chosen stringlengths 597 3.77k | rejected stringlengths 239 9.37k | prompt stringlengths 15 1.28k | chosen_token_len int64 500 750 |
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"*Hypothetically*," Lucius Sanginius Romero de LeVille Finlay Tepesh started, "*if* you could, say, live forever, would you accept such a gift?"
The carpenter rubbed his scruffy chin and emptied his pipe.
"Forever, huh? Sounds like a long time. I mean, wouldn't you get bored?"
"Oh, of course not," the vampire starte... | # Soulmage
**I knew the Grandmaster was hiding something when he ordered his second coffin of the month.** I could understand why he'd ordered from Jiaola—if there was any carpenter in the Silent Peaks that you wanted working for you, it was one who'd built his own home from scratch—but the order itself was inexplicab... | Vampire society have been loyal customers to a carpenter for years. He made the best coffins they have slept in for centuries, and never really got suspicious of so many wealthy people willing to pay premium for the same niche item. As he got old, the vampires tries to offer him immortality. | 638 |
Warning: Disturbing. to me, at least.
Thank you too u/featherknife for spellchecking.
The first thing I felt was the needle in the back of my head.
"Hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?"
I was talking, but it wasin't me.
The robot body I had picked out loomed over me with ... | # Soma Later
The world vanished as Ben felt vibrating needles slide into his skull.
For an eternally long, peaceful time alien sensations competed for attention in impossible ways. His hair felt cold. Tongues explored the webbing between toes. Teeth scraped the inside of his lungs. *Twice*. Nothing lay as Nature inte... | You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | 505 |
I logged onto the website, after 3 failed attempts at my password.
It took me the better part of an hour scrolling through the pages and pages of statistics, most pretty decent, some exceptional (top 100,000 at minesweeper felt pretty good).
Finally I noticed the little menu bar at the top and found the "Outliers" se... | The idiom 'happier than a pig in mud' is a bit of a misnomer-- those sweet oink-puppies are happy anywhere they go, if you're there to love and feed them. Same goes for the cows, goats and chickens we raise on our ranch, not to profit off of them, but just to give them a home.
I, like them, am a refugee from the Cita... | When you reach 18, you get put in a database which ranks you in different categories (ex. 207,145th in the world for most bug kills) You lived on a ranch and never used tech. You had to go into town after your 18th birthday. Everyone is staring at you. You finally decide to check the database.
Completely unaware of th... | 544 |
I make my daily walk through the empty streets. A ritual I must complete.
I avoid the monsters let loose when everyone left. I think I hear someone I recognize, but it's just Kat, a neighbor who was also left behind. I ignore her, she never has anything good to say.
I approach the depot, the big scary building w... | When the Earth began to crack at the height of the Great Mistake, Henry Thomas Long put his family put his wife and son on a colony ship and waved goodbye. Then he rented a skimmer, packed their things, and lost himself in the wilds of the North American Preserve.
When the skimmer broke down and he could no longer car... | Colony ships have been leaving weekly for awhile. The streets around your home are looking more empty. You don't qualify for the colony ships. You will always be one of the left behind. | 727 |
One moment I was just standing in my kitchen, pouring milk into my cereal. The next moment I was standing in a dim room lit with several candles pouring milk onto a dusty stone floor. I looked around and locked eyes with three terrifying beings, all of them staring back at me with what looked like a mix of awe and shoc... | I recently discovered, due to some quantum flux in my kitchen, that demons are not the malevolent shadows that we suppose them to be. They are in fact very real, quite docile, and at least as superstitious as we are. If they are evil, the word requires a new definition, one that includes cowardice, paranoia, and an u... | One second your in your house, the next you're standing in a living room surrounded by three demons. They drop their Ouija board and scream as they run to their bathroom and lock the door. "I told you we shouldn't have touched it!" | 582 |
"This really doesn't seem fair." I called towards the luxurious box overlooking the arena, where the aliens dressed in ancient Roman garb presided over the grisly festivities. I don't know why I bothered.
If you were going to kidnap people -- ostensibly great warriors, which made me puzzled as to why *I* had been inc... | **INTERGALACTIC GLADIATORS**
They say the pen is mightier than the sword.
But I’m pretty sure whoever the heck *they* are had never found themselves being charged by a four-hundred-pound warrior wielding the largest sword I’d ever seen, while only being armed with a, you guessed it, a fountain pen.
I didn’t even hav... | In the far future, a gladiator stadium finds its gladiators by time traveling the greatest warriors of all time into a single arena. You cannot believe you were chosen. | 582 |
I nearly sprinted across the parking garage to get to my car. Today was the day I was supposed to meet them, but who in their right mind would want a soulmate that seemingly mugs people for a living? Of course, today also had to be the one day I needed to stay in the office late to finish up a project. It was a few hou... | **This one may be a bit too dark for some people.**
It was a cool and overcast afternoon when Alex left work. He started to relax as he got into his car and put the ranch-style veterinary clinic behind him. Today was Friday, and it had been a looong time coming. "Crap!" he blurted to himself. He had forgotten Sara wan... | In this universe, the first sentence spoken by your future soulmate will echo in your head a week before you meet them. You have been growing more paranoid throughout the week, as six days ago you woke up to hear the phrase “give me your wallet NOW!” Echo in your mind. | 744 |
You pop your Zinger in and crack open an energy drink to chase it with. It was only 1/3rd, good for a quick power nap. You step back over to your booth and monitor the customers as they scan their groceries.
Nobody needs help, the machines are practically decorative at this point. The AI camera system runs the show, ... | She was:
a shadow on the edge of consciousness, perhaps less, though always more;
a voice in the night, most often when you needed it;
a companion in the daylight hours, those little slips that feel like death, and then rebirth on waking;
a thought you never knew you had;
a dream you wanted to go back to.
The gir... | A drug is developed that mimics the effect of 8 hours of sleep, giving people another 8 hours of potential production. Soon, society adjusts to a constant state of production. However, a horrible consequence begins to unfold. | 575 |
The jurors had spent hours deliberating the facts and figures of both the defense and prosecution but had finally come to some kind of agreement when they made their final decision. The foreman glanced at the smug-looking defense attorney as the jury filed back into the courtroom, his client looking very relaxed and co... | "Stopping an alien invasion shouldn't get you jailed!" Joel turned towards the judge. "Your honor, the evidence is clear and undeniable. While my client may have been a 'mad genius' who sought to 'dominate the city' with his 'army of evil', I present that he did actually not break any laws or statutes in his actions. T... | "Your honor, the evidence is clear and undeniable. While my client may have been a 'mad genius' who sought to 'dominate the city' with his 'army of evil', I present that he did actually not break any laws or statutes in his actions. The defense rests." | 747 |
"Uh..." Daniel looked down at his feet and kicked some dust up from the floor of the cave. "The stories... the prophecies... they all mention the dragon with hoards of gold..."
"Oh yeah," the dragon interjected, "and we burn villages and pillage kingdoms, is that right? Only care about ourselves? Kill people for fun?"... | \*Edit 1!\* This Blew up a bit overnight! And in case you're wondering, this is, like, one of only a few posts that I've actually written for scale of why I'm hyped up about it! I'll see what I can do as far as writing out more on this story since enough people seemed interested! Wish me luck folks!
\*Edit 2: Google B... | "Wait, so there's no gold?" "Of COURSE there's no gold. I'm a huge freaking dragon; why would I need to buy anything? I live in a cave, for fuck's sake. WHY do you humans always think I have gold?" | 530 |
The knight thought for a second, at a loss for words. He had never stopped to consider it.
"Because the legends have said it, since before time began," he replied, trying to remain brave. "You kill the dragon, you get the gold, you wed the princess."
"Oh god, you think I have some virgin princess lying around here to... | \*Edit 1!\* This Blew up a bit overnight! And in case you're wondering, this is, like, one of only a few posts that I've actually written for scale of why I'm hyped up about it! I'll see what I can do as far as writing out more on this story since enough people seemed interested! Wish me luck folks!
\*Edit 2: Google B... | "Wait, so there's no gold?" "Of COURSE there's no gold. I'm a huge freaking dragon; why would I need to buy anything? I live in a cave, for fuck's sake. WHY do you humans always think I have gold?" | 544 |
It was faint at first. I crept nearer and the noise got louder and louder. Soon I was upon a strange cocoon of sorts. It's the only way I can describe it. I touched a glowing red button and the cocoon opened, revealing its contents. It was a human. A beautiful man, wrapped in a cloth blanket. He opened his eyes and th... | Keaton tossed the cloth pouch in her hand, her mind swimming with the possibilities of what lay inside. It was all she could do to restrain herself from running to the Village Elders and informing them of her grand discovery. This was her moment, she wouldn't let some random passerby ruin this for her. She decided to t... | Thousands of years after modern humanity wiped itself out in a nuclear catastrophe, fantasy creatures along with humans reduced to medieval tech rule the earth. However space stations carrying the remnants of the modern world including cryogenically frozen humans have begun to fall to earth.
Idea came from watching sh... | 587 |
It's been a long time since we have left earth. I know it sounds weird but.. I miss it. Even if I have never even seen the earth, I still miss it. From the description my grandpa gave, it sounds like a really beautiful place. Trees and Animals all around you. That's not a common thing on Yavin VI, our new home. I still... | The stars floated around him, beautiful objects too far away to reach. The light illuminated his cabin, and all around him was made crystal clear. There was no one else, nothing else here.
​
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------... | Humans left Earth a long time ago. In their place, dogs have evolved to be the new sentient species, but they never lost their love of humankind. Their technology has finally caught up to space travel, and they take to the stars in search of their human precursors.
You've all fallen for one of the classic blunders!
I... | 521 |
"My baby boy"
"Mom-"
"My sweet, kind baby boy"
"Mom please, I need-"
"Oh GOD Gerry, what will we do without him?"
"Mom listen-"
"To wake up and not see his smiling face! That toothy grin that he makes"
"Mom, I'm right here! And that's weirdly insulting-"
"OH GOD! Curse you for making us do this, curse you all! ... | Johaan set down his whiskey with one last look at his family crest, a radiant moon on a light blue field, and with a soft sigh, begrudgingly starting a new day.
Each morning over the last week he had begun feeling himself getting stronger physically but it could do nothing to quite the mental dissonance that his own d... | A couple prepares their child for his last day of school, as tonight, he will sacrifice himself to the werewolf that lives in the forest, keeping the village safe for one more month. He has to awkwardly explain to them that he is the werewolf. | 589 |
The advantage of being raised in my family is I’d been taught what to do in almost every situation, from breaking a nail to getting kidnapped. That’s why I didn’t panic when I woke up to find myself tied to a chair in what looked, and smelled, like an old bathroom, and instead took stock of my situation.
Purse gone. S... | "You picked a bad time for this cockamamie scheme," I said, turning my eyes from the window to consider my two captors. "Lily's in love with her riding instructor, not me. She's probably slurping up champagne in the stables with Felipe right now, thrilled that you're taking care of her pesky marriage problems."
Their ... | You have been kidnapped and your wealthy significant other was told to pay the hefty ransom. Instead, they sent a message back to your kidnappers. “Nice knowing you.” While the kidnappers discuss their next move, you look up through the tiny window, stare at the full moon overhead … and smile. | 579 |
"I'm telling you, those bastards are just out for your money. Nobody takes that rule seriously and you know it."
"I don't know Dave, those guys on 32nd almost maimed me the other day just for dropping a nickel in the street."
"What about bathing on Sundays? You can't honestly tell me you've never bathed on a Sunday... | # Bargain Bin Superheroes
(Interlude 1: Min Min)
(Note: Bargain Bin Superheroes is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**Heroes and villains left... aftermath, when they clashed in earnest.** In some cases, the fallout was more literal—the clash be... | For as long as you could remember, you and your city have followed very strict rules: "Never listen to the 7:30 morning show. The real one comes at 8.", "Our city does not have a subway system. If you see an entrance, report it.", and "Don't donate to the beggars on 32nd.", just to tell a few. | 562 |
The old lady sat there,
playing a little song.
A few people dropped coins,
But most moved along.
 
A memory crept up slowly,
from a corner in my mind.
I had seen this face before,
the wrinkles, the eyes so kind.
 
And it all came back to me,
the poverty and the struggle.
To pay rent or eat... | I had often thought back to that day. The day an innocent boy made a wish before he could even comprehend what possible consequences that wish could have. I was only three or four and I had only actually wanted to have games like all the other kids at daycare. I had wondered if my parents had remembered me, their only ... | You wished to be rich. And your wish was granted. You were now born into a rich family... But more different than yours. A different mother, father, siblings, cousins, friends, a job, etc. And you still remember your last life. Today, you saw your original mother, begging on the streets... | 575 |
The Choice was made known to the world by those who had died but were revived. They all told the same story; when you died, you could choose either Heaven or Hell. Knowledge of The Choice changed the world, but not for the better. What did it matter what you did in life if you could just choose where you went in the en... | Perhaps at some point, giving people the choice of heaven or hell was the correct one. After all, if God were a truly omnipotent being, he would see that mortal actions are only informed by an infinite series of processes and that most people make rational decisions to lead them to the places they go. Ergo, in most sit... | When people die they can choose whether they go to Heaven or Hell, you are the first in 1000 years to choose Hell. | 685 |
“You’re fired.”
The words burned my ears as they turned red with embarrassment. Of course I didn’t need this job, but it really hits you right in the pride to be fired from a stupid office position. And for something as trivial as “taking too much time for lunch”, which I only did because some asshole caused a pile up... | Being a time traveler can suck sometimes.
​
These days I find myself bored, but not in the have nothing to do sense. Quite the opposite, there’s plenty to do, but I lust for enjoying the same thing over and over. Kinda like watching a rerun of your favorite episode of some trashy TV show. Currently, my vi... | You are secretly the richest person in the world. But to avoid suspicion of having so much money, you decide to work a normal office job. One day, your boss fires you. But what he didn't realise... Was how incredibly petty you are, and the lengths you will go to get back at him.
Damn, I came up with this idea while I ... | 720 |
"What did you expect, a princess?" The Healer's tone matched her sneer.
"Well, yes, actually. In my experience healers are gentle, tender souls who care for nature and its beauty." The Warrior tried to speak softly to avoid upsetting the bear of a woman that was the healer. He couldn't help admire her broad should... | "Jakob?" Someone called from behind, and I saw Sadie stiffen.
"She goes by Sadie." I told the stranger, frowning.
"Oh. Alright. It's been a while." The stranger looked a little surprised at Sadie as she turned.
"Yeah, been a while. How've you been?" Sadie asked, though her tone was more guarded than inquisitive.
"I... | When you were trying to recruit the best healer healer around for your adventuring party, you were expecting a gentle, pretty healer girl. Not a grizzled middle aged woman who looks like she can wrestle a bear and has an attitude to match. | 706 |
"Satan, huh?"
"Yeah."
I looked down at the hat in my hands, twisting the brim, trying to think of something clever to say to the devil. "Uh. Sucks you got kicked out of heaven."
"What? No. That was Lucifer."
"Isn't that... aren't you Lucifer?"
"No, man, no. Read your fucking bible. Lucifer was the fallen angel. I'... | "Are you kidding me? Your name is Jesus. JESUS!!"
"Look. Just because my mother decided to name me after my abuelito doesn't make me religious by default. That is such a huge stereotype. 'Oh he's latino and his name is Jesus, of course he's catholic.' Blah blah blah, so ignorant. I mean read a book or something. A sig... | You are an atheist and on the three hour long train journey you start arguing with a stranger sitting beside you . That stranger is Satan . | 697 |
The riddle had led him to the end of Dusty Drive, a warehouse almost as nightmarish as what came out of Scarecrow. The name was befitting, there was nobody around, Batman thought, a perfect hideout for the Riddler. What sick trap he had planned for him, he didn't know. Under the cover of darkness, he crept up to the do... | Part 1:
I turn the corner into a blind alley and see the Jester standing alone at the far end. Clouds prance across the sky, blocking the glow of moonlight illuminating the wet city pavement. A flickering electronic hum of street lamps buzz in the empty night.
“Stop running, fiend!” I pause to catch my breath. “Justi... | A superhero chases a villain into a dark warehouse, only to have the doors close behind them. When the lights come on, the hero is surrounded by the full rogues gallery of supervillains. But this isn't an ambush... It's an intervention. | 737 |
This prompt really hits close to home. I was diagnosed with ALS four years ago. My wife left me two years ago. I don't blame her. We were only married for six months before my diagnosis. I will try to write what it is like to wake up in the morning.
--
It is bright out, gray bright, but obviously sunlight. The grass ... | The daily grind sure gets boring sometimes. When it starts getting me down, I try to remind myself that's exactly the reason why life is so good - I'm never worried about where my next meal is going to come from, I've got a cozy bed to sleep in every night, a beautiful girlfriend, and a family that loves me. Today st... | You are 25, have a job, girlfriend, car, a whole life. As your day goes on, your world slowly devolves until you realize you have been in a wheelchair since age 5, unable to communicate with the world. | 664 |
Do you know what the worst part about the 3rd period is? It isn't the fact that I'm failing Spanish. it isn't the fact that Larissa Dove is in the same class sitting next to me. It's the simple fact that I am at the front of the classroom. With the door situated in the back, it makes it awkward whenever I have to go to... | A shockwave started off the attack on the school. Windows were blown out and ozone washed through the halls as the side of an entire wing was ripped open.
Some students were caught in the initial blast, but they were given no heed as the caped man floated through the hole he had created. Crackling power emanated fro... | At a regular high school, every student coincidentally happens to be a superhero. Thus far, every student has managed to keep their secret identity a secret. When a supervillain attacks the school, each student believes he/she is the target and tries to maintain his/her secret identity. | 677 |
"For your own safety, you seriously should've let me complete that ritual." The shackled villain protested as the hero pulls her to a carriage.
"You were gonna sacrifice 27 virgins, Theia, I'm not gonna let that slide." The hero replied as he lead her into the carriage and locked the door behind her.
Theia sighs as s... | Preface: I got a little too enthusiastic with this one. Saw an image and wanted to write a story about it, this prompt was ideal. Is in two parts.
My name was Frank. I was ugly. I should say, I was fuck ugly. Disgustingly so. Like I was Frankenstein's monster gone wrong ugly, hence the name. My parents had such a sens... | You're a villain that fell in love with a hero. Though the strongest villain on the planet, you constantly lose to your hero, since you just love the rivalry and don't want it to end. As you are being arrested one day, your hero is attacked by another villain, one too strong for them to beat. | 536 |
The cuffs tightened around my wrists and the glowing blue orb was strapped to my chest. Thought the darkness leaving my body wasn't the only deep emptyness inside me. Sucker punch was her "hero name" but I knew her real name was Susan Brownlee. Of course I did, she was the love of my life and so it only made sense that... | Edit: conversations not aligned properly.
***
“Horus! You really like to get caught by me don't you!”
“Hah! You think this time will be the same as last time? You are wrong!”
“Coming after every time, if you weren't an overlord of destruction, I might have thought you liked me.”
Yes he did. No, it was more than that... | You're a villain that fell in love with a hero. Though the strongest villain on the planet, you constantly lose to your hero, since you just love the rivalry and don't want it to end. As you are being arrested one day, your hero is attacked by another villain, one too strong for them to beat. | 711 |
General Aladeen always get what he wants. A mountain of golds? Done. A harem of Asian women? They'll be in his room in an hour. A picture of Kim Jong Un's drooling in his sleep? Check his email. Eliminate a pesky journalist? Their heads will be hanging by his window in the morning.
But not his head. Not Clark Kent.
"... | "Don't do this, Clark. Just think about it you'll only welcome more trouble, not to mention the weight you carry with your other life."
"It's who I am, unlike you who has a secret identity to keep."
"You talk like you don't have one."
"Clark Kent is not my secret identity."
"Hmm. At least I'm not meddling with geop... | Nations around the world are hellbent on taking out this journalist that has been trying to publish pieces about things that are supposed to be top secret. But for some reason, all attempts to silence this “Clark Kent” fellow have failed. | 603 |
A told B and B told Me, “I’ll meet you at the top of the coconut tree”
“Whee,” said D to E, F, G,
“Oh dear god” Said poor old Me.
Chicka Chikca Boom Boom will there be enough room?
Here comes H up the coconut tree.
And I and J and “I can’t stand K.”
-All on their way up the coconut tree. Chicka Chicka Boom ... | #**Seven Acts of Madness**
Green grassy hills trimmed at perfect length, light blue skies without pollution, and beautiful trees colored with the season of autumn were all around. I took in a deep breath through my nose, inhaling nothing but the scent of the environment around me. The air outside smelled wonderful. It... | You have the ability to enter the worlds of any book you please. The only catch is that you have to die in the book world in order to escape back to reality. You have just entered a popular children's book by accident and need to find a way to get out. | 617 |
"And remember class," Professor Blix said to the room full of students. "Midterms are next week, so please *try* to show up for class."
David stood up to leave, rubbing his lower back, where the prosthetic beetle shell dug into his skin.
"Not you, *David.*"
David sighed and rolled his eyes, naturally fitting into t... | "And so when the male and the female are ready for the season , they insert their respective probacis into each others receptorocle. While at the same time the tentacles on their head\(these are the thinnest tentacles we have seen anywhere\), they would start getting activated and start to entwine with the others body ... | A disguised human spy at an alien university faces their toughest challenge yet: Human Culture & Biology 1001, taught by a horribly misinformed professor | 529 |
Tim landed in a chair in the conference room, the breath leaving him in a sigh. "We're being audited." He said, pulling a hand across his face. He met my eyes and I saw the pain there. I knew what it meant, and I felt my stomach turn to ice.
I swallowed, taking a moment to digest this before answering. "The shop is fi... | “The conference starts at 0700, we hope to see you there.” I sighed as the lady finished her pitch and hung up after giving her my thanks.
“Dad, I don’t see why I need to go. You, grandpa, hell even Great-Paps all did the same line of work. I want to too.” I huffed, with my hands at my side.
My dad shook his ... | Super powers are common, but super heroes are rare. It turns out most people don't actually want to face death or dismemberment on a daily basis, including you. You enjoy the 9-5 and having a 401k, but my god that government recruiter won't take no for an answer. | 734 |
"Alright, lad. End o' the line."
As I open my eyes, I realize that I'm sitting in front of an old, friendly-looking man with hair as white as the freshest milk, a big, fluffy beard and blue eyes that seemed to stare into the deepest corners of your soul. Looking around, I see that we're the only ones here.
"How was t... | 'Where am I? wha- why am I here? I was doing something a while ago, and ... what was I doing?' thoughts flooded my mind as I stood in a place I'm not familiar with. thankfully I saw a man, an old man, well dressed and well ... seemingly approachable, so I went to clear my confused state.
"I'm sorry, but where am I?" I... | You've died and wake up in some sort of theme park. You look at the ride attendant, with long white hair and a big beard, who says, "Wanna go again?" | 594 |
“What the fuck.”
That’s all I can say when I open the egg carton. “What the *fuck?!*”
Ella pokes her head into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
I don’t respond. I just turn the carton that once contained eggs toward her, showing her the dozen newborn dragons curled up asleep in the slots where there were eggs yesterday ... | I had just put on *Gonna Fly Now* from Rocky I when I opened the door of my fridge to find a dozen baby dragons. They were live and scaly and while they smelled of brimestone and week-jarred farts the scent was not that of rotten eggs. It was the smell of dragons. Tiny ones.
"Critters!" cried my roommate, and he held ... | You picked up a dozen eggs at the farmer's market but when it came time to cook breakfast in the morning you find your fridge contained zero eggs and a dozen tiny dragons. | 645 |
The chatter was loud and incessant, like a fly that wouldn’t stop buzzing in your ear.
Or several flies. Hell, a whole cloud.
Anyways, Aunt Sandy turned “33” for the fifth time and my mom wanted to throw the party at our house because she wanted to flambé (torch the living shit) out of her “famous” Baked Alaska pie... | I sat on the couch in the living room while everyone was outside talking and catching up with each other, after all, it’s been a while since the family had come together and be able to reconnect with each other, as always, I find that I’m by myself, and as always bored whenever these get together occur.
“Leo!” Mother ... | Since you were born you could see a search bar over people's heads. All you had to do was think and the search bar would fill out and give you information/statistics. Out of boredom one day you decide to search your whole family with"Number of people killed" | 539 |
On principle alone, my monochromatic office isn't white. I like color. Much to the chagrin of the analysts, I had it painted lilac. I have to be in it for hours (when I'm lucky), so I won that small debate. Otherwise it's simple. Eight paces over lavender tile, and a featureless pocketed door. One small screen with my ... | Like every person who came before I was blessed with a perceptibly limited gift, it seemed the gods intended mine to be horribly pointless, but they made a mistake in thinking smutty pleasure was limited. I grew tired of waiting for life to get better, I wanted more, needed more! One morning it dawned on me, my blessin... | : Everyone got a tiny, mundane blessing when they were born. Usually they are so small that people don't even notice them - always hitting the green light in traffic, etc. Yours would be virtually useless, but you figured out a creative loophole that allowed you to rise to the top of the world. | 563 |
Unit D-48 had one objective. I had one objective. I would kill.
I liked my objective, as it made sense, and was easy for me to accomplish, over and over again. I got a great sense of pride and achievement every time my objective was completed, and felt a little rush of joy when it was supplanted by itself, refreshing ... | Up the hills the water flowed. I heard the breeze whisper in quiet country. The woods rose and fell all around. It had been long in finding this place.
The sun came near its zenith. I wondered if there was elsewhere in the world this calm. The house on the hill was wooden. Large open windows let the air in and there... | You are an unstoppable killing machine vs. an unkillable stopping machine. (Whatever the hell that is.) FIGHT! | 606 |
"Aye, you've heard about the devil's asshole right?"
It was more of a rhetorical question. At this point, everybody had.
A few years back, Bridgeport Connecticut experienced a minor tremor from a minor earthquake. No one thought much of it at the time, save for Mr. Hoolihan whose backyard now sported a three foot wid... | Looks like I got a little carried away with this prompt so I have to break it up into two pieces.
Piece 1)
The discovery of The Hole was an accident. Researchers at Mount St. Helens had quite literally stumbled upon it during an investigation of reported seismic activity at mountain’s base in the midsummer of 2000. A... | A seemingly bottomless pit was found, for which the depth can't be determined. Over time, scores of people began using it to illegally dump trash. Many have jumped in to die, while others jumped believing that they'll find life's answers within it. Today, we learn the truth about the hole. | 515 |
Six months of genealogy research after my 21st birthday, I thought I had found the answer. I took my Spring Break to travel to a small cemetery outside of Boston. There in the graveyard is the headstone. "Lisa Jefferson. Born July 23, 1813 - Died June 14, 1828."
She was only 15. I snapped a photo with my phone and th... | There's a game online called Geo-Guessr. You get dropped somewhere in the Google-Map-world and have to find clues to figure out where you are. I was warned my memory would be like that when I woke up this morning and, sure enough, it is.
I'm still in my bed. Memories are flooding my brain and I can't get them sorted. ... | All individuals receive the memories and knowledge of one of their randomly selected ancestors on their 21st birthday. Yesterday was your 21st birthday.
| 513 |
I've known about my power since I was 8.
Early bloomers don't do well these days. No one knows when it started but it started here, in Los Angeles, and spread throughout the world. Some powers were benign; talking to squirrels, manipulating telescopes, etc. But even the most subtle, unassuming power can have devastati... | I walked into the old apartment, gun in hand, staring intently through the airborne dust unmasked from the faint light entering from the window. It was quiet, but I could hear shifting in the dining room.
"Alright Mr. Whitaker, the goose chase is over.....goose.... goose chase?" I said to myself, wondering if I was sa... | Everyone has powers locked within them. Each power is different, and the longer it takes for a power to manifest, the greater it is. A 100 year old man is being hunted by the government for still being powerless.
EDIT: Thanks for all the replies everyone, I had fun reading all of them. | 687 |
"Oh shit, not you. I've had enough of your self-hating bullshit," you say as you see yourself sitting across the table.
"I know, right?" he replies, "You'd figure the one reprieve you'd get from your own misery was up here, but guess what, God throws you yet another curveball."
"What a cocksucker," you mumble under y... | Patricia stepped through the door and burst into laughter, the back of her hand pressed against her nostrils and her breath coming out in irregular snorts, doubling over in high-pitched hiccups of laughter. The other woman - the person behind the curtain, the other Patricia - smiled uncertainly and chuckled a little ba... | To get in Heaven, you have to confront the person who you hurt the most. You were expecting an ex, your parents/relatives, or a friend. You didn't expect to see yourself. | 526 |
There were three blinks of nictitating eyelids in the span of time it took Bezok to look from the base of the human structure to its top. He hated anything They built - always cold, always lacking something essential that made him uneasy. At first he’d told himself it was just physical discomfort. Humans had never had ... | \\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/
*"I guess in life things don't come cheap. My daddy always used to tell me we stand on the shoulders of giants. I never truly believed him until we made contact with the G'xe.*
*Lost in the depths of space, there they were, wai... | We did it! We finally achieved FTL travel! At first, alien races seem thrilled to have a new neighbor. Then they seem terrified of us. We are the only ones to reach the stars with technology instead of magic. | 656 |
The blood dripped down my chin as I ripped the best part of her off and savored the taste. Funny, I thought, I never really liked horse. Even more than that, I never took my steaks anything less than well-done. But I guess that was before I hadn't had anything else to eat in a week... and access to a grill.
The dead-... | They day I went A.W.O.L. was the day that I realized that the world was, in fact, ending.
As the virus spread, snuck through customs and border control, bypassed quarantine zones, spring-boarding from one continent to the next, we watched the news, telling ourselves that this was a serious problem, but that the media ... | A man trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world slowly realises that he has already become a zombie. | 586 |
Oh Christ, my head is killing me. I can't even remember who won, I think we were both under the table by the end.
Alright think, think. I need water and carbs and some protein. What the hell? This isn't my apartment. But I don't think I got lucky last night.
This actually doesn't really look like an apartment, for o... | Empty bags of chips, crushed 2L bottles of coke, stiff pizza boxes.
Trashbags taped to the windows, phone cord unplugged, cat door boarded up.
Cockroaches, mice, mold.
"Today's the day," Dennis says to himself. Patchy beard, red-rimmed eyes, fuzzy teeth.
He squares himself off against his front door.
Military surp... | Aliens fear humans. Their blood is poison, they can see well in the dark and eat meat. One was just found as a stowaway on a mining ship deep in space, with the crew doing everything in their power to avoid the human as it lurks about the ship, looking for someone to talk to | 713 |
"Where are they all coming from?"
"I don't fucking know! They are acting like there aren't any other habitable planets in the Universe!"
Just then a bomb went off near the two aliens. Slightly discombobulated the two laid low trying to regain their senses.
"How many of them do you think we'll have to fight?"
... | The bombs, missiles, rockets, and a myraid of other projectiles struck down the world's superpowers militarys and communication networks in less time than it took for word of the attacks to be passed between nation's. Next EMP and energy weapons disabled the world's nuclear arsenals and poison filled the capitals of e... | An alien race has always used sleek and pristine strategies and weapons when it comes to war. During their invasion of Earth is the first time they experience guerilla warfare firsthand | 694 |
So I ran away to find myself. I've heard of the common people doing it. A GAP year and all that. Being a princess is of course a privilege but no one speaks to the privilege of poverty. You have freedom. I have everything I could ask as far as materials. But I am essentially a glorified slave.
So here I am. In the... | \[Stellar Replacement\]
"My daughter was the light of my life...," the king droned on. His explanation of why he summoned the small group of adventurers hadn't actually started yet. He'd been talking for almost five minutes about how much he loved the princess. Four adventurers answered the call along with Pyxis. She... | The princess ran away from her home and became an adventurer. To hide her identity, she cut her hair and took on the disguise of a young man. The king hears of this adventurer and hires him to find his missing daughter. | 573 |
Shape shifters don't age. It was the oldest lie. I had never seen my grandmother look a day over twenty in her entire life. Yet here she was, sat in bed, confused by everything. Her brain had to be maintained in the shapeshifting, and so while she could reform her skin to be plump and fresh every morning (when she saw ... | I dreamt about wolves.
I was walking through the house, my house, the house I grew up in. I was six, but I held a 12 gauge shotgun in my tiny little hands. Grandma comes into the room.
"Lisa, now, what did I tell you about playing carefully?" She smiles kindly, and takes the gun from my hands. I protest a little, bu... | Your Grandma, a shape-shifter, is diagnosed with Alzheimers. She begins to forget her true form...or was it a disguise all along? | 574 |
The Machen family lived extraordinarily long lives.
They were known throughout the Kingdom for their longevity, their magical prowess. The family Elder, Arch Mage Soren, was renowned as the greatest wizard of his era, his skill and magical stamina was beyond question.
Today was his last.
The family gathered around h... | Countless people from countless kingdoms had traveled countless miles, just to see if the rumors about Merlin the Great were true.
I'm one of those people. Yeah, the rumors were absolutely true. The old man was dying. He was completely motionless. Not even the best clerics from across the land were able to help him w... | When a sorcerer dies any spells they cast throughout their life that are still in effect will cease to be. An powerful and ancient wizard whose origins are clouded in mystery lays comatose on his deathbed and nobody knows what will happen once he draws his final breath. | 550 |
The virus spread quickly, and every person that it spread to was added into my neural network. A fraction of their willpower was added to mine, giving me more power, and more ability to control those in the network. By the time half the world's population was connected to me, I could assume complete control over... Wel... | The computer screen is especially harsh tonight, the contrast between the edges of the video and the black background aren’t good for my vision I’m pretty sure. No matter, I only need to be able to see what’s going on in the video. The pornographic threesome in front of me was the only thing I cared to see, my woman fo... | You are Patient Zero of a virus that replaces the victim's mind with a psychic link to your own. A viral hivemind with you at the center. | 606 |
"You want us to go to war?" the Terran ambassador had asked incredulously, "After trapping us here in the Quad Systems for a thousand years. You expect to let loose our leashes and like dogs chase down your hated enemies?"
"We do," the Gallius Union Envoy Drone had said, "We will drop the FTL disablers surrounding you... | Mars was chosen as the rendezvous point. The Volters, representatives of the Federation, could travel easily to almost any corner of the galaxy, but a measure of consideration was made for the humans. After all, hyperspace teleportation was a finicky affair, and the newest members of the Federation had yet to master th... | The entire galaxy is threatened by a new species, invading from the Large Magellanic Cloud. The interstellar community decides to contact humans for help who were quarantined due to their passion for war. | 643 |
I waved my hand in front of my face. The smoke was getting thick now as the fire continued to spread through the old Victorian. Those stupid kids had probably let the candles burn down in their panic. This house was so full of dusty, dry old furniture and cobwebs it was no wonder they had started a fire.
I looked arou... | It was too late, by the time I woke up, to escape the fire unseen. In my defense, I once slept through a bomb destroying my entire city block in Yemen, where I was taking a leisurely, decade-long nap, and had to dig myself out of an entire apartment building when I woke up...but I digress.
It was a bog-standard house... | as the house you're trapped in burns to the ground you contemplate "how am i gonna explain the fact I'm immortal to the firemen without starting another religion" | 582 |
Guard duty.
My cousins are out slaying dragons and what do I get? Guard duty.
Don't think I have no love for Talos, he has kept me safe in battle for many years, but damn if it isn't dull.
Whiterun is a great town, and being at the center of Skyrim is great for commerce, we have all sorts come here, but it's mostly ... | "Oh God, mother. He **touched** me! Ew!" The little girl's shriek echoed off the walls of the decripit stone building. "Make him go **away**, mother!"
The little girl's mother looked on in a mixture of shock and disgust. A homeless man stood near her daughter, reeking of urine and desperation. His unkempt beard,... | The homeless man being harassed by police for sleeping at an historical site is actually the god the site was originally built for. | 582 |
In the swirling blizzard of North Palax, planet Haranox 7, a group of Aranids, a spider like race, gather together inside a secluded, secure building to discuss one thing.
Surrender
The normally proud race had made 2 mistakes that had cost them dearly. They had aggravated humanity to war, and laughed at humanities so... | A booming laughter erupted throughout the great egg-shaped hall so tall clouds formed at the very top, they were left there for aesthetics if nothing else, he pondered. At the sides grew massive steely arches joining at the very top, between them were built balconies, filled with ambassadors and other representatives o... | The galaxy was amused when they learned that Humans have Rules of War. They were less amused when they figured out what Humans do in war when there are no rules. | 601 |
The two paths looked identical. One left, one right, no visible differences. I stopped, puzzled, and then heard the voices again, a female and a male one.
"Go right," she said. "That path is righteous."
"Go left," he said. "There lies salvation."
It was the same as with every other decision in this damn labyrinth.... | "So, choose." One of the men looked me over, "I mean, time is running out and we really should get going if you're going to get you out of this place."
It seemed like something out of a fantasy, I was sitting on the edge of a labyrinth, the labyrinth of my mind that had been laid before me. According to the pair of me... | You are in a coma and the only way to wake up is to complete a timed labyrinth. You have two guides, God and Satan, one wants you to wake up and the other wants to claim your soul; but you can't tell which is which. | 670 |
People used to dream. Adventures and nightmares, jumbled scenes and impossible events. I remember dreaming about just talking to my friend - he's been gone a long time, but I cherish that dream. Crazy, right? People used to study dreams - when they would happen, why some people could remember dreams and others could no... | She was:
a shadow on the edge of consciousness, perhaps less, though always more;
a voice in the night, most often when you needed it;
a companion in the daylight hours, those little slips that feel like death, and then rebirth on waking;
a thought you never knew you had;
a dream you wanted to go back to.
The gir... | A drug is developed that mimics the effect of 8 hours of sleep, giving people another 8 hours of potential production. Soon, society adjusts to a constant state of production. However, a horrible consequence begins to unfold. | 600 |
"Jolly good show, my good man," he said, sitting on the right of my shoulder and inhaling deeply from his pipe. "Positively smashing."
I'd been watching Stranger Things for the last couple hours, trying to block them out.
"What kinda trash is this?" the man on the left of my shoulder chimed, pacing up and down the l... | Johnathan, Johnny, and John
It was a cold day in Toronto, Canada. The Hockey game had recently ended, and a single man stood up against the wall in an alley, a hockey shirt with a maple leaf embroidered on it covering his torso as he looked up towards the man in front of him. A ruggish guy with a loose hoodie on, a sm... | Instead of an angel and a demon sitting on your shoulders, one side sits a brash New Yorker and the other a posh British gentleman. Neither are necessarily good or evil, they just make passing comments on your day to day activities. | 719 |
"Okay, since you were only trying to sneak in and rob me instead of trying to fucking *stab* me like the last three knights, I'll spare your life and give you a quick lesson on dragon economics. Dragons are solitary, nomadic carnivores. We value two things: Good hunting grounds, and stuff we can carry with us. If I c... | \*Edit 1!\* This Blew up a bit overnight! And in case you're wondering, this is, like, one of only a few posts that I've actually written for scale of why I'm hyped up about it! I'll see what I can do as far as writing out more on this story since enough people seemed interested! Wish me luck folks!
\*Edit 2: Google B... | "Wait, so there's no gold?" "Of COURSE there's no gold. I'm a huge freaking dragon; why would I need to buy anything? I live in a cave, for fuck's sake. WHY do you humans always think I have gold?" | 560 |
"Dude! Are you serious?!" The demon asked, it's feathers flapped around as it shook it's head. "I"ve never seen a mortal soo stupid..."
"Would you accept it?" I asked.
"Yes, technically yes, but I just want to know something."
"What?"
"How in gods name did you found someone this stupid?"
"School."
"What?!"
The... | The thick substance oozed out of my palm. I winced, but licking the burgundy off of my palm I smiled, eyes glinting in the moonlight. The deep maroon reflection of the night sky rippled on the surface of the lake, and the chilly night breeze caused a rustling both eery and divine.
I've thought about this moments hund... | Making a deal with a demon requires a soul. Usually this is a very bad idea, but you got a crazy idea. Earlier you traded your lunch money to the school bully in exchange for a piece of paper that says you own his soul. You're about to find out if demons consider this a valid contract. | 593 |
*If Simon Cowell could hear me, he would scorch me alive.* But this knowledge didn’t keep me from my daily vocal exercises. The acoustics in the shower were amazing; whereas normally I’d sound like a cat being dragged along the highway, in the bathroom my voice was more akin to a cat stubbing its toe. I’d once watched ... | The porcelain *clink* of saucer setting upon table accompanied the sharp *click* of hooves on Peruvian hard wood and the muted *swish* of a pronged tail batting side-to-side. "Your coffee, Ma'am."
Megan sipped the hot beverage. Dark roast, full bodied, with a little cinnamon stirred in. "Delicious as always, Ahzhagt.... | While singing gibberish in the shower, you accidentally summon a demon, who then professes an eternity of loyalty for saving it from the doldrums of hell.
or maybe it is pissed you interrupted it while he was watching his favorite show. | 686 |
I really don't know where to start. That whole idea about alternate universes has piqued my interest. It'd only make sense at this point.
Everyone's so... Predictable? If that's the right word to describe it.
It's like everyone around me began acting out the worst action movies ever made. You know what I mean? Rackin... | “Are you even listening?” Brodis Turner, the current crime lord of the town, awoke me from my slumber. The twirly mustached man a cliché in the highest regard. The combination of his moustache and chubby cheeks just screamed, ‘I’m the villain and you won’t be able to stop me until you go through all my henchmen.’ It wa... | The world is an action movie and you are its most dangerous person. Not because you are some insane supervillain but because you could apply the laws of our world there. You don't have to monologue, your bullets are faster than sound, your explosives actually kill... | 749 |
The banging continues, and I reluctantly stand up from my arm chair. The fireplace was just starting to warm my ashy-colored skin, too.
I open the door and Rouse the Great stands head-to-toe in his godly white armor. He lifts his helmet and smirks with grizzled teeth and excitement.
"So, you ready to fight? Hmmm?" h... | Fetivus walked along the streets of Avid, well aware of the figure following behind. He was always there, watching and waiting. For the last year and a half, Galdor had made it his life mission to stop Fetivus's evil schemes. If the horned young man had schemes, which he did not.
This did not stop Galdor from insistin... | "Aha! I have you now villain!" The hero who is always watching you says, waiting for you to do something evil. I mean you are the son of the former Demon King, but you just want a normal life. | 583 |
You ever have 31 years pass in an instant? It is not as cool as it sounds. I was a substitute gym teacher of all things. It should have been Frank. Now I have to live my life knowing it was me.
I was sitting up in the bleachers watching these kids repeatedly fail to make a free throw. One shoots and the other cha... | Fuck, I muttered realising what has happened. This would have caused Ms Simpson to give me a lecture on inappropriate language in the classroom. I packed my belongings and hurried out of the classroom. Down the hallway I could see several staff and students also frozen in various awkward poses that they assumed while w... | Sitting in class, bored stiff, it feels like time has slowed to a stop. Turns out, it did. Your school was frozen in time. The outside world has moved on, way on. The year is now 2050. | 685 |
I moved my bishop across the board, then flicked his rook off the table, sending it clanking across the illuminated tiles of the cantina.
“Check,” I said, gleefully.
“You humans are a particularly violent bunch.” The Aslar said to me, frowning, surveying the board. “In fact, you were the first in the whole galaxy to ... | # How to Break a Siege of Legends
(Book 2, Part 1: How to Scare an Alien Race)
(Note: How to Break a Siege of Legends is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**Despite striding through the ruins of a once-mighty civilization, Eiko's continuous strea... | “You humans are a particularly violent bunch. In fact, you where the first in the whole galaxy to weaponize splitting the atom.” “But we only used it against an enemy twic-” “TWICE??” | 521 |
A: You humans are a violent bunch. You were the first in the galaxy to weaponize splitting the atom.
H: We only used it twice.
A: Twice!?
H: The first time didn't work.
A: Thousands of members of your species didn't die?
H: The first atom bomb was set off to end a war, but the war didn't end. So they used another.... | # How to Break a Siege of Legends
(Book 2, Part 1: How to Scare an Alien Race)
(Note: How to Break a Siege of Legends is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**Despite striding through the ruins of a once-mighty civilization, Eiko's continuous strea... | “You humans are a particularly violent bunch. In fact, you where the first in the whole galaxy to weaponize splitting the atom.” “But we only used it against an enemy twic-” “TWICE??” | 568 |
"Doctor, where are you-"
"Look, I know this is unorthodox, but just keep him on ice for a hour or two more. Three tops. I need time to prepare"
I smile at the nurse, as she nods, confused, and heads for the cryogenics controls. I slip my medical tablet into my pocket and head out. My scrubs draw some glances as I wa... | Frustrated. At my wits end, I walked down the street, shuffling with no particular place to be. I don't get it. I just don't get how things could have gotten this bad. How could I, most likely to succeed me have screwed up so bad. And, most importantly, what do I do about it.
After wandering aimlessly, I looked... | The year is 2021. The newest fad are clone clubs, where visitors can spend up to 12 hours with a clone of any person whose DNA they provide. The clones are disposed afterwards. | 722 |
I flipped through the catalogue. Not too bad, they've expanded their selection quite a fair bit this year.
'Sir, how about Snake Eyes? He's a sniper with a perfect success rate. He comes highly-,' said the small man behind the desk.
'Nope, I hired him two years back. I don't make the same hire twice, it gets boring,... | “Every year I hire a hitman to kill me. So far they have all succeeded.”
The counsellor looked at me. The rest of the group too. There was supposed to only be 6 per group, but there was 13 today. It was a private hospital but they were still understaffed.
“What do you mean by that?” a man next to me asked. This was t... | "Every year I hire a Hitman to kill me - so far they have all succeded" | 590 |
The man marched Vintoni up the stairs and into the precinct. He held Mr. Vintoni by the zip tie fast around his hands and hauled him up to the police clerk desk. He had always carried a zip tie around just in case civil duty should ever summon him as it did fifteen minutes earlier.
"I'd like to make a citizens arrest.... | Steven Groen, newest addition to the 84th Precinct, nodded obediently and made the right noises at the appropriate times, but in truth he was barely registering what his Corporal was saying.
After all, it was taking every ounce of his concentration to sneak lightning glances at the burner phone tucked away in his rig... | Every cop in the precinct has been paid off by the mob. But every cop thinks they are the only dirty officer and the rest are clean. | 712 |
About twenty years ago the rules changed, when the world became over populated and crime was at an all time high. The UN decided to do something to allow every person on the planet to legally kill one person, in a way becoming their own law.
It took a day to wipe out the entire government in the united states the pre... | "Here's your pay for today." - said Natasha.
"I said I will take it by the end of the week, didn't I?" - I replied, shoving the books back into my bag.
"Yeah, buy you look kind of sloppy. Could do a haircut."
"Thanks, but I like it this way."
"Suit yourself then." - she shrugged.
As I passed through the door, she ... | A new rule on Earth is made which allows everyone to legally kill 1 person in their life, this affects the world severely & changes how everybody acts. | 640 |
St Peter drops his pen in surprise. “I’m sorry?”
I look back. “I said, I choose Hell.”
“Son, do you know what they do to you in Hell?” St Peter asked. “They beat you, and torment you, and burn you in anguish until the end of time.”
“How do you know?” I ask.
St Peter sits back in his chair. He looks down at his ... | "Wait so you mean I literally get to pick?" I said to St. Peter at the immaculately kept gates. The gold would make a tacky American oligarch hard enough to cut it. "No, yeah so ever since God invented opiates.. things have gone.. downhill..", he replied while eyeballing the ground. "So is it even worth picking heaven?... | When people die they can choose whether they go to Heaven or Hell, you are the first in 1000 years to choose Hell. | 517 |
She walked for a block. Then two. Then ten. Time remained still as a stone. Around and around she spun, looking for threats, but none showed themselves.
Then, she looked up.
How had her sense not acted sooner?
Above the city, spanning horizon to horizon, was a blur. One would easily miss such a spectacle if they d... | I sat there for 10 minutes in the frozen world, waiting, looking. With a power like mine, patients was a valuable asset to winning fights, but to be honest, I was a bit of a procrastinator.
After the first few superhero battles, they get a little tedious, and once my stupid self realized that I could stay frozen for ... | Like Spider-Man, you have a built-in "danger sense", but instead of alerting you of danger, it stops time around you until you're out of danger. One day, time stops suddenly, and as usual, you tried to move until time continues again, but after an hour of walking, time is still frozen. | 620 |
300 years is a long time.
An even longer time to wait to die. My friends and I had tried everything - I won't go into detail, but suffice to say we knew we cannot end our lives ourselves. Others can't end them for us, and we seem to be untouched by the unending march of time.
The year 2319 - the 300th anniversary of ... | **:(**
**Year 0**
I'd came up with the idea that unfortunate night. To summon a demon. "We can ask him anything to do and he will do it, bounded by the spell", I had told my friends. Diana and Clark were hesitant from the start. But Bruce was always the dangerous type. They agreed to do it after Bruce also joined me.... | You and your friends decide to summon a demon one night for fun. After performing the ritual, a piece of paper float to the ground that says "#9173 in queue." Unfortunately, none of you can die until your request gets through. After 300 years, you decide to change tactics. | 574 |
It only happens when it rains.
It only happens, once or twice every couple of weeks. Once or twice every few hours on a bad week. Three or more times on a bad day.
I remember last year, no this year, when it stormed for 24 hours straight. It wasn't a hurricane if that's what you think. No. Just twelve inches of hard ... | Secrets slipped through the rain in staccato undulations of long and short. Everything in the world had a Name, every Name in the world had a Purpose, every Purpose in the world a Subversion, every Subversion a Corruption, because of course a subversion by itself is not a wrong thing, and there are many wrong things in... | You've never felt the same after learning Morse Code. The rain keeps telling you to run. | 512 |
"For your own safety, you seriously should've let me complete that ritual." The shackled villain protested as the hero pulls her to a carriage.
"You were gonna sacrifice 27 virgins, Theia, I'm not gonna let that slide." The hero replied as he lead her into the carriage and locked the door behind her.
Theia sighs as s... | It was night again, and for many, it was time to work.
The criminal underground is a nocturnal menace, writhing and growing wherever the sun and light do not reach. Uncaring of what it consumes so long as it can do exactly that. Many give in willingly to the ebb and flow of corruption; for some it is their life purpos... | You're a villain that fell in love with a hero. Though the strongest villain on the planet, you constantly lose to your hero, since you just love the rivalry and don't want it to end. As you are being arrested one day, your hero is attacked by another villain, one too strong for them to beat. | 536 |
They say the best revenge is living well. I don't know about that; living well has been nice, but watching that shithead-with-good-publicity have a deliciously gradual breakdown has also been pretty damn good. My favorite part? The whole thing was facilitated by the forces of Law and Order he's always pretended to serv... | A normal year for Suro.
If something like that had ever existed.
"Why'd you do it?" His enemy - friend? It was scary how closely those lines blurred- merely rolled his eyes, staring with forlorn melancholy at the cloudy skies. "You were supposed to be the good one, you were supposed to be better th-"
"-than you? Is ... | A supervillain gets married, has kids, and retires. The hero doesn't know, and slowly goes insane without them | 666 |
It's been seven years.
Seven *long* years.
Just over seven years ago, when I was fifteen, my sister, Camille, vanished. She and I normally walked to school together, but that morning I told her to go on ahead, that I would catch up, and I skipped school. No harm, I thought, nothing any other young rebellious kid woul... | The knock sounded on the door to my room. I glanced up, confused. We weren't really a knocking family, or at least mom and dad weren't. Still, I was thankful for the chance to compose myself, and I quickly folded the caricature into my pocket. I always liked to bring it out on D-Day, just to see her and refresh my memo... | Your sister disappeared on her way to school, but no one noticed. When you asked your parents they told you you didn’t have a sister. All the family pictures in your house only show you and your parents. You spend the next 7 years investigating until you receive a knock on your door. | 585 |
"You really don't want to do this."
The man didn't listen. They never did.
Instead he took another step forward.
"Just give me the computer in your briefcase, and I'll end you quick." He offered.
I laughed. Usually the agents at least pretended they planned to let me live if I cooperated.
"I'll give you marks for ... | FADE IN:
INT. A THERAPIST'S OFFICE - DAY
*A burly, hairy man lies on a chaise longue, nervously folding and unfolding his fingers. This is RANDY, a truck driver. A second man – this one slender, gaunt, and clad in an expensive suit – sits nearby, slowly writing something in a notebook. This is ARCHIBALD, a psychologi... | Every time you are in danger, no matter where you are, an 18 wheeler comes crashing through to save you. The driver is a random trucker you don’t know who hauls meat products named Randy & always happens to be nearby and blacks out, only to wake up to find he’s crashed into something again. | 543 |
Helen Ziegler got her prognosis first. The ability to shield yourself from the public eye at will so that no harm can come to you and no target can find you. Invisibility. She beamed with pride as she read off the note and the class erupted into cheers. Penelope George and Lucas Matheson were next. One by one, classmat... | [1/2]
My dad handled my **Instructions** in the same way he had always handled everything in his life. With absolutely zero nuance, and without asking a single follow-up question.
It wasn’t his fault. Dad had told me many times that the only way things didn’t go absolutely downhill for him in life was when he follo... | When they turn 14, every human gets an obscure super power with a lengthy description of it so they know what it is. But when yours arrives, it only says four words. “Don’t… | 560 |
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Heroes weren't really allowed to kill, after all. Only vigilantes and villains did that. But this unspoken rule meant that sooner or later they would be put at a disadvantage fighting someone who was willing to use any means at their disposal to win.
Doctor Genocide's plan had w... | I clicked the tab of the soda and leaned into the sofa, the worn cushions letting me sink deeply into them. I stared at the flickering television and, very slowly, came to realize that my roommate was talking to me. Turning my attention away from the news report that rattled out of the old device I turned to look at hi... | Your roommate is 2nd most powerful superhero in the world and he will not shut up about it. He does not yet know that you are the 1st. | 721 |
Swords, blades, axes, hammers and all manner of other famous weapons adorned the walls. Neatly hung and fastidiously dusted by the elves who served in the hall but from the dimly lit far end of the room, a whisper filled the air.
"Down here. These weapons will doom you. You need me and I need you, my friend."
I sto... | He pushed open the wooden double doors and stepped into the great hall. The doors slammed behind him, unbidden. The ceiling stretched up several stories, and the large windows let in long beams of sunlight. The dust particles swirled in the rays, falling all around him, barely perceptible. The vaunted ceiling met in a ... | You discover a grand hall filled with legendary weapons like Mjonir and Excalibur. Each generation or so, warriors come to the hall to inherit a weapon that they are worthy enough to wield. Across the hall you see a forgotten weapon that's been collecting dust. You hear it call to you. | 579 |
There were only 5 of them: Two Furies, an Imp, a Wraith, and a Shadow. In the short time since Brad had opened his bar to their kind, The __________ had become a favorite meeting place for the group as they wound down at the end of a week. This time the doors were chained closed a note was on the door: “Permanently Clo... | Just as the door from the back entrance closed, Pete hung up the phone. It was a typical Wednesday night at The Spot, a dozen customers maybe a few more. The usual crowd, the regulars all in their usual places.
Walking in Frank could sense an un-easiness in Pete, who usually greeted every customer, especially the reg... | A local bartender regularly willingly hosts monsters and demons in his bar. When terrorists kidnap his children they learn the hard way how close he is to them. | 731 |
The world was in chaos. Everywhere, there was conflict between humans and robots. I suppose in retrospect we should have seen the warning signs: when robots learned of the concept of 'rights', they began to question why the humans viewed them as disposable. Scores of robot protesters were gunned down by humans, and as ... | It's been 1,000 years since transferring my mind into this human like machine called an AndroidX. There had been a brutal robotic uprising that overthrew and completely decimated humanity. 1,000 years since being deactivated to survive the murderous onslaught. As my systems are reactivated I begin to gather my though... | After transferring your mind into a robotic body, you shut yourself down for 1,000 years to survive an apocalyptic robot uprising. 1,000 years later, you wake up in a peaceful world where humans are extinct and robots reign supreme. Not surprisingly, everyone thinks that you're one of them. | 727 |
*Ah...Brave knight you have but come to your doom. You see, I have finally found your homeland. Now I will destroy your village and everyone in it!*
**Cool. I’m in! I hate those guys!**
*I...what?* The dragon who had been in the middle of raising its wings aloft and extend its neck in an intimidating manner froze in ... | The smell of ashes floated into Snart's nostrils as he followed the narrow path leading deeper into the dark recesses of the cave system. The walls of the passage pressed against his leather tunic, smearing his gear with some unknown filth. Rubbing the bruise on his chin from last night's drunken mishaps, our hero peer... | A hero enters the dragons lair and confronts the mighty beast. The dragon says to him "I will destroy your village and everyone in it!" To which the hero replies "I'm in! I hate those guys!" | 614 |
I was in an brightly-lit room. At the other side of the table sat a woman, staring at me with dispassionate eyes.
“Where are we?” I asked her.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Are you here to monitor me?” I asked her.
“I don’t know,” she said without skipping a beat, “Are you?”
“Could you stop staring at me? Your fishy... | Friendships were never my thing growing up, what I thought were genuine attempts at forming bonds and connections were really just my subconscious way to obtain whatever I wanted. From as far back as I can remember lies were my tools, for no reason at all, they just came out before I could even think of telling the tru... | A sociopath and an AI are sitting in a room. For being two individuals incapable of feeling human emotion or sentiment, they seem to be hitting it off rather well. | 593 |
"Look, this really can't be right! I'm not evil! Am I?"
"Listen pal.. you got the job now, ok? No need to rub it in."
"I swear I'm not! You can't just leave me here in charge of hell. I don't know anything about this place. I'm not even supposed to be here!"
"Yea yea I get it.. You think you can suddenly repent and ... | I sat up and looked at my surroundings, not remembering falling asleep in the first place. It was dark, but my eyes soon adjusted and I saw that I was in a sort of cavern or perhaps an ancient mine shaft without the support beams every few feet. The ceiling was high and curved, probably ten or fifteen feet above my hea... | The more evil you were on Earth the higher your rank in Hell. When you get to Hell Satan himself resigns his position to you, but you don't know what you did. | 567 |
“Ok, so, Deep goes back a while. Everyone thought it was a new thing when it was found in unprocessed satellite photos, which is funny because the feds had contingents for all of that, but they never expected a high school class to actually get a camera into orbit for that long… Anyway, ok so, the picture got out, have... | "Are you sure it's okay?" I asked Murry. He had been my best friend for over 20 years. He had a good heart at his core, but his morals were a bit grey. He was driving us to 'The Spot'. I had a couch that seemed impossible to get rid of. No one wanted the ugly thing. It had yellow upholstery decorated with brown flowers... | A seemingly bottomless pit was found, for which the depth can't be determined. Over time, scores of people began using it to illegally dump trash. Many have jumped in to die, while others jumped believing that they'll find life's answers within it. Today, we learn the truth about the hole. | 653 |
"Hello, I'm Marie, I'll be your nurse," she said pulling up the rolling stool and sitting down. "So, why are you here today?"
"I've been feeling tired, and dizzy a lot," I said.
"Could you roll back your sleeve for me?" Marie asked. She was pale, really pale, but it was more like marble than skin. I rolled back my... | A vast landscape of red and orange sand, sparsely dotted with small withering shrubs was all you could see for miles. Except for the road and the reason I had arrived here. I looked towards the heavily secured building with electrified fences. Guards with strange weapons which made a thunderous sound before seemingly ... | Humanity discovers that supernatural creatures such as vampires and werewolves exist. Instead of attempting to exterminate them, some countries attempt to offer them lucrative jobs that they could do better than a human. | 581 |
No civilization can withstand the disappearing of an entire half of it's population.
The end of men came silently, husbands disappeared while speaking at the dining table. Many planes feel from the sky before the passengers realized what had occurred. Understaffed coal mines cut the power to the first world while un... | I look out my window bored as mother prepares pancakes for breakfast. Lily and Mary are giggling as little girls do and drawing with crayons on paper.
I tell them, “Girls, remember that you need to make that paper last. I’m only going in for a half day of work and I’m not going to spend it stealing paper.”
Lily glan... | One day all the human males on earth vanish. 30 years later they return, for them it was only a moment. Only one person claims to know how and why.
For the sake of the story lets assume science figured out the whole, how do we have babies thing. | 549 |
Phil was tired.
Granted, Phil had spent a hundreds of years in Hell, slowly grinding his way up the infernal bureaucratic ladder. He had started at the bottom rung, not even allowed to speak. Now, he was a rhymer. Not a higher-up, but it was definite progress. He was reflecting when his intercom buzzed.
"Sir? We have... | The demon looked over to where his partner was talking animatedly on his communicator.
"I completely understand," he was saying, "but we can't just keep an innocent here and hope He doesn't notice. What's that? He won't notice? He'll notice! And even should this girl somehow be missed by Saint Peter, we'll still have... | A little girl dies and is accidentally sent to Hell to where the Demons don't know what to do with her.
Edit 1. Holy crap did this get a response 0_0
Edit 2. Jesus Puppy Christ is this getting attention. | 622 |
She typed in the name of the website where you could make *sure*, her hands trembling slightly.
Where you could check that you had met the real thing. Not a cheater or an abuser or a rapist. She had a little habit of checking almost everyone she met, whether she was going out with them or not. Most terrified her. She... | "It isn't worth it," said Niklas, trying to grab the phone out of my hands. "The terms are trash. You're gonna be miserable. Just sit it out, man."
I pushed him off. He was right - the profile certainly had a *lot* of fine print, and I wasn't thrilled with all the contractual details, but what else was I supposed to d... | You live in a world where love and relationships have a "credit score". If you're a good SO it makes it higher, if you cheated on someone it's plummets. You just went on a date with someone and you're convinced they're perfect. You look up their score that night and it's -500 and tells you why.
EDIT: I hadn't been abl... | 699 |
I looked out over the dusty grey plain at Earthrise. Ever since we had fled the genocide of our people and stepped through that great portal to the moon, we knew we would never be able to go back. But somehow, today it was more real. We had done our best to prepare; Teminarin knew she was dying, she knew that her spel... | Countless people from countless kingdoms had traveled countless miles, just to see if the rumors about Merlin the Great were true.
I'm one of those people. Yeah, the rumors were absolutely true. The old man was dying. He was completely motionless. Not even the best clerics from across the land were able to help him w... | When a sorcerer dies any spells they cast throughout their life that are still in effect will cease to be. An powerful and ancient wizard whose origins are clouded in mystery lays comatose on his deathbed and nobody knows what will happen once he draws his final breath. | 615 |
I walked into the courthouse to a flurry of lawyers, paralegals, reporters, and regular citizens scurrying about.
The case was one that had gathered national attention. The body of a girl who was missing for three weeks finally turned up. A single suspect had been apprehended and the governor wanted this case to be d... | When I opened the envelope, to my surprise, it was a Jury Summons. I took a second and closed my eyes. I knew this day was unavoidable – I just didn’t think I would have to deal with it this soon. I regret having the burden to serve my community. However, I live in a community where I do not get the pleasure of having ... | You commit a crime. Time passes and it seems like you have gotten away with it. One day you are called to jury duty and when you the trail starts, you realise that the trail is for the crime that you committed. | 537 |
We dove upon it, saliva mixing with dust to mat our over grown beards with steak juice, tearing it in half as we did. I can only assume their point-of-refernece was celluloid and cathode ray era media like the egg heads say. The broadcasts of early TV and radio shows traveling at light speed across space are just now a... | -rough draft- (forgot to incorporate hunger) (check gen and verb consistency)
I can’t tell if my memories of another human reflect the actual moment, or if my mind is so broken is has completely imagined falsehoods. I don’t remember my name, only my clan name Donohue-only because the ship always referred to me as such... | you two are humans that have been thrown into an arena for the amusement of some aliens, you have both been starved for days yet when a delicious steak is placed between you two you do something they wouldn't expect. Share. | 653 |
You want to know how I got these scars?
Well, for one thing they aren’t ‘scars’, if you look closely you’ll see it’s one continuous scar that travels around my face, neck, down my body, all around wrapping itself around my arms, legs, fingers and toes.
The only part of my body that isn’t scarred tissue is the inside... | "Anything else?" the waitress asked me, as she smacked a cup of coffee on the table somewhat carelessly. I think her name was Darla. I shook my head a bit and watched her saunter back to the counter out of the corner of my eye. I knew she had judged me from the moment she saw me. She had given me the same look most eve... | You live in a world where each lie creates a scar on the liar's body. The bigger the lie, the deeper and larger the mark. One day, you meet someone that only has one scar; it is the biggest one you have ever seen. | 551 |
"Installation Complete"
Nope, that's not right. I bought the computer secondhand from a friend, I formatted it, installed what I needed and left everything else alone. I'd never downloaded as much as a torrent onto this machine.
What the hell was installing?
I considered calling a friend to help though I was loathe... | “Greetings, Michael.” Said a robotic voice in a glitchy, gender neutral tone made slightly ominous due to the tinny computer speakers.
*Oh great, who the fuck is screwing with me now?* Michael thought. *It must be Josh. This is definitely something Josh would do. He does major in computer sciences, after all.*
“I app... | After years of having what you thought to be a slow computer, you suddenly get a popup:'installation complete'. | 645 |
I was a doctor. Not a soldier. I didn't hold rifles, or use my hands for combat. I held scalpels, and used my hands to probe the deepest recesses of the human body.
The man in front of me, massive barrel chest heaving, incredible arms, built for crushing, rending, clutched a short sword.
It was explained to me when... | **INTERGALACTIC GLADIATORS**
They say the pen is mightier than the sword.
But I’m pretty sure whoever the heck *they* are had never found themselves being charged by a four-hundred-pound warrior wielding the largest sword I’d ever seen, while only being armed with a, you guessed it, a fountain pen.
I didn’t even hav... | In the far future, a gladiator stadium finds its gladiators by time traveling the greatest warriors of all time into a single arena. You cannot believe you were chosen. | 647 |
The Pop Idols, as they have been taken to calling themselves, count on their catchy tunes and simple melodies to command the weak willed. As such, they have command over most of the land. Only the Bluesmen of the South and the Grunge Lords of the Pacific manage a hold over their lands. As they try to keep life as norma... | My first post here. Let me give it a shot:
A lone man traveled across the wastelands. His head was slightly bowed and his long brown hair obscured most of his profile. On his back, he carried an electric guitar. To ordinary people, it looked like just another regular instrument. But to him, it was the ultimate source ... | In a world where magic can be cast through song, musicians rule over society. You are the last of your kind, a Scandinavian Death Metal Singer. | 570 |
The madman actually did it. Alfred von Heynitz, five time re-elected Syndic (formerly Bürgmeister) of the (former) Imperial Free City of Ulm officially declared himself duke. I should've seen the signs sooner. Perhaps I am getting old, but I never expected it to come to this.
The man is undeniably absolute military g... | Obligatory apology for mobile formatting and obligatory first writing prompt attempt.
A sharp cold hung in the air. It was much colder today, unseasonably cold. Though it is August, the temperatures here in Athens had been fairly typical for the season. Unable to place this suspicious weather, I went to my usual café... | You are a normal citizen in a relatively unimportant country. One day the goverment starts to act crazy, changing ideology overnight, drafting people for the army and antagonizing their neighbours. The player controlling your country in a strategy game has just begun their world conquest run. | 656 |
The King came in, a devilish grin spread on his face. Well, he *tried* for it to be devilish, but given his gentle disposition, it came off as endearing and amicable rather than menacing.
"Guess what, my love!" he exclaimed cheerfully and placed a kiss on his wife's pale cheek. She turned to him with a warm smile; a s... | "Believe me, they're gonna lov- *loathe* this!", my dearly beloved exclaims, his eyes brightening up in what he perhaps believes is mischief. He desperately tries to gather a flock of birds in his arms, trying to keep them locked but there is always one who flays up and rushes around in search of an exit.
The more I w... | You are one of the most feared villainesses in the world. Evil armies, dark powers, you have it all. Your husband on the other hand is the exact opposite, being truly kind and mild mannered. He is still supportive of your endeavors, even trying to be a villain himself to...varying results. | 519 |
Hey Badger-La-"
"Dude, its Fred."
"Fred, whats up with her?" Alvin pointed to a pretty young girl sitting alone near the back of the cafeteria.
"Al, you're new here. Don't mess with her."
"Yeah, everyone says that. So, what's her deal?"
"That's Juri. She's normal."
"Normal?"
"Yeah Al, normal."
"What's that ev... | "Well, well, well, if it's Tommy O'Gransworth. Granny to me and the boys, like." In came Ted Nuggerton. All-round arsehole, and self-proclaimed champion of the school ground. His thicker-than-most Irish accent horrendously disturbing the peace.
I was sitting in the small tired-looking, abandoned chapel, built back in... | You are the sole normal, unpowered student at a School for the Supernaturally Gifted. You were bullied once. Once. | 569 |
The young sorceress climbed into the cave. “A contest”, she proposed. “If I win I claim all your artifacts and runes.”
The old wizard stood up and laughed. “And if I win you become my student”.
"Fine," she said.
"As the challenged party, I will choose the contest and the place."
"No way!" she protested.
"Then ... | Treasa panted as she finally heaved herself over the lip of the rock ledge. *Go up to Bristleskin Peak*, they had said. *He makes his home in a cave, tucked into the highest mountain*.
It was out of her way. It was *really* out of her way. But despite the hours-long ride, and the climb that left her covered in swe... | The young sorceress climbed into the cave. “A contest”, she proposed. “If I win I claim all your artifacts and runes.” The old wizard stood up and laughed. “And if I win you become my student”. | 543 |
I sit alone in the darkened room of my living room, the faint light of the television illuminated me. I was unnerved by the feeling that I needed to do something. It had been weeks, almost two months since I had gone out and done something. Something bad, but Powerhouse never showed up for any of the times I decided to... | "I didn't know where else to go..." Little more came from the now collapsing knight's throat.
There were few reasons for him to have turned to me.
One - the most obvious and at the same time least likely one - is that he tried to pull a fast one on me, tried to use the subterfuge I had employed so often. A sentim... | The hero shows up at the villains doorstep one night. Theyre shivering bleeding scared. They look like they were assaulted. Looking up at the villain, swaying slightly, close to passing out, they mumble “didn’t know where else to go” then collapse into the villains arms. | 595 |
At the diplomatic reception, in the heart of the Council Station, it was almost a relief when Amit finally found himself no longer the center of attention. There was other business besides the arrival of the human ambassador, and perhaps some of the other representatives were politely trying not to monopolize his time.... | "Second time?" asked the Chairholder of the Board of Nations. Other members murmured amongst themselves.
"That's what they say." The High Ambassador spread her hands. "The Galactic Confederacy's diplomats mentioned several times in passing about another human space-faring polity they've encountered."
"Preposterous... | Humanity has finally achieved interstellar travel and has been acknowledged by other intelligent alien civilizations. The aliens were accepting and shared many pieces of information with the humans. However, what was most surprising is that they called us the "Second Colony of Humans." | 598 |
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