Where's My Dog?

Family

This prompt combines the suggested “Found Family” and “Meet the Family” prompts while also making it a bit more general. You may write about biological family, found family, or a mix of both - there are endless possibilities, considering how many different relationships there are between the characters in the series. Of course, there are also tons of ways to add original characters into the mix!

As for possible scenarios, imagine one of the boys introducing the other to his family. Who are they? How would they react? Would the tone be dramatic and serious or comedic? Perhaps you'd like to write a kidfic, where the boys grapple with the trials and joys of parenthood? There is also the fan favorite - Sledge, Snafu, and their brothers in arms forming a rag-tag family of their own. You're quite spoilt for choice here!

Different Century

Just like with the previous prompt, we have combined several suggestions - 1920s AU, 2000s AU and Modern AU - into a single prompt. You are free to choose from one of the aforementioned eras or choose a whole different one that speaks to you most. 

This prompt requires more research than the previous one, especially if you decide to focus on creating a richer background and worldbuilding. Remember to think about more than just aesthetics - consider the different cultural norms of each era, and, if writing about a country foreign to you, please be respectful towards its culture and people. If you need any advice, feel free to join the Hivemind server on Discord and consult our mindful writing masterdoc. You can also ask fellow fans for advice - don't be scared to ask for help!

Music

This may seem like quite a vague prompt, but that also gives you a lot of leeway with creating prompt fills. As long as music plays a part in your work, you're all set!

As for ideas, imagine what place music occupies in the characters’ lives. Perhaps they have a song they consider “theirs”, maybe one or both of them are musicians - whether amateur or world-famous is your choice. Music also plays a role in the military, especially during parades, but also during training, where servicemembers sing cadences to help them work in unison and boost morale.

There are many ways to create a prompt fill here, from playlists, songfics, to even fanarts depicting the boys singing, dancing, or even dressed as famous musicians!

Hallucinations

This prompt was combined with “Ghost”. You might decide to take a more literal approach for this prompt, focusing on PTSD and the way conflict can haunt a person. You could also interpret the prompt in a more paranormal sense!

Eugene suffered from night terrors after the war, could those nightmares somehow manifest as hallucinations in everyday life? Similarly, you might want to look at how the ghost of war impacts Snafu. What do these hallucinations look like? Are they all-consuming, or are they less obvious, haunting the shadowy parts of the battlefield? How would the boys comfort each other in the aftermath of an episode?

In the context of a Paranormal AU, there are many opportunities to have fun! Perhaps one man is haunting the other as a ghost. Are they a benevolent presence? Or something more malicious? Are they really a ghost, or just a hallucination? 

Pain

Pain is universal and can represent itself in many forms, making it an interesting topic to explore. Physical pain may be the first thing that springs to mind when talking about war, however, emotional, psychological and social pain are all areas you might like to delve into!

You may like to depict the immediate pain that comes with an injury/wound, or the aftermath of such an event. Maybe you want to write about how it feels for them physically in the moment, or the impact an injury would have in the long term.  

The prompt may also inspire you to investigate each character’s psyche. For example, emotionally, what does pain look like for Snafu and Sledge? Have they caused each other pain? How would they navigate interpersonal conflict and the pain that comes with it? Alternatively, how would they try to shield each other from pain, or grow from the pain they’ve experienced? The options are endless! 

Bayou

Bayous are small, sluggish waterways that can appear swampy. They are located along the Gulf Coast, stretching from Florida to Texas. The lush vegetation varies by region and houses many animals like crawfish, toads, alligators, snakes and (water)fowl.

The bayou holds cultural significance especially among Cajun and Creole groups in Louisiana. While the word “bayou” most likely came from the Native American Choctaw Tribe. With a history like that, a bit of research is probably necessary. You are once again encouraged to check out the mindful writing masterdoc in the Hivemind server.

For writing ideas, it’s pretty convenient to place Snafu in the bayou as a Louisiana native. Perhaps Eugene visits him after the war and learns more about Snafu’s home, Cajun culture and French. Or you could explore how Snafu keeps himself afloat in the bayou as a fisherman or an operator of some kind of tourism business. Since the bayou has such a rich wildlife and Eugene was into biology it’s also a possibility he went to the bayou to do research there. Or maybe the other way around: Snafu as a bayou expert comes to Mobile and meets Eugene because, yes, there are even bayous in Mobile!

Daemon AU

Daemon AUs are based on the book trilogy “His Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman. More often than not, Daemon AUs don’t have much to do with the original plot of these books at all, though. They are more about the Daemons themselves, which are animal-shaped manifestations of a person’s soul.

It’s incredibly interesting to explore what animals could fit Eugene’s and Snafu’s nature and how they interact with their Daemons. Furthermore, do these two animals compliment each other or are they mismatched? 

Usually, your Daemon has the opposite gender from you, but there are implications that gay characters have Daemons of the same gender. Could that be a possibility for Snafu or Eugene? Do they have to hide their Daemon’s gender in a historical military setting? And how does having a Daemon affect the way they are dealing with the horrors of war? Would it make going through something like Okinawa easier? Or would it traumatize them even more, seeing their comrades’ Daemons die as well?