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fkficfestPrompting for fkficfest 2026 is open through this Saturday, May 16. We have 6 prompts so far. Every community member is invited to share 1 prompt. (Prompting is not a commitment to play.)
To submit your prompt, visit the prompts post.
Reminder: No verbatim re-runs of prompts from past years. We may re-write, re-imagine, and re-invent a previous prompt. Shiny new prompts are outstanding.
Examples: To help with brainstorming, here's a big bunch of prompt nominees from past years:
a moment of truth
"It's not what you are, it's what you do with it." —Mary Renault, The Charioteer, paraphrased
Scandal
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." —Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes
interrupted by a disaster
"... like a clock striking in a dark house." —E. E. Cummings
What do vampires think of historical reenactments?
"Understanding is a three-edged sword." —J. Michael Strazynski, Babylon 5, "Deathwalker"
Early Days
"You can't see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears." —C.S. Lewis, "A Grief Observed"
sudden death
The rain it raineth on the just—Charles Bowen
The first week.
Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a wildfire
You are made of the sea and the stars, and one day / you are going to find yourself again.—Finn Butler, "Saltwater"
(Urban) Legend
Coin for the ferryman
For there is no friend like a sister—Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market"
Vampire turns human.
That new car smell
Evil is a point of view.—Anne Rice, _Interview with the Vampire_
This experiment went horribly wrong
1969
The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time—Thomas Edison
a minor or original character must fill in for a major character
Peruse how infinite I am / To no one that You—know— / And sigh for lack of Heaven—but not / The Heaven God bestow——Emily Dickinson, "The Way I Read a Letter's - this"
The dreaming mind
I HATE and I LOVE. Why I do this, you may ask. / I don't know. But I feel it and it is torture.—Catullus, Poem 85
Another conquest to satisfy his/her craving
At the crossroads a decision must be made: advance, retreat, or hold your position
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.—Laini Taylor, _Daughter of Smoke & Bone_
Give any episode a different ending.
Who has seen the wind? / Neither I nor you: / But when the leaves hang trembling, / The wind is passing through.—Christina Rossetti, "Who Has Seen the Wind?"
A new detective on the force
long time passing—Pete Seeger, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone"
unexpectedly wakes up in the trunk of a car
The Road Not Taken
“Better days are shining through"—Bruce Springsteen, “Better Days”
“the crazy longing that time will never tame"—Jackson Browne, “You Love the Thunder”
Take a third option
“Forever – is composed of Nows”—Emily Dickinson
A perfect match
“There's always some reason to feel not good enough”—Sarah McLachlan
Remembered only later
Go the long way
Stop and smell the roses.
Haberdashery
Finding out the truth
early days
“They're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone.”—Billy Joel, “Piano Man”
swan song
Unexpected visitor
Tears in the rain (apologies to _Bladerunner_)
Crimson silk
“I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.”—Bram Stoker, _Dracula_
Whatever happened to ___________?
“Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”—Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”—Albert Einstein
“People have an annoying habit of remembering the things they shouldn't.”—Christopher Paolini, _Eregon_
habit
Taste
Target
Keep silent in a silent house
Time travel (real, flashback, dreams, etc.)
Make a wish, then blow out your candles.
“Man fears the least which he knows the best.”—Sir John Fenwick
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”—Søren Kierkegaard
Bureaucracy
What does the moon see?
clarion call
Changing landscape
“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.”—W. Clement Stone
Seeing the trap is the beginning
A study in shades of crimson
Bend it! (rules, roles, genders, jobs, species, etc.)
“Never thought I'd say this, but...”
Play
An unexpected event leads to chaos.
“The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.”—L.P. Hartley, _The Go-Between_
“Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me, The Carriage held but just Ourselves — And Immortality.”—Emily Dickinson
Be careful what you wish for
“Time cast a spell on you, but you won’t forget me. I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me.”—Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”
LaCroix is amused with a thief.
What happened to André?
Loss of control
thicker than water
That's a wrap!
It's complicated.
The shape of water
“the world was his and everywhere he moved he was the center of the universe.”—Laurell K. Hamilton, _Narcissus in Chains: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel_
“I'd rather be lucky than good.”—Lefty Gomez (and many others)
“Understanding is a three-edged sword.”—J. Michael Straczynski, _Babylon 5_
Transition
I have a newsflash for you--appearances can be deceiving.
Tuck a knife with my heart up my sleeve--Halsey and Suga, "Lilith"
Nick is shot in front of his partner
I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life.--George Burns, _How to live to be 100--or more_
A lucky break, a chance meeting, and a friend in need.
Reverse AU: Vampire/human status switch. The vampires are human and the humans are vampires. What's the reason for that? Creator's choice.
All of a sudden in a wink of an eye / A Cadillac sedan passed us by--Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, "Hot Rod Lincoln"
But what do you really want?
Blast from the past
Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.--G.M. Gilbert, _The Nuremberg Diary_
a journalist on a mission
Surely LaCroix has other hobbies than bothering Nick... (current or past hobby)
Danger midwifes the heart's spring.--Traci Brimhall, _Aubade on a Ghost Hunt_
Modern technology can be a nuisance
People have an annoying habit of remembering the things they shouldn't.--Christopher Paolini, _Eragon_
Keeping secrets
found among the second-hand books
Light up, light up / As if you have a choice / Even if you cannot hear my voice / I'll be right beside you, dear--Snow Patrol, "Run"
Alternative Universe
Life is full of wonder, love is never wrong--Melissa Etheridge, "Silent Legacy"
The antique hairbrush still held tangles of fine golden hair.
I wrote it with the pen of mirth and the ink of melancholy.--Machado de Assis, _The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas_
Murder never expires
The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.--Oscar Wilde, _A Woman of No Importance_
Heist
Games Vampires (and Mortals) Play: What do our most beloved characters do to while away the nighttime (or daytime) hours?
I feel like I'm comin' home / These are better days--Bruce Springsteen, "Better Days"
I'm going to tell you something that you don't want to hear.
We may shine, we may shatter, we may be picking up the pieces here on after / We are fragile, we are human, we are shaped by the light we let through us -- Thompson Square, "Glass"
When Friday 13th is not just a date
Songfic
Questions? Suggestions? Please share on this post! Prompts? Please share on the prompts post.
fkficfest 2026 is open through this Saturday, May 16. We have 6 prompts so far. Every community member is invited to share 1 prompt. (Prompting is not a commitment to play.)To submit your prompt, visit the prompts post.
Reminder: No verbatim re-runs of prompts from past years. We may re-write, re-imagine, and re-invent a previous prompt. Shiny new prompts are outstanding.
Examples: To help with brainstorming, here's a big bunch of prompt nominees from past years:
a moment of truth
"It's not what you are, it's what you do with it." —Mary Renault, The Charioteer, paraphrased
Scandal
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." —Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes
interrupted by a disaster
"... like a clock striking in a dark house." —E. E. Cummings
What do vampires think of historical reenactments?
"Understanding is a three-edged sword." —J. Michael Strazynski, Babylon 5, "Deathwalker"
Early Days
"You can't see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears." —C.S. Lewis, "A Grief Observed"
sudden death
The rain it raineth on the just—Charles Bowen
The first week.
Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a wildfire
You are made of the sea and the stars, and one day / you are going to find yourself again.—Finn Butler, "Saltwater"
(Urban) Legend
Coin for the ferryman
For there is no friend like a sister—Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market"
Vampire turns human.
That new car smell
Evil is a point of view.—Anne Rice, _Interview with the Vampire_
This experiment went horribly wrong
1969
The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time—Thomas Edison
a minor or original character must fill in for a major character
Peruse how infinite I am / To no one that You—know— / And sigh for lack of Heaven—but not / The Heaven God bestow——Emily Dickinson, "The Way I Read a Letter's - this"
The dreaming mind
I HATE and I LOVE. Why I do this, you may ask. / I don't know. But I feel it and it is torture.—Catullus, Poem 85
Another conquest to satisfy his/her craving
At the crossroads a decision must be made: advance, retreat, or hold your position
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.—Laini Taylor, _Daughter of Smoke & Bone_
Give any episode a different ending.
Who has seen the wind? / Neither I nor you: / But when the leaves hang trembling, / The wind is passing through.—Christina Rossetti, "Who Has Seen the Wind?"
A new detective on the force
long time passing—Pete Seeger, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone"
unexpectedly wakes up in the trunk of a car
The Road Not Taken
“Better days are shining through"—Bruce Springsteen, “Better Days”
“the crazy longing that time will never tame"—Jackson Browne, “You Love the Thunder”
Take a third option
“Forever – is composed of Nows”—Emily Dickinson
A perfect match
“There's always some reason to feel not good enough”—Sarah McLachlan
Remembered only later
Go the long way
Stop and smell the roses.
Haberdashery
Finding out the truth
early days
“They're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone.”—Billy Joel, “Piano Man”
swan song
Unexpected visitor
Tears in the rain (apologies to _Bladerunner_)
Crimson silk
“I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.”—Bram Stoker, _Dracula_
Whatever happened to ___________?
“Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”—Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”—Albert Einstein
“People have an annoying habit of remembering the things they shouldn't.”—Christopher Paolini, _Eregon_
habit
Taste
Target
Keep silent in a silent house
Time travel (real, flashback, dreams, etc.)
Make a wish, then blow out your candles.
“Man fears the least which he knows the best.”—Sir John Fenwick
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”—Søren Kierkegaard
Bureaucracy
What does the moon see?
clarion call
Changing landscape
“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.”—W. Clement Stone
Seeing the trap is the beginning
A study in shades of crimson
Bend it! (rules, roles, genders, jobs, species, etc.)
“Never thought I'd say this, but...”
Play
An unexpected event leads to chaos.
“The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.”—L.P. Hartley, _The Go-Between_
“Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me, The Carriage held but just Ourselves — And Immortality.”—Emily Dickinson
Be careful what you wish for
“Time cast a spell on you, but you won’t forget me. I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me.”—Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”
LaCroix is amused with a thief.
What happened to André?
Loss of control
thicker than water
That's a wrap!
It's complicated.
The shape of water
“the world was his and everywhere he moved he was the center of the universe.”—Laurell K. Hamilton, _Narcissus in Chains: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel_
“I'd rather be lucky than good.”—Lefty Gomez (and many others)
“Understanding is a three-edged sword.”—J. Michael Straczynski, _Babylon 5_
Transition
I have a newsflash for you--appearances can be deceiving.
Tuck a knife with my heart up my sleeve--Halsey and Suga, "Lilith"
Nick is shot in front of his partner
I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life.--George Burns, _How to live to be 100--or more_
A lucky break, a chance meeting, and a friend in need.
Reverse AU: Vampire/human status switch. The vampires are human and the humans are vampires. What's the reason for that? Creator's choice.
All of a sudden in a wink of an eye / A Cadillac sedan passed us by--Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, "Hot Rod Lincoln"
But what do you really want?
Blast from the past
Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.--G.M. Gilbert, _The Nuremberg Diary_
a journalist on a mission
Surely LaCroix has other hobbies than bothering Nick... (current or past hobby)
Danger midwifes the heart's spring.--Traci Brimhall, _Aubade on a Ghost Hunt_
Modern technology can be a nuisance
People have an annoying habit of remembering the things they shouldn't.--Christopher Paolini, _Eragon_
Keeping secrets
found among the second-hand books
Light up, light up / As if you have a choice / Even if you cannot hear my voice / I'll be right beside you, dear--Snow Patrol, "Run"
Alternative Universe
Life is full of wonder, love is never wrong--Melissa Etheridge, "Silent Legacy"
The antique hairbrush still held tangles of fine golden hair.
I wrote it with the pen of mirth and the ink of melancholy.--Machado de Assis, _The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas_
Murder never expires
The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.--Oscar Wilde, _A Woman of No Importance_
Heist
Games Vampires (and Mortals) Play: What do our most beloved characters do to while away the nighttime (or daytime) hours?
I feel like I'm comin' home / These are better days--Bruce Springsteen, "Better Days"
I'm going to tell you something that you don't want to hear.
We may shine, we may shatter, we may be picking up the pieces here on after / We are fragile, we are human, we are shaped by the light we let through us -- Thompson Square, "Glass"
When Friday 13th is not just a date
Songfic
Questions? Suggestions? Please share on this post! Prompts? Please share on the prompts post.