maybe orpheus always looks back because his very effort to reverse death means that he can't look forward. if he could look forward, he could accept eurydice's death, grieve, and keep moving in life. his refusal to accept her death is looking back. his going down to the underworld, asking hades and persephone for her life, trying to lead her out... it's all 'looking back'. he does nothing for the entire story except look back. orpheus! looks! back! it's his entire thing! the story ends the same way it begins: orpheus looked back.
August 2026 is AU-gust here at the Prompt Foundry!
Alternate Universe takes on our favorite stories—be they shows or books we love, or tales of our creation—can be a delightfully fun way to explore what makes those stories tick, what makes those characters who they are, and what in them is important to why we enjoy them.
On the other side of the coin, some settings and scenerios are popular for AUs because there's something special about that environment or situation that really tickles our brains, and it can be fun to figure out how to fit different characters and their contexts into that world.
So let's run through the multiverse and play with some AUs!
Feel free to combine different days’ prompts with each other, or combine them with other events, like last year's March of the Blorbos! Draw, paint, sculpt, sing, write fiction, write poetry, write academic analysis—use your OCs, your favorite characters from media, your own experiences, whatever tickles your fancy.
If you use this list, please tag me here @thepromptfoundry, I’d love to see what you create!
Respond to as many prompts as you want or as interest you, don’t worry about missing or skipping any, or posting your work after the day the prompt is assigned to. Remember, this is supposed to be fun!
If you have any questions or musings, check our FAQ, and if you don’t find your answer, shoot me an ask.
Plain text list below the cut:
1 Coffee Shops
2 Superheroes
3 Genderbent Characters
4 High Schoolers
5 Androids and Robots
6 Steampunk
7 Vampires
8 Werewolves
9 Soulmates
10 Professors and Academics
11 Actors Behind the Scenes
12 Professional Sports
13 Cozy Farm Life
14 Rock Stars
15 Pirates and Sailors
16 Merfolk
17 Elemental Powers
18 Faeries
19 Circus Arts
20 Post-Apocalypse
21 Externalized Souls (Daemons)
22 Libraries and Bookshops
23 Mob Bosses
24 Swords and Sorcery Fantasy
25 Hanahaki Disease
26 Arranged Marriages
27 Starships and Space Travel
28 Catpeople
29 Good Guys Gone Bad
30 Bars and Bartenders
31 Time Travel
