S2E8 - Not A Joke
Please Be Prompt
The Prompt: A witch smokes a cigarette in a lake. She is thinking about cathedrals. A swan is playing golf behind her. It might be April Fool's Day, but this is no joke - Please Be Prompt is back! Co-hosts Ryan Rimmele and Joshua Witsaman return with a pair of poems based on the above prompt. The hosts also discuss how their processes differ when writing poetry versus prose.
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Untitled by Ryan Rimmele
Please Be Prompt
It’s confusing isn’t it? When the sun rises and the sun sets When the moon and the stars remain in the sky When flowers bloom and leaves fall But it’s not confusing When a witch smokes a cigarette in a lake. When her thoughts of cathedrals drift as easy as the swan behind her Holding his driver in hand desperate for the golf ball he knows landed nearby It’s not confusing When a clock melts into a pool of radiant hues When a horse sprouts wings and asks if you party When your right hand converges with the universe and erupts into a heavenly choir...
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Within A Lake by Joshua Witsaman
Please Be Prompt
Within a lake, new stones have been submerged. Stones which, until that day, had been stacked high as towers and walls. Looming, venerable, oppressive walls. But now they serve to provide stability, for her footsteps. Serenely she marches into the tarn In triumph, that daughter of Hecate strides the rippled mirror Where regal swans so recently floated. Such cygnids took flight, disturbed by assaults on ramparts nearby As coven, together found, new freedom. Sisters of the lineage, undoing false consecrations. Spells were cast, skulls were cracked, and sunk...
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S2E7 - The Basement I Grew Up In
Please Be Prompt
The Prompt: Write a story about a liar and include a time machine. Also use the sentence - "This means war" On this episode of the the show co-hosts Ryan Rimmele and Joshua Witsaman welcome guest Daniel Kearsey! That means of course there will be a trio of stories based upon this prompt. The first deals with a post apocalyptic future and the slim hope for something better. The second deals with old friends who might be older than you realize. And the third tale of the episode deals with brothers whose imaginations might be closer to reality than they realize.
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The Inevitability of Gelbrax Dufrain by Joshua Witsaman
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Today was the day for Gelbrax Dufrain! At last he was being honored for the many achievements which he had achieved and the varied talents for which he was talented. He had trained his entire life for this moment. It hadn’t always been easy and it certainly hadn’t been quick, he was 157 years old after all, but at last he was here, standing within the capital halls of the intergalactic presidium itself! With his head held high Gelbrax ascended the staircase toward the grandstand. There at the top awaited Twilla Zorbell – intergalactic sovereign vizier! Chief...
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Untitled by Daniel Kearsey
Please Be Prompt
The door to his apartment creaked as he closed it slowly behind him. Police sirens could be heard in the distance. They began to get louder and louder until suddenly they stopped. Feet walking through puddles approached. His heart began pounding. His palms were sweating. Three knocks on a door; next door. A sigh of relief expelled from his mouth. Let me tell you a little bit about Walter Harlem. For most of his life, Walter was an upstanding citizen. He was never in trouble with the law. He was never in trouble with anybody. He paid his bills on time, he paid his taxes and for the most...
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The Cardboard Time Machine by Ryan Rimmele
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Every Thursday evening Steven and his older brother Kyle’s mom goes to the neighbor’s house to play cards and “drink pop.” On these occasions the neighbor’s teenage daughter comes over to watch movies and drink pop. Steven and Kyle spend their time in the basement where the floor creates an ideal race track. After recently upgrading their refrigerator, the space under the stairs would become the perfect place for a time machine. “When should I go now?” asked Steven of his older brother. “That’s just an old box,” responded Kyle. “You...
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Season 2 Prompt 5 by Ryan Rimmele
Please Be Prompt
Jason has been down on his luck since he was forcibly removed from his parent’s home some three years ago. “Down on his luck” is a phrase he has heard ad nauseum since, as if that day had just been a random act of unluck. WIth few options at his disposal and a growing desire to live with a roof over his head, he sets out each day in search of small jobs. Cleaning houses. Delivering parcels. Any job that will earn him enough money to eat that day. At his local corner store is a bulletin board placed just inside the entrance. His daily routine includes checking for any odd...
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Season 2 Prompt 5 by Joshua Witsaman
Please Be Prompt
The sweat was dripping down his face and into the corners of his eyes. He blinked furiously, but with the gun pressed against his temple he didn’t dare try to wipe the sweat away. He was nervous and hot. But the room itself didn’t seem any warmer, in fact he felt a cool breeze blow across his ankles. It was coming from the room’s only vent. The cold metal of the gun against his face contrasted his own rising temperature. But even that didn’t last, the metal quickly warmed as it remained pressed to his flesh. The coolness of the object was absorbed by his...
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S2E6 - Make the Bad Stuff Good
Please Be Prompt
The Prompt: The more dangerous a job is, the more it pays. You just took a job offer to stand in an empty room and do nothing for $100k an hour. Co-hosts Ryan Rimmele and Joshua Witsaman present two tales of odd jobs that seemingly pay too well. The first is all fun and games, that is until the game isn't fun. The second story deals with having your empathy turned against you.
info_outlineThe Prompt:
Write a story about an archaeologist and include a musical instrument. Use the line: "I can fix this."
Bonus: There seems to be no one left on the planet.
Co-hosts Ryan Rimmele and Joshua Witsaman provide two stories based upon this particular prompt.
The first is about a college class presentation gone wrong.
The second is a parallel tale of two unlikely individuals meeting at an opportune time.