The SST AlterNet
Complete writing-prompt responses, newest archive date first. Search by character or arc.
Archive dates are dates recorded in the source or collection. They are not a verified publication calendar or fictional SST chronology.
Newest archive date first. Summary-only records are available separately.
Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-09
Writing prompt[WP] The year is 3020. Science plays an enormous role in the everyday life. After a restless sleep you wake up to the delicious smell...of bacon! However, all livestock and poultry have been extinct for almost a millennia. "Honey?" you call to your significant other. "What's the occasion?"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-08
Writing prompt[WP] This morning, as you grab your normal coffee order, you bump into someone, accidentally making skin to skin contact. The world around you is immediately replaced with a desert island. You see signs of a long-abandoned dwelling. On your right, the person you bumped into says, "Oh, no. Not again."
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-07
Writing prompt[WP] When you were a child, a mysterious voice whispered "follow the woman in the red dress with the gold polka dots". All your life, you never saw her. Now, lying in the hospital, 98 years old, you see a woman in a red dress and gold polka dots walk past your room.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-06
Writing prompt[WP] You're walking down the street when you see a man staring at his hands as he wiggles his fingers. He crouches, stands up, jumps twice and does a twirl. As you stare he walks over and punches you in the face. You hold your nose in silent shock. "AI needs work" he mutters and walks away.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-05
Writing prompt[WP] On the 9th of October, the world ended.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-04
Writing prompt[WP] One day, everyone around you collapses. You look around to see a man in a black suit walking over. When he sees you he exclaims "Why didn't it work on you?"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-03
Writing prompt[WP] You're the first to invent a device that records your dreams, now after consciously viewing several of your dreams in detail, you notice there's these same entities that are always in the background observing and studying you.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-02
Writing prompt[WP] The experiment was a resounding success and failure - you're in an alternate universe, but you're trapped unless you can bulid a very expensive piece of equipment. Now it's time to see if alternate you is willing to help you get home.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-01
Writing prompt[WP] "So, anyway, do you want to explain to me how a 13 year old girl ended up in the middle of a multi-species fire fight?"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-11-01
Original prompt heading[CW] Feedback Friday – Flash Fiction Challenge
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-31
Writing prompt[WP] You stole a phone from an unwitting passenger on a train. Later on the train ride, you see him dig out another phone from his pocket. You steal it again, and he pulls a third phone out. You follow him, wondering where he's pulling all these phones from.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-30
Writing prompt[CW] Flash Fiction Challenge! An abandoned building | a notebook
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-29
Writing prompt[WP] Your grandma's confectionaries have been discovered to have age-reducing properties, and now every government in the world wants their hands on your grandma for her sweet products.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-28
Writing prompt[WP] You're an experienced Bartender. You've heard all the stories and confessions the world could tell. From fallen cops, to criminals admitting their guilt; You've grown nerves of steel. But this, nothing could have ever prepared you for this story.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-27
Writing prompt[WP] Ever since you were 15, you wake up holding 5 random magical cards you can use to help you with your life. Today's cards are "Spider Climb for 1 hour", "Turn into a Hawk for 30 minutes", "Infinite Stamina for 3 hours", "Revive Dead", and "Summon Rat Swarm".
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-26
Writing prompt[WP] A supervillain visits his parents' house for Thanksgiving. He loves his mom and so it pains him that she talks about his superhero nemesis (she read about him on Facebook) like she's a fan.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-25
Writing prompt[WP] You've always been able to manipulate and control the minds of the people around you, until one day a girl showed up who seems to be impervious to your abilities.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-24
Writing prompt[WP] "You... you're not human!" Your mom manages to gasp before fainting into your arms.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-23
Writing prompt[WP] Walking alone on a cold night you see a figure standing in shadow its eyes glowing, "you've passed the test."
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-22
Writing prompt[WP] As a run of the mill pickpocket you stick to lifting wallets, cell phones, clutches, etc. While in a coffee shop opportunity strikes, and you make off with a cellphone. 30 min later it gets a text: "Welcome to the hunt, you have a 30 min headstart"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-21
Writing prompt[WP] You're 18, and just started your first job at a factory. After a few days, you start noticing a lot of accidents at work, but noone ever talks about it. People who are involved in these accidents never show back up to work and noone ever questions it.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-20
Writing prompt[WP] You work as a cashier. One day, while business is slow, you and a co-worker get bored. You each pull your handheld scanner off the register and "fire" it at each other. At one point, they point it in your eye, and you hear a beep. The screen reads, "Android, v. 5." You had no idea.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-19
Writing prompt[WP] You eat a year-expired muffin from that vending machine. What's the worst that could happen?
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-18
Writing prompt[WP] You are the greatest supervillain the world has ever known, and your daughter is being bullied at school.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-17
Writing prompt[WP] "You're a part-timer in a surprisingly not so shady bar, but after midnight, for a period of time customers from all eras, including some regulars, appear; knights, samurai, cowboys, cyborgs are some of them.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-16
Writing prompt[WP] "You're not supposed to date Humans! They're prey, pets at best"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-15
Writing prompt[WP] You wake up in a hospital with a massive headache. As you regain your vision, you notice the room is packed with terrified scientists, politicians, and soldiers aiming their rifles at you. A five star general walks in, gives the order to remove the muzzle around your mouth, and only asks "Why?"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-14
Writing prompt[WP] Congratulations. After years of hard work and dedication in the military, you have finally proven yourself worthy to work at that mysterious Air Force base in the Nevada desert. The only qualifications you possess, however, are for janitorial work. You start your new custodian job today.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-13
Writing prompt[WP] It turns out that all birds share a common language and even have an official political voting process. One day, you find an injured bird and rescue it. You don't know it, but it's the leader of all the birds. Strange things around you start happening...
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-12
Writing prompt[SP] "Wh-Where am I?" "Calm down. You're safe now."
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-11
Writing prompt[WP] One day everything went dark and everyone froze in place. One second later everyone saw a message "universe 1.2 update patchnotes: XP system fixed, magic-system 2.0 added!"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-10
Writing prompt[SP] A man walks along a road at night.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-09
Writing prompt[WP] You've created a device that allows you to travel between parallel realities. As you jump from dimension to dimension, you notice that everything is incredibly different. Well, there's a strange exception: a version of "Take on me" is present in each dimension. It can't be a coincidence.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-08
Writing prompt[WP] You have successfully created fully functioning nano bots that aid in strength, speed, agility, recovery, healing, and regeneration. The science board won't allow you to do human trials so you inject yourself to see the results. Today is the first day you start feeling the changes kicking in.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-07
Writing prompt[WP] Time literally slows down whenever you are around your crush. One day, he/she gives you a strange look. "Hey, everything is moving so sluggishly around us, any idea why?"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-06
Writing prompt[WP] You've lived your whole life thinking you were the last person on Earth, as you were sitting in your home you hear the doorbell ring, you open it to discover someone asking "You ordered a pizza?"
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-05
Writing prompt[WP] You are a former secret agent, now retired; today, you just found the beautiful and dangerous femmme fatale that always tried to kill you at a pizza parlor, dressed in a nerdy hoodie and eating an extra-large pizza.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-04
Writing prompt[WP] Everyone has different theories on the end of the world, a deadly virus, a giant meteor, zombies, nuclear war, solar flare, aliens, and even global warming. Apparently they were all right.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-03
Writing prompt[WP] She can bring candy to life, and manipulate its size. That's her power. You've seen her sentient Rolos rolling around campus before, so you're pretty sure you've got this sparring match in the bag already. As you face each other she pulls out a pack of gummy bears and you start to get worried.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-02
Writing prompt[WP] You were born with the power to learn the contents of books/documents by simply touching them. One day after breezing through your school exams, you bump into a man in black. You help pick up his fallen documents. What was inside the doc-wait, an inter-dimensional transporter? Forbidden arts?
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-10-01
Writing prompt[WP] You have been living completely off the grid for ten years. The only outside contact you have is when your brother comes to visit every October 1st. He brings you news from the outside- however, the news seems so ridiculous you are starting to doubt him.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-09-30
Writing prompt[WP] While cleaning, you move a carpet in your basement and find a hidden manhole cover. Curious, you open it with a crowbar, and surprisingly the air coming from it doesn't smell nasty. Actually, it smells... fresh.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-09-29
Original prompt heading[WP] Smash 'Em Up Sunday!
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-09-28
Writing prompt[WP] You have a seemingly useless superpower. You can see a sort of... loading bar above peoples heads. Sometimes it's completely full. sometimes it's empty. Sometimes it's a different color. You've had this power for twenty-three years and you still have no idea what the loading bars mean.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-09-27
Writing prompt[WP] You are quietly sitting in the Fresh Start Clinic, holding the leaflet you found this morning on your commute: "Selective Memory Erasing and Character Rebuilding since 2018!" Today, maybe, it's finally your chance for a new life.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-09-26
Writing prompt[WP] You wake up in the middle of the night to find a stranger eating from your refrigerator.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-09-25
Writing prompt[WP] A giant monster attacks a city. Doing the usual stuff, destroying buildings, flipping boats, eating people. There is only one problem, you are a simple civilian.
Read this moment →Before Stellar Tour · unassigned stories · Complete moment
Source date: 2019-09-24
Writing prompt[WP] You die, but because you cared so much about the environment when you lived, you were reborn with nature inside of you. You get the elemental power of your choice.
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