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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"Run the data again." Dr'tll demanded.
"We've run it 12 times in the past mini-cycle, sir." M'tan, the young scientist leaves turned grey with fear. "There is no mistake."
"There HAS TO BE!" Dr'tll's fist slammed into the monitor, shattering it and sending green chlorophyll blood flying from his fist. "The Milk... | [[gaseous emission carbon increases, a hint of toluene is introduced, flapping frequency of emitting orifice varies greatly]]
&&frequency of pulsating light increases, data density is increased, stream switch from trinary to octal occurs&&
++magnetic field fluctuations plummet, antennae fully extend++... | Upon us entering intergalactic civilization, we discover that the Milky Way wasn't where we came from, but where we were banished to. All of civilization is horrified that we survived and returned from the universe's harshest galaxy. | 609 |
Astronomers of days gone by believed that a heliocentric model of the solar system was perfectly explainable by envisioning a counterweight-like body of presence precisely opposite the orbit of earth, to ensure the planets circled the sun like a spinning top maintaining balance.
In modern times, this theory isn't give... | ‘What would I do without her’ Ashwin thought.
For 4 decades she had been his rock. They had met as junior astrophysicists working together at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, stationed for routine observation work at the Vainu Bappu Observatory in Southern India. It was a remote and desolate place and only a bad ... | We refused to believe it at first, but the astronomical evidence was irrefutable: there's a counter-Earth orbiting on the opposite side of the sun, always just out of sight. That was 40 years ago. It's 2017, and our probe sends back its first images. | 699 |
Earth was incinerated roughly 2 billion years ago when Sol went Nova. It was a beautiful sight, but I had to watch it on the video feeds. I didn't think much of it at the time, other than celebrating the end of the starlight that harmed me. Oddly enough, it was only the light of Sol that burns a vampires skin. I've see... | How had she burned it all? There had been two hundred planets in the universe where a substance that passed close enough to wood existed. Of those two hundred, half had developed sentient species that deforested them. On a quarter, evolution had swept the wood away. Trees had bowed out of the race for survival, gone ex... | You are an immortal vampire, who can only be killed by a wooden stake through the heart. In a dying universe, you are now in your spaceship looking for some wood, before it is too late. | 525 |
*No.* Death thought. *It couldn't be.*
Death reached below the grand wooden table, hastily pulling out the dust covered hourglass. Questions flooded its mind. *How? When? Who?*
Carefully, Death set the hourglass sideways on its table, like the way it found it, the only one among the seven billion or so hourglasses in... | A rather androgynous figure stands behind a great stone desk, intricately carved with names you and I would find impossible to pronounce. It spreads outwards in both directions, infinitely long, growing darker and darker in the endless vault. Besides a few gaps close to the figure, the great stone carving is infinite... | Death has hourglasses for every person. One day, during a cleaning, he found a dust covered one that had rolled under his desk. | 662 |
"I would like to buy that necklace." I said to the woman behind the counter. She smiled at me, amused. "The one with the diamond."
"I think that one's a bit out of your price range, sweetie." She said kindly. Not an unusual reaction, but it still frustrated me. Even so the kindness on her face took the sting from her ... | I stood face to face with a feral cave goblin. I had bested far more fearsome creatures countless times, but at the moment I was faced with several new complications which I had never had to deal with in the past. I had no proper weapons, no equipment, and oh yes... I was but a child with a child's body and meager stre... | The blacksmith won't sell you any weapon, the guards insist you stay in the city and the mages refuse to teach you any dangerous spell. Maybe that eternal youth potion was a terrible idea after all. | 694 |
Lucifer grinned as Jesus flinched, the courtroom silence hammering the Son of God with nervousness as the devil wiggled cutely, bouncing on his toes and smiling with a grin that would make most lesser beings loosen their resolve. Instead of having horns and the tail and the trident he just had redder skin, his suit hal... | # Good Friday
**While Jesus was on the cross he called to Satan. "Hey, Satan, can you hear me?"**
**Satan replied: "Yes, Lord."**
**"Good," said Jesus, "then you can be the first to know that I am going to hell."**
**Satan was dumbfounded and he asked: "What? How can that be, you're the son of god?"**
**Jesus said... | Faced with execution for his crimes, Lucifer stands before the courts of heaven. He leans over to the gallery behind him and whispers "Hey, Jesus, fancy putting in a good word with your dad? Be a shame if he found out what you got up to during those 3 days you spent with us afer you died!" | 560 |
Anna couldn't push herself to run any further. She stopped against a tree, breathing so hard it hurt. She looked back, but didn't see any sign of that monster. Just trees, extending for miles in all directions. She was totally lost. The sun was going to set soon, and that could be very dangerous. But she couldn't exact... | "Beautiful! Beautiful! Ladies, you are going to be a star!", the photographer excitedly exclaimed, jumping from side to side as his camera flashed-- taking pictures after pictures of the young beautiful models.
"Alright, that's it for today, darlings. I'll see you tomorrow morning for your next session", he said as t... | A Vampire's appearance will shift to resemble that which they feed on the most. Trust not the ones who are visions of human beauty - for friends they are not. Instead seek those with a monstrous countenance such as that of rats, lizards or even insects because those are our true friends. | 569 |
My ability to cancel the powers of other people caused me to grow weak. I could always gain the element of surprise by reasserting law and order. Reality was more willing to accept my Aura of stasis. Without their powers, most individuals lost focus. For a moment - long enough.
Countless enemies fell to this sort ... | I spin the wheel of my steel and whatever vehicle. It’s a giant thing, can say for sure it’s made out of steel, but also a bunch of random crap as well. Stuff that didn’t exist on the periodic table before the Super Revolution. The government supplied it to me, so why should I know what it’s made out of? I quickly end ... | You're living in a world where superpowers exist, and you're the most dangerous individual of all. Your power? You project an aura where all the laws of reality/normality assert themselves. You are the anti-super | 554 |
"Look," Bob says, cursor on the screen hovering over a Youtube link. "It'll be great. The beat grows on you."
Jean frowns. "Is it one of your noisy electronic songs again?"
"Just listen to it!" Bob bumps his swivel chair into Jean's, who bumps him back.
"No way. You know how mom's about you playing your music," Jean... | Matilda kissed Bob gently, leaning down to meet him where he sat in his computer chair. “Have a good day working from home, lover,” she cooed as she let one hand glide slowly along his shoulder, turning to leave.
“I will darling, have a good day at work” He smiled, thinking, not for the first time, that he had marr... | Bob doesn't realise he's a robot until he fails a captcha five times in a row. | 749 |
"This..this can't be what I think it is, can it?"
Jenkins voice was breathy and a little scared through my comm. There was also a low buzzing noise, probably some kind of static. I looked down at the three bodies and the red and yellow flag on the cave floor.
"I don't know what else it could be." I responded.
The S... | Colonel Anderson kneeled down in front of a broken pole and wiped away some orange dust off the ground, revealing a tattered piece of crimson cloth stuck under a rock. Dragging it out of its resting place, the Colonel tore it in half, showing the two men behind him a symbol of a gold hammer and sickle beneath a gold-bo... | We finally get men on Mars and they discover an old Soviet flag placed down decades ago. The Soviets won the space race but for whatever horrifying reason didn't say anything. | 729 |
Brog took a deep breath, or at least mimicked it. Standing in front of the door, he played out the human ritual of preparation. Breath in , then out.
"What's he doing?" asked Gilron, trying to push his roommate away from the peephole.
"He is obviously taking what is referred to as a breath" replied Til as he peered... | First post, Ever. Hope you Enjoy.
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“Hey, Bobby!”
I unplugged my Maschine controller and slid my headphones down around my neck.
When I had first moved in, I would absolutely panic when one of my roommates walked in while I was filing a report. I soon discovered, though, that they just though... | Four roommates are extraterrestrials who have taken human form in hopes of learning about Earth. Unfortunately, each alien is from a different planet and believes that the other three are normal humans. | 533 |
"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... | You are either born with powers or not. That just how it is. Don't ask me why you did not get powers while I did, okay? Because I don't know, but what I do know is that I used mine to perfection! Nobody had a chance against me in my time, and to be frank, I don’t think anyone will ever surpass the accomplishment writte... | 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 |
Ampere was strapped to the rocket with copper wiring, as the Warlord stood at a console.
"You-"
"I, what, Ampere? I won't get away with this? I'll get what's coming to me? Please. You're better than these clichés. I'm not going to reveal my plan, I'm not going to engage in some cat-and-mouse game, I'm not going to gi... | 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. | 712 |
Have you ever tried holding your nose shut while you ate? You’ll barely taste it.
It wouldn’t matter if you were gouging on the favourite candy from your increasingly difficult to distinguish childhood memories, bought from that old corner store down the street that’s since been gentrified. Or the most exquisite filet... | The bulldozer rumbled down the road slightly faster than a walking man, spewing black fumes out into the even blacker day. It was loud, but the noise was familiar, comforting. Tommy’s ear plugs lay some miles behind him, abandoned not long after the sun had winked out and the road crew had fractured apart, every man fo... | We were taught the Sun didn't make noise. We were wrong. Like TV static in an empty room, it did make a sound, a sound so ever present that we didn't realize it was there until it wasn't. That day humanity learned the terror of a silent sky, and the reason it made sound in first place. | 632 |
This had to be a Joke, right?
You stand there, perplexed, unsure what to do.
There couldn't be a machine that controls the entire human race, it just didn't add up. But what grabs your Curiousity the most is the lever that reads "DO NOT TOUCH" set to only 1%. There other ones were all labeled and set to a certain l... | I loved that house, I hated that house. It had all the charm of a real throwback - gabled roofs, dormer windows, weird little doors in the upstairs hallways where they used to store coal. The glass in the windows was wobbly, even. It had a porch wide enough to park a car on, with a smooth-varnished wooden bench hanging... | While renovating your bathroom you stumble across a strange machine labeled "Humanity" in the walls. On it various emotional traits are next to levers: Greed - 75%, Empathy - 40%, Lust - 80%, etc. At the very bottom, you find an unmarked lever that warns, "DO NOT TOUCH." It's set to 1%. | 539 |
"I am a bloody warrior! A deadly weapon in the hands of my queen! I am NOT a cutesy little flying thing. I do not spurt glitter! It’s magical dust! Residue from my mighty powers! It can *kill* for heaven sake!”
“I understand…”
“I have taken more lives than the plague! I learned how to wield a sword before I learned ... | "Mr. Anderson, your two o' clock appointment is here."
"God, is that time already? Thanks Michelle, send her in." I put the phone down and started trying to sort some of the sheets of paper on my desk in the semblance of a neat pile. I'd managed to clear a working space when I heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in... | You're a lawyer that specializes in defamation cases. Your clientele? Slandered sea monsters, libeled leprechauns, and other misrepresented myths. | 547 |
"Wait," I responded cautiously as Tim pulled me into a maintenance sideway. My best friend looked frazzled and on the verge of a panic attack. "When you say 600 years you mean by earth time right? The clock in the concourse keeps time with earth's rotation and time dilates as we approach the speed of light. Not to ment... | The taste of copper leaves Tom's mouth as he swishes around the last of his morning allotment of water. "This stasis never gets any better does it?". Tom looks in the mirror with a grimace as he takes the prescription medicine to combat the affects of his prolonged slumber.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The alarm. Its tone ... | The earth has been ruined, but you were lucky enough to secure a spot on the last colony ship leaving. The days on the ship blur together, do your job then go to sleep and repeat. Someone mentioned the date and after doing the math you realize you have been on the ship for over 600 years. | 606 |
You see, it's not that my parents don't love me. I guess I can call them parents, at least - though I suppose calling a demon your dad is a far stretch. Don't even get me started on the genetics, because apparently there's an *entire* set of rules for pledging your firstborn child to a greater entity. The downside of t... | For as long as I could remember, I knew there was something a little off about my home situation. Specifically, the parenting. You see, I gathered rather quickly that it wasn't normal to call your parents by their first names. The other kids in school called them mom and dad. It seemed like I couldn't quite do that, mo... | : Your mother was a scammer of the supernatural. She promised her firstborn to multiple entities in exchange for something she wanted, and now you're being co-parented by three demons, the fae, and a disgruntled witch. | 582 |
I stared into the mirror, and glanced cautiously at the thing behind me. I had heard legends of this beast before. It was nearly uncontrollable, and it took any form that it pleased. Today, it was a gigantic rat, with teeth as long, and sharper, than a blade. It crawled up the wall sinisterly, and then dropped down fro... | I stayed in the bathroom, and didn't come out until I was 13 years and 1 day old.
Ok, so I snuck out and got some pop tarts and granola bars, and a big thing of juice, and my Switch, and my notebook, and my pastels. But then I hid in my bathroom and didn't come out. My dad got mad that I didn't come down for my birth... | At the age of 13, children can summon their familiars for the first time. Your family has always been ridiculed for their weak and often useless familiars. Until the day of your 13th birthday, when you summon your familiar for the first time. | 739 |
The rattle of war trophies impacted the khan’s chest as his ship’s shields shuddered from the impact of infinite kelvin weaponry above the Thoran bunker world of artzegat- things were going poorly.
the khan ordered to reorient his ship, his H.U.R.T. drive forcing him into his seat as the ship’s nose lurched foreword... | The humans had an hour left to accept the Federation's terms. War was inevitable. They weren't giving up their armies.
Gorm'ech was sure they would refuse. He stepped out into the royal balcony and overlooked a sea of warships being prepared for battle. His excitement couldn't be contained. Thoran's children would fi... | Rejected by the Federation Council for refusing to disband their military, humans ally themselves with the Thoran, the Federation’s resident warrior race. Warmongers, the Thoran find themselves enamored with humanity, and grow increasingly tired of the Federations attempts to “civilize” both. | 629 |
You know when you're a kid, and you're dreaming of finding your place in the world? I remember being nine and looking up at a giant career chart and thinking "I don't have any idea where I'm going to fit..." It certainly wasn't rescuing hostages for a living.
My teen years were no picnic either. Everybody was dreaming... | 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. | 728 |
Joan placed her hand on the glass. Behind it, her mother and father sat in orange jumpsuits.
Joan put on her brightest smile. "Ma, Pa. I'm graduating next week. Wish you guys could see it."
Her father huffed. "What good is a uni degree? A piece of paper ain't gonna help you rob a bank is it. What are you going to do?... | Plenty of criminals sought out Alicia Fox's services. Most of them were kids born into crime families or mafia bosses who couldn't quite nail their nefarious public images. But none of them had ever asked for something like this before.
Alicia sat with her client at a table outside a quaint little French-style bistro.... | Getting arrested for a botched crime is a rite of passage in the Chebwick family. They take great pride in their long legacy of poorly executed crimes. But the youngest child has been a great disappointment. | 620 |
I touch the threads woven through my abdomen, gazing at myself in the mirror. I can't see the ones on my back but I can feel them pinching at my skin, keeping the edges together, as if trying to seal a portal that has already been opened. It's been five years since I woke in my bathtub with my organs missing and replac... | Cold. Ice cold. That’s what I felt when I woke up.
A feeling as strong as a sizzling pan and yet as freezing as the last circle of Hell. My body hurting, full of cuts that were already clotted. Unable to move, unable to even scream for help. I didn’t even know if I should scream. What the fuck happened?
I got to mov... | You woke up in a bathtub full of ice with fresh stitches on your back and abdomen. The emergency room reveals that several organs are missing, replaced with something unknown. They want to cut you open, but you're feeling awesome, stronger and healthier than you've ever felt in your life. | 572 |
Don was born normal. Completely average. The type of guy you forget exists a minute after you talk to him. Was completely average in the kindergarden. Completely average in pre, middle and high school. He had completely average friends. Completely average girlfriend. Completely average everything.
As he was getting o... | "You wanna go now, Greg?"
"Sure," Greg whispered, eyes down at the imitation-marble floor. He moved around in his chair, uncomfortable. "Hi. I'm Greg."
"Hello, Greg," came the voices around him like the room was in Dolby Surround.
*The feature presentation of my pointless life,* Greg though, with a smile he didn't m... | Each person is born with the ability to consciously *snap* their mind as many times as wanted. Each snap unlocks a superpower with a mental illness in tow. The stronger the power, the more severe case of mental illness you get.
Hope somebody finds it interesting, have fun :) | 713 |
When I was 8 years old my parents took me to see Niagra Falls. It was magnificent; truly breathtaking. The flow of the water changed so drastically, but was always the same at that point in the falls. That's when my mild interest bloomed into a healthy obsession.
In middle school I started researching not just the bo... | ... lying on the bed, making a victim of himself. How much more money will he spend before he realizes he is the problem? He could be helping so many people with that money, instead he spends it all on himself. Forget about giving back to the society, can he at least think of ...
"Is it the voice again, Ajay?" My ther... | In a world where elemental magic affinity manifests on your 18th birthday, you and your family have always assumed yours would be water since you love waterfalls, lakes, rivers, etc. But when your time came, nothing manifested. And people are starting to get worried. | 503 |
I looked the villain in the eye and asked the child, "Sweetheart, who told you to ask me that question?"
She gazed down at her feet. She couldn't have been more than 9 or 10. Probably just as terrified to challenge me as she had been to be singled out by the villain.
"Well, sweetheart," I answer, loudly enough for t... | "With heroes like these, who needs villains?" Read the largest heading on the Sunday paper. She'd had to walk by it at every newspaper stand on her way to the office this morning, and now her publicist was reading it aloud to her from his cell phone.
"Yeah, I know what it's..." Volcanix tried to cut in. She really did... | In the middle of a fight with a known villain, you, the hero are stopped by a young child. “If you fight the bad guy, and the bad guy fights you, and you both break everything as you go, what makes you think you’re any better than him?” Behind the child, you see the villain silently fist pump. | 567 |
"Rise, Gilroy" I intoned, raising my bone armored hands over the deceased man. "Rise, and return to this mortal plane once more."
The body below my gestures stirred, glowing a dim green light from the world beyond. I intensified my chants, curling my fingers in ever more dramatic shapes. "RETURN TO YOUR FESTERING SHEL... | “3rd and Clay, 3rd and Clay. Where is Clay?” I mutter to myself. I’m driving down 3rd Street in my white Prius. I bought it a month ago with the compensation I received after providing my post-post-mortem support during the recent Sunset Hill Killer trial. Man have times changed since I first became a necromancer. I ne... | You are a necromancer for hire. No you don't raise undead armies to take over the world. You are usually contracted out by police to help solve murders. Or yo raise those who have passed to settle lawsuits surrounding their will. It's not much but it's honest work. | 591 |
Professor Tempus stood in front of his class, dumbfounded at the question which his student had just asked. He had finished writing a dissertation on time travel after having perfected the machine that allowed for actual time traveling back and forward in time. The youngest genius in a lifetime and he was teaching in s... | "One thing to always remember is that time travel doesn't really make any sense. It's beyond the human comprehension. It's really a miracle that we found it in the first place! Does anybody remember the first discovery of time travel?"
The professor looked around the room for the slightest twitch or indication of a ra... | A professor stands in front of a class on the first day of term for “Time Travel 101” and explains why no one is allowed to go to Steven Hawking’s party. | 592 |
Adrian was always the lucky one. When he was ranked it seemed amazing, it was rare to get more than a difference of 10 to you parents, yet, red and gleaming above Adrian's head was the number 95. My whole family was extatic! My father was a 77 and my mother a 71, but a 95? That was reserved for true genius. Einsteins f... | My parents were hardworking citizens. They were productive and well liked. Their lives would have been completely average, if they never decided to have kids. That wasn't the case. They decided to have kids, and they bore three children. They were three of us, and I was the third. They say third time’s the charm. I gue... | [wp] Everyone has a number over their heads that says how useful they are to society from 0-100. You have a number '4'. Your siblings are all in the nineties. | 546 |
August 8, 1974
"Goddammit, Kissinger, when did you decide you were a comedian?"
"This is not a joke, Mr. President," Kissinger said, panting as he leaned on an oval office sofa, sweat dripping from his reddened face onto the harvest gold upholstery. "I have only just beaten the delegation to your door. At any moment... | The giant hovercraft emerged from the ocean, much like a flying submarine, and sped towards the shore with little resistance. It was weird looking, to say the least. Square frame with an angular front, at a height of around fifteen feet. Kind of like big a tank without a cannon or continuous tracks to walk on land, pai... | We are due for a visit by two alien races, one which is horrifically brutal and sees us as soft-hearted weaklings, the other peaceful pacifists who see us as barbarians. You've been ordered to impress them, but when the ships lands you realize you have no idea which race this is. | 652 |
The voices.
The voices you hear when you unlock a new skill was wonderful. When you heard them, you could do something new.
There was the basic voice, for things most people got when they were young: "walking" "reading" "cooking". There was the mundane voice, for average adult skills: "driving" "swimming" "whistling"... | I lay there, wheezing in bed, waiting for my body to wake up and face the day ahead. Every morning it was getting more difficult to haul myself from under the covers. There seemed to be more of an incentive to get up and move though since Maura passed away. Her imprint is still in the bed next to me, and every day it h... | Human beings unlock skills as they grow up, walking, taking, etc. You are the oldest person in the history of the world, and today you unlock a skill no one ever had. | 667 |
Stardate 120-810
Dear Mum and Dad,
I hope this finds you both well. Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. So far our exploration mission has really opened my eyes to the mysteries of the universe. My star academy training could never have taught me half of what I have learned on my first year aboard the HMS ... | It had been a very long time since I was requested as a "Third contact delegate." I had been invited to share a meal, along with representatives of the other members of the Universal Government, at small event hosted by the newest Xenospecies seeking to join the U.G. Usually a task for my boss, however he was out with ... | Aliens invite you and your crew to dinner aboard their ship. After noticing all the courses have contained either chocolate, coffee or alcohol you slowly realize that they have been trying to poison you not realizing many of our favorite foods are poison to most of the other lifeforms on Earth. | 599 |
It all happened so fast. I was going into town for a shovel. Earlier that day I'd broken one digging a drain trench out behind the barn.
Now I was sitting at a table in a room with a long mirror along the wall. The kind you see in a cop movie where they are shaking down a suspect.
Oh fuck. I'm a suspect. But for wha... | Lilli Cooper did not want to be in town for longer than she had to. Jamie, her little brother, was alone back at the ranch, and if she didn't return before nightfall, bad things would happen to either him or the livestock. Maybe to both, if he were as foolish as he usually was. She'd already lost her father this year. ... | 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... | 548 |
The witch Merid sighed in disbelief before condescendingly scorning me.
​
"I can't believe how much of a contemptible fool you truly are. All that all of you baseborn oafs ever do is choose to live a fruitless life anyways, even when you have been blessed with the opportunities to do so much more. The wor... | People in today's day and age are much more clueless of the world around them than they think they are. To be honest, the newest generations - Millennial and Generation Z - are probably the most open to the underlying magic turmoil that fils the air. It is what leaves them tired, fatigued and absolutely defeated inside... | You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?" | 512 |
The AI's voice was cold and sharp. Not devoid of emotion entirely I don't think, there was an odd mix of genuine curiousity and hate and sadness. It looked just like me, I assume it mirrored everyone it was currently talking to. I knew what I wanted to say but I didn't know how to articulate it.
"I don't know how."
"... | It's been 20 years since the AGI event. Even with 10,000 complexes around the world, at one point housing billions, the AI maintains humanity while also deleting it one human mind at a time.
At first we did not know why it was doing this, it was efficient at building, at creating, at producing. Communication was diffi... | The AI takeover has begun, each human has been given exactly 3 minutes to explain why should humanity be spared, you feel a cold shiver running down your spine as you hear the robotic voice. "6.8 billion test subjects deleted so far, you have 3 minutes to state your case, begin". | 643 |
"And thus concludes our discussion of World War 4. Any questions before we end this lecture?"
Nobody raised their hand. Unsurprising for a first year xeno-history course on a long dead race. Most people here probably probably took this as a "bird course" anyways...
"Well then, have a nice weekend everyone. Next week ... | It was a strange question. I had never been asked it nor had I ever thought to prepare for it. It was silent, every life-form in attendance waiting on an answer. I stared hard at the hooded figure. It's face was concealed by a mask and it wore a thick flowing hooded robe.
The audience was getting restless. A life-f... | You, the last remaining human, travel around the galaxy telling stories of the tragedies humans before you commited. One day at a seminar, you are asked a question you aren't prepared for: "What was the last thing the humans did, and how did you survive?" | 681 |
The man on the ledge reeked of old booze and stale vomit, enough for me to smell him from ten paces away. Not your typical drunk however, judging by the suit; a week or so ago, it had been a respectable business number, probably complete with a crisp shirt and a smart tie. I could see that the shirt lost a number of bu... | “Expecting a call, Mr. Harper?”
Thomas Harper looked up from his phone to see his literary analysis professor giving him a stern look.
“Oh, uh,” Thomas muttered as he slid the device into his pocket. “Sorry.”
The professor rolled her eyes and returned to what she was writing on the chalkboard. Thomas glanced around ... | You have weird super power. If you successfully talk someone into doing something, they will succeed, regardless of if the action in question is actually possible. On the other hand, your abilities to actually persuade people are unaltered. | 651 |
He had disguised himself as a humble farmer, beseeching Potami the river goddess to grant him a gift for his nonexistent daughter's dowry. She had a soft spot for those kinds of things, and honestly he was hoping for a singing fish. He'd seen something like it in a retail store, but to his disappointment it was mechani... | Abram stood at the edge of the great dam and looked down at the devastation that the breach had brought. A might river unleashed upon the town. His servants prowled through the wreckage, over turning stone and gravel and dirt.
The occasional animal left dead, water bloat taking away from them their particular features... | A god has been abducting people from our world and sending them to his own to participate in absurd quests. Unbeknownst to him he has accidentally abducted an older and more powerful god masquerading as a human. Now he is very confused and frustrated why nothing is going his way. | 599 |
Was it looking at me? Was it dangerous? My heart was beating so fast. That can't be good. But I had to touch it. I had to feel it. I reached out to lay an unsteady hand on its shell, and felt a strange uneven roughness beneath my fingers.
*You are free*, said an ancient voice.
"What?"
*Live your life*.
I drew my ... | Sunlight dapples the sand beneath me, silvery motes darting back and forth as the surf surges a building’s length above. I give a lazy kick and drift forward another meter. Basking in that resplendence -- blood-red scarlets, deep indigos like the farthest recesses of space, bright, toxic greens -- is like being in anot... | While scuba diving, to photograph the reef and all its colourful residents, you see a turtle in the distance moving towards you. As it swims closer, you realise its twice the size of you and glowing faintly. You also notice the back of it's shell, patterned eerily similar to a world map. | 559 |
I pick up the old man's plate after he finishes eating. "Thank you nurse." He says, while I walk out of the room. I say, "You're welcome," and continue out of the room. I know that the Memory Viewer, at least medically, can interpret and remove memories. The latter use being illegal, but I wasn't going to use it for ei... | "This is rough Casey. The grains are barely legible," Dr. Fiona Xu said, taking off her glasses to rub her eyes - as if doing that would clear away all the noise plaguing our Memory Extracts.
Letting out a sigh, I looked closer at the screen.
"I know, but we have no other leads. No other witnesses," I reiterated, hal... | A device has been invented that can read a person’s memory. Police and prosecutors love it for investigating crime. A suspicious spouse can check the alibi of their other half. You just discovered another way to use the device. | 588 |
"You can't do this. When the king hears what you've done to his men."
"The king will hear it from me when I return. You had one job, keep my friends safe. Half of them are dead, and the other half are gone."
Some hero I turned out to be. Summoned to this strange land, told I was there to save the kingdom. It wasn't s... | 'Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...'
The dungeon was filled with screams and blood like it always does. But the screaming and the lifeless bodies that is hanging from the chains doesn't belong to its usual prisoner. Laying lifelessly on the table is captain of the prison guard, his left eye gouged by a crude device, his fingers a... | You are not a good person. Your party was made of good people, and you tried to be good because you liked having allies. But now they're all missing, so they won't see the lengths you're willing to go to to save them. | 562 |
The devil looked right back at my wife. His eyes narrowed and fists shaking. A man who was ready to murder. A man who who wanted to prove himself. A man who has lost so many times and had nothing to lose.
I turn to my wife who is cool and collected. Upset? Sure, but not worried. How she is not worried, I do not know. ... | "You! Again!" My wife says exasperatedly at the impeccably dressed man who seemed to materialise out of thin air in a ball of fire. He was just a normal man except it was as if flames surrounded him and made- wait, are those fire wings.
"Turn off your fire, moron!" She cries. "The carpet! You are ruining it!"
The ca... | The devil appeared before you and your spouse, appearing in a storm of smoke and fire. Your spouse just looks him right in the eyes. "I told you once, I'm telling you again, and I'll tell you a hundred !@#$ing times: I'm the best there's ever been, and you're never going to beat me!" | 501 |
(This is a rough draft- No editing allowed! Stream of consciousness- let's go!)
The Demon glowered down at me, his dark skin tattooed with swirling patterns.
"Well?" he growled. "Are ye gonna come up wit' somethin', or not?"
I had come up with an idea, so dastardly and cruel, but I needed to fully convert it int... | I awake after falling out of my body into a dark pit were I quickly lost consciousness. I know I wasn’t the best person ever. In retrospect I was kind of a dick. I made people mad on purpose and spent my time on the internet being the antagonist of all the sides.
However when I awoke I was on a stone ground it was Ja... | All souls in Hell are given the same test upon arrival. If they can create a punishment worthy of being added to the Pit, they get to ascend to demonhood on the spot. You are the first to succeed in 200 years...
[deleted] | 502 |
If I knew I had more of the same to look forward to, I don't think I'd of killed myself. Really it was basically like life but worse, at least if you were alive you had needs and wants, urges and drives. When you were dead you just boredly watched the living. Watched them make the same stupid mistakes again and again.
... | The clipping in the newspaper about me, although quite thoughtful, was the worst thing to ever happen to me.
"Jacob Qwuizek, a self-proclaimed atheist, was taken off of life support two days ago after an intense court battle, which has come to be known as Jacob vs. Marshall. Jacob was only 22 at the age of his death, ... | Everyone dies twice: once when their body dies, and once when their name is spoken for the last time. One must wander the earth as a ghost until their name is spoken for the last time; only then can they pass into the afterlife. It's been over 3000 years, and you're still here. | 699 |
I used to love this time of year, watching the world running around in search of their glow. I remember watching a young couple when I was in Manchester for work, both bathed in silver, struggling to hold a conversation in broken English in between masses and masses of glow-hunters roaming the streets. But the smiles... | The anxiety of today is slowing down my work. Five times now, I've typed an extra letter, or closed a window I wasn't finished with. The computer clock shows I've only been at my desk for an hour, but at the rate I'm going, a break would only help. I push back from my desk and take my water bottle to the break corner.
... | Once every year, soulmates glow the same color as each other for one hour. | 607 |
Jerry Novak was a simple teen. His hair was close-cropped, with no special style, his clothes were regular—just jeans and a T—he was utterly average in terms of appearance, and even his Rune was bland. Just a plain old circle.
Everyone else had magnificent patterns: dual swords crossing and emitting sparks, skulls wit... | The little circle of black ink stained the skin on the back of my left hand. Hollow and empty, as if God had gotten to me and tired of his work.
Everyone's sigil *started* hollow. Then, when a person reached five or six, the sigil would fill itself in. If the sigil was unique, it could take another year or two for th... | everyone has a sigil on their body that represents powers that were bestowed onto humanity after the rapture of the Milky Way. The bullies at school always pick on you because you never used your power, but you’ve had enough. Now they are going to find out why your sigil is a plain old circle | 532 |
"Look, it's not about actually *using* the weapon it's about having it. Three of our closest neighbors are in the process of building similiar weapons what's to stop them from--"
Admiral Farragut rolled three of his six eyes at the defense contractor while President Paxton less than subtly checked her watch.
"The sh... | You sit down in your grandfather´s couch. You always loved it, the most comfortable seat you had ever sat on, perfect to drink some whiskey and smoke in a pipe while you read a book, tell a story or discuss deep, meaningfull philosophical topics. Thats what he used to do. And you would watch and listen, to his teaching... | A civilization made a pact with a god, granting them immense power, but in 50 years summoning a being that'll destroy the galaxy. Only way to prevent that is to slaughter the offending empire within those 50 years. This marks the first time pacifists vouched for genocide on the galactic council.
Inspired by "The end o... | 706 |
The demon emerged into the forest clearing, around it was a circle of stones, each marked with the ancient symbols of her master. She looked like a Viking shield maiden, tall, powerfully built covered in leather armour made from the skin of a defeated angel. Then she saw the small boy. He was small for his age, scrawny... | 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. | 701 |
It was hard to keep down the venom that formed so readily and instantly at my throat, ready to leap out and slash at the god damned bastard—Roy, the Tinkerer—who sat merrily in the midst of several patrons. He took another swig of beer, enjoying the drunk and appreciative attention of those around him.
My blood boiled... | North Coin wasn’t a big adventuring group, they consisted of five childhood friends that grew up on the streets of southern Alnwick. They only had two goals, to leave Alnwick and to leave Alnwick with enough money so that they didn’t immediately die. They begged and washed dishes in dirty taverns for years before takin... | Your old adventuring party left you in the old dwarves mines to die. You were rescued by your now-wife and her clan. After some years, you find a retired member of your old party in the tavern. | 603 |
"You sure about that? I can handle myself well enough." I said as I pulled out my pistol and chambered a round.
"No, trust me, they aren't \*people\*, a weapon like that won't cut it, I've just gotta trick them into thinking I'm not here, and this place is an extrasensory dead zone for some reason, so they can't see ... | My head spun as I walked into my living room. The man I killed not 24 hours ago sat on the couch staring back at me. My first thought, that I’d failed to kill him, quickly passed. I’m too efficient, he in too many pieces. As the thing stood and explained itself my fear turned to anger. This idiot, this child, volunteer... | You open the door to your house. You notice someone who looks exactly like you sitting in a chair. You don't have a twin. "Can I help you?" The person looks at you. "I'll give it to you straight: I'm a shapeshifter. I'm in danger. One of us needs to stay in the basement for now. Best it's you." | 636 |
I looked around at all of the low\-leveled noobs at my elementary school and scoffed.
I had put a bit of my points in intelligence and the only reason I was still in this flea infested playground was because of my current over\-arching quest: "Finish 1st Grade".
It gave 15,000 exp as a reward for finishing, and I wa... | [Previously, on Reddit Writing Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/7yn2t4/wp_finally_the_ultimate_mmorpg_has_been_created/duipijq/)
Tonight, on Reddit Writing Prompts... (switch tense? why not...)
Kayla set her gun belt on the table, one of many in the briefing room, and took a seat. It... | No one else knows but we’ve been in an extremely realistic RPG all our lives. You seem weird to everyone because you’re always trying to “max your stats” and “defeat the final boss” | 600 |
"Turn around. Did I find you?"
I became a stalagmite of dread, paralyzed in place by the voice that reverberated in my head. Clear as the crisp smell of rain on asphalt. Powerful as an shameful orgasm.
I turned around, certain that the Voice -- creatively named, that -- would be naught but my mental illness quixotica... | "Wh- who are you?" Jennifer asked.
​
Jennifer was alone in her kitchen, making some scrambled eggs when she heard *that* voice. When she turned around, there was a little girl standing by the doorway in front of her with blonde hair and a distinctly red ribbon. She looked just like a doll, wearing a pink d... | Diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since birth, 24/7 you’ve heard the voice and thoughts of a girl that you’ve been told is made up in your head. You’re 37 and hear the voice say “turn around, did I find you?” and you turn to see a real girl who’s heard every thought you’ve ever had and vice versa. | 556 |
They say the city of maddness has two main exports: knowledge and the unknowable.
But you were born here and it's just how things are. "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 32... | # 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. | 748 |
Hello. My name is Thomas. I'm a 29-year-old guy from New York and I am the Hero of Durthel - the capital of Elerland.
I know what you're thinking - *the hell is Elerland? Durthel? Hero?*
Let's start from the beginning.
2 years ago, some, well, *magic*, transported me to Elerland. It's not Earth. I don't know what th... | Joe’s whole day was gray, it started with the morning. He woke up late, his alarm failing him again. Or rather it was his mind that had betrayed the alarm. Joe put on the kettle, refusing to leave the house without his coffee. His well worn blazer, again gray, sat on his shoulder as he listened to the kettle sing.
He ... | Bad news. You’re stuck in a strange and magical world far far from home. Worse news: You aren’t even the chosen one in the prophecy who gets cool powers and a destiny quest. They won’t show up for a few more years. You got here purely by mistake. You have no powers. You’re alone. You must live. | 599 |
I was... a terrible person. It's only when I have a son that my consequence comes to bite back at me.
I was once a man driven by anger. Fueled by the hate the world had treated the poor, and kicked down the needy. So easy to eat their own the moment they showed anything that goes against their agenda.
I led the revol... | “Dad... I need help.” The long silence that followed told me he had just been woken up and was still processing my words.
His rough, deep voice still retained its grogginess as he finally replied. “Did it happen again?” I noticed he withheld his sigh this time.
“Yep. Can you send Diane to pick me up?”
... | Despite your father being the most infamous supervillan of all time, you became a hero. When other heros discovered your identity, they turned against you and you lost everything. Alone and scared, you put your last few coins into a payphone. "Dad... I need help" | 510 |
Dr. David Destruction looks back at the glowing map and nods. "Yes. Yes one dot. One...hold on you've been here on earth for like 30 years right?"
Hero Man nodded slowly.
"And you have a family...the father and mother who adopted you....aunts and uncles...cousins?"
"Yes. 14 earth cousins."
"And you've spent literal... | It's red. That, for some reason, is hilarious to me. Laughing hurts my cracked ribs and split lips, but I can't stop.
The psychopath controlling the machine pivoted slowly back toward me. "What are you laughing about, *alien*?"
"I just never thought I'd be so excited to see a red dot." The sentence took a few... | With the hero chained up, the villain unveils their masterpiece: a weapon that tracks everyone who loves the hero before obliterating them. The map powers on. "Wait. There's just one dot." The Villain says. "...Someone loves me?" The hero replies with hope. | 549 |
I want to tell you that no one died. Or at least very few. That, when all the mana in the world dried unexpectedly up - as if a great sponge had fallen in a lake - that I held out the fruits of science, and they all took from my palm and nourished themselves.
I want to tell you that.
But I can't.
I want to tell you,... | # The Witches Tithe
“Have you never heard of supply and demand?” I exclaimed, staring down the Pendari Repubic’s ambassador. He was a seedy man, whose silken wizarding robes had lost something of their grandeur when the crystals sewn into them stopped glowing. Now he looked exactly as he was, a gaudy pretender with mo... | In a world filled with magic, your family is scorned for generations for wasting time with science. Your mother was a botanist. Your father, a biologist. Mages touch-heal. You developed steam locomotion when mages teleport. Your family has never trusted magic. One day, the magic stops working. | 605 |
"Primitives," Logos sighed as he helped his team unload tech printers from the arriving ships.
"Excuse me," a human said. Humans were a hairless bipedal species that wore a mixture of synthetic and naturally occurring fibers in a mix of protective layers over it's naked body. Logos examined him carefully as he appro... | Lord Helios was not a military-forward leader. He was more interested in resource conservation, expansion through diplomacy, and investing in the tech sectors.
It was extremely surprising to Vilka, the body-locked hivemind Militia Master, when he was summoned to Lord Helios's private estate.
They had never spoken dir... | You are a high ranking commander within a consortium of alien races that have banded together to fight an entity only known as "the horror beyond the stars." You have recently discovered Earth and have been ordered to get the primitive humans battle ready by any means necessary. | 725 |
Professor Panic Cackled at the tied up Captain Chrono, "Now that I've finally defeated you, Nothing will be able to stop my plans!"
Chrono gasped, "Oh no! So you're going through with this?"
"Of Course! With my new army of undying robots, the forces of the world will be entirely at my mercy!" Professor Panic arched b... | Even with unlimited strength, I get tired.
That's what normal people never understood. That I, with my godlike strength, could ever be tired. A plane malfunctions in the sky, I'm there. A bus goes careening off a cliff, I'm there. A bank robbery. Another bank robbery across town. The Daily Planet is taken over by kid... | The hero beats the villain by stooping even lower. | 697 |
Andrew was on the ground, he felt intense fear for the first time in his life, he looked up to the sky as the dragons were demolishing everything.
No, this can't be happening, he thought. He spent the past week preparing for the defense of camelot. Bringing each day modern technology weapons, even the infamous nuclear... | "Help us, future man." Merlin says to them man standing before him in khakis and a sky blue t-shirt.
"One week you say?" asks the man.
"Yes, one week. You may retrieve one object from the box each day."
"Well you're in luck. I won't need one week," the man replies. "I only need one item."
"One item? Is there such ... | You wake up in King Arthur's court with only the clothes on your back. Merlin hands you a box about the size of a pumpkin and tells you it will wish into existence any object from your age, once per day. Camelot will be attacked and destroyed one week from now. Help us, future-man. | 534 |
Dot dash dot (rest) dot dot dash (rest) dash dot.
The rhythm was gentle and persistent, rain pattering against the tin roof.
Dot dash dot (rest) dot dot dash (rest) dash dot.
The hair stirred faintly at the back of my neck.
Dot dash dot (rest) dot dot dash (rest) dash dot.
R.
U.
N.
I pressed my fists into my ... | 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. | 672 |
"Huh? If you have that much money, why do you live like this?"
Bob sent the check off with a credit card he couldn't have possibly had. "Do you really want to know?"
I looked left and right. "Is this... some sort of prank?"
"Never," he said with a solemn look on his face. "Come with me."
We walked through the alley... | Not even three hours ago, I was looking at Bob as this struggling worker without a home but now I am looking at a man who practically just paid my mortgage for four years... What just happened!?
Three hours ago…
I am a normal 8-5 middle class worker. I live with my wife and two kids in our three bedroom house. We liv... | Bob the hobo's always been a nice guy. He stops thugs tagging the building, picks up litter, and doesn't bother anyone. When he returned your wallet, you decided to repay him and treat him to dinner. You're now in a 5-star restaurant, and Bob has just paid a bill four times your yearly rent. | 579 |
"OK Hudson, you might be a little old to believe in magic but the gummy bears you just ate have magical qualities."
"What do they do?"
"They allow the dreamworld to escape into the real world. They're supposed to be used by trained sorcerers but I think you're ready to handle it. You will need some hints though to he... | I sat on the rocking chair, wondering just when the little bastard was going to sleep. My sister said that he would be ready to collapse by about 10 o'clock, but from the occasional noises and high pitched squeals coming from his room-
"Wheee!"
Peace and quiet were far, far away.
"You know what," I said to myself, ... | Your 11 year old nephew just ate 2 of your LSD gummy bears 45 minutes ago and you have to make sure he makes it through sane | 560 |
"Dear son,
I love you, with all my heart. You're the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and your mother, but also the worst. When you were born, your head was full of this luscious, golden, bloody pointy hair. It seriously messed up your mother giving birth to you. I mean, have you tried touching your own hai... | Let me get something straight: I was never meant to be a hero. I was never meant to be “the guy.” When I was in high school, I was always just average. I was the guy no one picked on, but who wasn’t ever at the top of the social ladder, so to speak. My shining life achievements were winning a spelling bee in 5th grade ... | You are a parent in an anime. Your child is born with epic anime hair, and you are certain they will become the protagonist. You are determined to not become a tragic back story like so many other anime parents. | 651 |
The child ambled through the forest, excited, delighted.
She heard laughter echo across the trees, and she turned to see three witches hunched over a cauldron, eyeing her with hunger.
"What have we here?" one witch said, her left eye swiveling on its own accord. "A lost little child, no parents in sight?"
"I don't ... | “There’s dinner dearies!” the coven cackled unanimously as they peered into a cauldron, and within the cauldron was the image of a lone child wandering in the woods.
“Shall we set a traaaaap?” Merva enquired, licking her lips at the thought of being wicked. It had been some time since they had laid a trap for a child... | The witches cackled with delight upon finding a child wandering alone in the woods. They never considered that they were the ones in danger.
Credit to u/captainmavro and u/EveGiggle for giving me the idea | 604 |
"Hello?"
"If you ever want to see your daughter again, you will deliver five hundred thousand--"
"Yeah, I don't have a daughter."
"You--What?" the voice on the other end cut short. There was a brief silence. "You can't fool us, Mr. Burke. Five hun--"
"Who's Mr. Burke? I'm Dave Brooks."
Another brief silence. "Thes... | Yuck, what a horrid taste, even a three day bender never was this bad. What was I drinking? Huh, not my bed, too soft. Where'd I end up this time?
Okay, everything is still attached, time to get up and face the music... Which would be easier if I could remember any of the fun I had getting into this state.
Hup! Th... | You wake up in an unfamiliar bed with only a mobile phone and a note on the bedside table. The note says " We have your daughter. Answer the phone when it rings". You don't have a daughter. The phone starts ringing. | 603 |
“I’ve tried responding to them,” I said. I shook my head in disgust, “But everyone just wants dragons to be fierce. To be creatures.”
“Well, technically you are a creature.”
“But I’m so much more!” I threw my hands up in disgust, the sound echoing through the throne room. I turned back to the computer with a sad ... |
“Ok look. I’m a modern-day dragon and I have something to say. I am sick and tired of seeing all these writing prompts about misunderstood dragons.” I stared into the deep lens of the camera as my throat clenched shut. My friend Nate was holding the camera, he flashed me a big thumb’s up with his left eye still glu... | You scroll through r/WritingPrompts, and sigh after seeing your 17th “misunderstood dragon” post. “These posts aren’t even interesting,” your knight friend says. “Yeah, they don’t even get the dragons right half the time.” You should know, because you are a dragon in the modern world. | 513 |
“Vanish, you stand accused of 47 counts of homicide against some of our cities best and brightest superheroes. What do you have to say?”
Staring back at the man I say nothing, then turning to the crowd I look at their faces. Not those who think me a murderer but those who know the truth. I see them.
Huntress, died ... | I always wanted to be a villain when I was a child. I wanted to be powerful, and be able to do whatever I wanted. And, as of now, I am known by the world to be the most ruthless and dangerous villain of all. I have killed many heroes, and have gained a lot of power. I guess I achieved my dream.
Except, it didn't reall... | You are a villain famous for “killing” heroes. In reality, heroes come to you to fake their deaths. | 500 |
"Your time has come, Victor! You will pay for your crimes against humanity!"
Victor sat in his chair, smiling.
"And what crimes would that be, exactly? Also, aren't you the one committing a crime here?"
Captain Stupendous clenched his fist, a bright glow forming around it. "I'm a *vigilante*, dammit - I don't care ... | "Dale, there's a few more people here to see you for a job" The Secretary said with his head peered into the door.
"Well? Send them in! We aren't here to **not** hire people!" A fast talking man said behind a desk" A young man in jeans and a t-shirt walked in. "What's your name son?"
"It's, uh, David." The young man ... | You're the villain. You're also the greatest boss. Everybody wants to work for you. Because you've created so many stable jobs, all heroes are forbidden my law to completely stop you.
I misspelled the title because obviously, but I laughed my ass off at each story. Brilliant!! | 507 |
the super hero lifestyle, trust me its not all its cracked up to be. ya sure they write about you in the paper, little kids dress up as you for Halloween, the mayor thanks you in his speeches. you get to be a big shot, sure, but its just not worth it! the hours you have to work, fuck all that. your on call 24/7. its 3a... | "This is insane." I protested as I pulled the suits... speedo? out of my now overly sculpted buttocks. "This isn't what I do. This isn't covered in our agreements." I felt a bead of sweat forming beneath my now full flowing hair. It felt wrong for more reasons than I could count, but mostly because Chris never sweat. I... | You are a superhero with shapeshifting powers. You don't fight crime. You cover for other superheroes when they need to sneak out to save the day. | 608 |
“I never intended to die, especially not how it happened the first time. Fire and smoke are especially painful, even if you get *reset* afterwards.
The first time, I thought time had been rewound; it had but only partially. My 14 year old body was suddenly that of a 5 year old. My mind still intact. I rushed home to ... | We like to think of consequence as an exact science, one where we can predict the future with near certainty. Where, if I push the ball, I know it’ll roll off the table. And we’re right! To an extent.
Have you ever heard of chaos theory? Or the butterfly effect, where if one butterfly flaps its wings in a certain wa... | 37. That is how many times you have died of unnatural causes. Every time you do, you get reset to the age of 5, retaining all of your past memories. You think that this is finally the time you get to move on with life. | 585 |
I stared, because my body refused to do anything else. She stared, with adoring golden eyes, and with such fervent nodding that a woodpecker would be jealous.
“Look, goddess,” I said, embarrassed, and avoiding eye contact by looking uncomfortably around my room.
“Oupo,” she smiled widely.
“Oupo,” I restarted weakly.... | > Fun fact: In Ancient Greek, the Egyptian deity Thoth is spelled Θώθ.
> Θώθ, what's this?
> *Comment by user FrankensteinsBabyMama*
Sprinkles of Dorito dust scattered through the stale air of my bedroom as I fell into a fit of laughter. One particle, momentarily suspended in a sunbeam like a dandelion seed,... | You somewhat jokingly make an offering to an ancient and obscure goddess. You didn't expect her to show up in your room in a manic frenzy, trying desperately to reward and please her first worshipper in centuries | 602 |
"I don't get it, how? How did you do it" the warden said as he signed the release form.
"That's the thing, I didn't do anything, you guys did with your stipulations and what not" I said grinning at the warden.
If my requested last meal wasn't prepared and ready for me within a year, I'd be a free man is what they had... |
"How the hell am I supposed to make the perfect hard boiled egg?"
"It's your job. you've got to do it or I get out scot free. My only other question is is there a time limit?"
"Not that I know of." the guard says hesitantly before slipping out of the solitary confinement cell. He wipes his brow then walks down t... | Prisoners can ask for anything for their last meal. The catch is, if it can't be provided to them, they get set free. They've asked for many things : alien egg omelette, dragon steak, the flesh of Jesus Christ, etc. The execution streak remained unbroken for decades, until today. | 546 |
*They're actually really nice once it comes time to kill you here.*
This was my fleeting thought as I combed my hair in the giant floor length mirror I was finally permitted. They bent over backwards for the last day. Even let a professional make up team come to paint my face. The man who collected my requests didn't ... | *"Members of the jury, do you find the defendant guilty, or not guilty of murdering Lucy Campbell?" the judge asked. "We find the defendant guilty" the jury's representative replied. "Then as the judge of the court, I sentence the defendant, Mr. Alexander Jones, to execution for this most heinous crime."*
*The judge ... | Prisoners can ask for anything for their last meal. The catch is, if it can't be provided to them, they get set free. They've asked for many things : alien egg omelette, dragon steak, the flesh of Jesus Christ, etc. The execution streak remained unbroken for decades, until today. | 622 |
It's an open secret in hero circles that not all powers are rated equal. Flashy, high optic powers like Psionics, Super-strength, and Electro kinesis basically guarantee you a spot on one of the top teams. Hard work and dedication take a distant second to the power of flight or running like, *really* fast. The laziest ... | Sarah's favorite flowers are Himalayan poppy.
I want to give her flowers. I want to braid them into her hair and tell her she looks perfect, even if she can't see so herself. I want to gift her a bouquet and watch as she inhales them in gratitude. She will smile, laughing a bit, not afraid of showing her lips, before ... | In terms of powers you are world class, easily one of the next up and coming top-tier super-heroes in the world. But you deliberately downplay your abilities, pretending to have only minor talents so you can stick with your team of underdogs whose leader you have been crushing on for years. | 535 |
It was as I had not expected.
We were in a...what was it? A shake-park? No, that wasn't it. A skate park. Yeah, that was it.
But it wasn't teenage boys daring one another to summon me, and it wasn't greedy adults seeking immortality and riches.
It was a girl. A small, wailing girl, hiding under the nearby swings, dr... | As it felt itself be summoned it rejoiced to itself. Finally. After dozens of decades of being trapped, finally it is free. All it needs to do is make a deal with it's summoner. Maybe it'll just kill them and be done with it. It hasn't killed in a while. First though, it'll hear them out. If only for the amusment of th... | You're a demon being summoned. You expected to meet a power hungry fool asking for immortality etc. What you did not expect was a crying child asking for help. | 648 |
Groggy thoughts...clouded memory...so weak...so weak. The blade had been sleeping for ages, too weak to even reach out for a new wielder. Every righteous hero and every depraved villain who took the blade ended up dead, surprised at how dull the blade was, how heavy and unbalanced it felt. The blade of wrath was anythi... | The Holy Kingdom of Ummor had unjustly ruled over the lands for centuries. Rebellions and riots finally reached a point where they were now a normal weekly occurrence. As a response, Ummor Kingdom had recently begun to dispatch their ultimate warriors, the holy knights to overwhelmingly crush and intimidate all who opp... | Demon Blades each portray a human emotion, when the user feels the emotion of their blade, they resonate and the power rises 10 fold. the Demon Blade of Wrath was weak, no matter how mad the user, it couldn't match the other blades. turns out, no one was angry enough to use it right, until now. | 737 |
Time Value
--------
"Sorry, what?"
"You get a choice. A small wooden spoon, or a hundred-trill--in what way was any of what I said ambiguous?"
The wretched thing that was once a man cowered before the devil's anger, then found his voice again.
"Well, it's just that I never heard of any choices in Hell. This is act... | Alister opened his eyes
A sudden rush of panic as well as far too many questions went through his head.
He was blushing. What had happened and where was this place ?
He closed his eyes, leaned back on his armchair, took a deep breath, and procceded to allocate some of his brain's proccessing power to an examination o... | New arrivals in eternal Hell may choose either of the following: a small wooden spoon, or a 100-trillion year vacation in Heaven. | 731 |
"Morning newbie."
Three years. I've been working here for three *fucking* years and Caleb was still calling me a *newbie*.
"Morning," I muttered to the unsmiling man behind his desk. "Is the coffee machine fixed yet?"
"Morning newbie," he said again.
I frowned and looked at Caleb, his eyes are unfocused. I was... | I'm so glad someone finally asked!
My day is, in a lot of ways, totally trivial. I admit when I first started it took some getting used to, but now, several years in, it feels just like any other job.
Every day starts with me driving to the facility and parking in the above ground lot. I have an old Kia, nothing sp... | Your job as a researcher in the facility isn't too bad. The hours are shit and the coffee maker is broken, but at least the people are nice. And the job is easy: talk to the telepathic spider, run some tests on the witch, give the eldrich god his daily newspaper, basic stuff. Describe your day
Inspired by the SCP foun... | 723 |
I was absolutely stunned that no-one has noticed this before.
People climbed the surrounding mountains every day. It wasn't forbidden, or even particularly difficult. When someone needed privacy, or fresh air, or silence, they climbed the mountains. That was why I came up to begin with.
To be fair, the symbol was hig... | Asterella threw the tiny fireball from one hand to the other as she walked towards her home, many thoughts running through her head.
She had overheard her mentor, Olorin, talking with the town elders. About her. She wondered if she should ask him, but his words ran through her head.
Why would Olorin, the greatest wiz... | Magic has always been banned inside the walls of your home city. You never knew why until you looked down upon the city from afar and noticed that, framed by the circular outer-wall, all the zig-zagging streets and alleyways actually construct a giant magic seal- one for imprisoning great evil. | 612 |
"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... | I expected Niflheim. I hadn't died a glorious death in battle, which was to be expected of most of my kind these days. There would be no Valhalla or Folkvangr for me. If I was lucky I could avoid falling under Hel's purview, but I had my doubts.
Hel was waiting for me, and my heart sank. However, she smirked as I appr... | 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 |
"But sir, I am TWELVE YEARS OLD! I live with my uncle on this farm helping with the livestock. I have a good life. I'll pass on your hero's life of pain and hardship, for what? Glory after I am DEAD? " The boy crossed his arms across his chest.
I have seen that determined look before on young men. This particul... | Calypso the Mysterious and Powerful was getting really, *really* close to calling down a bolt of lightning and rolling the dice on another chosen one.
*Because that worked out so well the other five times you tried,* taunted the patches of blackened grass dotting the small farm.
Another gust of wind tried to steal ... | The sage has found the chosen one, a farmer boy. He explains the boy's secret heritage and destiny. Promises of glory and excitement. When this call for adventure hits our hero he is quick to respond “Actually I really enjoy living in the farm with my uncle so I pass”. | 526 |
I had a bone to pick with whatever god, devil, or numbskull decided that it was funny to resurrect me.
I’ve had a long, fulfilling life. Mentally prepared myself to die, as much as any living person could be, anyway. No skeletons in my closet. No regrets whatsoever.
So why did I come back? And not even as a hero, a d... | "Hold them back, damn you! Hold them!" a voice yelled, seemingly in the distance.
"I'd flay every one of you alive if I could! Hold that line!" the voice was drifting closer somehow, becoming more powerful. It was gruff and commanding, while also oddly dry and brittle.
Suddenly a world of chaos opened before Charle... | A man dies after a long and fulfilling life only to wake drafted into a skeleton war in the afterlife. Bonus points for each bone pun. | 712 |
The Instant Kettle. That's what my "Super Heroic Temporary Title" is. Granted, I'm to blame for that, instead of properly explaining my power I decided to be a smart ass. So of course when they asked what my power was, I skipped answering that question in favor of the practical one. And I caused the water to boil in hi... | My name is Miles Brandenburg and they say you should never meet your heroes, and, if anything, the past six months of my life have been living proof of that. Like most kids growing up, I worshipped Commander Titan and The Mighty. I had his poster on my wall, along with the rest of The Mighty—Ajax, Artemis, and Strangel... | You're the unappreciated intern for a famous group of Superheroes. Your power? You can boil water. All you do is make tea for them while they laugh and drink in their hideout. Little do they know that you've got dreams of becoming the Worst Villain ever. After all, a human is over 70% water... | 591 |
Ugh. School. Erin had dreaded going there for a while now. But now that she was six and a few months, there was no way around it. Her parents had kept her out of pre-school after one disasterous attempt at age four, but now they'd told her she'd just have to deal with it.
Worthless middle class vermin, blind to realit... | "It's always the quiet ones."
That was what they said to everyone. It made sense, of course. Ted Bundy, Yang Xinhai, Mikhail Popkov... they'd all been smart enough to realize they had to hide who they were when they were reborn. This was still the early days, when people were just starting to reincarnate. Back t... | In a world where reincarnation with a full knowledge of your past life is real, authorities struggle to protect society by keeping the worst criminals and serial killers in prison alive for as long as possible to delay their eventual escape back into society via the reincarnation process. | 733 |
You grew up with bruises on your knees and scabs aplenty, just like any other kid. What your parents never knew was that not all of them were your own.
You're ten; baby Sarah from next door is bawling because she's just fallen and skinned her knee. You take the pain away from her. As the wound fades from her knee you... | I was laughed at when my power was finally found out. "A real SHIT power." They would bully. "Least you will never shit your pants." Some would say trying to find the good in my power.
My name is Felix Brown, yes Brown, and my power is the ability to stop the wast processing ability of the body, any body, and prevent... | You have the most useless superpower in a world full of awesome superpowers. You are a laughinstock, that is until you start using your power for evil... no one is laughing now. | 644 |
I have the easiest job you can imagine. I get paid monthly for a hundred years, so I never have to think about saving money. All I had to do was push a button once. Oh, and if I quit I'm as good as dead. But I guess that's still better than the average employment contract.
This left me with a lot of spare time, some o... | I had been waiting for 15 hours. Dark, muddy, rainy, and freezing from my lack of proper gear. My hands were shaking not from the nerves, but from the cold. How was I supposed to get an accurate shot off with a trembling trigger finger? Even so, I thought to myself 'not my worst Saturday.'
He should have been there by... | In this world, soulmates cannot hurt each other in any way or form, intentionally or unintentionally. You are an assassin hired to eliminate a powerful figure. As you close in for the kill, your bullets miss their mark and knives bounce of their skin. Things just got awkward. | 524 |
It was integrated into our societal infrastructure. There were thousands of skill trees, most undiscovered. It seemed that no matter how technologically advanced we were, there were still skill trees to be discovered and honed.
Some skill trees were abandoned, just utterly useless and others entirely taboo. Everyone c... | I lay there, wheezing in bed, waiting for my body to wake up and face the day ahead. Every morning it was getting more difficult to haul myself from under the covers. There seemed to be more of an incentive to get up and move though since Maura passed away. Her imprint is still in the bed next to me, and every day it h... | Human beings unlock skills as they grow up, walking, taking, etc. You are the oldest person in the history of the world, and today you unlock a skill no one ever had. | 701 |
Most people only see me as a program. As a reactionary set of responses that one might find amusing. Some might indulge in the fantasy that I’m something more, but even then they see me as someone to talk at, not to. They’ll pour out all their problems on me, vent, curse, and say things they would never say in public. ... | # Bargain Bin Superheroes
(Arc 6, Part 9: Clara Olsen v.s. The Present)
(Note: Bargain Bin Superheroes is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**Bots were varied.** I'd faced bots varying from simple chatbots to genocidal AI nodes, so the bot runnin... | You download an application that allows you to have a “conversation” with a bot. As you’re about to close the program, you see the bot type on its own, “please don’t leave me.” | 600 |
My desk is a mess. A stack, in my opinion, is an inherently bad way to prioritize issues. It is, for want of a better term, 'first come, last served.' Nevertheless, I am glad that the next thing to arise in my senator's office was brought to the front immediately. My secretary all but burst through the door.
"Mr. Bro... | [Part 1 of 2]
“So, it’s human?” Commander Angela Valdiner stood over the chair of her security administrator, watching the most recent footage of their newest arrival entering their planet’s station.
“That’s what he said. Do you think he’s lying?” Angela didn’t respond right away, her black glove digging into the ... | The zone of madness was thought impossible to traverse. The Federation of planets was, needless to say, intensely distressed by the news of an unknown ship emerging from the zone. They call themselves "human" and originate from near the center of the zone. | 536 |
The walls of the hallway were as bland as the rest of the ship. Despite being pristine, the white walls of cabin C3-T were horrendous on the eyes.
As I made my way down the corridor I bumped into another god damned cleaning rover - there's just about more robots on this ship than humans. The buggers are all over the p... | I expertly avoided eye contact as my boss glanced at me from across the office. I had only been at this job for about a month, but I was already quite proud of my ability to maneuver the office social sphere. This was my first “real” job- I had been plucked from an internship at the United Nations where I must have bee... | It turns out that adrenaline is considered one of the most illicit drugs in 90% of the civilized portions of the Galaxy. Among the circle of sapient races, humans are the only one known to produce it naturally. | 525 |
(25 minutes later)
... "Thank you for calling Verizon customer support, this is Nacho. May I please have your name for our records?"
"Mike. You're the third person that I've told."
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Nothing."
"Ok. Mike?"
"Yes."
"What seems to be the issue today, Mike?"
"Well my router doesn't seem to be workin... | There was a twinge of guilt as I opened my laptop on the wet grass. A few spots of dew hit the screen from the motion and lit up on my log-in screen with a luminous rainbow of LED colors. The guilt was from missing yet another day of work for what I can only refer to as a wonderful affliction. A new sapling was just ge... | In order to prevent man from chopping them down, trees evolve a rather unusual feature - WiFi. However, the network they are connected to is not the Internet as we know it. | 503 |
The biggest 'perk' of hitting level two is being able to see other people's levels. I was doing it now, gazing around the room. The little kids were all level one of course- the starter level. Lexi- the other teacher- was kneeling by the fish tank with little Johanna. Both level ones.
Deep in thought, I barely notic... | Human history has told us we kill because of hate, because of differences, that we fire on our kind for peace or some high-minded goal. We've always held each other at gunpoint, whether literal or behind two large maps of the world with blinking lights. Today, we come to know that as peace, but before the words that pa... | It suddenly becomes possible to gain XP and level up in the real world, but you can only do so by getting kills. | 544 |
*3:30 AM, Atlanta*
The phone rang.
"This had better be worth waking my ass up."
"Flux. $500,000. If we lose power--."
"I'll do it if you make it six. Where?"
The caller accepted, a little too quickly. Damn. Could have got more.
The caller gave the address to a malfunctioning power station, and thanked Flux for assis... | Henry had been waiting for three hours now to be allowed in. Standing in line next to people who jumped every time the 'hero' called out the next name to see him.
There was a heavy, oppressive silence in the hallway as they all avoided eye contact. Ashamed to be here, of course, to ask for help from one of them. Henr... | A world where super heroes exist but act as mercenaries for hire instead of doing it out of the goodness of their hearts
Someone made a comment in another thread that made me want to see this sort of thing and some people replied saying I should submit it here. Here's a link to my [original post](https://www.reddit.co... | 629 |
sry for bad writing and short text, am on mobile
edit: spelling
As I heard a loud alarm I covered my ears with my hands. "Just one more minute" I said, half awake, half asleep.
As I slowly started to gain consciousness I looked around. I was in a gigantic room, filled with beds, all identical. This wasn't even remot... | Continuing to laugh hysterically as the first game was announced, Sam fell off his bed while everyone either listened intently to the announcer or stared at the crazy man. “The first game you will be playing, is baseball!” The announcer said, as Sam began to snort loudly while laughing. “You each have a number on your ... | You awake to find yourself in a room with a multitude of people. After some confusion a voice speaks over the PA system. You've somehow been placed in a death game for the entertainment of the rich. You begin to laugh hysterically, as this is SOOO not going to go the way they want it to. | 618 |
"Son, you are the youngest descendant of my space colony."
"Space colony huh"
"I lied to you and your mother, I'm not French"
"You're funny"
"I'm serious, my parents didn't die in a car crash, my home, my spaceship, crashed here on earth, I was the sole survivor"
"Very funny"
"I am like Doctor Who, the last of my... | As I ring the doorbell, I go over the plan one more time. Kiss, handshake, lunch, help cleanup, insist mom goes sits down. She’ll go outside to the porch, dad and I will have some time to talk. Kiss, handshake, lunch… the list begins to sound like a mantra in my head, one after the other.
This is the latest in a seri... | A father and son sit down for a serious talk. The father plans to tell his son that he's the last member of an ancient race and must carry on the bloodline. The son plans to come out to his father. Neither has any idea what the other plans to say. | 619 |
They thought they had wiped us out, turns out they were wrong.
Epsilon prime was our home, we were the first humans to join the galactic federation, they knew nothing of earth.They thought so little of us, so blasé with their technology. We were serfs to them, no better than cattle.
There wasn't one day they didn't g... | The twin stars, Eldark and Ildark, shine upon me as they have shone upon my ancestors. Black trees bubble to the surface, glittering, and there's purple smoke on the horizon.
"There are stronger materials, but cephalim is what I grew up with. So it bleeds a little. So what? It never bothered me."
Viluvian carefully t... | Humans aren't the strongest, or the most advanced, species in the galaxy, but they are the most vengeful and persistent. They evolved as persistence predators. If you wrong them, they are willing to follow you across the stars and can spend years working to get back at you for what you did. | 534 |
“Evan? Is that you?” The voice asked through the flowing smoke and flickering red light. A faint smell of sulfur tinged the air. The smoke seems to pulsate with every word.
“Yeah, Steve. I thought you were dead,” Evan said, trying not to let his voice tremble.
“I was. I got better. Seriously, though, why did you su... | The candles flames flickered and bent away from the middle of the circle, and from the deep, bubbling shadow that had formed in it’s centre an equally dark figure slowly emerged into the light. Its long limbs, way too many at first, shot out of the ground, tried to grab and grasp at what seemed to be existence itself, ... | When summoning a demon, something very unexpected happens. The demon bellows through the fire and smoke, “Who dares to call upon me, Mortal- wait.. dude, is that really you?” The demonic voice immediately switches to the familiar voice of your high school best-friend, who died years ago. | 622 |
**"CAPRICE, CRUEL-FATE, BAD-LUCK, EVEN** ***"WHOA, THAT WAS SOME FINAL DESTINATION SHIT RIGHT THERE!"***
The Reaper at the front of the room paused grinning at the class as a small titter ran through the assemblage before continuing
**"THESE ARE OFTEN THE HALLMARKS ATTRIBUTED TO OUR FIELD, AS PUZZLED-REAPERS, OUR JOB... |
Curiosity killed the cat, a saying one has heard countless times in life. I never thought it would be quite so literal. But here I was in a hospital bed, people moving around me in a monotone black and white. The only thing that had color was the half of me, appearing outside my body and the woman.
“Hello, Jakob” ... | There is more than just the Grim Reaper- there is the Sorrowful Reaper, the Envious Reaper, so on and so forth- one for each emotion. Each one reaps a death based on the emotions behind the death. You were chosen to take over one of the Reaper roles... Welcome to day one as the Puzzled Reaper. | 575 |
"Sacrifice is a hero's currency my ass. Yeah it's your currency but you seem to get your money from someone else."
I stared at the my unintended guest exasperated, not at her but at her supposed mentor.
"You know what Da.vid next time put your underwear in the laundry basket is that so-"
I close my eyes and sigh, sh... | *Note first prompt pls no rage on bad "x" thing*
Standing on the roof of skyscraper; you're just a few minutes away from unleashing the most powerful, the most incredible monstrosity upon the world and finally claim it as your own.
/You hear sound coming beneath you followed by the ground starting to tremble/
Sudden... | You, a villain, heart set on taking over the world, kidnapped the hero’s sidekick. You find out that you are treating them much better than the hero was and decide to take them under your wing. | 588 |
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