Fireblade?" Tempo said. She looked the most surprised of all. "In sanzai?!"

"I, uh, I think so?" he said. She turned her attention to Fireblade for a moment.

Three point one four one five nine. Tell Tempo that number.

"Er... three point one four one five nine?" Alex said.

Tempo's eyes grew wider. "Alright, he can't hear my sanzai, but he can sanzai with Fireblade. Alex. Have you noticed anything like this before during your time with us?"

"Yes," he said. "When Beryl was in my- during the Gola relay attack, Beryl tried to sanzai with me in... um... closer proximity, I could just barely sense something that I was almost certain was the presence of Teidar Fireblade."

Close proximity?! That's for sure! Oh, that's some good blackmail.

Oh good, I have a peanut gallery in my head now. He glanced at Beryl who was developing a vibrant blue blush across her face while avoiding eye contact with him and Fireblade. Tempo looked at her with crossed arms, a raised eyebrow, and a definite smirk.

"While I understand your desire to gain insight into the biology of humans, perhaps be a little more prudent in when you do so?" Tempo said.

"Yes, Mizol Parat," Beryl replied.

"Now, Captain Jardin, I am going touch your head and attempt to sanzai with Fireblade at the same time," Tempo said as she removed a glove. "As a mizol, I have more experience with delicate mental analysis than an untrained listel who should have been aware of that," she continued with a pointed look at Beryl.

Her hand was as cool as Fireblade's skin. Alex. A slightly different tone from Fireblade. Can you understand my words. I can hear you! This- this is amazing! His eyes went wide, as did Tempo's, who smiled at him. Yes, this is amazing. You are the first non-loroi in any recorded history who has been reached through sanzai; one or two other species can mask themselves, somewhat, but none are able to communicate with us via it. Yeah, yeah, is the human warm enough yet so I can stop humiliating myself like this?

Actually, I'm feeling a little colder, can you hug me closer? "Ow!" Alex shouted as another stab of heat prodded him. Fireblade shoved him away from her, and wrapped the sheet around herself as she stood up. Alex, already shivering, grabbed at his scattered uniform and hurriedly pulled it on. Tempo sighed and rolled her eyes. She rose to her feet as well.

"Alex Jardin, I am going to dispense with formalities regarding your temporary status. This is a very important issue, and we will require professionalism to deal with it," she said. "Do I make myself clear, enzin?"

Ensign, not captain. "Yes, ma'am," he said as he straightened up.

"Good. Now, Teidar Fireblade is going to- yes, you are. This is monumental, and as far as we know, you are the catalyst." She stared at the teidar who rolled her eyes, but grasped Alex's handed roughly. Bloody ape, you had better be a little less- for sake of the stars, can you stop thinking about that?! Alex quickly turned his head away from Fireblade as she pulled the blanket around herself tighter.

"Alex, I recognize that this is difficult," Tempo said as she stepped closer and took his hand as well. "But you must maintain decorum?" Especially with, hmm, attractive women? This is very odd. So we resemble human females so much? Yes. It's um, very distracting sometimes. Fireblade, you should probably get dressed, Alex doesn't need you to warm him anymore. Finally!

Fireblade dropped his hand, and quickly pulled her bodysuit on. Tempo turned to him, still holding his hand. Can you still sanzai? Yes. I can, uh... hear you? He waited for more. Tempo's brow furrowed, then she sighed and turned to Fireblade, now putting on her armor. The teidar snapped her head back up, very nearly snarled, and turned away. But without further complaint she walked back to their little circle and took Alex's hand again.

Now, was there any other time you sensed Fireblade? Yes, when you were relaying her description of her training days. You were scarred, across your right eye? Fireblade's expression softened just the slightest. Yes. It was a wound I had until it was healed by more skilled doranzers than the frontline medics. You can't see a scar now, right? He could almost feel just the slightest twinge of... embarrassment. No, I definitely can't, its invisible and you're beautiful. Damn. Very attractive, incredibly so. Sorry, it's just going to keep coming out. Almost certainly one of the most gorgeous-

Fireblade yanked her hand back, but rather than anger, her face was slightly flushed. Tempo was shaking a little, holding in laughter.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate," he said, speaking to her out loud. "I can't stop from thinking things I feel, but I promise you I mean no harm or offense?" He held out his hand, with as contrite as an expression as he hoped.

She sighed, and took his hand again, more gently this time. At least he isn't as ugly as a Nissek? Ugh. One of those things propositioned me once. Disgusting. Really? What did you do? I shot it. It was during a combat operation, he said what he wanted to do to me in graphic terms. You know, I, uh, don't think that counts as "propositioning". As fascinating as this conversation is we should try to examine- Alex! Alex! Alex!

"Ow!" he said. It had felt like someone shouting in his ear, inside his head.

All three turned to Beryl, who was staring at them expectantly a few feet away. Her mouth shot open and she clapped her hands. "You could hear me!"

~~~~

The floor is open. Consider this post-Umiak ship takeover thus purely speculative in potential upcoming plot although with the understanding that Alex has thrown in with the Loroi for certain at this point, and set on Generic Sci-fi Ice Planet. Everything else is fair game, including expanding on the intro better than "ship's fallen, everybody's cold".

Good shit mate!
Please continue, involve the Tenoins as well to spice things up. You're the only guy who can pull this off.

[wolf329]

Oh, I seriously doubt that. We have a lot of talented fanfic writers here, 'swhy I posted this in the prompts thread. But thank you.

[Tamri]

In general, I have been slowly writing a story somewhere since 2016 (in fact, I just merged Jim's universe with my idea, which I have been working on since about 12th year, the concept seemed interesting to me) but since I know English at the level of "fix the most obvious translator mistakes" there are obvious problems to publishing here.

If I’m not well understood during an ordinary conversation, it’s not hard to imagine what will happen when I try to expose something much more complicated for review.

Of course, if we represent dialogues of two parties who do not understand each other well, this style may be good, but the text does not consist only of dialogues...

[Cthulhu]

So how about learning English, then? I'm mostly self-taught, you see, and it's not that hard.

Oh, I seriously doubt that. We have a lot of talented fanfic writers here, 'swhy I posted this in the prompts thread. But thank you.

While it's certainly hilarious, I'm still busy with my fanfic. After that, I already have plans for another, shorter and less serious one.

This one-shot is also too far away from my style, which means that I would have to rewrite most of it. So it's up to you to continue it.

[Tamri]

I am slowly working on this, but there are always a bunch of problems that distract attention in different directions, and all this hysteria with the epidemic does not make the situation any easier.

[wolf329]

I think not being a native writer you may have some advantages in that you are less likely to be influenced by a particular style and will instead show characters and action in plain English. Simple, deliberate writing done well is better than purple prose attempting to compensate for lack of an interesting story.

[Bamax]

Ha.. this gal so reminds me of Beryl. Big eyes and hyper as can be.

If Beryl were real, she would get along just fine with her since she is a lot like her.

[Hālian]

.oO(First contact between the loroi and another species of blue spelfs.)