Genre Challenge:
The snippets below are the result of a challenge that was issued at Lancer Writers. Each one represents a certain genre in the fan fiction world.
Action/Adventure:
Raising his machete to cut away the last of the dense vegetation from the temple entrance, Scott paused to listen. There were no sounds other than those of the jungle itself. The blond relic hunter grinned in satisfaction. He’d lost his pursuers and could now continue his search the golden Jaguar Idol of the Chopec in peace.
Advertisement:
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Angst:
Dropping to his knees, Murdoch carefully gathered his bruised and bloody son into his arms. Brushing aside the sweaty blond hair with gentle fingers, he met Scott’s pained gaze.
“Is … Johnny … okay?” The younger man wheezed out the desperate query. He had to know that his endeavor hadn’t been in vain.
“Johnny’s fine, Son. You did it - you saved him,” Blinking back tears, Murdoch reassured his badly injured first born. “Just rest now.”
Alternate Universe:
Murdoch Lancer, Laird of Inverness, gazed upon his elder son for the first time in almost twenty years. The small, towheaded boy had become a skilled and battle hardened knight. Reared in the south by his English grandfather, Scott had just recently returned from the Crusades. He had been captured by the Moors and been their prisoner for almost a year. It was only because of his grandfather’s great wealth that the young man’s ransom had been paid and he was standing here now, in the ancestral castle he had never called home.
Crack:
Scotty was a handsome teddy bear with soft golden fur, bright button eyes and a jaunty plaid bow tie. When he wasn’t sleeping with Missy, keeping her safe from the monster under the bed, he sat on the shelf in her room where he could look out the window and watch the birds and the squirrels in the trees. But today his attention was on the newest toy to be placed on the shelf. It was a magnificent stuffed pony - a palomino - who regarded him with twinkling blue eyes.
“Hi. My name’s Johnny.” The horse whispered, shyly. “What’s yours?”
Crime/Detective/Mystery/Whodunnit:
Homicide Detective Scott Lancer studied his new partner curiously. Johnny Madrid, who had spent many years undercover in Vice, was considered a loose cannon by many within the department but the blond knew that the two of them would be a formidable team.
Crossover:
When the Leap ended, Dr. Sam Beckett was startled to find himself standing in a dusty street, facing a cowboy whose hand hovered anxiously above the butt of his gun.
Looking down at himself, he saw he was clothed in a faded red shirt and leather pants with conchos down the sides. Around his waist was a low slung holster similar to that at the other man. And were those *spurs* on his boots?
“What are you waiting for, Madrid?” The cowboy drawled, pulling Sam’s attention back to the situation at hand. “Draw.”
The scientist gulped. “Oh, boy…”
Death:
Scott and Delia stood by the tiny grave long after the rest of the mourners had departed. The loss of their infant son, Willie, to scarlet fever, had shattered their little family and shaken them to their very core.
Diary/Journal:
Dear Diary - Both of Murdoch’s sons returned home today and seeing how handsome they both are makes what I have to do much, much easier. But do I want to be Mrs. Scott Lancer or Mrs. Johnny Lancer? Who cares? Either one would be better than being Mrs. Murdoch Lancer which is what I would’ve been stuck with if they hadn’t accepted his offer. I mean, seriously. He’s old enough to be my father!
Drama:
It was Johnny Madrid and not Johnny Lancer who rode into town that day, seeking vengeance for those who could not seek it themselves.
Fable/Fairy Tale:
Murdoch Lancer looked down upon the glass coffin and the beautiful blond woman who lay sleeping within. Catherine was under a terrible spell and wouldn’t wake unless he could rescue their infant son, from Horan Groat, the Great Ogre of the East, and have the child revive her with a kiss.
Fantasy:
John was an Archer of great renown in the towns along the southern border of Mirkwood Forest. His arrows flew further, went faster and always hit the target squarely. But the tall blond elf named Garrett, who had journeyed from his homeland far to the east, was every bit as skilled.
Horoscope:
Sagittarius - A former flame will reappear. But beware. All is not as it would at first appear. There is danger and heartache ahead.
Horror/Supernatural:
Johnny watched in horror as the tawny colored wolf, brought down by his silver bullet, reverted back to the cold, still form of his brother.
Humor:
Splat! Murdoch wiped gobs of chocolate cream pie out of his eyes and glared at a horrified Teresa as the sound of laughter and jingling spurs disappeared up the stairs.
“S-sorry, Murdoch,” she stammered. “I was aiming for Johnny.”
Hurt/Comfort:
A very grubby, ten year old Scott Lancer let himself in through the kitchen door, hoping to avoid his grandfather’s scrutiny. He’d been climbing trees in the Public Garden with his best friend, Oliver Cabot, and had fallen, scraping his knee and tearing his trousers.
Sniffling softly as he limped slowly across the room, he was brought up short by the voice of Mrs. Timmons, the housekeeper. “Scott Garrett Lancer! What on earth?”
~*~*~
Ten minutes later, replete with loving kisses, cookies still warm from the oven and a freshly bandaged knee, the boy tiptoed past his grandfather’s study and up the stairs to his room.
Romance:
Scott got down on one knee before the pretty schoolteacher and presented her with a ring. “Marry me, Delia,” he said, eyes filled with love. “Marry me and make me the happiest man on earth.”
Sci-Fi:
Johnny Madrid, captain of the Starship, Maria’s Revenge, stared down at Planet Lancer from its orbit. His ship was just one of many in the vast pirate fleet that was commanded by Day Pardee. The planet’s defenders were vastly outnumbered but they weren’t going to give up without a fight. Madrid snorted. They wouldn’t last long. Tomorrow the battle would begin and his birthright would once again be his.