chosen stringlengths 597 3.77k | rejected stringlengths 239 9.37k | prompt stringlengths 15 1.28k | chosen_token_len int64 500 750 |
|---|---|---|---|
"I don't understand."
"It's like when you can move stuff around with your mind."
"Telepathy, yes! What I mean is, I don't understand what that has to do with me? Surely I would know if I had telepathic powers."
"Not if the part of your brain that controls telepathy was being suppressed."
"Wait, what? You're "suppre... | I’m just trying to be myself.
Why can’t people just leave me alone? Signatures and photos, that’s all they care about! I yell and try to scare them away but they usually persist and just end up following me taking pictures and tagging me on their Instagram. Fuck, I honestly think Sartre was right, “Hell is other peop... | You are extremely famous. Everyone knows who you are. The only thing is, you don't know why you're so famous. You don't come from a rich family and you're unemployed. You don't even remember how you got a mansion or a Lamborghini. Even stranger, everybody looks so scared when you bring it up. | 534 |
"NUMBER 117737."
Anxious and bewildered, you step up to the counter, behind which sits a very bored looking young man wearing a name tag that says GARY. He takes your ticket and asks, "Name?"
"John Smith. But this has to be a mistake. I don't belong in hell. I lived a good, honest life."
"Yep, that's what they all s... | “Why? What did I do to deserve this?”
Charon the gatekeeper just looked down. “If you want to dispute this sentence. Then you will have to speak to management. However I don.....l
“Well get me the fuckin manager then. This can’t happen to me in life I had thousands of more followers on social media then any of my... | You die and find yourself in hell, where apparently everyone spends time to negate their sins before they go to heaven. The guy in front of you, who cheated on his wife, gets 145 years. Feeling like you led a fairly average and peaceful life, you’re not worried. You get 186,292 years. | 526 |
"So, that's it, then." Pan massages his temples and stares at me from across the table. He looks different without the equipment. Athletic wear, corporate logos, speaker systems. I wouldn't believe this slight, curly haired kid could break a parking garage with his voice, but he did. Pretty recently, too. Had to sign w... | "Whoa, guys, now wait just a sec", I said while raising my hands in a warding gesture towards the two supes trying to threaten me with their powers.
"No more waiting, Carl", said Josh the Jellyfish. Yes, he picked that name. "Your time's up", added Rocky Rhayle. "Either you spill your secrets now or we spill your guts... | Unlike most people with super powers, you're perfectly content to mind your own business while using your powers in normal everyday activities. However the heroes seem to have decided that your disinterest in world affairs is suspicious and you're clearly faking it to hide your true agenda. | 505 |
"You think we haven't faced extinction before?"
That gave the being pause. Ships slowed and while their batteries were charged, they didn't fire.
"You think you will survive?" the robotic voice played through the terminal, translating the clicks and gurgles of the creature on the monitors.
"I think we will make vict... | We were caught completely off-guard when they came.
Entire alien fleets bounded the great distances between star systems and struck down our colonies with ease.
These colonies, mostly tiny research stations on frozen rocks, could do nothing as they watched the enemy fleet fire its weapons and turned the... | The galaxy is a dark and lonely place. "First Strike Diplomacy" reigns out of fear. Few species survive even 300 years after developing interstellar travel. When humans entered the galaxy, we were the first species confident enough in war to ask someone "Are you sure you want to do this?" | 625 |
“Hi, I’d like one thirty minute session,” said the tall man, standing just a bit over 210 orbids, his tail swishing a little.
“That’ll be sixteen azulios,” said the woman behind the concession stand.
The tall man handed her a couple crumpled up bills.
She accepted.
“One moment please.”
She turned around and pu... | Note about the prompt: if the aliens can see other's imagery then there imagination is still indeed intact -- they *can* still visualize things except they're only receiving it rather than self-generating it. However I think the spirit of the prompt is alien's are lacking in imagination and are bewildered by that of th... | As it turns out, aliens all have aphantasia. This makes Humans the only species capable of imagining images in their heads. This greatly confuses alien telepaths, who report seeing “constantly shifting landscapes of alternate realities” when peering into human minds | 528 |
It had been 20-some odd years since I’d finally found him. Twenty-some odd years since he’d shot me dead. Twenty-some odd years before a force I can only pretend to understand brought us back together.
He never suspected a thing. I’ve known who he was since I woke up screaming in the dark at six years old, only to fin... | My memory was as sharp as it had ever been, I remembered all of the evils this guy had done, all of the suffering he had caused, the countless people killed through his gang. I remembered the outcry of the mother that just returned home to find her husband dead with her child in his arms, the weeping ten-year-old that ... | Normally when people are reincarnated they lose all memory of their previous life, but for some reason you remember your past self; a cop who spent his life trying to catch a master criminal, who eventually ended up killing you. You are reborn as your killers child. | 509 |
---ISS Video Log: 7/14/18---
The batteries are low, and i don't have long. This may be the last entry of humanity, at least until after the wheel, electricity, and civilization are reinvented. Hopefully this will have lasted.
---
Three months ago, the world went up in fire. One poor bastard shot another poor bastard, w... | "Houston, we're deploying the solar array now, should be enough to power the experiment for the dark side. Any further instructions?" the voice communication was crisp with the familiar radio clicks after each transmission. "Go ahead with deployment. No further instructions." replied command center a few minutes later.... | 3 Russian Cosmonuats and 3 American Astronauts and 2 others aboard the international space station witness the launching of thousands of ICBMs between the superpowers. What is the fate of the crew? | 502 |
"Freeze! Or you'll FREEZE! Ha!"
Staring down the barrel of the freeze ray that Doctor Device was pointing at us,
I couldn't help but notice the unusual amount of detail he'd put into it.
"Wow, that thing looks really well built. Stylish but menacing. Reliable, too. I
counted eight shots so far"--I tipped my head towa... | The pavement where Adrian just stood was no more than moon craters and plasma at this point. Overseer sharpened his gaze as he, almost effortlessly, levitated toward the remnants of the Starbucks in the corner of 5th and Jayton.
"Nice manouver, kid. But you can't protect all of them."
He was right. The psychotic ba... | You are a nice person, but your superpower is that you instinctively know exactly what to say to someone to crush them. You're very effective in throwing supervillains off their game, but your fellow heroes always feel really uncomfortable watching you work. | 681 |
I swear, it was never supposed to turn out like this.
"Lower him into the pit, Simon."
I really just wanted to research the mysterious natural phenomenon of the saviors.
"Come on, get on with it. We only need one more."
I was never supposed to get involved in something like this.
"Just one more sacrifice and the r... | "We need soldiers, not anthropologists!"
Lord Nobertyn slammed his fist on the table so hard his chalice fell over, spilling mulled wine all over the scrolls prepared by the Guild of the Learned. Guntroy Nebbis hastily salvaged what he could while the rest of his colleagues remained frozen as frost tulips, worried the... | Everytime a threat to the world looms, a group of "adventurers" will appear in a city tavern, nobody saw them enter, and sometimes they have races in them not even found on the continent. It's your goal to find out more about these, "adventurers" | 592 |
HONK HONK
“I heard there was a birthday here. A birthday where? A birthday here! I heard there was a birthday here and I’m Bobo the Clown!”
The man at the front door looked confused and angry, his muscles bulged out of his stupid little tank top and his eyes darted around furiously, scanning the space behind the clown... | "Oh they've done it this time," I clench my fist in anger.
Ever since that night, I've never liked those who act as if they're so self-righteous, but I never really cared for this whole system up until today. It's all over the news, the almighty hero, Grandis, raided a suspected corrupt business.
"There has always be... | You're a 'comically incompetent' supervillain for a group of C-List heroes. They are no real threat to you, so you endure their childish speeches. However, when the heroes raid the civilian business you run on the side and injure your employees, you decide to take yourself seriously for once. | 622 |
The day I was born my fairy godmother appeared, as is the custom, and summoned from the air the most amazingly beautiful figure anyone had ever seen. Six foot three, pure muscle with giant wings sprouting from his back, this naked adonis glowed with holy light. Golden hair ran down his bronzed back and wide blue eyes r... | At first a guardian Angel sounds like a blessing. That is, until you find out that you're part of a prophecy that includes your death at the hands of an Angel. That's why the witch cursed me, to hasten my end.
The Angel assures me that he does not intend to harm me. How am I to trust him? Even though he understands th... | An evil witch curses you with a guardian angel. Why?
My first prompt! | 505 |
"I think I heard something.”
Diron rolled his eyes while his swung his chair side to side, the screen of his interface following him in a nauseating back and forth. “It’s not funny anymore, Talia. We’re not 8 years old” he said. “I’m trying to study. Play with your hardware somewhere else.”
Talia flicked a glare em... | An image of Earth flashed up on the screen. It rotated slowly as the teacher lectured her students. "Earth is the planet of our origin." She stared at the image of Earth as she said this. She seemed as mesmerized by it as the rest of us were. It was so magnificent, it was hard to believe that any of us could've come fr... | After thousands of years on a generation ship sent out to colonize the universe, nobody alive on board the ship believes in the "myth" of Planet Earth anymore. Until they receive the first transmission from Earth in hundreds of years... | 717 |
“So you’re not him.”
“Right.”
“And we’re not them, but we’re just like them?”
“Correct.”
“So, just so we’re clear, he’s there, you’re here, we’re here, but we’re just like them there.”
“That's about the size of things, yes.”
“Well, that’s quite the claim! We’re going to need you to provide us some proof.”
—
And... | One and The Same
The automated voice played as it did so many times during the mission training. I had been made aware the mission was pretty much idiot-proof as it wasn't guaranteed I would wake up after a long, chemically induced slowing of my metabolism without brain damage.
"Good morning. Remember to remove t... | A planet is found rotating around a sun identical to ours and having the same orbit and singular moon.You are sent to inspect.When you land you find life there exactly like that of the Earth you left behind and the people think that you have come back to tell them what the other planet is like. | 511 |
It was probably the tenth time that the pup in mismatched armor with a dented shield and that shabby excuse for a blade screamed "Die Destroyer!" that I realized that I was going to be doing this for a while. So I stopped the fight. Dropped my sword, held my hands up and just like that-
-I'm sitting in my throne again... | (First time writing here, so here goes.)
My sword slammed into the ground, leaving a large gash in the stone floor of my throne room, the clang if metal echoing throughout. The somewhat meek-looking knight seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and threw out a poorly performed thrust with his blade, which left him off ba... | You are an all-powerful warlord, unmatched in your strength. Today a lowly knight challenged you in your throne room and died with a single strike. Suddenly you feel dizzy, and you're back in your throne. The same knight walks in, and dodges your first swing. | 674 |
A new government initiative to solve the overpopulation crisis, the introduction of XP (experience points) which could be gained by any ordinary citizen, had the means to increase one's biological powers beyond humanly measure. Each experience point was acquired by taking the life of another person. One would then take... | 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. | 691 |
"The computer's finished, come over here."
"What does it say, Will?"
"I don't know yet, come take a look."
"I bet we're gonna be disappointed again. Just another slow pulsar, all the signals are."
"Nah, I'm sure of it, this one's different."
"Well, open it up then, let's see what it says."
The message on th... | “Hey, did y’all hear the news about the alien message?” Henry asked as he sat down with his meal.
The others at the table just stared at him, not wanting to take a break from eating their meals. Undeterred, Henry continued, “I mean, it’s crazy, right?”
“Yeah, real crazy, Henry,” came a reply from down the table.
“O... | After hundreds of years of sending messages into the sky, humanity receives its first message from intelligent life. Decoded it simply says, "Be quiet before they find you." | 548 |
"Excuse me," one of the ambassadors from Earth said, pressing two fingers to it's temple, or at least where it's temple would be if it had a face, "urgent call, I need to go deal with this."
"It's alright," Xerlik said, glad that their translation software couldn't pick up on their body language yet. The android walke... | With the fires swirling around our crashed shuttle, I stumbled out of the wreckage. I was looking for the human, expecting the worst. A human couldn’t survive this impact. It was too brutal, even with personal force fields. What happened? Random engine failure? No... we just were serviced on Lunar 1. I began replaying ... | It's a story repeated in our galaxy a thousand times over. Without exception, whenever a biological species creates AI they will ultimately go to war, ended in their extinction. That is except Earth, somehow humanity and their AI creations coexist peacefully with one freely defending the other. | 725 |
I did not choose to be here, I was chosen. Placed upon this land to bless all that passes.
Doing The Great One’s work, forced to deal with the smallest of issues to the greatest of them. I have become the center of this village, the lighting rod that grounds everyone.
“O’ Wise One! Whatever shall I do about this pre... | A graveyard of straw huts, laid to rest under a mountain of mud, stretched out before the Seer at the bottom of a hill. Old women wept over the destroyed homes, picking bits of their lives from the wreckage.
"Oh, great Seer," one of the village warriors fell to his knees, pounding the earth with his fists. "What evil... | As the Village Seer, you peer into the mystical to give the villagers sage wisdom from beyond. The problem is, you're not magical, you're just smart and you live in an exceptionally dumb village. | 514 |
There he was. The devil sat there by himself, legs dangling off of a ledge. He grasped a harmonica in his hands and between his lips, out of which came music that was not as sad as one might expect in such a situation. Rather, it was an utterly beautiful, complex piece that moved me to sadness because it had no audien... | He followed the lilting notes down empty corridors crusted with flecks of blood and gore.
He walked past cages crafted of bone that stood wide open, past the scattered and abandoned tools of torture. It was all too visceral to provide him with the illusion that he was drifting in some never-ending nightmare and would... | Due to a loophole in the system, people can escape hell and get to heaven after death. You go to hell and all you see is Satan, just sitting there playing the harmonica. Everyone left him and now he's all alone. | 514 |
*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... | I am not a good man.
James looked down at the table, sipping his water. Always the same look when he's got something on his mind. "What're you ordering," he says with a low voice. "I hear the, uh, steak and fries are great."
"Maybe just a coffee." I drummed the table lightly with my fingertips. "Look, J, I know that ... | 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 |
“Drop the pineapple Chris.”
Chris’ hand lingered mid-air, a slice of perfectly cooked pineapple pizza dangling downwards. He was far to infatuated with the food’s sheer beauty to pay much attention to Robert, who at this moment was ranting about something to do with toppings - his queries becoming increasingly tireso... | "We can't let you eat that pizza, James," Jeremy spoke up, standing alongside two other people, blocking the plastic table that held a singular box of pizza on its surface, seemingly teasing Jame's as he drooled, droplets of water slowly dribbling from his mouth onto the white carpet that'd been blotted with brown stai... | Pizza. That's it. Just pizza. You're sitting down to a hot, fresh pizza. And you're going to enjoy it, regardless of everybody around you trying to stop you. | 598 |
It was Saturday evening. Rain fell down as God was slouching in his great chair when someone knocked on the door. He slowly walked towards the great wooden door as if he was tired; the Great One, actually tired.
He opened the door and there was Death in the form of an old man with his trademark scythe, dripping wet fr... | The Universe was empty.
I mean, it had always been empty—what with all the SPACE and VOID and all—but now it was *really* empty. Not a breathing soul on a single planet, a single space station, a single over-stellar chariot.
It was all gone.
And you could chalk it all up to the man in the pale starship.
He used to... | Death comes to collect one final life - God. | 556 |
My power kicked in around the time I hit puberty. The effects of it seemed to grow with time, at the start if there was a life threatening danger time would slow usually just enough for me to escape. However now if my life was in danger time would slow by what I estimate to be about 70 times. I started experimenting wi... | Quiet.
Audrey blinked, staring at the dim, blurry plastic stars that dotted the ceiling above her bed. She pulled the covers over her eyes, blotting out the light, and smiled as the warmth of her blanket washed over her face. For the first time in days, she felt truly rested.
But why was it so dark?
Underneath he... | When you're in danger, time slows down. The more danger you're in, the more time slows down. You wake up and nothing is moving but you. | 548 |
"A fine...mead?!" Rorik shouts over the din of the tavern. His companions smile and nod along with him as he sings some old barbarian tune.
Sings it wrong. They don't tell him that though.
Delia, the group's cleric leans over to their mage.
"Do you think he knows?"
Melvar just shakes his head and holds out a palm t... | I added a little twist but I think it's still good, non the less. Here.
"AAHHH! Tavian! I need your help!"
"What can I do?"
"Ray of Frost!? Something! ANYTHING! JUST GET THIS THING OFF ME!"
A small harmless slug had fallen onto Yeralia's shoulder, while the party was traveling out of the Forest of Traggleroot. Tavi... | A group of fantasy adventures has one of their members replaced by a Doppelganger. The rest of the group realizes what happened, but keep pretending to be fooled since they like the doppelganger a lot more than the guy it replaced. | 654 |
Conventions are my favorite time of the year. We all knew we were killers, and knowing who all the other killers were helped people get along. Sold a secret? Everyone would hunt you down the next day.
Everyone had their flair out, so you could have as much fun as you wanted while still fitting in. The Japanese would ... | The problem with Japan’s was that they tried to mass produce them. Sure, they got thousands of ninjas, but those guys belonged more in a circus than the battlefield. They could climb walls decently fast? Move around a little silent? Give me a break. The only real difference between them and the standard foot soldier wa... | Every country has ninjas but the world only knows about Japan's because theirs suck.
Edit: mum im famous | 506 |
She was a killer. A threat. A menace.
How dare he? How dare he wrestle her into submission, forcing her body into traps that kept her still. She cried as she was stolen away from her family, her people, her kind. What would they do without her? She was a necessity. The patience she possessed. An adept hunter and figh... | She was the love of my life, my muse, my reason for existence. Though we barely exchanged words i felt a deep connection the moment we looked into each others eyes. It had to have been meant to be. I knew i had to act soon so no one else could steal her away and she could finally become mine. Her vibrant yellow hair, b... | : You hate this one guy in particular. You also know witchcraft. So you cast a curse to slowly destroy the thing he loves the most. As time passes on, you find that nothing has changed, but you are starting to get sick. | 644 |
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... | "I don't believe your High Serpahic Council understands what they have asked for here." Celes said. "You have denied my people the opportunity to parley for peace, and you have threatened them with war being brought to their very homes." Celes' voice rose and trembled as she spoke, the anger and fear that gripped her ... | 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 |
I am the Conqueror of Worlds. My kind has conquered countless worlds, and for one simple reason: we are not bound by the same limitations as other species. We are not limited by our strength or our size. We are not limited by our lack of wings or claws.
No, we are limited only by our imagination and our ingenuity.
B... | "So, Oooaaauuu, how is it going?"
First Claimer sighed at this question. Of course, Vessel Commander have a right to know about status of ongoing operations, but his timing is just obnoxious. Why he questions Oooaaauuu during his lunch break? Like, isn't working hours exist for, well, work?
"We are only getting start... | Your kind has conquered countless worlds. Your aren't particularly strong, but you have a dirty trick up your sleeve. One which is currently being thwarted for one simple reason. Out of every species you've fought, humans are the only one that doesn't typically eat random crap off the ground. | 511 |
I appear in the middle of a forest. I have never been here before but there is something strange about it. Something mysterious. I can't quite place it, but dare I say that it might be enchanted? Something about the trees and the colors. The way the vines fall around, and the way the animals stare. It certainly doesn't... | **(SIDE NOTE: First Time Writer, long time lurker)**
**(ADDITIONAL NOTE: Post contains some curse words)**
**(P.S.S. You will intentionall see words used wrong when spells are cast by the dwellers of the "other world" as they are using broken english, where as the MC will use "perfect english")**
\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\... | You’re suddenly transported to another world where magic is cast by perfectly pronouncing an ancient language. This language happens to be your native tongue | 718 |
Have you ever wondered what happens to all the lottery winners?
Wealth, particularly spent frivolously has a tendency to lead to some measure of fame in our society. So where are they in the public eye? If we can dedicate hours of our lives every week to watching Honey Boo-Boo be a redneck with a modicum of wealth wh... | Looking around, I noticed the little convenience store was full of stereotypes from the early 2010's - young adults glued to "smart" phones, texting and snapping selfies. Selfies, so glad they phased that term out. Urban youth with those cheap, overpriced headphones blaring shitty dubstep into their empty heads. Overwe... | The lottery is an Institution designed to catch Time Travelers. | 681 |
Have you ever wondered what happens to all the lottery winners?
Wealth, particularly spent frivolously has a tendency to lead to some measure of fame in our society. So where are they in the public eye? If we can dedicate hours of our lives every week to watching Honey Boo-Boo be a redneck with a modicum of wealth wh... | **November 1st, 2014, 17:24 EST**
I stood in the queue, reciting the small piece of data under my breath. *"1st November, 2014 AD. 5, 12, 23, 32, 45, 47, bonus 8. 1st November, 2014 AD. 5, 12, 23, 32, 45, 47, bonus 8. 1st November, 2014..."* I noticed that the woman in front of me had finally finished, and I stepped u... | The lottery is an Institution designed to catch Time Travelers. | 681 |
"Believe it or not, there are still some that remembered the age before the Leviathans. Troubling times when men had no common enemy, turning at each other for pitiful personal gain. Then The Outsiders came. Some had expected them and eagerly decoded their messages while others prepared for the only real outcome. Howev... | “This is straight from Gollar’s account of the Earth: ‘The Earth grows smaller and crueler with each passing year; detached from it’s inheritance. They’ve built great cities, but their lights drown out their stars. They’ve progressed in science, but they’ve forgotten about Magic. Most humans now lack the imagination to... | Aliens are afraid to invade Earth. Not because of humans but because our solar system is a nest for 8 Guardians/Leviathans. | 522 |
I stared at him. “What do you mean?” He looked around and grabbed my arm. He lead me to a a dark alley. “This is weird, what’s up with you?” I asked, worried he’d gone insane. My friend suddenly pushed me into the wall and placed his hand by my head. The two of use stood there, breathing heavily. Our faces turning a de... | Startled by his response I paused. What was really going on here? I stared into his eyes looking for an answer. Only to be greeted back with a stone cold look. Everyone saw what happened I thought to myself, so the fact that he was standing here today is unthinkable.
“How do you know me” he quizzed
“ your my best fri... | your best friend recently died. His funeral was yesterday, but today you just saw him on the street. Approaching him you ask how he was still alive he responds, "how do you know me, no one was supposed to remember". | 641 |
I pause to reread the note, heartrate ratcheting up a few notches. The orange paper is faded and warped; it's definitely been here a while. My first attempt to rip it off the mirror is useless. There must be some kind of glue fixed to the back of it.
I stoop down under the sink to see if I have something that might pr... | Consciousness edged slowly into my mind as the sun peeked through the blinds, insistent that it was time to be awake. I laid in bed a while, torn between rolling over for a little longer, and my body's aching reminder that the bathroom is required. It's difficult to tell how long passed before I gave in, sliding out of... | This morning you found a note in your own handwriting, glued on the bathroom mirror and dated nine months in the future. “You suffer short-term memory loss and you are sueing the surgeon who caused this by operating on the wrong side of your brain; check your diary under the bed .” | 727 |
Color.
Something that had never made sense to me, though everyone around me seemed to understand it.
I see the world in black, white, and grey.
It never bothered me, even when kids at school would laugh at my “mismatched” clothes, or would look at me funny for asking if they had seen my grey gym bag. One time I wash... | I love my house. It's big and beautiful, with lots of rooms and the best housemates. Bart is the smart one, he makes all our meals. Beth is the quiet one, but she's always so nice to me. Brian is the annoying one, he usually tries to avoid me, but once or twice he'll stop for a chat.
I love my house. It's full of love... | You live in world with no colour, shades of black and white are all you know. A flower pops up in your backyard, you’re drawn to it, as you pick the flower from the ground, you see colour for the first time. For the first time you realize something is terribly wrong with your world. | 548 |
Ezra, the aspiring demon hunter, couldn’t stop the cold beads of perspiration forming on his forehead and down his back, slowly seeping into his newly-adorned brown robes. He held the holy book tightly to his chest, facing down an unfathomable being with skin of ash and fire.
“Halt, foul demon!”
Eyes like red-hot coa... | # Bargain Bin Superheroes
(Arc 6, Part 6: Mare v.s. Bureaucracy)
(Note: Bargain Bin Superheroes is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**"Halt, foul demon!"** The federal-uniformed soldier barked at Mare. "I know of your true name, and so you must ... | "Halt foul demon! I know of your true name and so you must obey my every command!" "Wha- Why would you knowing my name make me obey you all of a suden? What are you gonna do? Call my parents or something? I swear humans myths about demon control are the weirdest.." | 586 |
At first, I had no words. The gods took advantage of that; they shouted over one another, wheedled their afterlife as the best, only to be shouted down by the others. By the time my mind had cleared - well, cleared being a relative term - there was only one question I wanted answering.
"Where's my mum?" The gods all t... | There I was, a mere mortal soul among the deities of old. I had been to a convention or two in my previous lifetime, so it had a familiar feel but something was just... uneasy. There was a flood of others like me and unlike the conventions I had attended, I couldn't feel anyone pushing or crowding around me, which was ... | You, an atheist, have died. All the gods that have ever been line up to offer you their version of heaven if only you believe in _them_. Turns out souls are currency and yours is up for grabs. | 576 |
"Who goes there?"
"Dahalva, of the Ederwood."
"An Elfling, that speaks in human tongues?"
"An Elfling, that speaks in human ... tongues."
"Come forth."
"You are ..."
"A human. Yes, I know, a miracle I am sure."
"I was told you were all ... long gone."
"If by long gone you mean nearly exterminated by you and you... | Enrir raced across the snow-covered wilderness, leaping deftly over slick rocks and the small brush that dotted the landscape. His commanding officer had told him that his stride was like that of a gazelle, and as Enrir's legs stretched and propelled him smoothly closer and closer to his target, he was beginning to bel... | Legends tell of the Elder race who utilized strange "technologies" instead of magic. As hordes of brutal killers invade from the north, a young elf heads off to search for ancient ruins, looking for humans... | 621 |
Leaping forward, Flux landed a disastrous and gravity assisted punch to the half demon Mephisto. The hybrid was always first to attack and the first to fall. Flux used his gravity bending powers to pull himself in an arc around the fallen villain. His curve was expertly timed and brought him face to face with the remai... | As Anton's whip tightened around Tony's neck, all the while sending huge volts of electricity through Tony's armor, he saw a familiar figure walk towards him.
"Ms. Carter, please step away!!!".
Peggy stopped for a second, and then continued walking towards Anton.
"Stop! You know his father stole my dad's inventio... | A senile, old superhero still goes out to fight crime. None of the younger heros respect him anymore but all the villains have a soft spot for him.
Maybe he's found himself in the middle of a hero/villain war, or he's just trying to stop a bank robbery.
Edit: wow this uhh... kinda blew up didn't it?
Oh man I'm so s... | 627 |
"Whatever you do, don't fall in love with that girl."
It's been thirty years since that homeless man assaulted me on the street. Thirty years since I'd seen the most beautiful girl in the world. Thirty years wondering if I made the right choice in ignoring her questions about where bridge street was. She died today. T... | It was a rather normal day- I was heading to my dead-end marketing job in the middle of the city. I had taken the train already and was just walking the last distance to the large office building that housed thousands of other workers like me. Just as I began to space out, I felt a hand grab my shoulder and drag me int... | A man accosts you in the street, and he claims he is you from the future. “Whatever you do, DO NOT fall in love with that girl!” the man warns. Distracted by the crazy man, you turn the corner and bump into someone. Its the most beautiful girl you have ever seen. Your eyes meet and she smiles.
Credit to this post: htt... | 560 |
It happened during a road rage incident nearly 70 years ago. At that point I was already well into my late 600’s. A teenage girl, texting while driving, veered into my lane which, in turn, pushed me into another vehicle resulting in a mild fender bender between the three of us.
Once over in the shoulder, things beca... | I never fight. It’s kind of a dirty secret, considering I’m the one who teaches everyone else to fight. But why would I want to? Why would I need to?
I haven’t had anything worth fighting for in a long time. To tell the truth, there probably hasn’t been much worth fighting against either in an even longer time. Someti... | As humans age they gain in physical strength every year. An 80 year old is twice as strong as someone half their age but still experience fatigue & geriatric diseases that ultimately result in death. Except you, as an aged immortal you struggle to conceal your true strength from the world. | 587 |
I hobbled down the beach, my walking cane constantly sinking into the soft sand and forcing me to walk at an uncomfortable angle. But I’d choose this over sitting idly in my room leaving my leg muscles to wither away. The doc said that if I went on daily walks I might avoid a wheelchair for a few decades. My leg aches ... | Kate wasn't exactly having a bad day at that point, but something about this particular interruption really pissed her off.
"Who the HELL are you?!" Kate yelled, turning to the man. He was just standing here, she knew, she didn't own this beach. But, people weren't usually here at this time of night, and she'd gotten ... | A selkie is stunned when, against common sense, a stranger who stumbled upon her skin gave it back without complaint. | 570 |
It's called the Fermi Paradox, the fact that in a universe that should be teeming with intelligent life we have heard nothing from our neighbors. That where space should be a cacophony of cultures all shouting to the cosmos 'we exist' there is only dead chill silence. It should not puzzle us, every day when we see th... | FADE IN:
INT. A RESEARCH FACILITY
*A young woman walks through a narrow corridor, carrying two steaming cups of coffee in her hands. This is CHEYENNE, a graduate student. She taps a plastic badge on a card-reader with her hip, then pushes her way into a small office.*
**CHEYENNE:** Hey, Frank? Are you around?
**... | We've explored more of the lunar surface than the bottom of the ocean. NASA knows what's down there, and it trying to get us off Earth as fast as possible
Since this is getting a lot more attention than I expected, I should point out where I got my inspiration for this post from:
https://i.imgur.com/tXkZaIL.jpg
I hop... | 502 |
I didn't even think before I gave the answer, and as I woke up I felt the lump in my throat. As the feeling returned to my body, I felt a rejuvenating pain sear through every cell. My bones were scored with classified information, my brain etched into by a mind much greater than mine. I stretched my shoulders and felt ... | The voice faded into my mind as another came.
"Hey, Khontis. You seriously napping?"
My eyes opened as a strangely familiar face came to view.
"You sure know how to sleep. It was sure nice of Naoya ask us to meet him out here on a hot day like this, huh?"
I grunted and rubbed my eyes as I took him in, a blue t-shir... | You receive a message, "Reply Yes if you can survive the last video game you played." You answer Yes. Your vision blanks and you open your eyes finding that you are at the beginning of said game. You hear a voice "To leave you must win. Your prize is all you gain in this world. Good luck" | 538 |
They all had the best power they could ever think of. Some people were already waging war in the skies and in the seas, trying to conquer the world. I tried to think of any power that could help me dominate them all but obviously, they were all gone.
I thought of immortality to wait and conquer once their time had pas... | A flash of Bright Light and a Loud Humming noise woke me up. I found myself in a Room with a bunch of other People that looked just as confused as I was.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! WHERE AM I?!" Somebody shouted. Others looked around terrified, whereas some others were still in the Process of waking up and trying ... | 100 25 year olds have been chosen. each must choose a super power that cannot be repeated and cannot exceed the power of god. The goal is to see who can conquer the world. You have the number 100. The best powers have already been chosen. Then it's your turn and you choose..... | 522 |
My turn. Everything obvious like telepathy, teleportation, and strength is taken of course. The two I wanted most are gone. Healing went at 11 and empathy went at 32 which is sort of encouraging I guess.. I'd never heard of Reactive Adaptation but now I want it.
Even the lame ones are gone. Indestructible Digestion wa... | *Something's better than nothing.*
"I just want to be the best standard immortality pasta maker in the entire world," I said, clenching the cream colored chair below me. I paused for a few beats, collecting my thoughts.
"Like really good. Not just the best in the world. I want to be the best pasta maker you can imagi... | 100 25 year olds have been chosen. each must choose a super power that cannot be repeated and cannot exceed the power of god. The goal is to see who can conquer the world. You have the number 100. The best powers have already been chosen. Then it's your turn and you choose..... | 687 |
It was a Thursday in late July, and it was the day I had been looking forward to for as long as I could remember, my eighteenth birthday. I was finally going to meet my companion, and how could I not be excited. Your companion was your lifelong best friend. A joyful presence through every happy moment of your life, and... | I tucked myself in. The sliver of gold from the hall light grew as Angela gently opened the door, careful not to wake Baby Bobby (not a baby) sleeping soundly in the bunk beneath me. I raised my head as I propped myself up on my orphan-like elbows. Elbows that haven't seen a loving, legal parent in an elbows-harvest.
... | Due to a shortage on angels you have had a guardian demon assigned to you instead, he doesn't quite understand how it works but he's very eager to please. | 745 |
I was running. Not from an enemy but from the police. Why you ask? Well, it all happened so suddenly. I was walking around downtown Nashville and not looking where I was going. I accidently bumped my knee into a police car. Now normally in this situation one would grab their knee in pain and look at the officer apologe... | \[NSFW - Blood/Death\]
The mustard yellow, velvet couch that we found at the bottom of our apartment building when we first moved in was slowly caving in on itself as Chunk shifted to get comfortable. The tiny Boston Terrier was not so tiny anymore. I could swear he seemed to be doubling in size with each hour.
Th... | Over night all nicknames and aliases become a lot more literal. Elton John suddenly got really good at rocket science, Elvis Presley was found out to have been royalty and the Queen of England turned into a giant cabbage. You were similarly affected.
As far as I could find "Cabbage" was Prince Philip's nickname for th... | 696 |
Thomas Anderson, known in the underground by the handle *Neo*, had a dream for the first few years of his life- meeting Morpheus, the famed hacker who initiated the rumors of the Y2K doomsday event. A man so entwined in programming, he supposedly sees normal applications as a series of code on the screen, like seeing m... | I sighed. “Look, when you say I need random pills because it’s a simulation, you’re basically wasting air and time. You’re talking shit and I really don’t want to hear it”
Bill just furrowed the face. “I said it’s LIKE a simulation because you have the attention span of a gnat and wouldn’t understand or believe the wh... | It's 1997 and you're a hacker. Not just any hacker, you're elite. You finally get to meet your hero. Turns out he's a nutbag who tells you the world is a computer simulation and is trying to get you to take random pills. | 571 |
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,... | I don’t understand why my friends think what I do for a living is weird. We all get our highs from different things. The thrill, the adrenaline as I watch the trained killer hunting for clues on my whereabouts. The feeling of euphoria as he finally tracks me down. The sweet taste of my own metallic blood as he fires ro... | "Every year I hire a Hitman to kill me - so far they have all succeded" | 590 |
It's a good job. I think. I don't know. If I chose it, it's probably good.
Every morning I take the motions through my morning routine, get up, shower, get dressed, brush my teeth, pack my lunch, and leave.
And every evening I take the motions through my nightly routine. Unpack my lunch, make dinner, eat dinner, do t... | It's possible that I don't remember what I do because I don't really do anything. Something... something... leveraging undervalued subprime assets... something... evicting depreciated high-risk creditors... something... repossessing over-leveraged collateral.
From the steady increases in my monthly paycheck it appear... | You don't remember what you do for a living. Literally. You wake up, get in the car, then black out until you're back in your driveway in the middle of the afternoon 5 days a week, and you get a paycheck once a month. | 574 |
Angela was scared for the first time in her life. Her parents, now quietly standing in the corner of her room, had hidden from her the giant part of her life.
She has a brother.
"How could you do this!" She screamed, her anglic wings now scruffed " Do you know what that means? That boy, now man can be as strong as... | It was early in the morning, I could hear the birds chirping. I opened my eyes just a little only to see my little girl Jessy there. I was happy to see her until I realized she was holding a knife. That was the 5th time this week she has woke me up like this. I wish we would have kept her brother. We noticed from a you... | A fortune teller foretold that twins would be born where one was evil and the other was good. A year later, a woman gave birth to a boy with horns and bat wings, and a girl with angel wings and a halo. The boy was sent away, while she and her husband raised the girl. They kept the wrong one. | 697 |
Most people wouldn't have had a VHS player to play them. Most people wouldn't have looked twice at the moudly plastic bags holding the tapes. Most people wouldn't have been at the dump looking for things to begin with. But Anna always provided herself on thinking a little differently to everyone else. Seeing things tha... | # Bargain Bin Superheroes
(Arc 6, Part 8: Clara Olsen v.s. The Future)
(Note: Bargain Bin Superheroes is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**You always found the best things in the garbage.** Oh, sure, you wouldn't be digging up any Anhertz-class... | A woman discovers a horrifying collection of VHS tapes in a landfill, each showing a disaster in the future she can try to prevent. | 681 |
Nothing happened on my birthday, aside from the usual festivities. Heck, for most of the year nothing happened. The family legacy, mysterious as it was, had apparently passed me by, or so I thought.
It was January of the next year, about two months before my 17th birthday, that something interesting finally happened... | Sit down, son. We need to talk.
In a few minutes, you'll be sixteen. Not a kid any more - in some places, you'd already have started work. So, maybe hand out a few more of those applications, right, at the weekend?
Alright, alright. That's not what I wanted to talk about. Just thought I'd mention it.
Your mother an... | [TT] It's almost your 16th birthday, and your parents congratulate you. But they warn you that you may have inherited something from the family line that may appear the moment you turn 16. If you do inherit, you have to continue a long family tradition. | 502 |
It was slow. It was always limited.
As a species grew, the wheel of invention always turned slow. The first tool, the first flame, the first planted crops. Hundreds, thousands, or more years between each. And as the species advanced, the wheel began to turn faster and faster.
Till it could no more.
When physics them... | \- The space congress has started - says Huhzbi the current leader of the space congress for scientific development and logic, while a computer translator translates to English - and we are here to welcome our new members, self named earthlings, representing the Star System Y896, Galaxy U7 of the cuadrant B4, or Solari... | Most space fairing species are logical beings; when they learn that nothing can go faster than the speed of light they accept it and deal with that limit. The space community is then shocked when Humans, an illogical species with a strong obsession with science fiction, turn up with FTL travel.
(FTL meaning faster tha... | 715 |
“Okay, you’re going to have to back up.” Hemitilda said while trying to keep her brain from melting. “First off, I have no idea what Pokémon are. Secondly,”
“P-Pokémon are -“ a little boy named Russel says as he shoots up his hand.
“Russel,” the goddess interjects “we talked about this. You raise your hand AND THEN ... | All that can be heard is soft thrumming. The world pulses with the Worldsong, a gentle violin mixed with the exuberance of a trumpet, a song of constant-shifting tempo and tune, but the ancient being does not stir. For centuries, the ancient being has slept.
Something changes. The world’s melody shifts. A soft xy... | You are a long forgotten god. A small girl leaves a piece of candy at your shrine, and you awaken. Now, you must do everything to protect your High Priestess, the girl, and her entire kindergarten class, your worshipers.
If you want to post this on other platforms, please credit me. Looking at you instagram writing pr... | 501 |
(I’ve split this story into four parts through four different writing prompts! They are technically standalone, but they tell a more complete story together. This is part four of four, and you can find the previous (third) part here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/zqs5dl/comment/j10vtqo/?utm\_source=... | There was once a quiet, out of the way little grocery store on a streetcorner in the suburbs. It was close to closing time, but there was one family left buying some Icee cones for the road, as they were on a long trip and just passing through. A clerk named Benjamin watched as the Dad bought a Cola-flavored cone, the ... | You're a retired villain who now runs a 24-7 grocery store. One day a new hero decides to ambush you in your own store. | 718 |
When it happened, a wave of understanding surged through my soul.
It occured while I prepped food. My fish knife lost control, and tore open a flimsy section of skin.
It stang, but only on the edges.
Morbid curiosity lead me to look inside the dry 'wound'.
A flashlight revealed that inside my left arm was a complex... | Steven locked the door behind him and sat on his bed. Today was the last straw; He wasn't going to endure this suffering any longer. Whenever he tried to reach out, build a meaningful connection with another person, all he realized was just how defective he was when compared to everyone else. His parents didn't seem to... | You get a deep cut for the first time in your life, instead of bone or muscle, you see wires. | 695 |
"That's impossible." I thought to myself, "I couldn't have just heard that". So I tried something else and muttered another word.
The reply was as fast as the first except this time it sounded like he was actually correcting me! And now the guy was stepping off the bus. I had to know.
I pushed my way franticall... | PART I
_____________
"Don't forget to hand this back with all of the proper signatures this time," the supervisor said to me with that godforsaken smile inevitably plastered to her face. That smile meant, "I'd kill you if we were in apocalypse conditions, but I have to be nice to you." I tried my best to keep my eyes i... | Lonely and bored, you developed a secret language, that you consistently use to talk to yourself. One day, when you mutter something under your breath, a stranger replies with ease. | 634 |
It is a terrible thing which I do. It is a terrible thing which must be done. On the lonely highway south of town when a dog lays crippled on the deep shoulder of the asphalt with legs ruined by the tractor trailer, you drive past and you think:
"Someone should do something."
In the dark night, the wind of the speedi... | This galaxy has a goddess and a god. The goddess is the Goddess of Dust and the god is the God of Wet. All dusty creatures come to know this truth because it is told to us by the Goddess of Dust herself, who is our Goddess, who loves her dusty things, and every day sings to her dusty things, and whelps her dusty crea... | Write a villain who is terrifying not just because of what they do, but because they almost convince us they're doing the right thing. | 518 |
"Are you sure?" In his awe inspiring majesty the angel of death gestured to the black gate that seemed to create soot which fell from its bars.
"Yep."
"Very well, your eternity awaits." At the angel's push the gates opened inward revealing a bleak landscape devoid of anything welcoming. Then the powerful being vanish... | And so it goes. Everything was a blur amongst the tornado of flashing lights and somber moods. Gravity itself subsided as they wheeled me into the ICU. I wanted to focus but my mind was clouded by nurses shouting and the cries of my wife as she stood over my lifeless body.
They talk about that moment, the one where y... | When people die they can choose whether they go to Heaven or Hell, you are the first in 1000 years to choose Hell. | 722 |
"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... | "Ma'am" came the voice that seemed to grip his earlobe and twist upwards. He looked up from the stack of paperwork to see a looming shape hanging over him, not really blocking the light inside the pub, more like eclipsing it. Finding his senses after what seemed liked far too long, he realized his mouth was open.
... | 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 |
*If it be my lot to die, let me do so with courage and honor In a manner which will bring the greatest harm to the Enemy, and please, oh Lord, protect and guide those I Shall leave behind.*
*Give us victory, Lord.*
-George S Patton
The bells rang as the last city fell. Fire licked the sky with orange tongues, fuell... | Max was alone in his basement, hoping, praying to God that someone, another human would save him. It had been three days since he had seen Tracie, she had gone to get supplies to "hold out while the military handles this." She hadn't returned. Since October, there had been a massive influx of reports of strange, spectr... | Aliens have invaded and are taking over. Their technology, intelligence, and power is unstoppable. They just didnt plan on one thing: The old gods returning.
Edit: hey cool this got 40k notes on tumblr | 745 |
"Hey, Terry!" the Lisa greeted me with a smile when it was my turn.
"Hey, Lisa!" I answered back, setting my trustey right beside the counter and opening it. It had about a thousand coins left inside, but those would be gone by the end of the week.
"I need my coins, Lisa." I said to her, as I'd said many times before... | As the 100-year-old Dave Rockefeller lay on his bed on yet another sunday night, he began to feel the invisible pull from nowhere once again. His pupils widened for a second, but the excitement quickly left its place to annoyance. He groaned a little bit, tried to force out a yawn but couldn't succeed. Then he took h... | After dying, you are faced with a coin slot. It says, "Pay 1$ to live for another day". You tried it out, and lived for another day. The next day, it showed up again, this time it asks you for 2$. | 619 |
The first ten or twenty minutes are the hardest. I've been through it four...no five times and I don't get used to it. Stop looking at me like that! I know you think I'm a sick old man and the meds are making me delusional. Whether you believe me or not we're going to be parting soon. You'll go on and I'll reset. So...... | My left eye starts twitching, precursor to another anxiety attack. I rush to the corner and stumble, falling on to my knees and facing the wall. I try to breathe slowly, but it's no use. A wave of numbness flows through my body like frozen television static and I start hyperventilating unintentionally, my heart rate in... | You're immortal, but you can die. Upon your death, however you will be "reset" to age 5 with a perfect memory of each life you've lived before. | 602 |
I blinked my fourth eye that was underneath the broken DeepSpaceCraft as a drop of liquid lubricant fell on it blurring my vision in that eye for a moment.
"Pretty sure it's a leaky lube tube down there that's causing the trouble," I said to the human mechanic.
The human stopped scratching his facial carbon outgrowt... | "This is a terrible idea." Said Fexund, folding his arms and staring at the line of humans ahead of them. "It's almost brand new- you're supposed to take all Gulux's back to the dealership within one year for factory settings if something goes wrong."
"Fexund, how close do you think the nearest Gulux dealership is?" A... | Humans are known in the galaxy for being a bit dim, but also for being the very best mechanics around, and inexplicably able to fix machines beyond their comprehension. You have broken down on Earth, and having the apes work on your craft is both fascinating and terrifying. | 575 |
I closed the shop for the night, and as I retire into my quarters.. a cracking sound radiated through the air. Sensing danger, I took up my trusty umbrella and ready to fight back whatever was there.
“*Ahem,*” was all I heard after opening the door.
There was nothing in sight as I glanced around, until I felt som... | "A day in the life of a baker, you ask? Well, it's like every other life. Mostly weekdays with early mornings and working because we knead the dough" said Agnes and chuckled. I sat opposite her at a table in her bustling, cute little bakery called "Bakers gonna bake".
"You can use that one if you like. Of course, some ... | Demons have to do at least one evil thing every day to survive. This one comes to your bakery everyday to buy bread for the homeless kids and steal exactly one cookie. | 509 |
A silence fell across the townsfolk as I stood there, the silver sword in my left hand and the gold in my right. I made eye-contact with Jack, who was standing as wide-eyed as everyone else in the crowd.
'This joke was not worth the 2 silver pieces he gave me,' I thought to myself and grimaced. How was I supposed to e... | Part 1: BP (Before Pulling)
I'd finally made the trip to see the swords! My Father told me about going to see them with his Dad, and he had wanted to take me when I was young but we never seemed to have the money.
Dad died three years ago, and since I've been saving up for this trip. To honor him and to take my own ... | Two swords of godly origin lay stuck in stone. One is said to be evil the other heroic it is said whoever pulls one of these blades will be the ultimate force of good or evil. As a joke you pull on both however you and everyone around are in shock when both blades come free in your grasp. | 599 |
"Something's off about you, Mr. Fredrick," I said, closing the spreedsheet program open on my computer. Fredrick was one of my most hardworking subordinates, but today, he didn't seem to be doing well. Just seemed sluggish and distracted and even now he refused to look me in the eye. "What's the problem?" I asked.
Fre... | Everyone has an origin story. From the highest to the lowest, to those with no powers to near gods.
I was a short, malnourished, and plain small-time thief in a dying industrial town in a small East European country. I could dig through memories, but used it to find where marks hid money, phones and jewelry. No one t... | You are a respected supervillain that is more of a managerial type. You take good care of your minions and have an open door policy. One day a battered minion comes in your office. The heroes tortured your minion for information. You rarely go out into the field, but when you do heroes tremble. | 693 |
"Come on you idiot bitch. Heal me! Im bleeding here."
"I'm out of manna from the healing I did on you 30 seconds ago."
"I'm hurt again."
"Hint. Next time seek cover when they shoot a wave of arrows you muscles for brain."
"Quit yammering and give me some love you weakling. I'm your defender, capiche."
That did it.... | A group of younglings was sitting around a fire on a clear starry night listening to an elder dwarf tell stories of the "good old days". One of them asked why the healers of the world are now treated like royalty, everyone wanted to be a healer and be catered to by everyone.
The dwarf suddenly turned solemn and said ... | The team's healer is absolutely sick and tired of always being insulted or forgotten about so they join the bad guys; they are a much more terrifying villain than anyone thought possible. | 589 |
I was sipping on my wine when the notifications started flooding my phone. My gang members all looked at me, obviously annoyed by the ringing. That was when their phones started ringing too.
I raised a hand to my temple and let out a sigh. I was much too tired to be disturbed like this.
“Boss, you might wanna see t... | The entire world was shocked at the mere idea of the website. I suppose we all knew that you could find anything on the internet... But we certainly didn't expect *this*. People everywhere were mortified by their ratings on the website, horrified at the simple thought that they may spend an eternity in such a place a... | The website appeared suddenly one day, with no announcement. Anyone, anywhere could type in the url and access it. The content was simple: A homepage, a search bar, and the full name, a list of timestamped sins and the years to be spent in hell of every living human. | 511 |
Ive never submitted anything- and hopefully this doesn't suck as much as I think it does.
He came in through my window, creeping slowly through the bedroom door, down the hall into the bathroom and that's when my father crumbled to the floor.
As he left, he turned to me and that's when I caught the grey in his dar... | I remember the first time I saw him. It was early morning, just as the first light was leeching into the sky. I barely remember him, I was so young; only small images stand out, like grainy faded pictures. My father was dying, cancer they said in hushed tones, as if it could be summoned. I used to imagine it as a terri... | After witnessing a death, a young girl falls in love with the Grim Reaper. She becomes a serial killer just to see him more often. | 534 |
"Are you crazy man what the fuck is wrong with ya bud." I reply shoving the calculator back into his desk.
"I am not delusional Jake, just meet me by the dumpster behind the school."
Mrs. Clay continued to demonstrate how to properly intake meth and then we all sat there listening to her stories of her husband that ... | "I don't know man, I've heard one you try that stuff addiction takes over and controls your life."
"Nah. that's just propaganda put out there to keep it illegal at the benefit of for-profit prisons. I do it all the time, and can still drive on it and function. I actually think it makes me pay more attention when dri... | In your meth class, while your teacher is busy explaining the correct way to shoot up, your buddy leans over with a calculator and asks you, "hey, man. Do you wanna try some math?" | 674 |
Who the hell names their kid "nobody"?
Seriously... why?
Do you have any idea how confusing it is to live my life!
"Hey, is anyone in the bathroom?"
"Nobody's in here!"
They think I'm making a joke, but I'm serious. Everybody thinks I'm full of jokes.
My parents explained it to me when I'd gotten old enough. They... | Most religions believe gods are born. Either along with (or even the week before) the world itself, or as a saviour in tines of great need. But I know the truth. Gods, gods are made. *Humans* make gods, the millennia, centuries or even scant decades of beliefs, stories, and rumours stacking on top of each other to forc... | Nobody's perfect. Your parents named you Nobody. They found the loophole. | 589 |
“You’re not going to tie me up or anything?” the princess asked.
The dragon snorted. “I don’t have hands, princess, how would I do that?”
The princess shivered, even though the dragon radiated intense heat. She was surprised to see his eyes were not blood red, but rather a warm orange.
“You’re not going to breath fi... | "Hnng-yah" What is... Ah, daylight. "Hmm" - did not feel like any injuries, and there was plenty of room for my morning stretch. Although, I did find myself warmer than usual this fine season and, once I felt the rumble I realise it's that time of the millenia again. "Aaah, Vulan! You've been quite over my past few na... | You are a mighty dragon, the kind who kidnaps princesses. However, you only do it because princesses inherently have the ability to talk to animals and you're starved for intelligent conversation. | 507 |
Grimshaw sat with shoulders ragged like the broken cloth drooped over him. In his hand a scythe dangled loosely, its blade black as night. I crouch next to him and squeeze his shoulder with my tail. Grimshaw was a newer demon but already one of my best.
"Just a couple more days now, Grim. You're almost there."
Every ... | The lashing continued, stripping flesh that regrew every so often. While he felt some slight irritation at the torture his coworkers and confidants meted out, Uzziel understood the punishment.
Hell was not a place of redemption. Well, not this part of it at least.
"Ah, Uzziel." A familiar voice began to lift. "We mee... | A demon works to redeem an eternity of sin so they can join their angelic lover in heaven. Little do they know the angel is doing the opposite. | 530 |
Oh my Good Man… this was not how I planned it to be.
Their lifeless bodies were hanging from the ceiling, nooses tied to the exposed wooden beams and wrapped around their necks.
Despite the awful implications of a collective suicide, their faces showed calmness and tranquility, no hint of sadness nor struggle.
It se... | It’s my first go at this alone. I joined my brother Micheal’s gang a few months ago, and we usually work as a team. I’d always been a bit of a tech geek, so he decided I’d be useful for disabling security. I was hesitant to get mixed up in something that might come back to bite me, but the pay is good, and I have a mou... | It was supposed to be an easy burglary. Husband left for work at 6, kid left for school at 7, and the wife left for shopping at 12. You go in at 12:30 to grab a TV and some jewelry. Breaking in and finding the husband, kid, and wife hanging from the ceiling was definitely not part of the plan.
[removed] | 627 |
The potion seller places the love potion on the table. "Before I can sell you this, are you certain that the other isn't in love with you?"
I laugh. It's a quiet sound, with no real humor in it. "Why would anyone be in love with me?"
The saleswoman takes her time replying, drumming her fingers on the table. "This is ... | 'It's not a problem,' I muttered, dropping the handful of coins on the counter with a clatter. 'It was thirty pieces, wasn't it?'
The woman behind the counter glanced down at the haphazard pile of silver and sighed. 'Aye, yes, but I should warn you about the side effects. So many folks don't know what's right in front... | The potion seller places the love potion of the counter and say "Before I can sell you this, are you certain that the other isn't in love with you?" | 706 |
"Mr. Musk?" Francis knocked cautiously at the office door.
"Come In Francis. Tell me everything, how did it go? Was the landing successful?" Elon asked rising from his black leather chair.
"Un..unfortunately sir while the rocket did indeed land back on the barge it was unable to stabilize itself. It..it was a total ... | From the Desk of Elon Musk:
I’m not sure why I am even addressing the audacious, ludicrous concerns that have been plaguing me of late, the belief that I am some sort of “stranded alien” trying to get home. Such accusations, such outrageous statements have no place in the media. They should exist only in fairy tales, ... | Elon Musk is actually a stranded alien who needs humanity to develop interstellar travel to get home
From https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/34i0h9/elon_musk_debuts_the_tesla_powerwall_full_keynote/cqv1cny?sort=top
Edit: Wow, this blew up. Thanks for the gold, whoever gave it, even though the real people deserv... | 544 |
"Why isn't she alive?" said a girl's voice, from far away.
The response came in a voice that crackled like fire and boomed like lightning. "I already told you that I cannot create life."
"Yes, but I expected you to just bring her here like the - "
I opened my eyes. The girl gave a tiny gasp and fell silent.
We s... | "You, I have seen you before haven't I?"
No response, as if he has just lost his breath. His face reddens and his mouth opens as if he was grasping for air.
"Hello? Have I seen you before?"
Again, silence roared throughout the room. I've been in this room before, I forgot where, but I have been here before everyth... | You are the most beautiful woman in the world, and you have just been wished into existence by a nerd with a genie. | 666 |
It wasn't the first time I'd found myself buried in a shallow grave. Hopefully, it wouldn't be the last. After digging myself out and dusting myself off, I headed home. The girl must've been new to this, or just stupid, because she hadn't even bothered to empty my pockets.
I debated on how to deal with her the next d... | I was walking home from school with my heart almost beating out of my chest. Eileen actually asked *me* out, not only just for a date but to go to prom with her! We had been friends for a few years at this point and I’ve really started to like her. I showered, shaved a little, and got dressed as well as I could without... | You were asked out by your crush to come and hang out with her after school. On your date, she drained your blood and buried you in the woods thinking that you were another easy victim. And now, the next morning, she looks horrified when you walk into class. | 729 |
Elli was born without the names. Some people thought that she was blessed. She was not faced with knowing the name of the person who would kill her. Others believed it was a curse, some kind of disability. She had to admit that not having the names made her wonder if there *was* something wrong with her. Everyone has t... | Dannos Quill was asleep in his favourite chair when the early-warning alarms tripped. He had set the runes himself, personally inscribing them on the sides of 12-inch candles which he then burned in a mile-wide perimeter around his cottage by the lake. The alarms were tweaked to only detect magical entities of the 4th ... | You are born with two names tatooed on you body somewhere, one of your soulmate and one of the people that will eventually kill you. There is no way to tell who is who. | 657 |
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 meeting took place in a bunker multiple hundreds of meters below the soil of an unknown planet within the solar system.
"Are you sure it is completely safe to speak here?"
"It seems I trust dirt and steel more than you."
"If you trust this place, I will too, I guess."
"So let's begin then."
"Ah, yes, so... wh... | 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 |
The light was bright. He closed his eyelids, but couldn't escape the blinding light. His eyelids probably weren't there, he scoffed.
He started blinking rapidly and heard the door hiss behind him, the humidity turning into fog as it fell into the room behind him. He was still blinking, the dark spots on his eyes made ... | She dropped to her knees and vomited on the platform. It felt like she had been gone a long time. She mentally noted to include a bucket in future tests as human physiology must be more sensitive to matter transmission. Or maybe she could take some Gravol.
"Dr. Bandaranayake?" A hand gripped her shoulder. "Dr. Bandar... | After a long and tedious process you were chosen to be the first ever human to test the new way of travel - the Teleport. All previous tests on objects and animals were very successful. Zero side effects. But after using the machine yourself you immediately notice a difference. | 716 |
My city has the unique trait of somehow being the city the both has the highest crime rate and the highest safety rating in the country. At least once a week our resident supervillain attempts to do something evil and every time she’s stopped by our world-class heroes. The villain is me, by the way.
See I always had ... | Five hundred forty-seven and eight hundred people die every day. Some die in their beds, surrounded by family or the cold of loneliness. Some die in a dark alley while other collapse onto the forest floor. Some die when their sick or by an unexpected disaster. Some never make it far enough to face these challenges.
S... | You are the city's premier supervillain, but you have a secret. The crimes you commit are not for gain, or to hurt people. You are always subtly testing and pushing 'your' heroes to excel, to be the best they can be. Then a villain with a reputation for murdering heroes shows up in town. | 522 |
"You need to find God!" the man in the dark suit exclaimed, as soon as I opened the door. I wasn't in the mood.
"No, I'm good, thank you." I said, and began to close the door again.
"Please!" he cried, grabbing the edge of the door. "G-God is missing! Please, help me f-find him!"
I raised my eyebrows. "He's *missing... | Nietzsche, the horse-fondling madman, came up to me with rage in his eyes and holes in his pants and he said, "Please, please, please. You have to find God. They'll do horrible things to me. I was supposed to look after him, just for a couple of days. He wandered off."
Tears streaming down his facial jungle, Nietzsche... | "You need to find God," says the man at the door. "No I'm good, thank you," you say, starting to close the door. "Please!" says the man urgently. "God is missing, please find him!" | 623 |
It started off small.
I brought some cheap screws and an oil can to a job because I had gotten busted twice when homeowners heard a floorboard creak or a hinge squeak. Almost got my head blown off the second time.
Not anymore.
The town I prowl is rich, not super rich but old money comfortable rich. Lots of old peo... | “Hey Jim, how’s it going?”
I approach my neighbor with a wide grin on my face. Jim no doubt thinks I’m just being polite, but the real reason why I’m smiling is because I have $120 of his money in my wallet, and he has no idea.
Jim scratches his head as he sees me approach. “Actually, something weird happened last ni... | You're a thief who breaks into homes, but try your best to stay undetected. You lubricate the hinges to prevent squeaky noises, you sweep the floor to get rid of footsteps, etc. Eventually, you fix more than you take, and rumors spread about a mysterious, helpful fairy in town.
EDIT: Wow, didn't expect this prompt to ... | 558 |
>Tech support: Human Tech helpdesk, Danyael speaking, this call may be recorded for training and QA purposes, may I have the GATACCA code at your 4th chromosome, please?
>Me: Um... hi.
>HD: Hi. Who is this, please, so I can put the details in your ticket.
>Me: I'm... John. I found your number on a few sk... | "Hello?" I stuttered. I had heard the phone click on the other end, a steady breathing echoing against my ear. "Is anyone there?" I asked almost impatiently.
"Good morning, Roger. How are you today?" a woman's voice responded. It was calm, yet I could sense the slightest bit of nervousness, like she hadn't expected to... | You are the inventor of the most powerful optical microscope. While testing it with some of your own skin cells, you find a tech support number on each of your cells. You decide to call it. | 603 |
I was never really a dexterous person. I’ve only leveled up dexterity once in my life, during my seventh birthday. I’m currently sixteen, turning seventeen next week. I have six in strength, one in dexterity, three in constitution, three in intelligence, two in wisdom and five in charisma. I could never run fast durin... | Martin was among the fortunate few that had been admitted to the University of Palatine. Most people end up with a balanced distribution of their attributes as chance increases them evenly each year. But assembled here for the first time in the circular hall of the Old Gilbertian Theater stood a new cohort of students ... | Every human has stats, like Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, etc, with them all starting at zero when you’re a baby. Whenever you age a year, one of these stats is randomly increased by a point. One day, you find out that age isn’t the only way to get points, yet it’s definitely the more moral way. | 553 |
“I just kinda thought I’d have more time, I guess.”
The figure standing before me responds with a soft hum. I can’t read his expression. How could I when he’s just a skull cloaked in darkness itself?
“Yea,” I bluster. “I talked a big game the last time we met but then I had some time to soul-search and stuff. I reali... | “Listen, I can explain!” I began, knowing full well that I had no real excuses. At least, nothing that would appease the very concept of mortality.
“I only have one question for you mortal. Why? Why squander away a second chance?” Death’s voice sounded like a mixture of a disappointed professor and a grandfather scol... | You've convinced death to let you have a second chance at an extraordinary life, starting over from the beginning, with all your memories intact. A second life of procrastination and wasted opportunities later, you stand before a very disappointed Death. | 579 |
"My home...?"
In an instant, all the cynicism, all the faint disgust and barely-bottled frustrations held and leaked through barbed words for the past year had... vanished. It was as if it wasn't blood that flowed through his veins, but contempt.
"What are you asking?" he said.
"When was the last time you visited ho... | "Another, *burp*, another round! For entire bar, you hear? On the Prince of Thyrese!"
The band picked up its tune, the crowd cheered, and the two maidens who had been competing for the prince's eye batted their lashes. Fifty mugs of ale were poured and fifty mugs of ales clinked to the beat of the song.
"Long li... | "And now, I require a test of bravery." You sneer, "Oh, and what shall it be? Slay a dragon? Or something equally stupid?" The Fae smiles knowingly, "When was the last time you visited home?" Your face pales... | 690 |
The two lovers kissed each other passionately the moment they met, glad that they were once again able to meet despite the best efforts of their disgruntled parents.
"Your mom give you trouble?" the boy asked.
"Of course she did! Went on another rant about 'Fraternizing with the spawn of that sanctimonious bastard' a... | Growing up around supers you get introduced to a concept called 'the game' that's seldom mentioned outside of costumed circles. The game was the cat and mouse between hero and villain, the constant feud that saw the same forces clashing again and again as the years went on. The game was the status quo, and was perpetu... | You are the child of a superhero and your boyfriend/girlfriend is the child of their nemesis. Both your parent and theirs are furious at both of you for dating, but the two of you think that your parents feud is just stupid. | 617 |
    I walked along the sidewalk, musing to myself the nature of my existence. In an era of steel and cell phones, I was touched by magic. I could not use it myself. Instead I was cursed by it. My curse? I saw people as they saw themselves. Sometimes it was useful.
&nb... | "So: Start with when - that first day, when you began perceiving these differences in, eh, in people with whom you interfaced, if - given we're supposing no memory of a recordable, causal incident. And, Kevin, please speak to me, and not 'it'. That will ease the burden on those analysts in there, I think."
*ahem* "Wel... | You are cursed to see people how they view themselves. You walk alongside monsters and Gods.
Can be third person instead of first.
Edit: I just thought of how EDs and other disorders like multiple personality would fit in with this, and now I'm kinda blown away. | 538 |
I froze, dead in my tracks, as FDR questioned further. "Hello? If this is a prank, then you have picked a bad time to joke around." I responded, slowly, "Um, my name is John, and, uh, I don't know how I'm talking to you. It's 2018." I should've articulated my thoughts more, as FDR responded "Stop messing with me young ... | The walls within Partition 11 are beaten and bruised with the disease of age. Stains mar the thin walls separating the rooms in which I crouch, probably from broken pipes within their inner organs. My job here is simple; find any items of interest, marking them down for retrieval later. The area is devoid of people, ex... | You are tearing down an old abandoned home. In the attic, you find an old radio with a microphone attached. You plug it in. FDR says that the United States has been attacked by the Empire of Japan. You say, "hello?" FDR pauses mid-speech, and responds surprisingly, "Hello? Who is that?" | 526 |
“My health plan?” My voice barely betrayed any emotions at the best of times, but now a careful listener might find a hint of disbelief in it. “You, my high commander of darkness, effective leader of the biggest army in the world, currently fighting in every country for my nefarious plans, are only on board with the gr... | It was a dark day, one filled with clouds which covered the mid-winter sky.It was a day, where the horrors I shall inflict upon the world shan't be seen, as I crawl slowly, ever so slowly towards world domination."They don't know it yet, the leaders of the 'democratic' world, that they are so close to being toppled, so... | You’re a super villain with an army of loyal minions at your side. One day you find out that your minions do not follow you because of your visions of world domination but for the employee benefits package... | 564 |
A part of me can’t believe the fighting is over, and another part of me can’t believe we collectively agreed to enslave humanity and It took what? 9 months for almost all of humanity to be on board with it? Crazy.
Maybe I’m overthinking it, I mean only working 12 hours a week, no more covid-19, real free time without ... | Part 1.
I bit down hard on the leather strap, felt a sharp edge press into my gums, but still a whelp escaped my lips as the scalpel slid through the flesh on my buttock and tongs were pressed into the wound. The barb was all the way in, I could tell by how deep they were going, I'd been hit real bad this time. The so... | Aliens have invaded to conquer and enslave humanity, however "slavery" to them involves only working the equivalent of 12 hours a week while having healthy food, shelter, and means of entertainment taken care of so the human resistance is having trouble with defectors preferring to be slaves. | 604 |
It's time.
He's stepped up to the microphone. Why would they give him a microphone?
Of course, the first thirty things that are going to come out of his mouth are obvious platitudes. Statements that will change nothing because they're already obviously true. He likes to use them as camouflage.
There's going to be o... | Like all good stories, The Truth's started with a girl. Me. I'm Junie-- hello!
And like so many other stories (some of them nearly as good as those that start with a girl) The Truth's also started with a lie. Or more precisely a Half Truth, because you see, I *was* nobody. But I'm not anymore.
Imagine a world where... | Your childhood bully once said you were nobody. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he had a reality-bending superpower. Now he's the world's strongest superhero, everyone calls him The Truth, because his word is the absolute truth... Nobody knows about his past, and Nobody will make him pay. | 601 |
**Well then... this couldn't get any awkward. Could it? No it definitely can.**
"So..." I said.
"So..." my boss replied.
"This isn't going to be weird, is it? I mean I know she is your daughter, and she is also my girlfriend. So..."
"Oh, I am well aware of that. And I'm also aware that she is more than old enough t... | Rachel was so exited for me to meet her folks and the only thing I was worried about is if they wouldn’t mind my casual clothing. Is a flannel over a AC/DC shirt with jeans and sneakers good enough to present to parents? I usually have a okay track record with them and it almost always gets better once I tell them my j... | Your gf invited you to meet her parents. You told her that you're a veterinarian. Her father is a computer repairman. In reality, however, you are an assassin. A very good one at that, too. When you see her father, your heart skips a beat. He's your boss. | 525 |
I noticed the blinking light after dinner, out on the balcony. At first I thought i was seeing things, but the light in the sky was blinking in a regular pattern. Old-school morse code. WE CAN SEE YOU.
Someone having fun with a drone? I shrugged, pulled out the LED light I use to walk the dog, and signaled back, UNDE... | The night had a chilly bite to the air. It was about three in the morning and I had just tucked in my little girl after a nightmare and gone out for a smoke. Looking around the back yard for wild deer, bears, cougars.. I gazed at the stars. The whole neighborhood was like a cold, baron wasteland. Even the streetlights ... | You are on your back porch alone staring into a starry night. Able to read morse code, you notice that a star is blinking a message. "We..can..see..you.." | 589 |
I invited the man into the house, ushering Bunbun into a corner of the room. The man from animal control - Dennis, he'd told me - eyed the rabbit suspiciously as he took a seat in a chair that sat in front of the large living room window.
"Beautiful view, innit?" I gestured to the window behind him. He turned and look... | Andrew peered anxiously through his keyhole, watching the officials approach his property. Back for the magic show they'd told him was a requirement to keep his Bibsy.
"Right. No other way, Bibsy. I can't lose you, I have to keep you safe."
Bibsy let out a squeak from under his arm, and he stroked her ears reassurin... | You and your pet rabbit live in a remote part of Australia, far away from your dark past. Animal control has come to your door and informed you that it is illegal to own a rabbit unless you can prove you are a magician. Now you must do something you swore you would never do again.
Edit: Oh wow, this blew up while I w... | 533 |
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