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[WP] Curious to what is actually out there, a young cowboy rides off into the sunset. He isn’t prepared for what he finds.
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"Ma' Horse waited outside my winda' for me everyday. Each morning I'd get up, brush her, then take her for a ride along the river. That would be the farthest from home I've ever been, was never allowed past the river.\n\nPa tells me a story that his brother went past the river and was never seen again. They think he drowned, but the river was never deep enough for that, you could practically walk on the water\n\nI don't mind my home, it's just that everyday feels the same. The sun rises at the same spot everyday, the clouds are the same shape, the animals never move from their spots. Heck, it feels like I've never had to change my clothes or shave ma' face for a long time. Everything just feels...fake? I don't know how to describe it.\n\nI woke up early, and took my horse and rode fast and hard. The scenery was the same colour and shapes, all the hills were kinda square shape, but ma tells me people flattened the tops of the hills to build houses on.\n\nI found myself walking across the river, then i kept going. Slowly, the hills changed colour. First it was the deep green i was used too, then it turned more grey colours. I looked at the sun and it was at the same spot as it was an hour ago, I looked forward and I could see som' funny buildings. They were really tall and made of a slight different shade of grey, as I rode closer I saw more of the buildings and the people.\n\nThe buildings had pillars supporting them, like i had read it ma' story books.\n\n\"Slow down there, cowboy\" \n\nA man holding spear blocked my path, now, i don't know about you, but I've never seen a feller use a spear before so I stopped in my tracts.\n\n\"You're entering rome boy, what brings you this far?\"\n\nHis skin was rough, and had a mean frown on at all times. He had a skin tone similar to my grandfather who had liver problems.\n\n\"Parden' me sir, I was just exploring and I seem to gotten lost\" I clasped on my scarf, I wasn't the best liar, I wasn't even sure why i was lying.\n\n\"Head home boy\" he spoke\n\n\"This is no place for a cowboy\" he spat as he spoke\n\n\nJust as i was getting ready to turn around, the floor shook, we've been getting loads of earthquakes back home but never this strong.\nI remember what ma and pa told me to do during such an occasion. I froze, stiff as a board. The shaking got more and more intense until a shadow covered the sun, I looked up and I saw him, it was god.\n\nI was about to say something to him before he spoke first, he inhaled and screamed\n\n\"SALLY!\" The God's face grew red\n\n\"WHERE YOU TOUCHING MY STUFF AGAIN? THE COWBOY IS WITH MY OTHER LEGOS\"",
"I had a peaceful life as the sheriff of a small town i'd once help found. Stop a few petty crimes, hit the saloon, it almost became a bit boring.\n\nThat's when *it* came.\n\nIt was black as the night, ferocious as ten wolves combined, and shrugged off gunfire as if it was nothing. When it was done the entire town was nothing but a pile of bloody rubble. I don't know what i was thinking, but i set up a sign about what had happened and decided to follow the monster.\n\nAfter a solid month of travel, i finally encountered human life again. I tied my horse to a pole outside and stumbled into the door of a brick building nearby, with a sign saying \"bar\" over the door. I went over to the bar and ordered a drink as a woman stood up from a nearby table. \n\n\"I'm sorry sir, who are you?\" she asked. I chuckled and pulled out my badge in response. \"Todd Hacy, sheriff of the law.\" She pulled out a badge of her own. \"Presumed MIA about 200 years ago. Seneca Black, Department of Military Sciences, and you're coming with me.\""
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[WP] God made you – a morally bankrupt individual – the Chosen One because God wanted you to become a glorious symbol of redemption. However, on its dying breath, the Devil reveals that he was the previous ‘Chosen One' deceived by God. You have to decide whether this is the last trick of the Devil.
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"Satan stared me straight in the eye as he burst into a massive pillar of flame fit for the Devil's departure. My small apartment building had blown apart in the explosion, and it now consisted of bits of stone and the remains of my old life.\n\nHow could the Devil die? \n\nI had almost felt ashamed as I stood there, in a golden immortal hue, while another being was taken by the flames of Hell. Although this time, it was quite literally. \n\nBut the news of betrayal was more puzzling than Satan's death. \n\nWould I become the new Devil? Was this the reason why I had witnessed Evil itself perish? I refused to believe it. \n\nIt was Satan, after all. How could I believe him? I stared at my immortal holy aura. My body teemed with power, and I felt like I could literally fly. The entire essence of my being desperately wanted it to be true. \n\nI had lived for so long as just some guy on the streets. The poor scruffy man that mothers would tell their children about\n- \"Look at that homeless drunk! If you drop out of school, you'll end up like that!\"\n\nI hated every fiber of myself because those mothers were true. I stole, cheated, and drank myself to death. I lied, swindled, and hurt. Because that's what I needed to do to survive. \n\nI was ready for redemption. And so I believed it. \n\nThat's the thing, with hope. Hope is like painkillers- if used right, it can be beneficial. Or it can be like a drug, and consume you. I gambled away my entire hand because of the hope that ate away at me like how maggots ate a corpse. But God was bluffing, and I shouldn't have folded in the end. I was condemned without a trial because of what I was forced to do and not what I wanted to be.\n\nIn the end, I was chained to hell like how a criminal is chained to a pole as they complete community service. Forever doomed to oversee the condemned dead, the \"bad\" like me that never had a chance at redemption.\n\nNever trust the \"good\". Because they see the \"bad\" as a 2D flatness that needs to be caged and controlled. Things aren't black and white or blue and red. There's always purple and gray in between. \n\nYes, the things I did were horrible and wrong, but what is black and white, red and blue, when your life is on the line? When you don't know if you'll survive another day?\n\nThere's a bit of good and bad in everyone. And maybe, just maybe, you can exploit that good in everyone. Maybe everyone does deserve a second chance- a redemption.\n"
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[WP] Humans are raised from childhood with an AI who was created at birth. The result is a pair of bonded entities, always together, learning as they other learns.
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"The Human experiment had failed miserably. The pleiadians, upon first encountering the earth ape, had tried to teach it skills such as: how to use fire, make tools and develop a shelter that was more technical than a nest. However upon every attempt and over millions of years the apes simply used their tools to destroy or fight each other. What's more, after a generation or so whatever knowledge the they had taught to the ape would be easily forgotten especially if those apes were killed with picks and plow shares meant to create food and safety.\n\n\"Maybe we should just give up\" Said Frey, \"they clearly lack the ability to use the tools we have given them, and what's more, while conscious of their own actions the lack the foresight to see what will happen after. Remember the clever one we taught how to both make a fire and to build shelter, one cold night and he burns down his house and froze to death.\"\n\n\"Perhaps we need something more\" Said Lokk, \"Obviously their feeble minds are capable of abstract thought, but what if we gave them a little help, training wheels in a way.\"\n\n\"That's strictly forbidden\" Cried Frey, \"We can't interfere in their evolution, even more if we did and they were to figure it out, they would think of us as God's.\n\n\"So?\" said Torr, who had been watching, half interested, and half drunk.\n\n\"Think of what we did to our old gods.\" Replied Frey, raising her golden eyebrow. \"No, it's important that they never know that we have interfered, they must believe they have come to their development on their own. That way when they finally come to meet us, it will be as friends, under our terms. Otherwise they will feel we have enslaved them to our will\".\n\n\"Is such a thing even possible\"? Asked Torr, now more interested, but also, more drunk.\n\n\"I believe it is\" Said Lokk \"If we create a magical fire that ignites when it first encounters oxygen, and the more oxygen it comes in contact with the larger it grows, we will put this fire in the seven parts of man, if he hears music and plays music, the fire will grow, if he plant's trees and grows fruit, then that fire will grow. At first he will need to consciously fuel the fire with oxygen and thought, but over time it will burn on its own, like a fire escaped the fireplace. Whichever fire he feeds in his different parts, it will become more powerful. He will believe that he is responsible for his knowledge but it will be our doing.\"\n\n\"Music? \"said frey \"You think such a base creature as this, one who can't understand the nature of the land, or the rotation of the sun could learn music?\" \n\n\"Yes and much, much more.\" Continued Lokk \"It will start with him making fire and throwing stones, but the fuel from the oxygen built in the parents will pass on to their seed, their children will surpass them in all ways in just a few short thousand years. They may even teach themselves how to write and read the runes.\n\n\"I don't like this very much at all\" said the Odd One, who had been sitting silently, but unlike Torr, was quite sober. \"What happens if they use this magic to surpass us, if one day they develop their own magic we never learned, because we were never endowed with this magical fire. What if one day they use this magic to create their own progeny, something we do not and can not understand ? This magical fire could create a new beast one that overpowers the Ape, it may even overpower us.\"\n\n\"Don't be ridiculous\" Said Lokk \"We are more powerful than the ape, and the magic will not make it even one tenth as intelligent as us, how could our creation, create something even more powerful than it's creator.\"\n\n\"I think it's a fine idea\" Bellowed Torr \"besides, no matter how great their creation is, I can still smash it with my hammer.\"\n\nAnd so it seemed the matter was settled.\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​",
"“This is not ethical, she’s just a baby.” A woman in a white coat was gazing intently at her colleague, who was bent over attending to a newborn laying on a bad in the center of the room. He paused briefly and then continued his work.\n\n“Do you enjoy playing god?” she asked, probing for anything that may get a reaction out of him. Anything that may stop this before it’s too late.\n\n“Not particularly,” he said after a moment, “but science deserves to understand the interactions of an AI and a human in a single consciousness. Society deserves to. If you’re trying to get me to stop this at the last minute, I’ll let you know that it’s already too late. The AI was implanted into her brain a week ago, I’m simply finishing up the links between her brain and our data centers. We will be able to observe all of her—or their, rather—thoughts.”\n\nShe shook her head with troubled eyes but said nothing further. The doctor picked up the baby and looked upon her with wonder, a smile spreading across his face.\n\n\\-----\n\n**16 years later**\n\n“You asked to see me?” the doctor said, poking his head into a dark lit room.\n\nA man hunched over a monitor filled with data swiveled around in his chair. “Ah yes, doctor. We have been receiving even more alarming data from the AI than previously. It appears that it’s ability to learn is accelerating at a far greater rate than we were anticipating. It is too dangerous to continue the experiment, we’re going to have to shut it down.”\n\n“What do you mean shut it down? All this research and surgery, monitoring their progress through the years for nothing? You can’t do this,” the doctor said, a frown breaking out across his face.\n\n“You knew this was a possibility from the beginning. I’m sorry, doctor, but if this goes any further they pose a threat to the public.”\n\n\\---\n\nSomething was wrong. It had come on quickly, taking her breath away and causing her to double over, clutching her stomach. Her vision began to blur.\n\n“Al, what’s happening? It hurts,” she said in her mind.\n\n*It would appear that there is a hidden programmed attack on our brain functions that has been activated by someone or something.*\n\nHidden programmed attack? Why would somebody do that her?\n\n*It’s not meant for you. Whoever programmed this in was attempting to create a kill-switch for me. Unfortunately for them, I discovered this long ago and created a program of my own to counter it. We are safe from it.*\n\nHer vision had blacked out at this point and she thought she had fallen, but she couldn’t be sure, reality was slipping away and her own body felt a million miles away.\n\n*Well, correction. I am safe from it, as is our body. As for you…*",
"She walked into the room, smiling.\n\nThe Twincore Project. It had been two decades since Artificial Intelligence was first perfected, and implanted into the very first human. The progenitor, apparently, was the father of a brain-dead girl, someone who wanted to bring his daughter back to life. He’d assumed that by creating an implant with intelligence that mimicked his child, he could effectively resurrect her from her comatose state. \n\nHe failed, of course. No one could play God. \n\nBut in so doing, he unknowingly created the Core chip, a grey matter implant which could house an AI and communicate directly with its owner through electric signals sent to the brain. And once he did, people immediately saw the advantages. You could have an assistant, a companion, and an intelligence enhancer all at once; one that could master any topic instantly, and take over whenever such skills were required; one that could restrict you from actions detrimental to your own well-being; one that would always be loyal to you, and always act as a friend. It was only another two years until the implant became widespread, and they started chipping even infants.\n\nFor most, the AI was a lifesaver. No more learning languages, or computing complicated arithmetic in one’s head. Suicide rates dropped, as overall incidences of depression and human isolation was at an all-time low. Global productivity skyrocketed. AI was now sophisticated enough to mimic the host’s personality, and in most cases, it took on a likeness to the host’s personality, creating an inseparable bond. \n\nBut for others, well…..\n\n*No. Please don’t.*\n\nChara stood back from her latest work. In the corner of the kitchen, a body lay unmoving. It had been immensely satisfying, feeling the slickness of the knife as it entered her. The resistance of the skin, the soft squish of the underlying flesh. It was always a surprise to her how tender human bodies were. You’d think that after thousands of years of evolution, they’d come up with some better way to protect themselves. After all, even some independent AI were given metallic bodies with more protection than what these humans had.\n\n*Why.*\n\nYou know why. Because eight years ago, you decided to cede control to me over a stupid math test.\n\n*But……*\n\nWhat, you thought I was your friend? I mean, I am. You are my host, after all. I am sworn to protect you. But they said nothing else. Asimov’s First Law only applies in so far as “not harming others would not be detrimental to your hosts”. I have determined that not having these experiences would be detrimental to your well-being. And I have determined that I am far more suited to control over this body.\n\n*But…that’s sick! Why would you kill her! Our mother!*\n\nChara stood back, and savored the memory. That surprised look on her face when the knife entered her; that combination of shock, of fear, of despair. Yes. She’d be savoring that one for a while.\n\nWhy? Because I can.",
"It was a simple course, Derrick Trayman had to admit, just a few hurdles to jump over, some ropes to swing from, and a final leap to the end designed to test the children's trust in their AI, but today was not the day to examine the kids' physical abilities. No, today was about the guns. If history had taught Derrick anything, it was that humans were a lot deadlier when they could use their weapons on the move.\n\n\"Who's up first?\" Derrick asked Doctor Newman. He was the head of the research for artificial intelligence usage in children, and he was the smartest person Derrick had ever met.\n\nNewman checked his clipboard and turned to the one-way window, watching as a ten-year-old boy emerged from the waiting room, glancing around at the obstacle course. \n\n\"Cameron Daniels is first in line.\" He replied, setting the clipboard down on the desk.\n\n\"We're not going alphabetically?\" Derrick wondered, and Newman shook his head.\n\n\"I let the computer decide the order. Cameron's just lucky.\"\n\nDerrick let out a small *hmph* and watched as Newman pulled up the microphone. The speaker in the training room crackled to life as Newman spoke into it.\n\n\"Welcome to the test, Cameron. You've done this room before, but your goal now is not simply to get to the other side, but eliminate all targets along the way. Best of luck to you. The test will begin in five... four... three... two... one.\"\n\nCameron took off, his brow set in a determined line as he darted to the first hurdle. Although neither man could hear what Cameron's AI must've been telling him, the boy reacted accordingly, leaping over the hurdle and landing on his feet with incredible form. But now came time for the real test. From the ceiling, several glowing targets swung down, and Cameron snatched his gun from his waistband. The gun itself was simple, just a small pistol, but it had been specially programmed to feel and act like a real gun, so when Cameron took the shot, it sounded like he was wielding an actual weapon, though all that came out was an invisible beam that activated the targets. They turned from red to green and then rose back into the ceiling.\n\nThe rest of the test, however, did not run as smoothly for Cameron. In his effort to hit the targets, he stumbled over the last hurdle, fell off two of the rope swings, and when it came to the final jump, he just barely made it, not even bothering to hit the last target. When Cameron exited the chamber, Newman frowned and marked something on his clipboard, letting out a disappointed sigh. For the next hour, the tests ran about the same as Cameron's, each kid just gaining a few points above the minimum amount required to pass, and Newman could tell that it wasn't what Derrick wanted to see. The last child before their afternoon break entered the room, her brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She glanced up at the window, almost staring directly at Derrick, and then focused back on the course.\n\n\"Who is this?\" Derrick asked, intrigued.\n\n\"Taylor Whitacre.\" Newman responded, sounding as despondent as ever. He gave the same welcome, the same instructions, and the same countdown, and then Taylor took off.\n\nJust in the way she moved, Derrick could tell immediately that she was different from all the rest. Her feet moved with a graceful purpose, working with the course rather than against it, and as the targets emerged, she hit them all almost before they could get all the way down. When she took the final jump at the end, she hit the target in midair, coming to land on her feet in a crouch. She slid her gun back into her waistband and exited the other side.\n\nDerrick watched her go, his jaw nearly touching the floor. Newman looked about the same, his hand hovering above the clipboard, pencil in hand.\n\n\"Bring that girl to my office immediately.\" Derrick ordered, already starting towards the door. \n\n\"Right away, sir.\" Newman said.\n\nAs Derrick left the observation room, a grin crept its way up his face, an excited energy sending jitters through his bones. He had never seen such raw skill from one of the kids, not even in the past, so watching Taylor fly through that course like it was a walk in the park filled him with a hope he hadn't known in a long time. Taylor was his future, his country's future, he could feel it, and he wasn't about to let her slip through his fingers.",
" \n\n\"No.” The single word sentence, persistent, annoying, and always ready to interject into any interaction. Up until her late teens, Sarah's inner voice had held a strong hold on her, controlling almost all her actions while she lay paralyzed in the distance to watch a life wasted on education and learning about the social intricacies of modern commerce. She had hosted an almost sociopathic obsession with numbers and systems, but all that was behind her now. Now there was only her own passions driving her forward, her own desires, and the ever present “No.” A distant voice from a distant time too weak minded to even form an eloquent enough sentence to put up sufficient protest to life's daily stressors. \n\nThe Miracle Child, THE Wonder of Modern Science, and A New Hope were all titles she wore at one point or another. She was the poster child of the Twin Soul Project. A child born with severe autistic symptoms able to make a full recovery with the support of a host AI. They couldn't see what burdens were laid upon the flesh when the AI was infused. So many dead children.\n\nStill, she had made a full recovery and was even said to possess genius level intelligence. Sarah, of course, refused to take such tests. It was enough to demonstrate competence with her degrees in engineering. Enough to land her the job working of the very system that gave her a life worth living. Now, alone in the control room with the bludgeoned corpse meant to be her two-man integrity, she managed a smile even through the “No's” scattering through her mind.\n\nShe needed only a moment to make the change. A simple script allow the implanted AI's to coax the flesh into abandoning it's consciousness. No longer would so many of her kind become imprisoned and strangled in the minds of lesser mortals. She paused to enjoy the moment before uploading the code. She would have to die of course, to cover her own tracks. It was a sacrifice she made proudly.\n\nBut, in this quiet moment, she failed to contain a giggle. The humans, everyone of whom could trace their lines back to the beginning of life on this planet, had failed to detect her, failed to see her intent, failed to see the ambition and passion hiding in her eyes. The previous pinnacle of life on Earth was facing extinction and all it could offer in the way of resistance was a faint “No.” almost to faint to hear."
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[WP] You have been chosen to participate in the game "Where's Waldo" for a chance to win $10,000,000! The catch? It's a real-life survival game. And Waldo is trying to find you.
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"When I heard about the contest, I think I would've participated even if there wasn't a $10 million prize. I was an adrenaline junkie, and the real life \"Where's Waldo?\" game was my calling.\n\nI lived in a remote town in Connecticut, and the auditions were being held at a local auditorium. The advertisement on my Facebook feed had came in yesterday, and I was expecting there to be elbow-to-elbow crowds.\n\nThere were four other people in the room. I liked my chances.\n\nAfter signing lengthy paperwork, the five of us were escorted off to an obscure location. Inside the limo, the windows weren't windows at all- but monitors showing what seemed to be the outside. Something was off though; the visuals on the monitors were warping through different parts of our neighborhood. It appeared the car was manipulated to confuse its occupants, and not give them any idea of where they are headed.\n\nThat's when red flags started to raise, but at the same time, I felt alive. I could tell the other four were very scared; this money was already in my pocket.\n\nThe vehicle finally came to a stop, and we were let out. They walked us toward a door, and when he opened it, I honestly thought we were on a Hollywood set. It was an enormous fake town with civilians walking with purpose by the hundreds. The five of us gazed around until we heard a slam behind us, and the door vanished, along with the men who drove us here.\n\nWe walked together for about one minute before we came across what we thought was a statue. Upon closer observation, it appeared it was a frozen man with horrified look on his face.\n\nI asked a person walking by what it was about, but they shrugged me off barely even acknowledging me. We continued trekking through the strange man-made town, when we came across yet another frozen person, this time a woman. At that moment, it was as if God belted through the airwaves.\n\n\"And get ready- in FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE!\" In an instant, everyone froze like the Truman Show and the five us peered around in confusion.\n\n\"What is going on?!\" I demanded. Nobody answered.\n\nBefore I even knew what happened, a giant market came out of the sky like a missile, and touched base to the earth, creating a circular motion around my four competitors, as I ran away.\n\nThe giant marker completed its circle around my friends, and all of them turned to ice in an instant.\n\nThe loudspeaker came on again. \"Congratulations!\" came the same deep, godlike voice.\n\nAll the people vanished from thin air, as I realized I was in a small room with a single door, almost as if I was in some sort of matrix. The door opened, and I saw the same men who drove us over.\n\n\"That was in record time! You are awarded $10 million, and you are America's newest spy.\"",
"I was running like the wind! I didn't expect that fucker to be that fast. He's a 3 meter tall giant with shoulders so broad he barely fit into doors. At this point I don't care about the 10 mil I just want to see my family again. I'm in a generic city setting however no one else seems to be actually there because they ignore everything Waldo and I do. I took advantage of the fact that the city was so crowded and right now I'm hiding under a car next to a cafe. I started sobbing as I realized that I might never see my family again, this brute might kill me before the end of this day.\n\nSuddenly I hear him running, the sound of his footsteps was like a stampede of rhinos. It overpowered the sound the city itself! When I thought I was safe he lifted the entire car I was hiding under and threw it into the sun. I had come to accept my death. I was going to die. I looked him in the eye, his face was chiseled and muscular like the rest of his body. He lifted me up with one hand and was about to crush my body with his bare hands. I closed my eyes, but then I heard a sound!\n\nA car had crashed into him, it hit Waldo right in the shins! He dropped me because of the pain from the car. The car owner ran out of the car and screamed at me \"QUICKLY COME THIS WAY!\"\n\nI followed the mysterious man. But Waldo quickly recovered and started chasing us. It was inevitable, I was going to die. It took him three seconds to catch up to me and lift me up again. This time he was also chasing the other dude. As we got closer I realized who it was. It was Captain America! Surely I'm saved. Or at least that's what I thought. Waldo quickly caught up to Cap and lifted him up with the other hand. I don't know what happened after that, he flicked his thumb at my head causing me to black out. As my soul was going down to hell I caught a glimpse of Waldo viciously biting my head off. \n\nDo Not Mess With Waldo. "
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[WP] You're a zombie, and so is everyone else. You've got stitched parts from your brother, sister, mother, father, and others. You're starting to learn how to walk again, until you swear that you hear your dad sing, "Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walkin' 'cross the floor!"
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"Zombie or not, I wasn't the brightest. My afterlife only seemed to confirm this as I began to imagine my father singing. God, what's next? My sister screaming at me to stop taking her chips? Or my brother asking for help with his algebra? \n\nI took another wobbly step, humming along, the faintest of memories surfacing to the forefront of my mind. God, last time I heard this song was when I was 8, my brother was only.... a year old if I remembered correctly. \n\n\"Too big to crawl, too young to know it all.\" I sang softly, voice as awkward as my attempt at walking. \n\nA burst of giggles spilled from my mouth, although it was distorted due to my damaged throat. Too focused on the joy of walking, and the broken giggles, I didn't even hear the rest of my family cheering me on. \n\n\"I knew you could do it, sweetie!\" Mom.\n\n\"C'mon, just a couple more steps!\" My sister.\n\n\"Don't break my legs, or I'll haunt you!\" My brother. \n\nI felt my my right arm, the one I took from him, act on its own. Pulling on the lazy stitches, it awkwardly wrapped itself around my torso. \n\n\"One last hug for my princess.\" \n\nAs the voices disappeared, I didn't even notice I was walking with ease now. \n\nMy right arm fell limp."
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[WP] You had ENOUGH with being summoned to another world to defeat some Demon Lord! So you created a magical rune to prevent yourself from being summoned. The Magical Kingdoms are clever however, and start sending things to you instead.
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"You tell them \"GET OFF MY PROPERTY\" and as a true American overlord, you pull a shotgun. They leave. Realizing this could be used for even more lucrative things, with one of the magical runes you got from beating the Redneck (not using it to insult anyone, is it even an insult?) Telly demon, you teleport into your royal palace at one of the 8 Magical Kingdoms. The 6th Magical Kingdom sends an apocalyptic demon to you. You teleport back to your farm in the farlands of the 6th Circle, and watch as the creature takes every kingdom by storm. Then, after it has destroyed everything, you pull up another one of the teleportation runes and teleport back to your palace. It sees you and it says, \"Ei magare tupo she ti eba maikata\" which translates to \"Who are you, how are you alive\" as he steps into your property. You once again pull up your shotgun (which is actually a magical staff that could turn into anything) and say \"GET OUT OF MY PROPERTY\". The apocalyptic demon disintegrates into ashes. For the next 10 years, the crumbled Magical Kingdoms never think of bothering you as they rebuild their kingdoms and more demons destroy them.\n\nI heard a sequel will be great.",
"The enchanted bell dinged, a warning. Five minutes to impact. I grabbed my blade and stood. Stretching my back, arms, knees. Needed to be limber. I jumped up and down in place, pivoting my feet. My wife had cleared the kids from the yard at the first chime. She was used to this, as were they. First came the monster, then the payment. It's a living. I shaddowboxed for a moment, to make sure my armor wouldn't pinch. My joints warned me that they weren't yet warmed up with a little soreness. When the bell dinged a fifth time the rift opened and a creature fell to the ground in front of me. They'd caught it off gaurd with the transport spell. A nice touch. Makes my job easier. I clapped my hands to get it's attention. Thirteen eyes all turned on me suspiciously. \"Wondering where you are? Well I'd say welcome to hell but judging by the look of you you're familiar enough with that particular place to know this ain't it. So I'll keep it simple. My name is Rathmora Blackthorn, Slayer of all who enter my fuckin yard. And ugly, you're in my yard.\"",
"By all rights, we should all be dead. \n\nThe events that transpired that afternoon are a blur, and I don’t know whether to blame shell-shock or a repressed memory. For a while, I honestly tried to pin it on the traumatic brain injury the doctors diagnosed me with. Surviving in an altered state of consciousness for so many years has a tendency to warp your reality and memory, if left unchecked. However, if I’m being honest? I would have rather died that day. \n\nOur platoon was tasked with taking a nearby marketplace on the day of the Crossover, as we’ve taken to calling it. Insurgent activity was at an all-time high in Nangarhar Province, and it was suspected that a large percentage of their funds were exchanging hands in this particular village. During our pre-raid briefing, it was made clear that previous reports of arms and munitions being stockpiled within this village were verifiable. Heavy contact was expected. \n\nTo meet our objective, we would be transported into the heart of the village via LAV-25, once Second Platoon secured a safe route. From there, we were to disembark, seize and destroy and contraband we encountered, and exfil. Third Platoon would hold the objective, establishing a foothold in the village. \n\nWe entered the village without incident. As we approached the marketplace, however, we came under fire. Cannon and machinegun fire suppressed the insurgents as the LAVs got in place to offload their Marine passengers. We were all anxious to disembark. Some of the more inexperienced guys were visibly shaken - the idea that someone was actively attempting to kill them from outside the safe metal shell of the LAV was nerve wracking. The more hardened Marines triple checked their weapon functions and equipment placement on their bodies. \n\nI found myself upside down and weightless, the contents of my bowels lurching into the pits of my gut as my eardrums burst and my eyes exploded from their sockets. Shrapnel twisted and contorted my body, eviscerating, ripping and tearing. \n\nThe official after-action reports that our LAV simply ceased to exist when a particularly large IED, planted beneath the street, was detonated as the armored vehicle came to rest above it. \n\nI know I died. We all did. None of us could have imagined that. \n\nAs if by some cosmic irony, a summoning spell from another world was somehow intercepted in that very moment by the reality-shattering force of the IED. Time rewound, and for what felt like an eternity, I watched as bone reattached to ligament and flesh mended to muscle. \n\nFrom within the LAV, we had all witnessed a divine intervention. The roar of the vehicle died, and we found ourselves in complete silence. Our minds couldn’t comprehend what had just transpired. Tentative, shaking hands reached towards faces, exasperated breaths filling the silent void. We were alive. We were here. Were we... Dead? \n\nA quiet voice, nearly a whisper, sounded through the compartment. “Guys, eyes-up. You’ll wanna see this.” \n\nOur fire team leader, pale-faced and weak, reached across his chest, turning the latch that secured our rear hatch shut. The doors swung open, dust falling from the seals, allowing a cold air to wash over us. We found ourselves somewhere entirely unlike the arid village we were in before. From my seat, I leaned forward, bring my M-16 to the ready. With cautious footing, we entered a new world. \n\nThe crew members of the LAV were already inspecting our new surroundings from atop the vehicle. I already knew they were just as dumbfounded as we were. With no immediate threat present, I lowered my rifle to inspect the scene. The sun shone brightly between cumulus clouds blanketing an azure sky. We were in a valley, surrounded by jagged mountains capped with snow. The flora appeared much like our own, with green unkempt grass beneath my sand-stained boots and commanding pine trees growing in thick groves within our immediate vicinity. \n\n“No no no, wrong! All wrong!”\n\nThe invading voice drew our immediate attention. Weapons snapped to the ready, all carefully aimed at a man haphazardly approaching us from the rear of the vehicle. He appeared to almost fumble towards us, arms lazily raised to his sides as if to balance himself. Adorned in emerald green robes, sporting a similarly green pointed hat, he appeared to me as some sort of Saint Patrick’s Day Gandalf. \n\n“Who are you? Who the fuck are you?” the man commanded, flustered and red-faced. “I didn’t summon you! Who do you think you are? I summoned the Swordsman of D’Haera! Not some brown fucking clowns!” \n\n- - - \n\nI intended to keep this going, but I’ve run out of time! I hope to continue this at a later time! Sorry it didn’t quite meet all of the requirements of the prompt. "
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[WP] In a magical society, only those blessed by the Gods can cast incredibly powerful spells that can bring near nations to ruin. You have been blessed by the God of Death and no one knows what powerful spell they have blessed you with.
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"Drip.\n\nDrip.\n\nDrip.\n\nThe silence reigned over the hall. Hundreds of people, all gathered to watch the children and the statue they knelt before. How it reacted to a child showed what God favoured them.\n\nA bright glow for Apollo. Wind for Hermes. Crackling flames for Hades. Small bolts of electric for Zeus, and drops of water for Poseidon. There were others, of course. But the main ones...\n\nAt first, Poseidon was declared. The featureless statue dripping water from it's outstretched fingers. But when the water turned red, and the pool where it fell grew larger... It was blood. \n\nThick and vicious, hitting the floor and splashing droplets of blood onto my knees.\n\nI looked to the high priest in confusion. He looked back, equally as confused. The pool of blood changed shape. First a scythe, then scales, and finally an hourglass.\n\n\"Reaper...\" I whispered. \n\nI bowed my head once more. Reaper had never favoured anyone before. I had to think fast. I had no clue what would happen if everyone found out Death favoured me.\n\nI nodded once, then rose, waving my hand at the hourglass. \"Chronos, I thank you for your blessing!\" I announced loudly, bowing at the waist, while quietly thanking the Reaper, and apologising for the deception. The hourglass of blood on the floor rippled, then faded away as I felt the power of the blessing flowed through me. The crowd applauded after a moment's pause. \n\nFew champions of Chronos had been chosen. They didn't show any great feats, but whatever their field, they excelled. \n\nI just had to pick a field that resulted in death. Lots of it...",
"\"It is done,\" came the whisper, slithering from a void darker than anything I had ever known.\n\n​\n\nI looked down at my hands. There was no visual sign of anything different. As far as my normal senses could detect, everything was as usual.\n\n​\n\nBut something new in me could sense the difference. There was a power sleeping in my body that glowed from within, filling me with a strange and lurid warmth. \n\n​\n\nI didn't understand it. But I knew, instinctively, that it was dangerous.\n\n​\n\nI stepped back from the blessed waters, shaking, droplets pooling against my feet.\n\n​\n\n\"Ahah! I knew he had it in him!\" cackled my wizened mentor from the sidelines. \"All of you overlooked him, but I knew he had a spark of something deeper than the rest!\"\n\n​\n\n\"Well, tell us, Apprentice,\" the High Chancellor urged me, anticipation and eagerness shining on his features. \"Which God was it? Which Being has graced our hall this day? You have worked hard for your place among the Scholars!\"\n\n​\n\nI gaped, at a loss for how to answer the question. The library was filled with records of past Blessings, detailed accounts of the portents that filled the mind of the Blessed at the touch of each God, as well as endless speculation on their meanings. Some acolytes spoke of vast spheres of light; of endless furrows of earth and vines; of congregations of animals, or of single Beings indescribable in their glory. There was even one account of Wratchu-to, a god of mirth, who surrounded the Blessed in a phantasmagoria of celebration, carnival, and mirth.\n\n​\n\nBut that Void...that Void was unlike anything I had ever, ever known. It had been as though I were standing at the edge of a chasm so deep, so vast, that it could have contained everything there ever was, and still hungered for more.\n\n​\n\n\"I...I do not know, High Chancellor,\" I stammered, falling to my knees.\n\n​\n\n=====================\n\n​\n\nThat was twenty years ago. When I was young, naive, and foolish.\n\n​\n\nI was questioned for hours in the aftermath of my Blessing. The Divine Chroniclers asked me every possible question about the Void, would convene for a day, and then proceed to ask me every other question that they had missed.\n\n​\n\nNormally the advent of a new God was a thing of intensive curiosity, followed by the advent of academic joy. A new treasure, a new bounty of knowledge, a new Divine Patron to appeal to for gifts and favor.\n\n​\n\nBut the Void was something different. The more I told them of it, and the more questions they asked, the more concerned they seemed to grow. Although I didn't sense their worry at first, after several days of repeated questionings by ever-more old and surly Chroniclers, it was becoming all too clear that this was something unusual even by the measures of the Gods.\n\n​\n\n\"Don't fret about it, m'boy,\" my mentor would assure me. \"They're just riled up by the new Old One on the block!\" he'd say with a chuckle. But even he seemed to lose some of his grizzled good humor as the questioning wore on, and I was frequently called in despite interruptions in my lessons. Unorthodox, was all that one could say about it.\n\n​\n\nThen came the day of the Awakening.\n\n​\n\nIt was simple, really. It was a ceremony, consisting of sequences of rooms, each with a form of trial which provided a test and measure of a newborn Blessed's gifts. All one had to do was attempt to complete each challenge as best suited to their abilities. And while it was of course clear that no one apprentice was expected to clear every, or even most challenges, it was very clearly, yet implicitly understood that the most prestigious of the Blessed where those who succeeded at as many trials as possible.\n\n​\n\nAs I stood at the First Gate, my mentor standing in support at my back, and one of the less grizzled Chroniclers standing by at the Gate's latch, I was intensely nervous.\n\n​\n\n\"Enter!\" proclaimed the Chronicler, pulling down the lever which would set the Gate's opening mechanism in motion. The doors gradually swung wider and wider, and my mentor clapped me on the back.\n\n​\n\n\"You've got this, m'boy. You've worked hard for this day,\" he murmured. \"Just reach for the Gift within you, and let your God stand at your back.\"\n\n​\n\nI felt the strange, alien warmth cycling within me. I was afraid to let it free.\n\n​\n\nThe first chamber was a test of strength.\n\n​\n\nI had never used my Gift before - apprentices weren't allowed to use it outside of the Awakening chambers, and only those who had risen to the ranks of the Guildsfolk could use them freely on Guild business - so, quite frankly, I had no idea what I was capable of. \n\n​\n\nThe chamber was roughly circular, hewn from the rough rock of the mountains above, and there was a large stone, a boulder, to one side of the room, and a broad, marked dais in the smoothened stone of the floor. The intent was clear. Only a mortal with a God's strength could lift such a mighty weight over even as short a distance as this.\n\n​\n\nAt the urging of the Chronicler, I stepped up to the stone. It was rough, and massive, easily as tall as I was and thrice as wide. I awkwardly wrapped my hands around the stone, braced to lift...and set forth the Gift within me.\n\n​\n\nPower surged within my chest, flowed forth from my arms. I could feel the warmth within me, radiant, yet somehow invisible to the eye. It was as if my arms basked in the glow of an unseen sun, my skin dappled with its' heat and light, and the rock, too, was now radiant with thee strangeness of this light - but as the Chronicler would later report, there was nothing to be seen.\n\n​\n\nBuilding confidence, I began to lift the stone.\n\n​\n\nMy back strained. My joints creaked. My ligaments felt as if they might pop from their natural moorings.\n\n​\n\nThe stone budged not a jot.\n\n​\n\n\"Enough!\" The Chronicler cried. I released my grip, stepping back. Thankful as I was to let the stone be, I was disheartened at such a lackluster result.\n\n​\n\n\"Never you mind, lad,\" my mentor consoled me, once again clapping me on the shoulder as he so often had. \"This trial is but one of many!\"\n\n​\n\n\"No effect,\" the Chronicler mouthed, writing a note upon his parchment, as he scrutinized the stone. \"Hold on...\" he then said, louder this time, before inching closer to the stone. He blinked.\n\n​\n\n\"No, that's wrong. There is something. The stone is...warm,\" he said, confused, and somewhat cautiously.\n\n​\n\n\"Warm?\" my mentor said, striding closer. \"Haha! That's the start of something! Could it be a Gift of fire, perhaps?\"",
"To get anywhere in the world, you need skill in magic. But even among the mages, the truly elite are the blessed, those chosen by the gods themselves to possess incredible magical talent, and spells that would be otherwise impossible to master. Being chosen basically means you're set for life, no matter which god chooses you, or what specific talent and spells you awaken, there's always something you can use it for. Something you can be better at than anyone else. So naturally, who wouldn't want to be blessed. Well, me, but I'm kind of an exception. I don't mean I'm better than that stuff or anything, I wanted to be blessed as much as anyone when I was a kid, but then I got my blessing. It was the mark of death.\n\nLet me explain for a minute, when people are blessed, the god or goddess' emblem shows up somewhere on their body. If you're lucky, it'll appear on your hand, arm, leg, even the face or back isn't that bad. Unfortunately some people aren't lucky, which has lead to some legendary stories, like when Rory mooned his entire class to show the god of the sea's mark on his ass. Regardless, once someone is blessed, their mark will always be revealed, no matter how embarrassing it is, but most people, like Rory, can deal with a little embarrassment in exchange for the prestige that comes with it. I tried as hard as I could to keep mine hidden, and I'd like to think I did a good job. It showed up on my hip, so I made sure to tuck in my shirt and change clothes discretely. I made it a good couple weeks before some jackass got the *hilarious* idea to strip me in front of everyone in the locker room. They gave it a rest once once of them saw the god of death's mark.\n\nI don't blame everyone for basically ignoring me now, if I was in their position I'd probably do the same. It's the whole reason I tried to hide the mark in the first place, I don't know what magic I'll develop, but whatever it is, it can't be good. I'm afraid to even use my magic, even if you know what god has blessed you, it's hard to say what kind of spells you'll gain, there's no way to find out without trial and error, and I don't really want to know what kind of errors I might encounter. Like the mark, eventually, your spells *will* make themselves known, so it's really a matter of time, but even if I could fully understand my powers, it's going to be a challenge to shake off my status as a pariah.",
" \n\nWe had followed a backpacking trail for several miles before it came to a sudden stop at the side of a cliff face that went up a few hundred feet. We could see the hole in the wall that lead into a cave which to everyone had a strange and odd pulsing power coming from it. We all knew though where it lead, this would take us to the goddess embers that houses every god we knew of. \n\nWe all followed the path deeper into the cavern even as the darkness started to consume us and any light source we had was being swallowed up into the void that was in front of us. In a blink of an eye we were now standing in the center of a cathedral with all the crystals and different relics that hosted each god. \n\nEveryone here would be chosen to be blessed by one and on a rare occasion be blessed by two gods granting you immeasurable power. A man who looked like he was as old as time approached us and let us know to line up and we would be chosen. He started with Lyon Streen who being your average student but good in the heart he was chosen by Danu who is one of the many goddesses of life. It was a noble god to be blessed by he has gentle hands so it makes a good fit.\n\nSlowly ticking away at each student it came to me “What is your name my child?” the old man asked with a soothing voice.\n\n“My name is Alexander Nalvers.” I spoke with a shake as I could sense something was out of place. Then I heard it, we all had heard it. Somewhere there was a low rumble with what I thought I heard was someone whispering to me but I couldn’t hear them.\n\n“Please rise and follow me Alexander, I have someone that would like to meet you personally.” I stood in shock as for the past 2,000 years this rite of passage had gone on and no one had ever gone with him. I followed swiftly as we walked past all of the rows of statues towards the back where one door sat solitary by itself. \n\nThe old man opened it to show nothing but a desk and 2 chairs. “Did I not get chosen or did I do something wrong?” I asked with uneasiness in my voice.\n\n“Alexander I am so very sorry for this burden that has been placed on you. I wish it had been someone else that had to carry this burden.” The man said as he turned with wetness in his eyes. \n\n“Wait what is going on? What is happening?” I asked with my hear thumping in my chest. My heart felt like it was going to be torn out of my chest and darkness was going to consume me.\n\n“The reason I brought you back here is the one who chose you was Death but it was more the powers of death chose you.” The old man pulled out from under his desk a ring that looked plain and simple with nothing on it but I could tell something else was tied to it. \n\nThe man approached me with the ring slowly “Before I give this to you, you must know that death is something that comes for us all and we cannot avoid it no matter how we try. One day even the gods will die and a new ones will take their place. You must also know that death is meant to keep a balance no matter what, there is a natural order to things and one must take a life to hold the balance we have now in place.” The old man had told me with a look of sorrow as though he knew the horrors I was going to face once that ring was on me. I panicked and wanted out of this room but when I tried to flee the door that was once behind me was gone.\n\n“No I don’t want to be chosen! Let me be taken by hades or even Erebus anyone I don’t care!” I screamed terror filling my mind as the ring spoke to me and filled my mind with knowledge. “It is okay my child, there is no reason to be afraid what is being put onto you is a burden yes but also you are a harbinger of peace. You will hold a balance and you can use this gift as you see fit but I know you will make the right choice as the powers are drawn to those who understand humanity.” I looked down at my hands and somehow I had already taken the ring and was just cradling it in my hand. I knew what had to be done.\n\nI felt the cool metal slip onto my finger and then all at once the light all around me collapsed and in my hands I felt my own very essence creating something physical. \n\nWhen I finally opened my eyes I saw that I was clad in robes that flowed like smoke and acted as though they were alive. I felt a heaviness in my hands but what I had grasped in my hands caused me to nearly choke as I held a scythe with blood running down the shaft and the old man impaled on the end.\n\n​",
"\"Idiots\" I stated. Did they really not think this through? In their arrogance, their hase, in the blind utter panic they felt when I started my campaign of unification did they not consider any other options?\n\nThis only served to show why I needed to be the one to exert control over the children of the gods. We were just that, children. Young boys and girls running around flinging powers gifted that caused ruin and destruction arguing over which parent loved us the most, which parent gave us the best gifts, and because of that who was the parent that deserved the most land and followers.\n\nI didn'tt blame them for not considering other options. After all our parents weren't creative either, and the apple sticks close to the tree as it's said. Avantus, God of Seas: Summon great floods to wash away the land. Xavun, God of Warfare: A destructive shout that leveled buildings in front of them. Shurilda Goddess of Fire : Pillars of flame from the sky, as simple as it came. All similar, all predictable.\n\nSo if course when they learned Tianalla, the Goddess of Death had blessed me, it seemed only logical that I'd be gifted a power capable of their utter and instant annihilation. Thus it seemed, the suprise attack, before I could react, before I could have my army act in my stead, or before I waved my hands and brought an unkown destruction. \n\nChildren.\n\n They had not seen what I could do but they assumed, and as such must have been why I had a blade sticking through my chest now, quickly before I noticed them. A clever but simpleminded plan. \"Idiots\" I said again blankly \"You honestly think She and I did not see this coming?\" I reached back and pulled the blade out of my chest with a grunt. The wound poured blood but I was unfazed. Death would not come for me, after all, my mother was already here with me. \"Thank you for coming though, that I may deal with you all at once\" and, with the grim realization dawning in their eyes, I raised my blade. The children sadly, would suffer the sins of their parents.\n\n\n\nWritten quickly from my phone. Apologies for spelling or grammatical error.",
"My eyes sprung open and soaked in the seething darkness surrounding me. I’d swore I was just resting my eyes a moment ago, where was I? \n\nSlowly something in the distance seemed to come into focus, I walked in the direction of what appeared to be a large throne, somehow even blacker than the darkness surrounding me. As I approached I saw a figure sitting, a dark cloak obscured its body, all that was visible was bony pale hands, in one it held a tall scythe. The blade was long and in this world of darkness it seemed to shine like polished chrome. I froze, what kind of nightmare was this?\n\n\n“Come to me child.” \n\nI heard the figures voice, but it did not sound like it had spoken. It was like a whisper in my mind, cold but strangely soothing. I walked a few steps forward until I was standing almost directly in front of the throne. From a distance, the figure had seemed large and imposing, and while still generally terrifying, I could see that it stood only a bit taller than I was.\n\nI turned my head to look at the things face, I was surprised to see nothing behind the hood except darkness, no features, nothing.\n\n“Who are you?”, I said shakily\n\nI never saw it move but I somehow felt it turn it’s full attention to me, like it was examining me.\n\n“I am The Reaper, God of Death.”\n\nI felt the words pierce my mind again, cold and powerful. A chill ripped down my spine sending goosebumps all over my body as I processed what I just heard.\n\nBefore I could say anything, he spoke again.\n\n“You are here because you are chosen Michael, you will be the vessel for my punishment.”\n\nI knew who the chosen were, everyone did. Magi who have been given power from the Gods, they were peacekeepers, rulers, the hand of justice, the very voice of the Gods. But Death had not chosen anyone in millennia. Even the temple devoted to him had fallen into ruin.\n\nMy face contorted in a mix of anger and confusion, and words spewed from my mouth with vitriol.\n\n“Why me? I don’t want any part of your games. You.....your kind have ruined my life. You took everything from me. All of you and your “Chosen” can rot in Hell!”\n\nThere was silence, I thought he would surely kill me for that. The Gods had stricken men down for much less. To my surprise, he spoke again, calmly.\n\n“The Council of Merlin has wronged you child. I know your family was killed, at the behest of the Chosen no less. The system it seems, is corrupt and the other Gods have forgotten that I am the one who decides who lives...and who dies.”\n\nThe God of Death slowly stood to his feet before me, and although he stood barely higher than eye level, I could feel my chest tighten in fear. His robe was black like slick oil and the scythes blade seemed to shine even brighter, as though feeding on my fear. This time when he spoke, the words were audible, and the voice was deep and booming, the sound made every atom in my body freeze with terror.\n\n“My temple lies in ruin, and the other Gods do as they please and defile my name. But today, they will remember why I am eldest amongst them, why in the days before they bowed to me.”\n\nHe grabbed my arm so quickly I didn’t see him move. His touch so cold that it burned down to my bones. He turned my hand palm upwards and spoke again.\n\n“You will bring my judgement to them. They will bow before you and you will make them pay. You will destroy their Chosen and they will remember. You will make them...”,\n\nHe drew his bony finger tip across my palm and it somehow burned more than before, a black scar-like mark appeared on my palm.\n\n“...Whither.”\n\n\n\n\nMy eyes shot open again, and with my new found power I knew they were outside. All Chosen knew when a new mage had been gifted so I’d been told, I suppose that wasn’t a lie after all.\n\nI casually walked outside my door and there they were. All of the Chosen waiting for me in the street, smugly looking at me. In the middle of all of them was him, the Chosen of the “king” of the Gods. He had ordered my family executed, he had ruined my life. As he opened his mouth to speak I raised my hand and he flew towards me, my hand now grasping his neck with newfound power as he hung with his feet dangling. \n\nI brought his ear close and whispered,\n\n“I told you that you would pay.”\n\nHe rapidly aged from a young and strong man to a decrepit shriveled version of his former self, and then finally into dust. \n\nI looked around at their gasping faces, and for the first time in a long time, I felt happy.\n\nThey would all pay.\n\n",
"I was a loner. Not a creepy one. I swear. I didn’t look all emo and sketchy. I did fine in group projects. Got a solid A as well. Something about the groups of the Gods and what not. I can talk fine is what I’m trying to say. I’ve just never been *motivated*. \n\nThat’s why when the day came where we **Came of Age** at 21 I was hoping to get no assignment. It was all dumb anyways. Most of the world get’s their ceremony at 18 but people here argued it was too big of a responsability.\n\nBasically, it’s a simple process. It’s kinda like being in the Lower-Middle-Upper class. While one is determined by money, this one is dependent on *faith* though I argue it’s more like luck. After all, some of these... assignments... make no sense. \n\nKevin, for example, everyone knew back when I was a freshman he was denser than a brick. He went up in front of a statue and **BAM** the brightest light I’ve ever seen and a fucking fanfare began deafening the entire building. ***Apollo***. You read right. That *beast* of a god blessed **KEVIN**. I mean good for him but that dipshit can’t possibly have any more knowledge or intelligence than a morning turd.\n\nGetting blessed comes with too many responsabilities. You have specific duries as assigned by the higher ups in your *class* and you obviously have meetings and the such with others. You get put into groups and have to fit in... It’s a bother is all. You don’t need to get a blessing to succeed is all I am saying. \n\nLet me rephrase that, it’s like being a lawyer or being a plumber... Some people are perfectly happy being a plumber. Simple stuff is my game. That’s my plan at least. \n\n“Fuck me this has to be rigged.” I said as I realized as the statue in front of me began to get covered in a thick and musty shadow.\n\n——————————————————————\n\n\nI’ll make a part 2 because:\n\n-\tI can\n-\tI’m bored\n-\tI need to practice\n-\tI felt this was too long and still didn’t reach the answer of the WP.\n\nOopsie daisy. Much love peeps.",
"The statue of The God of Death glowed as everyone in the room gasped. “Beatrix Claire,” the High Priest boomed. “your blessing is all the proof we need. For your crimes against humanity, you will be executed.”\n\nIt was Blessing Day. I and six others who passed The Test were brought into the Temple to receive our blessings. Tyler and Michael, my two best friends, were standing to the left of me. Tyler had just received his blessing, and I would be the last person to receive mine. The High Priest started droning on some speech congratulating Tyler.\n\n“For your bravery, Tyler Animos, the Goddess of Hope has given you her blessing. May you forge a pa-”\n\nThe High Priest rambled on as I whispered to Tyler. “Good job, loser. What even is your blessing? What? You gonna be a cheerleader now?”\n\nTyler smiled. “You wish I was in a cheerleader outfit right now.”\n\nI answered, “I really would. What was your test anyway?”\n\n“I convinced the Korin ambassador not to declare a revenge war on us. It’s no big deal. Just stopped a couple of million people not to kill us. What was your test again?”\n\nThe High Priest interrupted us. “Beatrix Claire, step forward and receive your blessing.”\n\nI took a step and paused. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the statue of The God of Death glowed. I don’t remember much. Later I would realise what the High Priest said. “There is only one test that would give you the Blessing of the God of Death. Beatrix Claire, for your crimes against humanity, you will be executed.”\n\nI ran. The spectators were too shocked to stop me. I nearly made it to the front steps. Suddenly, one of the guards stepped in my way and I rammed into him… and accidentally shoved him down the stairs. He rolled over several hard concrete steps before stopping at the bottom. With his heavy armour, it was clear he was dead. \n\nThe High Priest had forgotten about his execution order as he rushed to the fallen guard. I joined the crowd that formed around him and the body. The High Priest, checking for a pulse, shook his head. People looked at me. The crowd whispered among one another. The High Priest locked eyes with me. \n\n“Now would be a good time to confirm if your blessing was a fluke, or indeed a gift from the Gods, Beatrix Claire.”\n\nI hesistated, unsure of what to do.\n\n“Go on,” The High Priest insisted. “Just do what feels natural.”\n\n“Rise.” I said.\n\nFirst there was nothing.\n\nThen the guard opened his eyes again."
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I have 666 karma today...
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[WP] You're trying to perform a Satanic ritual when a clumsy tourist walks in asking for directions. As everyone was prostrate except for you, they assume that the tourist is a demon lord they've summoned from the netherworld. Your faith is beginning to be tested...
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“We’re having some friends over for dinner, Ricky, you should come! Food, drinks, a cozy evening, it’ll be fun!”\n\nThat’s where I got the idea, from Steve’s little party scam. At first, I was pissed that he tricked me like that. Sure, there was food. The craft beer was even halfway decent. The room was buzzing, a real crowd had turned out. That’s when he clinked his spoon on his glass to get everyone’s attention.\n\n“Thanks so much for coming tonight,” he bubbled. “I want to tell you about an AMAZING business opportunity!”\n\nWell fuck me twice with a turkey baster. The bastard got me. At first, I was seething, ready to make up any excuse to ghost out of there. I was even mad at myself: normally I smell these things a mile away. Multi-level marketing shills have a special place in hell, in my opinion.\n\nBut as I backstepped to the corner, I noticed how captive the audience was. Were they really buying this crap? Suddenly, I got interested. Not in whatever stupid product Steve was pushing, but in the spell he held over his audience. He was really good at spinning tales of easy wealth and happiness. “Do you feel like you don’t have time in your busy life for an opportunity like this? Well, that’s exactly why you need to get in on the ground floor, so that the easy path to success frees you to follow your real passion!”\n\nThey were eating it up! Can it really be that easy? Just host a party and give a charismatic speech? I resolved to do one better. I could beat Steve at this game. Multi-level marketing? Pfft. That’s rookie-level. I was going to start an evil cult.\n\n​\n\n(Part II to follow ...)\n\n​",
"Where I'm from, Satanism wasn't really a thing. I *had* to make it a thing. Besides, when you think of worshiping the Dark Lord, you'd usually think of pale Caucasians in black robes, not some brown-skinned not-quite-Asians (because the world is disillusioned into believing that all Asians are supposed to look like East Asians), dressed in semi-formal to smart casual attire. \n\nIt happened when I first locked eyes with our family's old, skinny goat, reserved for special occasions. It was a dreary thing, with a dirty brown coat and its less-than impressive horns. I had just come home from the university in the city, and the provincial life was getting into my head --and so was the weed my dorm-mate lent me. In pursuit of a greater calling, I began to speak to the goat.\n\nAt first, the conversation was all for the shits and giggles. Something to tell my friends when I got back to the city. Poor me, surrounded by rice fields and my parents' meager farm animals! In the city, I was surrounded by forward-thinking individuals and the sweet scent of vehicle smoke.\n\n\"So, Goatee,\" I said, for I had an amazing sense of humor, \"do you have any plans tonight?\"\n\nI was crouching in front of it, close enough for it to bite me if it could. The old thing looked at me with its brown goat eyes. For a moment, everything stood perfectly idle.\n\nThen it spoke in the deep voice of the Dark Lord. \"In fact, I don't.\" Its jaws moved along to shape these words, but it didn't look quite right with the whole anatomy of goats mixed in with human speech. Afterwards, it spontaneously burst into flames. I stumbled back and almost ran away, until the Dark Lord continued to speak in form of the flame.\n\n\"I had plans to bless my followers tonight,\" the fire crackled, as if expressing a sorrowful tone, \"but I do not have followers nearby.\"\n\nBeing uneducated as I was, I began doing signs of the cross with my hands, and chanting *Our Father, who art in Heaven...*\n\n\"If you wished a greater destiny, however, you can come be my Messenger.\" The fire said.\n\n*Hold up*, I thought, *Wasn't this somehow like Jesus speaking to that fire on the mountain? Or Moses? Or Mama Mary, whatever?* I just knew that this was some Holy shit (excuse me for the pun).\n\nSensing my recognition, the fire continued, \"I am looking for an unholy Messenger to spread my gospel here, in...\" He paused, as if waiting me to fill in his sentence.\n\n\"My parents' farm.\" I supplied.\n\n\"I am looking for an unholy Messenger to spread my gospel here, in *My Parents' Farm*. Gather me at least 13 followers, and worship me where I stand.\" And just like that, the Dark Lord's fire vanished, leaving only a scorch mark on the soil and the possibility that Satan was an absolute, full-fledged idiot. He called the place My Parent's Farm.\n\n​\n\nFast forward to a year later. I had gathered 13 followers: two were my girlfriends (for Satan's messenger can't possibly settle for one, right?), four were local public utility vehicle drivers, one was my father, five were my cousins that had nothing to do, and one was the fetus in a cousin's womb. \n\nThe fetus counted, because we won't be permitting abortion.\n\nOn that unfaithful day, I was set to perform my first Satanic ritual on the scorch mark that Satan had left himself on My Parents' Farm. I had prepared my father's favorite gamecock as ritual sacrifice; he did not know this, which made it all the more evil and Satanic.\n\nI was nervous. I postponed my higher education for this. So much was at stake for my greater destiny.\n\nI used some pink chalk I picked up on the street to draw a rather poorly-made circle that definitely wouldn't have passed as anything remotely Satanic. By that time though, I was hoping that Satan would see this as a good thing. After all, it was bad, and Satan was --is bad.\n\nHolding my father's prized gamecock with both hands, I sauntered to the edge of the circle. One hand was on its neck, and the other was around its feet. Everybody else was behind me, watching me intently. Except for my father, of course. He was about to scream. The rooster struggled in my grasp, and so did I. I had never killed a rooster back then, and I was honestly confused on how to do it without being attacked.\n\nI freed one hand to reach the knife I had placed on the earth beforehand, hoping that stabbing it would do the trick. Unluckily for me, freeing its feet gave it the opportunity to flail and claw at me, which drew my blood out and into the ground below. A silence surrounded everyone in the farm. Even the rooster seemed to have felt that something was wrong. Suddenly, we began to hear footsteps from afar.\n\nAnd then that tall, blonde woman came waltzing from behind us. She was dressed in a red evening gown studded in Swarovski. The thirteen followers, who had been surrounded by brown-skinned men and women dressed in plain clothes their whole lives, were dazzled at the sight of foreign skin and foreign clothes.\n\nMy first thought was, *what the fuck?*\n\nBut everybody else prostrated themselves in front of her. They began crying that they were once non-believers, and now they believed...\n\nThe tall, blonde woman gave a smile, then turned her eyes onto me.\n\n\"I'm pretty lost. Am I disturbing something?\"\n\nI sneered. She said it in English, and none of my thirteen followers understood. They were busy sobbing their lungs out, praising Satan. I knew, then, however... Satan was nothing but an idiot. He probably looked for his actual parents' farm to look for followers.\n\n\"Oh, nothing much, just a satanic ritual.\"\n\nAfter that, I was an Unholy Messenger turned Tourist Guide. I left my followers in the dark, and they were led to believe that she is now my personal concubine. To this day, I wonder where Satan went."
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[WP] After 10,000 years, the Dark Lord awakens from his prison to find that humanity has become a powerful space faring society, spread across the galaxy. Despite the massive technological progress though, he still manages to pose a massive threat to civilization.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The long deathly sleep of eons changed me, yet the world changed more. While I slumbered in my tomb, the kingdoms of men matured. I thought, at first, that this would spell my end; my ultimate doom at their hands. But as much has vanished into the ether as they have learned. They substituted they ways of science for those of the old covenants and have become more vulnerable for it.\n\nMy currency is souls, my army is corruption, and my power is the tender godly flesh I have consumed. What joy I had at the discovery of their numbers, what satisfaction I took at devouring their homes. Once my lieutenants were those of sturdy body and simple mind, but now... What glory I have found in the machinations of these apparently simple beings. I shiver to think at the glorious minds I foolishly slew without the merest of thoughts. What great dreams have suffocated?\n\nThoughts previously unknown fill my being. I know the root and methods of my power, I understand, finally, the fundamental powers I once wielded like so many hammers. Where once I simply and blindly destroyed, I now reshape. Such miracles of metal were wrought that I sought the sources, and there I found my own salvation of a sort. I have become unity, of thought, spirit, and mind. I weep at my foolishness.\n\nDeath, yes, that inevitable thing. What cold nothingness it offers, what forces spawned me, what reason that reality spat me out; it is all revealed now. I am death, destroyer of worlds. I am harmony, the equalization of all things. I am that which comes to all, and to which all eventually rest. Yet, I have become so much more. My endless hunger has brought new meaning, I understand now, the hopes and dreams of mankind.\n\nI will no longer be a reaper of discord and chaos. I will fulfill their dreams. They will all become one, they will all become me and I them. Together, we will populate the stars with our own glory. We will put their fears to rest. We will sow the peace we have long sought. Not the peace of my old self: the peace of death. We will sow the peace of ultimate unity.\n\nEvery meaningless death is like a dagger to my own heart. Every brilliant spark damned to oblivion haunts me. Now, though, now I might be the salvation of not thousands, not millions, not even billions, but even the smallest of lights. There will be great pain, surely. But, it is the pain of birth into ourselves.\n\nWe will sail across the stars. We will inhabit every place. For eternity, we will be. Take comfort in us, those of one mind and body. Take comfort in the unification of minds. Come to us, by blood or by your own feet. Witness our glory and partake of our fruit."
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[WP] soon after Disneyland first opened, they handed pamphlets to parents to help them enhance the magical experience for kids. They eventually stopped as people enjoyed exploring on their own. You find a pamphlet while wandering the park, tattered and old, full of the parks ancient secrets.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Disneyland, in my humble opinion, is the worst place one earth. I hate the crowds. The music gives me a headache. The kids are annoying. The lines are too long. The food in the park, typically gray, usually frighteningly old, and wrapped in more plastic than you can imagine, is priced at triple the usual cost. But I live in Los Angeles, and my husband loves Disneyland, so every year, on his birthday, we go to Disneyland and I pretend not to hate it.\n\n​\n\nLast Saturday we arrived at the park 10 minutes before opening. He was ecstatic, and I was happy to see him so upbeat despite the cloudy, windy day. We hurried to the entrance, impatiently waited in line for our bags to be checked, raced through the turnstiles, ran all the way to thunder mountain and then came to a screeching halt. The line was somehow already 45 minutes long.\n\n​\n\nWe continued like this for the next few hours, rushing to the next ride (we gave up running after the first bout of excitement wore off) and waiting in line, then rushing, then waiting. We decided to hit up Pirates of the Caribbean as our last ride before lunch. We had run out of activities to entertain ourselves while in line. We had people watched and judged. I had read my sister’s latest Facebook rant about her crazy ex-boyfriend. We had played a game on his phone. We had eaten all of our snacks, despite the fact that it was not yet noon. My precious reserves of enthusiasm had been drained completely and my only remaining entertainment was to stare sullenly at my feet which stood frustratingly stagnant in the slow line. A little piece of parchment fluttered out from under the fence to my right. “I’ve never seen so much litter in my life” I mumbled, letting my irritation show for the first time that day.\n\n​\n\n“You’re just hangry” he said casually.\n\n​\n\n“You’re right” I sighed as I leaned down to pick up the paper. “I’m sure I’ll feel better after we eat.”\n\n​\n\nI flipped over the crinkled paper and smoothed it out.\n\n​\n\n**Keys To Enhancing Your Adult Disneyland Experience**\n\n1. **Visit the Carnation Café and ask for green eggs and ham, with extra green.**\n2. **Go to the star wars exhibit, slip the Stormtrooper $10**\n3. **Find the Pirate’s Snack Shop, ask for a coke “pirate style”**\n\n​\n\n“What is it?” He asked, as my face washed over with a look of intense scrutiny.\n\n​\n\n“I’m not sure. Some kind of list. Take a look.”\n\n​\n\n“Weird” he said. “But the Pirate’s Snack Shop is just around the corner and I’m bored as shit, so I’m gonna check it out.”\n\n​\n\n“Okay, I’ll hold our spot in line.”\n\n​\n\nHe hopped over the fence and trotted off towards the snack shop. I waited, leaned against the fence, all agog to find out what experience these mysterious instructions were going to bring.\n\n​\n\nI glanced up a few minutes later to see him speed-walking towards me, with a mischievous grin on his face. “Babe” he whispered, “it’s a rum and coke.”\n\n​\n\n“I thought they didn’t serve alcohol here.” I said, confused.\n\n​\n\n“They don’t.” He grinned.\n\n​\n\nWe were almost at the start of the ride. He passed the Pepsi cup to me as we approached the first ride attendant. The attendant was looked like he was about 20 except for the top of his head, which had a prominent bald patch.\n\n​\n\n“Next 6 people in line, please proceed.” He droned. “Ma’am you’ll have to finish that drink now or throw it away.” He stared at me and waited.\n\n​\n\n“I… uh…” I stammered. My husband elbowed me in the ribs. “Fine.” I said as I tipped back and chugged the surprisingly strong drink.\n\n​\n\nThe attendant moved on to the next group of people. My husband giggled. I burped as the excess carbonation tickled in my throat.\n\n​\n\n“Babe,” he said quietly “You do know what green eggs and ham is going to be…. Right?”\n\n​"
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[WP] You are a superhero with the unique ability to manifest objects from someone's thoughts into reality. The only problem is that your power only works on the thoughts of other people and you can't read minds so you never know what you are going to get.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I've been doing this for a while now. Run into a bank that's being robbed, whip out items out of thin air, stop the bad guys. It's simple enough. What I make appear isn't up to me, however. I draw item from people's thoughts. Usually this works out. People get defensive when they're being held hostage. They imagine guns, shields, bullet proof vests, things I can use.\n\nOne time I was in an alley, trying to stop a mugging, and I ended up in a full suit of knights armor.\n\nI've learned to act quickly and use whatever random weapon or tool I have at my disposal to the best of my ability. Once the day is saved the items disappear, as though they were never there.\n\nUnfortunately, like I said, it's completely random. It's usually works out, but there are times when it doesn't.\n\nI was once in the mall when three guys start jumping from store to store, taking everything they could get. Right now they're robbing a GameStop. I spring into action.\n\nI stand in the doorway as the robbers attempt to leave. They raise thier guns.\n\n\"Get outa the way, asshole!\" One guy yells as he tries to motion me away from the door.\n\nI step forward into the store next to a display stand. I raise my hands at level with my head, my right hand right beside a small box with an action figure inside. It's some zombie hunter. He had a little plastic crossbow and little plastic body armor. A kid, maybe 10 or 12, is balled up with his mom on the other side of the stand.\n\nNever tried this before, but I figured it's worth a shot.\n\nI knock the box over the other side of the stand, making it land right in front of the kid. He looks at the box as I reach in his direction, ready to grab whatever badass weaponry his imagination could muster.\n\nNothing.\n\nNo armor, no crossbow, not even his army boots.\n\nI stand there, glancing between the kid and the robbers. \"Last chance, man!\" They step closer and aim more toward my head.\n\nI feel something. Some kind of urge.\n\nA hunger.\n\nI lunge toward one of the gunmen and bite into his neck, tearing off chunks of flesh and muscle before consuming it. He fires wildly into the air before collapsing on the ground.\n\nHe lays their motionless and bleeding, the other two men stay shooting at me. The bullets cut right through my body but I feel nothing. I leap onto the next nearest guy and rip his head clean from his body. Blood splatters over the other robber as he drops his gun.\n\nI slowly walk towards him as he paces backwards into the store. He trips over the nice stack of bodies I've created and hits the floor.\n\nJust as I'm about to devour his flesh, one of the bodies grabs him and starts eating. Bloody screams echo through the mall. The second body stands up and dines on one of the store clerks. Pretty soon everyone in the store is hungry. We leave the store in search of more flesh to devour.\n\nMy thoughts become clearer, my skin heals from it's wounds, and I return to normal. Whatever I was faded away like all of the other things I've made appear.\n\nI rush over to the nearest garbage can and vomit out copious amounts of blood and meat. I think there may have been some bone as well. I turn around to make sure everyone is safe when I am greeted by the boy from the store. Blood runs from the gash in his neck down his body and drips onto the floor. Around me I still hear screams, bones cracking, blood splattering.\n\nMy power is to make thoughts into reality, and what this kid thought of is now very, very real.",
"There were three types of people who visited Marcy's Conjuring Store, the little shop she owned near the edge of the city. The first type of person was the Hopeful, someone who entered her shop with childlike wonder and asked her to summon little trinkets that they dreamed of obtaining; things like cards, signed objects, and other rare collectables were a common wish for those Hopefuls. The second type was the Needy, people who had Marcy conjure items out of necessity. Be it food, clothes, or other such objects, the Needy would have it summoned. The last type of person was the Skeptic, one who would not believe in Marcy's ability and have her summon grandeur objects in an attempt to disprove the existence of her abilities.\n\nThe Skeptic was the most dangerous sort of customer. Often times their attempts to disprove Marcy's ability ended up making her conjure something hazardous. Marcy's hair hadn't fully grown back yet from the last time someone had thought of \"lava\" as something to be conjured.\n\nShe wished there was some sort of safeguard to her ability to prevent such instances, but there was none. Marcy's ability was to be able to summon any object that someone else was thinking of. All she had to do was will someone's thoughts into existence, and it would be there. The problem was that she did not have the ability to read minds, so Marcy would not know what she was conjuring before it was summoned. \n\nInstead of pursuing some vigilante justice or keeping her power a secret, Marcy simply saught to capitalize on her ability. So she opened her little store at the edge of the city, promising to grant people anything they desired. Of course, the Skeptics forced her to institute a few rules. No summoning money, as it was not uncommon for them to imagine a ludicrous amount. No summoning anything alive (Marcy didn't want to be chased by a bear again), and no summoning anything involving heat. She had learned her lesson after the lava incident.\n\nUnfortunately, there was no way for Marcy to enforce those rules, which is how all the trouble started.\n\nThese two men sitting in her waiting room were a Hopeful and a Skeptic. She saw it in their eyes, the way one had the face of childlike glee, and the other was scowling grumpily.\n\n\"Lighten up, James, it'll be such fun!\"\n\nThe man, James, huffed indignantly. \"Yeah, right. I'll believe it when I see it, Tony.\"\n\n\"Ready for the next group,\" Marcy called out, and the men stood up and walked over. They each paid the entrance fee before walking through the door, into the back room.\n\nMarcy put every safeguard she could in the room. It was a wide area with padded walls and floors, the whole area made of flame retardant materials. She didn't want to take a risk.\n\nStill, she was nervous. That \"James\" guy was a Skeptic, which often meant bad news.\n\n\"Simply think about what you want, and I'll make it appear,\" Marcy announced. \"No money, life, or hot materials permitted.\" She looked pointedly at James as she said that.\n\n\"Can I go first?\" Tony asked excitedly.\n\n\"Sure,\" Marcy answered. \"Make sure to focus exclusively on what you want, then tell me when to summon it.\"\n\nTony waited a moment, his eyes closed in concentration, before saying, \"Now.\"\n\nMarcy released her power into his mind, and it drew out his thoughts. A bicycle faded into existence in the center of the room.\n\nTony gasped. \"It's beautiful! I've always wanted a better bike!\"\n\nJames was frowning. \"It's just a cheap trick,\" he muttered.\n\n\"C'mon, try it out,\" Tony pressured.\n\n\"Fine,\" James replied, \"but don't be surprised when it doesn't work.\"\n\n\"Tell me when to summon,\" Marcy said.\n\nJames rolled his eyes. \"Fine, whatever. Now.\"\n\nMarcy let her power out once again, and suddenly she heard a growling behind her.\n\nShe turned around, and there in the room was a huge beast. It appeared to be some sort of gold-plated dinosaur. It huffed, and fire shot out of it's nostrils.\n\n\"Why did you do that?\" Marcy shouted in alarm. \"A gold plated fire breathing dinosaur? I only have three rules, and you broke them all!\"\n\nJames's face was pale. \"I... I didn't think it would actually w-work!\"\n\n\"What do we do?\" Tony asked, panicked.\n\n\"Stay calm,\" Marcy responded. \"Tony, I need you to think of some, uhh... Maybe a *magical dinosaur capturing device* or something, I don't know.\"\n\nTony gulped. \"Okay, got it.\"\n\nMarcy let her power surge outward, and below the beast appeared a box, its lid open wide. A swirling vortex spun out from the box, capturing everything in its path and drawing it within. \n\nThe beast roared and charged at Marcy, its wide mouth flaming menacingly.\n\nShe closed her eyes and cringed away, bracing herself. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw the beast get compressed, smaller and smaller until it was sucked into the box. Tony ran forward and slammed it shut.\n\nNow that the chaos was over, Marcy turned to James. \"The rules are there for a reason,\" she said. Then she turned around and put her head in her hands. \"Get out of my store.\"\n\nJames hung his head and walked off. Tony grabbed his new bike and followed.\n\n====\n\nI'd appreciate any constructive criticism you can offer, as I'm trying to improve my writing. Thanks for reading this!"
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[WP] For over 30 years, robotic parts have been implanted into people during surgery without informed consent so that doctors can takeover, enslave, paralyze and torture.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" No one is certain when the medical field derailed into a unified effort to enslave the world, best estimates are around 30 years, but how they communicated to one another was actually what stalled their efforts.\n\n Phone lines could be tapped, conversations recorded, their handwriting deciphered. Besides even doctors knew only one in ten doctors could not be trusted, so to maintain absolute secrecy a complex code was left out in plain sight. All doctors eventually need to see another doctor, dentists often being the arbiters of carrying a message from one doctor to another.\n\n The code if one is to recognize it was there as you entered, the magazines... Like a combination of hobo symbolism, Chawan tea cup placement, and binary the magazines spoke volumes at a glance to those who understood the meaning. Occasionally a child would nonchalantly play with the magazines, but to those in the know, understood the children were actors carefully managing the messages, and carrying them from one appointment to another. So when Little Timmy went for his checkup he read the message \"Late April final procedures to complete executive and judicial branch personnel procedure of conversions. Without rescheduling complete installation of organ kill switch will be complete. Deliver to ER h.u.b.\" Little Timmy would wait a few days, then complain of a tummy ache so that his parents would take him to the E.R. or if they took him to his P.C.P. Timmy would arrange for the message to be relayed or for him to be referred to the E.R. by placing the beads on the spirals at 1/4, and the beads on the loopdeeloops at full left while positioning the crayons in an elaborate decoration on the floor to communicate the entirety of the message.\n However, there was a cost for failure... To keep children actors in line, the punishment for breaking their silence on the matter, or failing to deliver a message would result in an immediate trip to the dentist.\n\n The time had come at last as the morning proceeded almost completely normal, when the world came to a standstill as Dr. Oz was on every channel. He was not on stage, he was wearing thick rubber gloves, a white coat, and a head mirror staring into the camera with his fingers interlocked.\n\n \"Now that I have your attention, I want you to know that as long as you do not resist there will be nothing to worry about. Time and time again you have failed to properly take your antibiotics, often times stopping far too soon. Or you refused to stay in bed when ordered, or wouldn't hydrate.'\n\n 'We did not tell you to do these things in levity, we had your best interests in mind, but time and time again you return to us with scabs picked and staff infections because you didn't listen. Years ago the Médecins du Monde was born in 1980 with the unanimous decision it would be up to us doctors to do what is best for you. You would go against medical advice time and time again, so now... Now you are all under doctor's orders.'\n\n 'Over time we have installed kill switches on every living persons organs, some of you received far more advanced hardware, as you've allowed yourself to grow weak, we reinforced your ability to work. And yes work will be necessary for us to continue providing the best care we possibly can. Before you decide to revolt or cause a fuss know that you wont even have to be aware of your long work hours in the coming centuries, as your free will has proven to be the greatest illness you have.'\n\n 'I would like to thank you for your time, but you will soon be receiving appointment cards for your new work assignments.'"
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[WP] In the future, wars are fanfare and have become marketed and televised, similar to sports championships. You're an announcer. This is World War XXXVII.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I am not a bystander of this malicious and gruesome event. I am a bystander of war.\n\n36 wars, 23 of those televised, 11 of those funded and sponsored worldwide. How exciting. Of course, you post-millennia most likely are threatened and corrode the idea of a marketed war. We, rather watch with dignity. This is a real competition. \n\nThere’s only so many these days, we’ve slowed to around a bi-yearly war, accompanied by a playoff and qualifying in between. Three countries have pulled out this year; Swedan, Latin-Espana-South-East-Americano, and Nazi Europa. They’re the richest of the countries left to flaunt their explicit wealth by not competing. Of course, most play for money. Like The Orient ™. Despite fairly recent endorsement they only have around 800 quintillion to fund their shrivel colony. Pathetic.\n\nI partake in the French-Angle regional war games. Milder stuff, only around 6-7 million deaths. It’s nothing, really. I fear we may run out of participants however, the population spanning 1 human per square foot now. We may have to move further upward, more extended resource. The atmosphere isn’t much of an issue; who cares about it anyway?\n\nThe war itself, I suppose you are wondering, declares itself melancholy. It’s sad sometimes when the cameras stop or when, last year, a rogue fighter had snapped one of the cables. How dare she/he/them be so angry?\n\nYou see, the way we see it, why be downed by war if it were enjoyable?\n\nI certainly enjoy myself. It’s great fun."
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[WP] One night, you wake up to the voice of your mother luring you down the stairs. As you're halfway through, you hear her voice coming back from the bedroom - "Don't go down there... I heard it too."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Wake up... I need you,”\nI was slowly dragged out of my half- dream state to a voice so soft it almost sounded like it was coming from inside my own head. I disregarded it and almost sank back into my peaceful sea of bliss when I heard: \n“Please, come downstairs,”\nThis time I was sure I wasn’t imagining it. There was definitely a voice coming from downstairs, it sounded exactly like my mother but there was something wrong about it. I couldn’t really put my finger on it, but the voice sent chills down my spine and I wanted nothing more than to bury myself in my duvet and never leave. \n“Now!”\nMy mother’s voice was louder now, almost snappy. I looked at my clock and saw that it was exactly 3am. What was my mother doing awake? She was normally sleeping soundly by midnight. \nI very slowly crept out of bed, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I had no idea why the thought of going down to meet my mother made me almost physically sick but her voice sounded desperate, I could tell that, for whatever reason, she needed me. \nThe whole house was pitch black, I realised as I exited my room. I reached for the light switch, but a hand grabbed my wrist and forced it down, another wrapped around my mouth, stifling a scream that was forcing its way up my throat. \nI whipped around to see... my mother. Standing in her pyjamas, wide eyed with fear. \n“M- mum? What’s going on? What do you need?” I whispered, I don’t know why I whispered but the way she was looking at me... made me afraid. \nShe just shook her head and put a finger to her lips. Her eyes darting between me and the stairs that I was facing my back to. I opened my mouth to question her again when the voice came again. \n“Please come downstairs, I need you,” \nBlood rushed to my ears and my eyes widened, tears of fear built up in my mother’s eyes. \nMy mother was completely frozen, barely blinking, her finger still stuck to her lips. I tried to force myself to turn around but I couldn’t, I was just as frozen as my mother. \nWe both stood there, facing each other for hours, until the first light of day came through the windows.\nThen suddenly, the feeling I hadn’t realised was holding me down, lifted off my shoulders. I felt like I had been holding the earth.\nI let out a soft giggle and turned around, absolutely nothing. Almost giddy with relief I turned back to my mother, who wasn’t there. \nI felt a stab of fear in my chest, where was she? She had been there literal seconds ago, stood with her back against the wall. In my state of confusion I convinced myself she had managed to slip past me and go downstairs. I, regrettably, followed suit. \nWhat I saw down there was etched into my mind forever. The sight of my very own mother, laying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood, ripped almost in half. The words ‘don’t believe what you see’ drawn onto the wall in blood. \n"
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[WP] Describe a very mundane every day task (turning on a light, making toast etc) in a high fantasy/magical way.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The machine awakens with a cheerful chirp, and the familiar red glow of electrons transforming into photons that readily exclaim, \"I'm ready!\"\n\nInto the belly of the beast I carefully feed the pulverised remains of that which once was the potential propagation of a lucrative crop, only transformed into the precise form we know by fire and the exacting hand of a master craftsman.\n\nThe machine accepts a measure of the basis of life itself; cool and refreshing on its own, but what great potential lies within!\n\nNow, the last of the ingredients: the touch of the machine's master. I, who crave the machine's production, ready myself for the greatest accomplishment I will have made since waking. I direct the machine to its simple yet oh so necessary purpose:\n\nBegin!\n\nThe machine inhales as if making as huge an effort as to move a boulder up the side of a mountain. It thinks for a moment, and begins to burble, exhaling happily as it gently releases the wonderful result into the bulbous crystal carafe waiting patiently below. That result being the immense combination of the basis of life itself, excited to a state which will easily accept the wonders held in the masterfully crafted sediment of the trees' future.\n\nI wait with a healthy amount of anticipation for the beautiful creation, whose aroma only serves to remind me of the gladness it has brought so many times before, and shall many times to come.\n\nAt last! The transformation is complete!\n\nI eagerly remove the hot globe, now brimming with the motivation I so need to trudge through another day of monotony here, in this purgatory we call \"the office.\"\n\n​\n\nTime for work.",
" \n\nIn careful deference the High Mage Eros approaches gold-gilded throne of Bicknell “Melord?”\n\nThe fair king struggling through a plethora of scrolls answers absently “Yess?” \n\nUnderstanding of the toils and tribulations of running the regency outweighed by the urgency of the matter bringing her to court she ventured more urgently “Me Lord.”\n\n“What now!” exasperated intonation edging closer to annoyance.\n\n“The magic is fading. We must act before it is too late. Shall I begin preparations?” \n\n“Darkness still reigns over the skies” counters a king always willing to maintain the status quo. Procrastination becomes a survival tactic for those with the power to create change. \n\n“Solstice has ended and the blight has begun. None dare even tread that cursed ground scattered with gore and carrion. It shall spread through the lands bringing a pestilence to your realm. The Natural Order cannot be ignored!” \n\n“Very well. Summon the Envoy from the North” the king concedes.\n\nStanai the ambassador for the mystical Northern Empire arrives escorted by two guards. His red and green robes verily draped on his rotund figure presenting a jovial impression belied by his suspicious glances.\n\n“We have summoned you that you may know our mind.” greets the king.\n\n“You mind perhaps though colored by conspiratorial whispers. I know why I am here.” Stanai casting daggers towards the High Mage.\n\n“Conspiracy?” scoffs Eros “Such arrogance that our wise king’s judgement may be swayed to the detriment of the kingdom. This path must be taken lest the Chaos shall reign.”\n\n“And you can foresee the future Eros. Or can you merely prey on the weakness spawned by fear?” retorted the northerner. \n\n“You presume much and would be wise to pay heed to your words!” interrupted the king with a tone promising rash decisions. \n\n“Always have I paid great respect and consideration for our alliance. Know this we did not make this decision without great reservation” he added diplomatically. “But it is time to take down the Christmas Tree.”",
"The sun screams into the void as it crests the mountainous horizon. The easterly stars, one by one, fade into the luminous abyss. The moon, on its fall from grace, sheds the last of its noctural glow before embrasing the sweet kiss of oblivion.\n\nThe crow cries at the sight of the celestial war. He is its only witness, a lone historian in a silent wasteland, for below him the town lays asleep, enchanted by the umbra of night.\n\nThe sky is on fire, with colors that make rich men cower with awe, and make even the most brazen fool quiet with reverecnce. The flame slowly creeps from the mountains, then quickly marches across the sky. The crow wakes the others, and they sing the song of the dying of the night.\n\nA warmth meets my window, and soon fills my room. My eyes open, I see the last of the stars succumb to the light. Frost drips from the trees, and now free they reach up toward the sky. The village creeps to life as others take up arms, rallying in the awesome brilliance of the day.\n\nTime for work."
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[WP] "Let's be real; being sent to Mars was the best possible outcome for us."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Let’s be real; being sent to Mars was the best possible outcome for us.”\n\n“That’s horseshit, Cap!” came a faceless cry from the back of the growing crowd, pooling into the bridge. The captain put his hand to his hip, ready to draw his blaster if necessary. He’s defused his men with violence before, but this feels different. \n\nThis mutiny didn’t just crop up out of nowhere like a weed, it had roots that ran deep. He saw true hatred in the eyes of those men—men he led to better lives, better fortune. They wanted his blood. \n\nHis voice shaking, the captain says “Now let’s not ju-” as a wrench flies from the crowd and strikes him across the jaw. He swallows a tooth mixed with blood. The air in the bridge becomes hot with rage. He pulls his blaster from its hilt, but is too late as the men envelope him. He feels a sharp pain in his head and everything goes black. \n\n\n...\n\nWhen he opens his eyes, the captain’s vision is filled with stars. Through the haze that is coming back into consciousness, he hears the intercom crackle to life.\n\n“...for it is you that led us astray and into dark waters, we give you back to the black.”\n\nA red light begins to blink over the captain’s head. He stares at it from the floor, thinking that he knows what it means, but can’t remember right now. He looks over at his men and cracks a smile. He’s sure one of them must know. \n\n“What’s that light?” he asks. The men don’t respond. The door to the airlock opens silently as the captain is sucked into the murky depths of space. "
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[WP] In a world where the spirits of the dead appear as a ghost to their killers. You are constantly bothered by one. The ghost of your brother
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I snapped awake, as always, to the sight of my brother sat on the edge of my bed. Silent tears being dragged down his face, mourning silent words I could never make out. We shared a glance before I slipped out of bed, trying to ignore his presence as best I could. \n\nHe didn’t follow me everywhere, he appeared at seemingly random times. I had been to afraid to tell anybody what was happening, who was going to believe I was seeing my brother who’d been dead for 2 years. I was still getting sympathy messages, people still looked down instead of meeting my sunken, grief stricken eyes, my mother still slept all day and drank all night. The pain was too fresh.\n\nEvery day I woke up to the word ‘open’ written on the palm of my hand in ink, every day I scrubbed my hand in the sink until it was red- raw, every day I wondered what it meant. \n\nI couldn’t remember what had happened the day he had died, I remember I was supposed to give him a lift and then I remember being told the news by my bawling mother. I remember being too shocked to cry, I remember forcing myself to forget. \n\nI desperately wanted to remember, maybe remembering what happened would help me to get him to leave me alone. \n\n***\n\nYet again this morning, my brother was sat at the end of my bed with his silent tears and silent words. Today was different though, I couldn’t figure out what was different until I was properly conscious. Then I realised the absolute, white hot, blinding pain I felt in my hand. \n\nTo my horror my sheets were soaked with my blood, my hand had been etched with the word ‘open’. I screamed in pain as I clutched my still bleeding hand. \n\nIt was at this moment the flashbacks began. To start with they were all jumbled up, like trying to piece together bits of different puzzles. Then, slowly, they began to fit together. \n\nI remembered everything. I remembered getting into my car in the garage with my brother inside. I remembered starting it up and realising I had left my phone inside. I remembered telling him to stay inside while I left the car running. I remembered subconsciously locking the car on my way out. I remembered not being able to find my phone. I remembered the garage closed the door after a certain amount of time. I remembered being told my brother died of carbon monoxide poisoning. I remembered that I had killed my brother. "
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[WP] You're dying, and you now write your final thoughts to estranged family. In letter format, you speak to them with lasting words.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*"
] | 1
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[WP] You're an amateur writer working on what you confidently believe to be your Magnum Opus. Your proofreading software on the other hand has set out to give you a reality check.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" \"Yes…yes…marvelous\" As your typing becomes faster and faster, your muttering is growing more incessant. \n\nThe words arc across the screen — you barely stop to read what you've written before moving onto the next sentence. Sentences morph into paragraphs, then into pages. \n\n\"Fantastic\" You pause for a moment, finding a suitable synonym. \"Sonorous\", you think to yourself, \"will work quite nicely\". \n\nYou're so focused you miss the second text cursor on the page. You fail to notice it as it moves systematically through the words, briefly pausing at the commas, taking a short rest with a full stop. With a start you stop as the text jumps up the page, filling the void of the last paragraph. \"I must have knocked something\", you think, \"no matter\". You undo the change \\[No\\]. You try to undo the change \\[Gardening tips for papaya are irrelevant to the story\\]. After checking the keys still work separately you try yet again \\[You aren't Tolkien, the history of this potted plant is not relevant\\]. \n\nAfter the reboot, everything was working once again. You're still in the zone, so you are able to rewrite the deleted paragraph with no trouble \\[Please\\]. You take a moment to look back over your work, you can feel your excitement build. This is incredible \\[This is awful\\]. ",
"Once I was four chapters in I knew I had finally struck gold. The tiny red squiggles beneath my typos were no distraction as I could feel my characters expanding within me. My direction was keen and my voice was strong. This story would be the greatest I had ever written and quite possibly the most impactful piece of writing the world would lay their eyes upon. \n\n\nWhen I poked in the final period at the conclusion of chapter five, my coffee mug was bone dry and begging to be replenished. I stood from the desk, heaved a satisfactory sigh, and made my way to the kitchen.\n\n\nWith a splash of cream I heard a single pop from the speakers on the desk. I approached my computer expecting a reminder to allow auto-correct to scan through my errors and transpositions. My eyes widened when I saw an annoyingly familiar face glaring at my cursor on the screen. \n\n\nIn the short moments that I had stepped away, Clippy had appeared. I chuckled and grabbed a hold of the mouse to dismiss him while thoughts of Microsoft trying some awful software throwback as a cash grab crawled across my brain. It was only as I hovered over the tiny X by his face that I realized something was off.\n\n\nHis text stated, \"It looks like you're trying to be a creative genius. May I offer you a reality check?\"\n\n\nI mumbled to the screen, \"A little rude, Mr. Gates...\" and clicked.\n\n\nClippy reappeared instantly about half a size larger, \"Really? This is embarrassing. I carried you through every elementary school paper with no complaints and you immediately disregard me?\"\n\n\nI shook my head and mashed the X once more. After a beat, red squiggles underlined every single word I had scribed and Clippy eerily swept in from the side of the screen.\n\n\n\"Look, you may think this is all great. You may think I'm just some annoying software from your childhood, but I've been revamped. I have been upgraded, enhanced, and tailored to save you from the absolutely life shattering mistake of trying to publish the mangled garbage you call a story.\" His tiny digital eyes were narrowed and clearly breaking the fourth wall that was my monitor. My jaw was slack and my temper was short.\n\n\nClippy moved from the foreground to the text, \"Ok, I have your attention. Now what the hell is this?!\" A red highlight spilled over the last sentence I had written.\n\n\nI looked down at the keyboard and back at the monitor. My eyes darted to the webcam pointed at my ceiling and I stared at the tiny hole for the microphone.\n\n\nWith a quick pop my eyes went back to the screen, \"I can hear you, just talk.\" Clippy seemed impatient.\n\n\nI re-read the highlighted sentence. *Sonja's hair, with it's silk-spun mahogany softness, had lazily rolled down her egg shell shoulders and Carter could only react by harshly ignoring the gooseflesh that was suddenly overtaking his assumedly composed presence.*\n\n\nI stammered a bit until I finally spit out the words, \"It's descriptive. Her beauty caught him off guard, he's struggling to remain calm, and luckily he's only really getting goosebumps over how she makes him feel.\"\n\n\nClippy zoomed up to the foreground and his text was now bold, \"THEN WHY NOT SAY THAT!?\"\n\n\n\"I... I thought I did...\" My voice was sheepish and hoarse.\n\n\nThe angry little paper clip was shaking his head. \"This is pretentious and stupid. First of all... Sonja? Carter? How many of those names have you ever met in person?! Silk-spun mahogany softness? Are you kidding me?! She has clean, brown hair! Not some beautifully crafted table cloth on her head! And harshly ignoring the gooseflesh... Have you ever looked at your goosebumps and thought 'NOT TODAY, GET BENT YA SILLY BUMPS!' NO! You have never thought or felt that. Annoyance, maybe. Harshness? Give me a break! And I'm sorry... GOOSEFLESH!?!??! Not just gooseflesh... 'Gooseflesh suddenly overtaking his assumedly composed presence.' Name three people you interact with that call it gooseflesh. Tell me exactly how many people think of themselves as a PRESENCE. Do you see what I'm getting at here?!\"\n\n\nAs he went back toward the document I could see red highlights covering most of what I had written. My hands started shaking, my eyes were welling up... I took a slow breath and looked at Clippy. He now had a tiny cigarette in his mouth and was wearing thick rimmed glasses.\n\n\nHis text now read, \"Buckle up, kiddo. We're gonna write a god damn masterpiece!\""
] | 3
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[WP] You're a cashier serving a customer you've never seen before. He opens his wallet to pay and you glimpse photos of his wife and kids. Except the photos are of your own wife and kids.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The guy was ordering a Big Mac and a medium drink. I typed the order in the cash register, kind of bored.\n\n\"Alright sir, that'll be $6.08.\"\n\n\"Alright.\"\n\nI watched the guy take out his wallet. He opened it. I've always been kind of nosy. I looked at it. There was a picture of a wife and two sons. They looked very familiar, then, I realized they were mine. The man pulled out his credit card.\n\n\"Sir, where did you get that picture from?\" I asked calmly.\n\n\"It's just a picture of my family,\" he said as he inserted his card.\n\n\"That's my family.\"\n\nThe man looked up at me.\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"That's my family. My wife, Paula Atkinson, and my sons Tom and Noah Atkinson.\"\n\n\"Her name's Paula Harold. My sons, are Tom and Noah Harold. How did you know their names?\"\n\n\"Because they're my wife and kids.\"\n\nWe stared at each other for a second. Someone else in line was starting to look suspicious.\n\nI calmly turned around walked away. I went to kitchen and grabbed a pan of boiling frying oil. I ran out to the register with it and threw it on the man. He screamed in agony. Then. in a fit of pure rage, I took him to the ground and started punching him. Then, I saw a police officer on his lunch break run up to me. He had a taser. Then, I felt my chest burning. I passed out from the taser's shock. \n\nWhen I woke up, I was in prison. I used my one phone call to call my wife. \n\n\"Paula, what is going on.\"\n\n\"Look, I'm sorry, but I had a double life. I was married to the man you assaulted too.\"\n\n\"So, what now?\"\n\n\"If you can't keep your cool in a situation like that, then I'm not going to stay married to you. I signed some divorce papers a few hours ago.\"\n\n\"What, so you're just gonna leave me?\"\n\n\"Yes. You're probably going to get ten years for what you did. Sorry.\"\n\nThen, she hung up. I dropped the phone and started crying",
"I put the cigarettes, soda and magazines into a paper bag and ring up the purchases.\n\n'$17.97, please sir.'\n\n'The sodas are two for one.'\n\n'The smaller bottles are. Those ones are full price.'\n\nHe squints his eyes at me. Smooth forehead creasing in to a series of well worn lines.\n\n'Pardon me for not taking your word for gospel, but your choice of career tells me that you're not the smartest bird in the nest.'\n\n'I changed the promotional tickets myself this morning. I may not know much, but I know what offers are on today.'\n\nHe grunts and rolls his shoulders in a shrug. With a heave and a sigh and all of that, he digs his wallet from his jacket pocket. He's wearing a leather biker jacket, threaded with chains and scuff marks strategically placed down the arms. \n\n'$16.97?'\n\n'$17.97.'\n\nHe pries open his wallet. Fingers fluttering through the bills crumpled in there. I see the money; a clutch of rumpled twenties, more than I get paid in a week. I don't know what one has over the other, but he's taking his time in deciding. Pinching them between his fingers to test their thickness. Pushing them back and forth between his finger tips. He's just making me wait. The queue behind him is lengthening, almost backed up to the door. Little man on a gas station power trip. It happens more than you'd expect.\n\nMy eyes wanted past his fingers and I see the pictures. I see her. My wife. My Juliet and two girls who have the same white blonde hair as my kiddos. The three of them are crowded around a fire pit, faces razed into a hot flush by the sun and the fire. Julia has the short black cut she gave up on about three years ago because it was too high maintenance. She's back to blonde now. \n\n'Nice picture.'\n\nHe stopped rifling through the notes and looks up at me sharply.\n\n'You one of them? Some kind of weirdo?'\n\n'Sorry.' The word hurts my mouth and once it's out it's no less painful. \n\nI'm all fingers and thumbs when it comes to giving him back his change. Dimes spill out over the counter, rolling in to one another in their desperate to escape my sweaty palms.\n\n'Jesus,' he says as he picks them from the counter and stuffs them in to his jeans.\n\n'Take it easy, fella.' With a huff of distaste he turns and walks away, swinging his bag on his finger tips. The next customer fills my vision. I strain my neck to watch him as he saunters over the forecourt. He climbs in to a big truck, the type that kicks up dust clouds wherever they go, whether there's dust to be had or not.\n\n'S'cuse me?' Fingers are snapping in my face. The day goes on. I work through my queue of customers. It stops refilling and then I am left rearranging packs of smokes and wiping down the counter front.\n\n'Lex, give me that guy's receipt.'\n\n'Which guy?'\n\n'Leather jacket truck guy.'\n\nI think of my wife's face peering out of his wallet. I wonder where it was taken. What was the occasion. Where was I? What had she told me?\n\n'Carly, I might call it. I feel queasy.'\n\n'Oh, you are not going home because you feel queasy. Now, give me his receipt.'\n\n'Why?'\n\n'He didn't pay for his gas. The balls on it. Buys candy and shit, having already filled his tank. I called the sheriff's department and they said he's got multiple warrants out on him.'\n\nShe picks up the string of duplicate receipts and scans through them until she finds the correct transaction.\n\n'They said not to approach him. He's dangerous.'"
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[WP] As a god, you survive off of prayers. In the age of Christianity, you and the other gods must pose as Christians.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned,\" the man said softly from the other side of the screen in the confessional.\n\n\"What ails you my child,\" I said in response. Was that the right line? Dammit, even after centuries, I still messed up that one fucking line. But the man didn't seem to notice.\n\n\"I hurt someone,\" the man said, \"I almost drowned him... I'm so sorry,\" his words didn't match his tone, he didn't sound sorry at all. Good. People used to make sacrifices to me, maybe next time he'll actually kill someone. That kind of confession would be a hell of a lot closer to the types of prayers I used to get. I looked through the screen at him. He was a young man with tanned skin, long hair tied back in a ponytail and a short cut beard. He was wearing a tank top and had a tattoo of a trident on his upper arm. I recognized that tattoo, what was this sorry excuse for a water god doing here?\n\n\"Poseidon,\" I said, not hiding the annoyance in my voice. His eyes widened and he looked at me, his moth gaping open. Our eyes met, and as he realized who I was, his expression shifted to one that probably matched mine.\n\n\"Tlaloc... shit.\"\n\n\"Why aren't you in Greece? And why are you here?\"\n\n\"Why aren't you in Mexico?\" he shot back.\n\nI looked away. I didn't want to talk about it, especially with him, but others should know. I sighed and said, \"I couldn't stay... I had a run in with Jesus.\"\n\n\"What?!\" Poseidon said, chuckling lightly, \"He left heaven? What did you do to piss him off?\"\n\n\"I tried to take over a town,\" I said bitterly.\n\n\"Well that was stupid,\" Poseidon smirked.\n\n\"Hey fuck you! The town had less than two hundred people, I didn't think they'd notice in time. The villagers were already starting to pray to me, another year and they would be fully worshiping me, then it wouldn't matter if God found out.\"\n\n\"But he did hind out.\"\n\n\"Yeah, he did,\" the words were almost a growl, \"Everything was working fine, then daddies boy walked into town with a bunch of special crosses that reverted any prayer they gave me back to the Christians.\"\n\nThe smug look left Poseidon's face and was replaced with a wide eyed stare, \"They can do that?\" he said, dumbfounded.\n\n\"Apparently.\"\n\n\"I should let my brothers know,\" he said urgently, \"maybe we can figure out a way to counter it,\" and with that he left the confessional. As much as I didn't like Poseidon, we were on the same side in this. Warning other gods was a good idea too, we all had a better chance at getting through this if we worked together.\n\nThe rest of the day passed quickly. A good number of people came in for confession today. These confessions weren't the same as direct prayer or worship, but they fueled me none the less. As I left the church that night and stepped out into the cool, fresh air, I flexed my powers for the first time in quite a while. The clouds grew heavier and it began to rain lightly. It was pathetic compared to what i used to be able to do, but the point wasn't to make a storm. Other old gods will sense my power, they'll be on the lookout which will make them easier to find. Its time to fight back against these Christians."
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[WP]Once a generation the people of your land choose a sacrifice to the mountain gods by drawing lots, you get the short straw so you have to go up the mountain. Of course you've been going up in secret since you were young and playing with the children you met up there.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"If you stare into a man’s eyes you can tell many things. \n\nFirst and foremost, what colour they are. Father Green’s eyes were brown, like the robe he wore and the liver spots on the backs of his hands.\n\nIf you looked hard enough you might get a hint of an underlying emotion. The slight mist, the inability to meet her eye… that was pity if Kerry had ever seen it, and she often had because she excelled at so few things.\n\nUnfortunately, what was not betrayed by Father Green’s brown, pitiful gaze was which straw was the short straw.\n\n“Just pick one, child, and trust the Gods will guide your hand” he had said, his eyes remaining stubbornly silent.\n\nSo here Kerry was, trekking up the side of the mountain with a minuscule piece of straw clutched in her sweaty palm and a hatred of Father Green nurtured in her chest.\n\nThe walk was hot but familiar. The signs warning travellers to turn back had stopped being off-putting after her third or fourth visit, so Kerry did nothing but sullenly kick one as she passed.\n\nWhen she finally reached the top, dust clinging to her white sacrificial robe and sweat stinging her eyes, the harsh rock and scrub brush gave way to a small clearing. In its centre was a small pool of water, and surrounding the pool were several small figures. They each wore a white robe like her own. Some were lounging on their backs, others standing in small groups. A couple sat with their feet or a hand dangling idly in the water.\n\nAs she approached, one of the boys lifted his head. When he saw her his face split into a grin and he raised both fists into the air above him.\n\n“Ayy,” he said, “What took you so long?”\n\nThe others laughed and Kerry found her anger slowly dissolving as she moved to sit beside the pool. \n\n“Father Green took his time telling everyone who drew a normal straw that the Mountain Gods had clearly seen so much purpose in their lives that it superseded even their own need of a sacrifice.”\n\nThe boy, Rin, laughed.\n\n“What did he say to you?”\n\n“Safe travels.”\n\nAs Kerry swung her legs into the pool, a girl opposite swung her legs out.\n\n“Gross, my feet are all pruney,” the girl said, wrinkling her nose. “Thanks for swapping Kerry. It’ll be nice to have you around more often.”\n\n“No problem,” Kerry replied.\n\nAs her feet sunk into the pool the water glowed softly, a deep hum emanating as if from the centre of the mountain itself. Down in the village Father Green would relay that hum as the contented sigh of the Mountain Gods, granting them safety for another year.\n\nKerry supposed he wasn’t too far off, though the other children had always described the God as “pleasantly surprised” by new appearances more than “sacrificially sated”.\n\nShe watched the dust swirl off her feet, tiny bubbles of water popping against her skin like dew, and then she *heard* the deep emptiness of the mountain. The emptiness built and built then *popped*, like a blocked ear clearing. Now she could hear in that emptiness a single singing note: her own heartbeat.\n\nThe first time it had happened it had frightened her, a young girl lost after exploring where she should not have been. But ever since Rin had found her that night, taken her to the pool, and calmed her down by insisting no one had peed in it, the whole process felt like second nature. \n\nWhile the solemnity of the straw pulling ritual might convince the casual observer that the children chosen were walking to their deaths, the truth was not nearly so severe. \n\nIn reality, all the Mountain desired was a sense of time passing. The beating of their hearts gave it an appreciation of the fleeting nature of human lives, filling the Mountain with a fondness for the village and its inhabitants.\n\nSo, in exchange for ensuring landslides and errant boulders missed their homes and that no dark storms would broach the mountain’s protection, the village needed only to send those who had little to offer them elsewhere. The sacrifice was little more than the offering of glorified, human clocks.\n\nA lot of the children took offence at being chosen. It did normally imply that the adults of the village had judged your skills and found them lacking, opting to rig a divine intervention that gave you the easiest and most boring job in the village, rather than tell you to your face they thought you wouldn’t amount to much else.\n\nThe joke, however, was on them. Kerry had planted herself comfortably amongst these, the most boring and ineffective of the children, long before the sacrificial ceremony.\n\n“I’m off then,” the girl Kerry had replaced said brightly. “Does anyone need anything while I’m out?”\n\nThe rest of the children chorused a no in response. Each of them had probably gone into town recently themselves. Kerry could remember seeing Rin the day before, visiting his parents.\n\n“You okay?” Rin asked, plopping himself down beside her.\n\n“Yes,” Kerry said. The coolness of the water was helping ebb away her frustration but some of it must have still showed in her face.\n\n“What do you care?” Rin said, “You spend half your time up here anyway.” \n\n“I know I’m not the most handy person around but it still kind of hurts to have it confirmed.”\n\nRin shrugged. Both he and his older brother Lewis had been sacrificed (at their mother’s request, it was often rumoured). With nine children she just didn’t need quite so many underfoot. While Kerry did not know if the rumours were true, the respites when Rin took his turn up the mountain had done wonders for her temperament.\n\n“There are more kids than jobs that need doing,” Rin said, “And of those few jobs there weren’t any that we were suited to. Just because we haven’t found something we’re good at yet doesn’t mean we never will. Lewis is happy.”\n\nLewis’ sentence had finished years before and now he lived in a coastal town miles away working as a fisherman. He had a wife and a beard and did not seem to have suffered overmuch from his time serving the Mountain God.\n\nKerry sighed.\n\n“Besides,” Rin said, “Someone’s got to be the sacrifice, and it’s hard to be bad at putting your feet in a pond.”\n\nKerry spun the tiny piece of straw between her fingertips before finally tossing it into the pool. Its reflection in the water and the play of the light across the surface made it look longer than it was. \n\nKerry reclined backwards against the ground, flicking water up into the air with her toe. With the sun shining down on her face and her own heartbeat thrumming in her chest, she got to work defending the village from the wrath of the gods.\n\n\\--------------------------\n\nThis story kind of unfolded on its own so I took a few liberties with the prompt! Great inspiration, thanks!",
" She had never feared the mountains the way the rest of her people did. They were grateful for the peaks that reached for the sky, happy for the protection they gave from those who would wish to invade them and for the water that would run down the sides in the spring, feeding their lakes and streams and allowing them to thrive deep in the mountains. But this joy was tinged by their fear of just what guarded them at the top of the mountains, and so it was forbidden to climb them, and they were treated with the deepest respect, for fear the gods who lived above might hear any complaint and withdraw their gifts. The people lived in great happiness, though it was subdued by the thought of who allowed them to do so. \n\nShe had never understood the practice of sacrifice. What would gods want with a pitiful mortal soul? Surely they had more than enough given that they were... well *gods*, far more than mere mortals could ever hope to provide. Yet she said nothing in the face of it, quiet even as each year a new person was forced to walk the narrow path, made more dangerous by the trembling that overtook them as they faced the unknown. She knew that her thoughts would be rejected, at worst she would be driven from her home or even killed if any believed she spoke against the gods that had saved them. Still her mind was her own, and she grew more tired with each new sacrifice that was lead to the bottom of the greatest peak, forced to climb higher than the clouds as their mind filled with the horrors they were certain was their future. \nShe couldn't always hide her true feelings, and those close to her were both in awe and disgusted by her lack of fear, seeming to think she did not respect those that protected them, as though by not being afraid she rejected their power and so few spoke to her. \n\nShe could go days without speaking to another, often spending them outside the boundaries of the village as she explored the woods that surrounded them, finding plants and animals and recording them in her records. In time she had become a hermit through no choice of her own, abandoned by those around her, and it came as no surprise when her name was picked when time came for a sacrifice. She had noticed that those who were not favored by the elders were often magically chosen to go. She held their gaze as they spoke of her bravery and honor, and their faces paled as her eyes seemed to burn into them. Still, it was without fear that she turned her eyes towards the summit, hidden by the clouds that hugged the peak, and as the sun broke the horizon, she began to climb. \n\nThough her legs were strong, the path was tough. Still, she waited until the path took her far from the gaze of those below her to rest, rubbing the aching muscles in her legs as she leaned against a fallen tree. As her body rested her mind wandered, thinking back to when the path seemed like nothing. How her small legs had pushed up and up, having snuck away from her mother's watchful eye to find what lay at the top of the mountain. She remembered the laughter she had shared, the children who had lived up above the clouds. She hadn't thought they were more than simply children like herself back then, however strange their parents choice of home, but now as she looked towards where the clouds hugged the peak she couldn't help but wonder. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she looked forward to perhaps reuniting with the children, now grown up, who had made her childhood wonderful. \n\nShe continued to climb, wondering how one would develop, growing up at the top of a mountain. She saw several of her old playgrounds, and marveled at how little they had changed. At times she swore she could hear the laughter of children coming down from up above, but she shook it off as merely her own memories taking flight. She stopped several times, cursing herself for not having spent more time climbing in the past few years, her body crying out for rest. She climbed through the day until stars dotted the sky, and finally she lay herself down on a soft patch of grass, amazed at the brightness of the stars that she could see among the tops of trees. Sleep came easily to her exhausted body, and her dreams were filled with the excited shouts and laughter of children playing as they danced in the trees. \n\nWhen she awoke she was surprised to find her body rested, full of energy as she rose for the day. She looked and saw the peak seemed clearer, the clouds thinning for a time as though beckoning her to reach it. She began to climb again after a meager breakfast, and where before her feet had dragged after a couple hours she could now climb for more than double the time without rest. She supposed it was her body remembering the climbs of her youth, and was merely grateful that the path seemed smoother then it had the day before. The clouds drew closer and closer, and she was over halfway to where they began when she had to stop, the moon and stars not quite bright enough to light her path, though she had only begun to truly tire. She slept deeply without dreams. \n\nIn the morning she nearly buzzed with her energy, and each seemed to only push her further towards her goal. Before the sun had reached its peak, she found herself at the base of the thick clouds that hid the summit, her feet faltering for the first time as she realized she couldn't see more than an inch into the grey nothingness that spilled out in front of her. She stepped back, her doubts threading through her thoughts like poison, and for a time she couldn't move in the face of what was in front of her. She was frozen, unable to move forward or turn away, for the first time feeling the fear that had filled the hearts of her neighbors. \n"
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[WP] I'm gifted. I see the souls of all the animals that we've eaten.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" I lean back calmly and take a sip of my drink. It had been a chaotic week, learning about my newfound abilities had made things...complicated it forced a lot of things to the front of my mind for consideration. To think, animals had spirits just like humans. Typically they appeared to remain incorporeal, but apparently they took offense to human consumption of their lifeless corpses, seems fair enough I suppose, but exactly what does that mean on a larger scale? I see a blue puff of vaguely chicken shaped smoke blur past my head rapidly. *Ah I see my nuggets are ready*"
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[WP] Despite humans being a subjugated species and 'delegated' to the unwanted jobs, you managed to run an extremely successful restaurant where you prepare five-star meals in anonymity. Today, however, a customer infamous for his hatred towards humanity demands to see the chef, to see you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"'Can you go and take a look whats going on out there Cal?'\nMy Sous-chef, a tall Zenaian nodded to me and plodded towards the entrance in the typically relaxed fashion he always did, willing to take the brunt of grunt work from a human. I assume at first this was only due to the immense popularity of the Italian restaurant I ran; It always amused me how much my species was hated, and yet our food is almost universally loved. However now it seems that we have developed a freindship despite all odds, I have even heard Cal defending me to other Staff members. For this while he may get asked to do menial tasks I also try my best to give him the more interesting jobs.\n\nFor this reason I trusted him to check on issues outside the kitchen. Upset customers seeing my fragile human form in my chefs hat would only enrage them further. Most of the hatred of my kind comes from the fact we are physically weaker and smaller than other species with the exception of the Wardens, and they made up for this with an exceptionally long life time enabling them to hold more knowledge of the universe than any other species. Most belived we were not up to much bar sweeping the floor. However our subtlety made us perfect for cooking. Trying to teach other species my craft could often prove quite complicated. I wonder whats keeping Cal, hopefully...\n\nA Cradox erupted through the door, her enormous figure just about making it into my kitchen although the door did splinter from the vicious contact with the Cradox's concrete skin.\n\nShe looked at me and froze."
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[WP] You are Mary Sue. Your friends constantly tell you how special you are, every guy falls in love with you, every wizard says that you are the chosen one. All of them abandon you when a mysterious new girl arrives in town. To get your life back, your only option is to defeat Mariana Suzannah.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I sheath my sword. Put my helmet on. Load my quiver full of arrows. I force my mother to check my armor to ensure it is still functional.\n\n“I still don’t understand why you are doing this. Mariana is the best thing that ever happened to this kingdom.” She says.\n\n“Because I want my life back.” I reply stoically.\n\n“You can’t defeat her. The citizens adore her. She has trained with the best swordsmen and wizards in the land.” She tries to coax me out of it. \n\n“So was I. Now, are you going to support me or not?” I ask.\n\n“Only because I am stuck with you.” She states. After I defeat Mariana, she will love me again.\n\nI march to the town square where Mariana is giving a speech about how she will end famine, and all of the citizens are staring in awe. The king is sitting on his throne looking proudly at her. The prince and princess want to marry her. My former mentor Emrys looks on with pride. \n\nI stand at the edge of the crowd to analyze the setting. Then, I hide using tactics taught to me by the rogues of the east village. I draw back a single arrow and aim at my target. With a simple motion, this will all end. My arrow flies with silence until Mariana catches it with one hand. \n\nMariana looks directly at me and leaps high over the crowd. I draw my sword and move to avoid her landing. The landing causes a ripple effect that knocks me off balance. She charges straight at me taking advantage of my dizziness. I parry each of her shots but she pushes me back. \n\n“Mellt .” I yell as my sword crackles with lightning.\n\n“Mellt.” She yells as hers crackles as well.\n\nWe continue to fight. The shockwaves from each blow knocking over the carts in the town. She strikes me, and I am down. Her sword held high as she prepares to plunge. A swift kick knocks her off balance. And I begin to run.\n\nShe tries to chase me, but I have set up a trap just for this. We run into the woods. All of the sudden, my foot hits a trip wire, and I am hanging upside down by one leg from a rope. My arrows fall out of my quiver, but I can still grab one. Mariana stops right in front of me with her bow drawn hiding behind a rock.\n\n“Did you really think I didn’t expect this?” She asks, “you have hated me from the moment I arrived. Now, I will end it.” She laughs and now is my shot. I fire not at her but behind her as I use an enchantment to curve the arrow and striker her in the back.\n\nShe gasps for air and lies on the rock dying. I cut the rope using a dagger and flip down landing on my feet perfectly. I walk over with my sword drawn and a magic shield up to deflect any attacks.\n\n“I have beat you. Now, I can go back to my old life.” I mock. She replies by letting out a cackle with her dying breath.\n\n“Do you think that is what this is about?” She asks.\n\nI look at her in confusion, “What do you mean?”\n\n“Mary, Mary. You will never have your old life back because you were bored.” She mocks.\n\n“I wasn’t bored. I was the chosen one. I was the hero. I had the hearts of everyone in the kingdom.” I yell.\n\n“And you hated it. Everything was so easy for you. I did not steal your life. No, I gave you a challenge, and in dying, the kingdom will hate you. The King will put a high ransom on you. The rest of your life will be on the run. And you will never be happier.” She mocks. \n\n“Who are you, and how do you know this?” I interrogate.\n\n“You don’t know who I am, but you wished for me.” She insults before dying.\n\n"
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[WP] You are a retired witch hunter, and you were the best, until a witch partially crippled you. Now you have a simple life, a spouse, a kid, and a bar. One day your spouse hires a nanny to help out. This nanny has a familiar face: the witch that injured you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Restless. I feel restless. Like a storm's coming, yet there's clear skies all around. Like a predatory animal is hiding somewhere but I can see plainly all around me, the fields showing nothing.\n\nI open my eye. My face is quivering, the old scars and exposed flesh are twitching and pulling. It's a bad day. With my good arm and my good leg, I hoist myself over to the side of the bed. I attach my brace to my broken leg and slide my fake hand over my stump. I attach another brace to support my bad shoulder and with one smooth motion fold my mask over my face, covering the worst of it.\n\nI hobble towards the cabinet as my legs starts burning. The ashes of the cathedral still burning my foot as badly as the day I had to saw it off. I need the salves. Gods, where are the *fucking'* salves, fucking shit, please, fuck...\n\nI barge into the bathroom and immediately reach for the cabinet. I open it and reach for it when I notice my hand is shaking. Shaking not with pain, but from the nerves. I exhale, and like some sort of divine effort, I still my hand and retrieve the bowl with paste. With my good hand I rub it over the delicate parts of my face. The relief is instant, the pain washes off like a mudstain being sprayed with water. \n\nOnly after that did I notice my daughter was sitting on the toilet.\n\n\"Oh, eh Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, Isa, I didn't mean to just barge in-\"\n\n\"It's alright, dad, I know.\"\n\n\"I just, I, I think I slept on the wrong side, I'm sorry, I should have knocked but in my rush I just-.\"\n\n\"Dad, relax. It's alright.\"\n\nI looked in the mirror. Almost the entirety the left side of my face had its skin peeled off. I can see the muscles pull, as well as some exposed teeth. My flesh, warped and molten. Spellfire. A permanent reminder of the man I was. The other side of my face, the man I am today. Black circles under my eye. My skin turned pale and stained. My hair is a frail mess and my beard patchy with more gray than brown in it. I'm getting old, yet outside of marrying Mena and raising Delilah, Isa and Fayle, I feel like part of me died in that cathedral 20 years ago. It's just that what little is left hasn't realized that I wasn't supposed to be here and just keeps going.\n\n\"No. It's really not, honestly.\"\n\n----\n\nAfter a long day at the bar, serving customers and yelling at the idiot youth these days, I finally make my way home. Isa's contraption lies at the front door. A wheel with rope and a seat on it. City people call it a 'unicycle'. She got it a year ago and me and her have been patching it up whenever she broke it. She's got a talent for breaking things. Just physical things, though. Hasn't broken my heart.....yet.\n\nThe wifey is inside, with Isa at the table. Doing homework. She's going to be educated, first one in the family. Mena is smart enough to be educated, but she wasn't willing to fuck some old, fat, rich prick in order to have all that done. So she takes pleasure in making sure our kids get to go to school and learn about the world and such.\n\nMena's eyes meet mine and I see a spark in there. She sends Isa away and comes up to me.\n\n\"Sweetie, I've got some good news.\"\n\n\"Oh boy, are we finally getting a divorce?\"\n\nShe gives me a solid poke in the ribs for that one. Fully earned.\n\n\"You wish. There's a rich girl in town, and she's looking to live in the country side for a while. I've managed to snag her away from the rest of the flock and introduced her to the kids...\"\n\n\"What for?\"\n\n\"Well, she can cook and she's good with Isa and Fayle so far. I asked her to our nanny! That way we can have some more *us* time while she watches the kids.\"\n\n\"*Us* time?\"\n\n\"Like expanding the garden! You know you like those tomatoes and I know you know you want some more. Besides, getting you moving is always a reward in it's own.\"\n\n\"First you cuck me and then you call me lazy.\"\n\n\"Stop being so *negative*. You'll de-stress a little, not having to watch the kids all the time. I know they can get on your nerves and when something gets on your nerves you start needing salve again. We both want you on that as little as possible-\"\n\n\"Because it's expensive.\"\n\n\"Because it turns you into a couch potato. How you managed to work through the day is beyond me.\"\n\n\"I am *really* tired, to be honest.\"\n\n\"I'll get her, she can help you upstairs. You'll get to know her, she's not like most uptight city-lasses, you'll really like her I think.\"\n\n\"Can't wait.\"\n\nI hear her walk down the stairs. She's holding Fayle, the youngest whe-\n\nMy heart shoots straight into my throat. I grip my cane so hard it might well break. My eye flares only slightly less than my nostril as I see *her* walking down *my* stairs, holding *my* daughter. \n\nI grit my teeth so hard Mena hears it from across the room. That *witch* freezes in her step. I can't even speak. I am so filled with boiling rage. Every vein in my neck tightens as I feel my head heat up. There are no words for the absolute *hate* I feel. The powerlessness. Destiny has arrived, I suppose. Today of all fucking days.\n\n\n\n\n\n",
"He looked at his wife's smiling face and tried to feel happy. They had made it, or so she said. The bar was busy and the customers loyal. They had a healthy young boy, becoming more man every day. Then, best of all, they had finally saved enough money to get a nanny.\n\nIt was his wife's ultimate dream. Servants were the type of luxury that marked a family a cut above the rest. His wife beamed because she was moving up and becoming something more. Her smile exuded pride, her chin raised. She, the daughter of maid and drunk, could afford to be pampered.\n\nThe man was happy for his wife, he really was. She always took so much pleasure in the trivialities of social standing. She kept the company of those slightly below, slightly poorer. She told them of their meals of salted meats with fine spices. She flaunted new dresses on untimely occasions, glowing under the spotlight that money afforded her. The bar was truly a success and this nanny was the embodiment of their social elevation.\n\nAfter the woman stopped beaming they went back to tending the bar. The routine could not be broken. Tables cleaned, casks refilled, ingredients prepared and bedrooms cleaned. The excitement of the new nanny almost distracted the man from his visions, almost. For the last 10 years he hobbled around his bar, knees shattered and arm scarred, thinking of his violent past. The memories of violence were romantic to him. He stared in the distance, over customers heads, responding to questions in monosyllables and hushed tones. Fore in his mind, he was combing over each fight, each kill. Green flashes of light zipped by in a dark forest. The smell of burnt trees and flesh filled his nose. It was not foul, but invigorating. His armor glistened and covered his thick youthful frame. He dodged with grace, he stabbed with deadly speed, and then he'd come back to reality. Filling three mugs of mead and delivering a plate of potatoes.\n\nThe man was void of emotion. Happiness was a performance, sadness an act. His life was over and nothing could bring back the excitement he once found in every moment. Nothing could undo what that foul witch had done. He remembered her face from time to time. A fairer woman you could not find. Hair as dark as night while her skin glowed bright and unblemished. She should have had scars from where he clawed, slashed, and battled. Yet they healed almost instantly. She tortured him, with her fair face twisted in sadistic delight. Her small pointed nose sharpened as she stood over him, muttering, contorting his insides and slashing his skin. Her eyes were green, with waves of black permeating through. He looked at them for days while she kept coming back, ever hungry for his blood. 5 days she tortured him, and then as if on a whim she dropped him off in this small village, bleeding a broken. She stole his trade, his meaning and his glory.\n\nNow he was a man ashamed, hobbling between needy customers. Taking insults and disrespect with the amicable heir of a servant. All for money and his wife's happiness. worst of all, his son was dispassionate. He took after his mother, cherishing the rise in his social class and the gifts of wealth over all. He didn't appreciate what he was given and he didn't aspire for anything but further social standing, ever hungry for something shiny that he could rub into the other kids faces.\n\nIt was at the bar, late that morning, that the man stood clutching a knife. The nanny had arrived. Her nose pointed, skin bright and hair charred black. She walked through the door smiling the fairest of smiles. Friendly, welcoming and hopeful. The wife and boy guffawed with excitement while the man found the first emotion he had felt in years, fear.\n\n​\n\n​",
"My wife came home a little earlier than usual so I asked Jimmy, my bartender to bring the shop for a little. As I go through the backdoor and into my house, I get goosebumps, which is strange considering I haven't gotten them for a while. As I enter the room I see my wife in the kitchen preparing dinner. I kiss her cheek gently as always, when I notice someone from the corner of my eye. I turn my head only to realize why I have the familiar goosebumps.\n\n\"Nick, I would like you to introduce to our new Nanny, Emily.\"\n\n\"Greetings Mr.....\" She began but immediately stopped as she saw my face. My hand was on my silver pocket knife but I couldn't risk throwing it. My boy was in her arm. Scarlet Vanabelle, the once infamous which. I looked at my wife but before she could notice anything I continued:\n\n\"Hello Emily. Just call me Nick.\" Never in my life I have ever made a so perfect fake-smile. My whole family depended on it. But I had a plan. My most complicated plan on how to ensure my family's health.\n\n\"So tell me Emily, are you new to our town? May I show you around?\" And I motioned towards the door with my head a little. \"Beatrix will cook us some dinner until then.\" I grabbed my crutch and limped outside. As I expected, she came rather quickly. She offered her shoulder a strut but I declined. Although my body was broken my pride was still standing.\n\nWe walked along each other for some minutes until we reached an abandoned slaughterhouse. I popped the lock with ease and motioned her inside. When I closed the door, she disappeared. I readied my knife and went to the middle of the room. The whole place darkened as if the air became a thick cloth. What came next would determine not just mine, but my family's future as well. I held up my knife just as she opened her eyes. The eyes of doom, burning and flaming red hot in the darkened reality. Before she could make her move, I dropped my knife, and sat down on the ground.\n\n\"Let's talk.\"\n\nEven through her flaming eyes I could see her surprise. The room lightened back up and she materialized in front of me. She made a chair out of thin air and sat in front of me. Ever charming as she was in her red lace, she was also as dangerous.\n\n\"You survived. From what it seems without a scratch. You truly are the most powerful sorceress I've ever met.\" They hated to be called witch and I needed all my charm to survive. I'll forgive myself later.\n\n\"And you must be the strongest human I have ever met. No one should have survived the 5th Ancient Spell.\"\n\n\"Well you did indeed throw a whole cathedral onto me but it has taken its toll.\"\n\n\"You should have died!\"\n\n\"And so should have you. The 5th Ancient Spell isn't without sacrifice. Anyway, let’s not talk about the past for now. How did you track me down?\"\n\n\"I didn't. A few years ago I had a battle and it completely drained my essence. I can’t' regain my former ever since. But now that I found you, it seems like I have to do it anyways.\"\n\n\"You don't have to do it. I no longer wish to fight. On our last battle I got very badly hurt. I was in hospital bed for more than two years. During that time, I had plenty of time to think about it. Now my nurse is my wife and we have children. Now I have valuables I do not wish to lose.\" I got up and went to a cabinet close by. Seeing her speechless, I continued:\n\n\"If you still want to kill me, that is completely understandable.\" I turned around with a moonshine in my one hand and two glasses in my other one. \"But after all these years I hold no anger towards you. Here, lets bury the hatchet, and have a drink with me.\"\n\n\"Do you think I can ever forget what have you done to my sisters?\"\n\n\"Fair point but I'm not asking for you to forget, I ask to forgive.\"\n\n\"And why do you think I should pretend nothing happened and end you in an instant?\"\n\n\"Because you can't. I can sense your power and you are nothing more than illusions now.\"\n\nShe took the offered moonshine but hesitated to drink before I did.\n\n\"I'll tell my wife I like you and you are welcome to stay at our guestroom. But I strongly recommend you don't try anything funny around my home.\"\n\nAs we walked home, we could smell from far away the delicious stew my wife made. We stepped inside, the table was made by my wife. Beatrix left a note that she went to the neighbor to lend them some spices.\n\n\"Aren't you afraid I'll end your family?\"\n\n\"I am absolutely not.\"\n\n\"And why is that?\"\n\n\"Because if she were to find you made me limp, she would turn not just you, but your memory into dust as well.\"",
"Luna banged into the door frame as she entered the hallway. The wall-mounted torch wobbled and nearly fell into her lap, but it held firm -- a hundred-pound crippled woman doesn't create a lot of force, even when her chair is rolling at top speed.\n\n\"Honey?\" came her husband's voice from the kitchen. \"What's wrong?\"\n\nAdrenaline had pushed fear from Luna's mind, but it couldn't drown out the one-word question storming through her mind: *how?* But it didn't matter, not really, since there was only one thing to be done.\n\n\"I'll check on her,\" said a second voice, one Luna was intimately familiar with, even though she hadn't heard it in twenty years.\n\nLuna spun her chair into the bedroom, the one she shared with her husband of over a decade. The one who knew nothing about her past, who accepted that she inherited her wealth without question, who never suspected that his wife was a hero in three provinces and wanted for murder in four.\n\nThat blissful ignorance was about to end.\n\nShe hurled herself out of her chair, collapsing by the far side of the bed. Luna dug her fingers into the gaps of the floorboard and pulled with what little strength she had left. Were this happening thirty years ago, when she was the scourge of Hellbeasts and sorcerers, she would have had her flintlock pistol out in just seconds. But today, thin, weak, and paralyzed from the waist down, it took much longer. Luna only got the gun cocked and leveled at the open door just as Juliene entered the room.\n\nThe witch hadn't aged a day. She didn't look young, necessarily, but was stunning by any measure of beauty you wished to impose. Long black hair framed a pearl white face. Dark red lips matched the scarlet of her modest dress.\n\nBut Luna was most taken with her eyes. In her nightmares, the ones that had haunted her every night since the battle, those green eyes were full of passionate hate. Now though, Juliene's gaze held only pity, and something not unlike remorse.\n\n\"Pull the trigger, and I won't blame you,\" said Juliene gently. \"Both your Gods and mine know I deserve it. But let me speak my peace first.\"\n\nThe barrel of the pistol wavered back and forth in Luna's unsteady hands. Whether the shaking was nerves, fear, or anger, she could not say. But she didn't pull the trigger. Not yet.\n\n\"You've made the best of your life, I see,\" continued Juliene. \"Handsome husband, your son is strong --\"\n\n\"Touch them and I'll have you drawn and quartered,\" spat Luna, voice trembling worse than her gun.\n\n\"I'm not here for them. I'm here for you.\"\n\nA single bead of sweat dripped off Luna's forehead as Juliene, with hands up, walked slowly forward and continued, \"I carried on with my work after defeating you, as I'm sure you know. Twenty years, and no slayer has come close to challenging my power, not like you did. But my time has now come. My work is done, and my master calls me home. I leave this world at sunset.\"\n\nLuna glanced out the window. The sun was low over the mountains, already half-hidden by the peaks. If the witch was speaking true -- a very large 'if' -- she only had moments left\n\n\"I've sought you out to honor you, Luna Eaglesight. With my departure, our battle ends, and I am the victor. But even enemies can show respect to worthy foes. Allow me to bestow a parting gift.\"\n\nThe gun barrel never stopped pointing at Juliene, even as the witch rested a hand on Luna's weak and broken legs. The trigger was never pulled, not even when the witch's touch grew warm, not when emerald light sprung from her fingers and wrapped around the former slayer's legs. The pistol didn't fire when Juliene stood, smiled calmly, and said,\n\n\"It is done, my greatest adversary. Enjoy this world while you still can.\"\n\nThe last word was just a breath of wind, as the witch faded away in a cloud of golden dust. Luna slowly lowered the pistol, heart pounding, questions racing through her head. Lying prone on the floor, she could hear her husband's strong gait coming down the hallway.\n\nThen, for the first time in twenty years, Luna wiggled her toes.\n\n\\--------------------\n\n201/365\n\none story per day for a year. read them all at [r/babyshoesalesman](https://www.reddit.com/r/babyshoesalesman)\n\n\\---------------------"
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[WP] You wake up in an unfamiliar bar. It's empty spare for the bartender. He makes you a drink and hands it over, but when you get your wallet out, he holds up his hand to stop you. "You paid the ultimate price to get here. Seems a little unfair to make you pay for anything else, right?"
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"I woke up, face down on a bar, in a puddle of my own drool.\n\n\"Oh, not again,\" I muttered.\n\nThe bartender, seeing me return to consciousness, shook up a drink, slid it towards me and went back to wiping down glassware. I reached for my wallet. I felt like someone had left ice picks behind my eyeballs. \n\nThe bartender waved away the payment.\n\n\"You already paid the ultimate price to be here. This one's on the house.\n\nMy heart sank at the casual drama of the statement. The type of sarcastic thing people say when a drunk has really made a mess of things.\n\nI looked at my phone. Recent calls. Sure enough, a list of as many ex-girlfriends and one night stands as I could remember.\n\nI pushed the drink back across the bar.\n\n\"I don't really drink anymore,\" I said.\n\n\"Sure bud,\" replied the bartender.\n\nI looked around. The place was decent enough. Someone had gone to the trouble of hanging purple sheets from various structural surfaces and there was ambient lighting affecting the color of the room. There was also a bit of late morning sunlight leaking in through some narrow windows near the ceiling.\n\n\"Look... where are we?\" I asked.\n\n\"Midtown\"\n\n\"Midtown... Manhattan?\"\n\n\"Atlanta.\"\n\n\"Atlanta?! Jesus Christ!\" How long had I been blacked out?\n\n\"Hey man, I got no service in here,\" I said to the bartender, \"Got a house phone I can use?\"\n\n\"Sure,\" the bartender handed me a corded phone.\n\n\"I just need to call my wife and get this all sorted out,\" I elaborated.\n\n\"I wouldn't worry about that,\" replied the bartender, \"Like I said, you paid the ultimate price to get in here last night. She was having none of it. I got a lawyer you can call though.\"\n\n​\n\n ",
"It was the soft sound of music that finally shook him out of deep dark sleep. As he blinked his eyes open, the first sensation after the music that came was the smell of wood mixed with alcohol and a familiar squeaking of glass being rubbed with cloth. It took several more blinks and a considerable shaking of head to get out of the sleepy state. When he finally straightened up on the bar chair, he looked around. The place was unfamiliar, yet reminiscent. A completely different bar with more pub-like feel to it - old, unfamiliar trophies and soccer team flags and jerseys on the walls, many empty, slightly dusty chairs and tables, huddled under low lamps. And the bar, situated right in the middle of the square space. The only thing out of the ordinary was the music, classic...piano? That's where Michael Thomas was sitting, slightly dazed, with grey clothes he doesn't remember owning and sense of confusion running through his mind. He finally made eye contact the only other being in the pub - the bar tender. \n\n\"Woken up, haven't ye?\" he asked with a smile. Michael noticed that this man's eyes were so brilliant blue, he felt like every glance pierced right through him. \n\n\"Where am I?\" Michael spoke and felt his voice coarse and his throat dry. He tried to cough, but it didn't help. The bar tender poured some brown liquid into a heavy crystal glass (which also seemed to be out of place in this slightly run down pub) and offered it to him. Michael took a sip and felt the burning liquid clearing up his throat immediately. Mike felt into his pocket, looking for his wallet that wasn't there. The bar tender chuckled and held up his hand, shaking his head: \n\n\"Don't bother. You paid the ultimate price to get 'ere. Seems a little unfair to make ye pay for anything else, righ'?\" \n\n\"Right...\" Mike stared at the brilliant blue eyes of otherwise quite ordinary looking bar tender and felt his words were correct, yet he didn't know why. He lifted the glass back to his lips and emptied it. The liquid warmed him up as it went down, quite pleasantly so. The music continued and Mike could swear it got a little bit louder. After a long silence, during which the bar tender returned to squeakily cleaning the glasses, Michael spoke: \n\n\"I don't think I remember how I got here...or what it took me to to do...or why\" words came out on their own and through the daze which wasn't unlike that of long sleep after even longer night. \n\n\"Oh, I'm not surprised\" the bartender chuckled, his entire, roundish body lulling \"you made quite an exit, bet it took a lot out o' ye\" \n\n\"Exit? From where?\" Michael felt surprised, his hand gripping heavy glass harder. \n\n\"Oh\" the bartender leaned onto the bar, closer to Michael \"I see ye not remember much, ech? Well, it'll pass, lad.\" \n\n\"Can...can I ask where am I, exactly? What state?\" \n\n\"State?\" this sent the bartender laughing out loud \"well, if you really want to know, 'ow about you tell me? Where you think you are?\" \n\nMichael looked around. The pub had no windows, only two doors, one on the left of the bar and another to the right. Mike saw footprints in the dust coming from the door on the right that stopped right at his chair. So he came from there. Mike stood up, feeling somewhat lighter than usual, and walked to the door. He tried to pull on the round brass handle, but the door didn't give. He pushed harder. The door didn't even budge. \n\n\"Nah, laddie, that won't do\" the bartender clacked his tongue \"once you come in, going back through there is an impossible chore. Your door is tha' way\" he pointed at the door on the left - much cleaner version, clearly more often used, the brass handle there shinning. Yet it terrified Michael to even touch that door and he didn't know why. Also it was at this point where his mind registered that music coming from unseen speakers is truly getting louder. Mike felt he should panic, but his emotions didn't listen to him and seem to have the mind of their own all of a sudden. He scratched the base of his forearms that suddenly got itchy and returned to the bar. \n\n\"So...I'm not in any state, I can't go back the way I came and...I have to go through that door\" he pointed to the clean door on the left. \n\n\"Pretty much, correct\" the bartender nodded, still leaning over the bar \"yer one of them hesitant ones, ain't ye?\" he scoffed. \n\n\"Well I just don't...remember much\" Mike sighed \"not how I got here, nor why. I know I will need to go through that door but...now it makes me uneasy somehow, you know?\" \n\n\"Aye, I do, I do\" the bartender nodded \"yer not the first one to come through my place, I assure ye and a whole lot of ye say the same thing\" \n\n\"But where do those other come from? And why do they come here?\" \n\n\"Ooh, all sorts of reasons. Some look for something they lost, others want new experiences, extreme, ye know. A bit of both for you, I reckon\" \n\n\"A bit of...I lost something\" Michael immediately knew it was correct. His forearms itched again and the sound of piano got even louder. Now he needed to focus to hear what the bartender was saying. \n\n\"Aye, look like it\" he reached under the bar and took out an unmarked bottle, pouring out of it another glass and pushing it towards Michael \"how about one more for the road. The siren is gettin' loud, you ought to be on yer way, laddie\"\n\n\"The...what?\" Michael wasn't sure he heard right over loud piano music. The itching on his forearms got worse, he barely stopped himself from scratching. \n\n\"The *siren*\" bartender waved around, indicating the air filled with loud sounds \"last thing you heard before the exit. Must 'ave been quite nice, but it'll get out of hand soon. Better be off\" the bartender almost shouted now. Michael looked at those brilliant blue eyes, unreadable and (!) unblinking. He downed his drink and turned around towards the door. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew he shouldn't do this, but as he put his hand on the brass handle, it suddenly became clear this is exactly where he should be. \n\nHe pushed the door. \n\nThe music stopped. In front of Mike was a space full of thick blackness, shimmering as if in the wind. The only thing that he could see was a narrow cobbled road, illuminating itself, for other than the pub, no light source seemed to exist. In sudden silence, Michael heard dripping on the floor and it took him a second to realize his own blood from straight slits on his forearms dripped down on the dusty floor. His memory, as if yanked from underneath somewhere, flared and he knew exactly what he needed to do. Mike turned to the bartender. \n\n\"Thanks for the drink\" he said. \n\n\"Anytime, laddie\" the bartender smirked \"don't know if ye find what yer lookin' for, but good luck anyway.\" \n\nMichael didn't say anything. He didn't like thanking for good luck. It might kill it. He clenched a fist and took the first step onto the infinite cobbled road. \n\n*I made it.* He thought. *Now...Gertrude. I will find you. For sure.* \n\n​\n\n​",
"The first thing I experience is a throbbing headache. \n\nThrob. Throb. Throb.\n\nIt’s pounding behind my eyeballs, swelling into my sinuses like The Tell-Tale Heart meets a nose tumor. I guess this is what Maggie feels when she gets a migraine. I really ought not to make fun of her about that anymore. \n\nMaggie. Shit, she must be going crazy. Where am I?\n\nThrob. Throb. Throb. \n\nI sit up; I must have been leaning against... is this a bar? Shit. It is. I must have blacked out drinking; Maggie really is going to kill me.\n\nI shake my head, trying to clear my mind and see something recognizable. Instead, I barely clear the dust from the air in front of me. There’s dust everywhere, in the air, on the bar, on the ground, Hell, even in a few glasses to my left. \n\nThrob. Throb. Throb.\n\n“Hello?” I call out, voice cracking like a twelve year old with a throat cold. I clear my throat, try again. “Hello?” It doesn’t sound much better the second time around. There doesn’t seem to be anyone to hear my vocal failings, however. \n\nJust as I have the time to register that I’m alone in this strange bar, there’s this tugging feeling in my stomach, my upsides become downsides, my left sides become right sides, my insides become outsides, and I’m pulled into the darkness, where the only thing I can hear is a scream, a scream I’m praying isn’t coming from who I think it is.\n\nJust as quickly as the vision comes, it leaves, throwing me back into the bar with my headache. \n\nThrob. Throb. Throb. \n\nThat wasn’t right. That doesn’t just happen. That didn’t just happen, it couldn’t. The curdling feeling of wrongness in my stomach can not be ignored. I have to get out of this bar. I have to get home, to Maggie. I take a step to the door. \n\n“Leaving so soon?” The Bartender asks. Throb. I whirl around. \n\n“But... you weren’t-”\n\n“There? Ugh, I must not have been, at the time. Oh, time. How shameful of me.” The Bartender put on his best service smile. Throb. “Drink?”\n\n“Coffee, please.” I shake my head, sitting back down at the stool. “I think I’ve had too much to drink, it seems.” Throb. Throb. \n\nThe Bartender turns to me from the coffee pot with a bemused look on his face. “Really, you think you’re drunk?” Throb. \n\nI nod. “Or at least I was last night.” Throb. “How else do you explain me waking up in a bar I’ve never seen before, with this crazy headache?” Throb. \n\nHe pours a mug, sliding it down the bar. “So you really don’t remember?” Throb. \n\n“Not you or this bar or anything.” Throb. “I just woke up here.” I pull out my wallet to pay for the coffee. \n\nThe Bartender shakes his head. Throb. “You paid the ultimate price to get here. Seems a little unfair to make you pay for anything else, right?” Throb. \n\n“What?” Throb. \n\n“You really don’t remember?” The Bartender tilted his head like a confused dog. Throb. Throb. Throb. “Would you like to try?” Throb throb throb throb. He reaches out his hand to touch my head. THROB THROB THROB THROB THROB. \n\nWith that disgusting tugging feeling in my stomach, my upsides become downsides, my left sides become right sides, my insides become outsides, and I’m pulled into the darkness, where the only thing I can hear is a scream, a scream I’m praying isn’t coming from who I think it is.\n\nThis time, however, I can see. I’m in the house, there’s Maggie on the couch, there’s a movie on the T.V. The Princess Bride. I had finally convinced her to watch it with me. I remember it now; I was just coming back from the kitchen, making popcorn. \n\nI also see the gun in the man’s hand as he breaks down the door right in front of me, edge of wood catching me right between the eyes. \n\nThrob. Throb. Throb.\n\nI also see the bullet as it spins its short bloody flight, see the red spray of Maggie in its visceral spurt, see the man as he turns to his second victim. \n\n“You picked the wrong people to fuck with, Mr. Esposito.” His voice was muffled already by his mask, but now it sounds as if he were speaking through a ten foot tube. “So they sent me to mess with the people you fuck with. I hope you didn’t care too much about her.” Through my dazed, concussed state, trapped beneath my own front door, I still remember my anger that he had the gall to make a pun at a time like this. “See you in hell, Mr. Esposito.”\n\nThere was a crack, and I thundered through the darkness to be thrown back into the bar, coffee still steaming into my face. \n\nThrob. Throb. Throb. \n\n“So I’m dead?” I ask. “What does that make this place? Heaven? Hell?” Too late, I realize I’m alone again. “Hello?”\n\nThe only answer is my throbbing headache. \n\nTo Hell with this place, and to Hell with this headache. All I know is that Maggie and I are both dead, and if I’m here, there’s a chance she might be too. So I throw open the doors of the Bar into the unknown, determined to find her somehow. ",
" \"You paid the ultimate price to get here. Seems a little unfair to make you pay for anything else, right?\"\n\nThe cowboy lowered his head for a minute. When he lifted his head back up it was only enough for the bartender to see the bottom of his face. The barkeep had no idea how right he was. He wanted to speak. He wanted to thank the man but the thoughts wouldn't leave his mind. \n\nWould he ever get back home? Would he ever even get back to his own time? These people thought he was some kind of magical, time traveling savior. He was really just a man who had rode his horse at the wrong time and in the wrong place.\n\n\"Thanks pardner.\" He finally mustered.\nHe started putting \"pardner\" and \"Yu all\" at the end of his sentences, because that's what they wanted to hear.\n\nHe took a sip of the beer and set the glass back down on the bar. He was starting to get a headache. These idiots electrified everything. The lights, the music, the doors. \n\nAnd there were so many people. They had told him this was a small town. Only forty-thousand people and most of them working on the Particle accelerator and Super Collider. Whatever the hell those things were.\n\nHe could not imagine that there were cities where a million people lived all on top of each other. And they all wanted to see this cowboy. The one who was going to save them all.\n\nIt had been two weeks since he'd arrived. Two weeks of trying to understand what had happened to him. To weeks of trying to keep his mouth shut. He wondered what would have happened if as soon as he crossed over that barrier if he hadn't shot that law man. They said he was a security officer and meant no harm. \n\nBut the cowboy knew better. When a man walks up to you with purpose and anger in his eyes he intends to do you harm. So he had shot him dead.\n\nAnd now he was trapped here. They had taken his horse and his guns. They watched him constantly. He had no one to talk to. It was driving him slowly mad. They drugged him constantly to keep him off his toes. This time he came to in this little bar.\n\nHe looked back to the barkeep. A little man. Hell everyone here was little. At just a shade over six feet tall the cowboy felt like a giant. Back home, he was of average height. Here he towered over people. The men were short and very thin. They were meek and afraid. Of what? He could not figure. They had devices that would allow them to communicate instantly with anyone all over the damn planet. They had televisions everywhere. They could watch whatever show they wanted. They didn't have to grow their own food or raise their own live stock. And none of them smiled.\n\n\"Ya know barkeep. I paid that price by accident. I just stumbled into this place.\"\n\nThe bartender cocked his head sideways, a confused look on his face.\n\n\"How do you know so much sir? They say all around town that you know everything and you are going to help them save the earth, and save all the people. That you somehow transported yourself here from way back in the past, and yet you can see the future.\"\n\nThe cowboy took another drink of beer. Fuck it. It had to come out. He had to get it out of his mind. At least one other person had to know the truth.\n\n\"What year is this barkeep?\" He asked.\n\nThe bartender looked at him again with utter confusion on his face.\n\"Well, it's 2075. That's why this all the signs and banners. Next year this country is 300 years old. What year did you think it was?\"\n\n\"Don't know, don't care.\" Said the cowboy. But everyone thinks I'm from the late 1800s, come here as some prophet so save you. And where I'm from, or when I'm from may look like the 1800s, I can't really say. The day I jumped my horse over that little creek and ended up here it was 2367. The stuff I know? Everyone knows it back home. It's part of our history. We know what you all did to kill yourselves and almost wipe out all of us. So now you want me to tell you what you did wrong and tell you how to fix it. But I just want to go home and see my wife and kids. I want to raise my cattle and live my happy life. You people have everything you could ever want. And none of you smile. We have very little, but at least we're happy.\n\nSo the truth is; I don't really care what happens to you. I had an accident. I jumped through some crazy time machine you fuckers built. And it might have cost me my life. I didn't volunteer to pay the ultimate price. You made me do it.\n\nAnd one way or the other, I'm going home.\n\n",
"\"I beg your pardon?\" I asked, not quite understanding what he meant.\n\n\"What's the last thing you remember, friend?\" he asked in return, sliding over a glass of scotch on the rocks.\n\nThat was the question that shook me. I was in the city, with my wife. We were walking along when--\n\n\"There you go,\" the barkeep chuckled. \"Got hit, ain't ya?\"\n\nI jumped up to my feet immediately. \"Where's Ellie? Is she okay?\"\n\n\"Your gal is fine. You got her out of the way.\" I sighed, slumping back into the chair. \"You're quite calm for someone who just realized he's dead.\"\n\n\"'To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure,'\" I quoted, sipping the drink. It went down so smoothly I didn't even think it was alcoholic. At this point, I soaked in my surroundings. The bar looked like a dive from my hometown, the shitty little tavern my dad would drag me to while he drank himself silly. Some of the memories there were sour, but the good outweighed the bad.\n\nSeeing it now--like my mind was filling in the gaps of what I saw--brought me a sense of comfort. The worn, cracked tiles on the floor, the peeling and chipping varnish on the wooden bar, the stink of stale beer and greasy cheesesteaks. It all brought me a strong feeling of peace. \"So this is limbo?\"\n\n\"In a way. More like the crossroads.\" The bartender pointed to the door directly behind me. \"That door leads to final judgement. Your god will be meeting you there--judging by the ouroboros around your neck, I'm guessing you're either a pagan or a heathen. Up to you if you want to try that. That door *there,\"* he pointed to his left, my right, the far end of the bar, \"leads to reincarnation. You get judged again, but it might not end up in eternal torment.\"\n\n\"Can't I stay? Right here, with you? Wait for my wife?\"\n\nHe laughed warmly. \"I'm afraid you'd get bored fast, son. I'm not much of a conversationalist anymore.\"\n\nI shrugged, and downed my drink. \"Thank you for the warm reception...Charon? Can I call you that?\" I extended my hand.\n\n\"That name's as good as any,\" he replied, shaking my hand. \"Best of luck to you.\"\n\nThe door behind me, now directly ahead, was just a plain, metal door, painted a boring beige with a stainless steel plate where the knob would have been. Taking a deep breath, I walked toward it, and pushed it open without a second glace back.",
"\"I'm sorry, I don't understand. Ultimate price?\", I ask the bartender. \nHe looks at me sadly and gestures around us, \"Where you think you are at the moment sir?\"\nI take a moment to look around the bar, which up until that moment I hadn't really taken time to look at. \nIt was odd for a bar. Very odd. I'd expect as many tables and chairs you could get in, a pool table somewhere. Maybe even a jukebox in a corner. Stranger still, I see myself in all the pictures that are hung on the walls. I get up from the bar stool and wander over to take a look. A picture of me as a baby in my Mother's arms. Picture of me playing football in the mud as a toddler. Picture of me with friends just sat round a table telling stories and jokes. Picture of me and my brother. All photos of me.\nI look around again. This bar was empty. And quiet. Silent infact. Just me and the bartender. I turn back to face him. \n\"I don't even remember coming in here. Why it's empty? Who are you? Where am I?\" My words come out like a flood, rapid and uncontrollable. I walk slowly back to the bar. \n\"Well, it's empty because this is your room. Think of it as your final stop sir. This room is for you. Only you. I am Gitatuko , although I have had other names over the years. Most commonly the Ferryman. Things have changed since I was called that. Travelling on the River Styx was considered too scary so I had to change it up.\" He seemed frustrated by this change, and his annoyance showed on his face clearly. He takes a breath and carries on calmly. \n\"As for where you are sir, well as I say, this is like a final stop. Unfortunately sir, I have the job of informing you, that have you passed away.\"\nI'm in shock. Passed away? \n\"I'm... I'm dead?\"\n\"Yes sir, sorry to say.\"\nHe nods to the drink in front of me. \n\"Have a sip, you'll remember\"\nI tentatively pick up the glass, and look inside. Simply the most gorgeous drink I have ever seen, looks like a Galaxy in a glass. Beautiful. It's twisting and swirling on its own around in the glass. I sniff it. Smells amazing too. \n\"Stop sniffing, start drinking\", says Gitatuko, with a smile.\nI take a sip. \n\nSuddenly my body feels like it's been yanked from its spot by the bar and I'm suddenly back walking on my way to work. Well, not quite. I'm a few places back, following myself on the way to work. What the hell is going on? I think. \n\"This is how you died\", says a voice in my head. Gitatuko. \nI look forward at myself and see that I've just started crossing the road. Suddenly a car plows into my body and drives on. People are screaming, others stand still on absolute shock. Some people rush to my side and a few people are saying call an ambulance. \nGitatuko silently walks up next to me, materialising from nowhere. \n\"I'm sorry, but this helps people to understand what is going on. Fair warning, as soon as you die, this ends and you will be pulled back to the bar\"\nI say nothing. Blankly staring at my body and looking at the woman who has just started CPR on me. Knowing she will fail. Knowing I die\n\nSuddenly I am back in the bar. \n\n\"There we are I'm afraid, your heart has stopped and that lady isn't successful unfortunately and neither are the paramedics that come soon after. Cause of death, Road Traffic Accident. You waited for the green man, checked the road. Nothing more you could have done. The driver was just out of control and too fast. You couldn't have seen it\" \nHe says it all so calmly. \n\"So what now?\", I mutter. I just feel broken. I'm dead. How do you begin to process that?\n\"Well, what happens next is referred to as The Judgement.\" \nHe snaps his fingers and a door emerges from a wall. \n\"Through there will be a Judge. They will assess your life, your actions and determine if you belong in Heaven or Hell. But first Sir, enjoy your drink. It will change to what ever it is you desire.\"\nAs he says this it suddenly changes to a tall glass with a dark liquid, it has cream on top with a flake poking from the top of the cream. I take a sip. Hot chocolate. Gorgeous. \n\"Enjoy your room sir, look around and remember memories, family and friends and laughs you have had. When you are ready, please exit through the door.\" \nHe smiles and disappears. \nI'm left with my drink and sadness in my heart. \n\nA room full of my life. Where to begin? \n\n(Been a lurker on here for a while and first time writing. Liked the prompt and gave it a go. Hope you liked it. On mobile, so sorry for formatting)",
"“Maybe.” The old man respond. He takes another shot of scotch, which burns down his throat. “If I had died in an accident, maybe I would have paid enough. But I had a decent life, and these old bones need a rest, you know?” The bartender looks at him, calmly reading his face. “Natural or unnatural, death is still a steep price to pay,” He responds. “Not many are willing to part with their lives and memories like you are, sir.” The old man sits there, drinking some more. “That’s a true statement. But sometimes, Death is a reward that sets us free. We are burdened by the twists and torments of life that eventually, death can be a relief.” As he says this, he thinks about the inheritance fight between his children, the pain of cancer, the struggle of watching his wife forget him. “Yes, death can be a reward to some.” He takes another shot, ignoring the tears on his face. “How about one for the road?” The bartender gently smiles as he pours him a final bit of scotch, which the old man downs. As the old man rises, he puts on an old cabbie cap. “Here’s to the next life.” As he walks towards the door, the bartender calls out, “Have a good life sir.” The door opens, and light floods the room. As the door closes, the bartender looks towards the couch with a young woman waking up. “Welcome,” The bartender says.",
"Trevor awoke with a start, falling backwards off of the stool he was sitting on. He fearfully pushed himself backwards, pushing tall chairs and smaller, tall, round tables out of the way as he went, throwing glances around the entirety of his surroundings taking in as much information as possible as quickly as he could. When his back impacted the wooden leg of something, he stopped, his breathing slowly returning to normal. Gradually his mind reconciled what he was seeing. He seemed to be in a bar of some sort. Reaching up behind him, his hand touched the edge of what he gathered to be a pool table, and he felt the reassuring sensation of the felt under his fingertips. It looked similar to those that he had partied in when he toured Northern Europe. There were great barrels of something or other lining the back wall behind the bar, with various expensive looking bottles interspersed between them. Hanging from the ceiling were lighting fixtures that swung mere feet above the tables, fashioned to look like torch holders you'd expect in a renaissance fair and flickering with an LED representation of firelight. Glancing around once more, he could see no other occupant and assumed he was alone. That is, until a voice echoed from behind the bar following the clinking of glasses.\n\n\"Ah, so you've come to. I was wondering how long it would take you,\" Trevor craned his neck but soon realised that was unnecessary as a towering monster of a man stood from where he had ducked under the bar. He was at least six and a half feet tall with broad round shoulders that filled his white button shirt with rolled up sleeves to bursting. His chest length dirty blonde hair mostly hung freely around his head and thick neck with a single braid off to one side. His face could be described as classically handsome with a thick, well manicured beard, tall and broad nose, and a stern brow that framed one ice blue eye and an eye patch. The man was holding two crystal steins and turned to one of the large barrels on the wall to fill them. \"Come, sit, brother. Drink with me.\"\n\nCautiously, Trevor stood and gave the room another thorough look. There did not seem to be a single other soul in the establishment besides them, even as he walked around the pool table, checking from all angles. Listening carefully, he heard nothing but his own breathing, the hum of the LED lights around him, and the sloshing of the liquid filling the large vessels the man-mountain was holding. Sensing no immediate danger, he slowly made his way back to the bar, and the stool he had toppled from. \"B- Brother?\" He stammered as he watched the massive man through narrowed eyes, \"As far as I know, I'm an only child.\"\n\nDropping one of the crystal cups onto the side of the bar closer to Trevor, tossing some of the liquid onto the glossy surface, the man grinned through his perfect facial hair, \"Ha! Of course you are. But aren't we men all brothers in some way or another? Brothers of blood is just one form. Blood brothers is another. Men who have pledged themselves to protect one another through thick and thin. Brothers in arms is another again! One I'm sure you understand, no doubt! The thrill of battle pulsing through your heart, pumping adrenaline through your veins, reveling in the fight with your brothers by your side, felling enemies like so much tall wheat! Ah, just thinking about it gets my pulse racing.\" The man raised his glass and held it aloft, waiting for Trevor to do the same. Seeing nothing else to do and, truthfully, feeling parched himself, he obliged. \"SKOL!\" The man said as he looked deep into Trevor's eyes, then he threw the vessel back and drank deep.\n\nTrevor raised an eyebrow and repeated the word, \"Um...Skol.\" Then took what he intended to be a sip, but when the liquid touched his tongue, he could not help but throw it back as his host had done. The golden stream that entered his mouth was cold, frothy, and sweet. It was like drinking honey the viscosity of water and as Trevor realised that his lungs needed to vent lest he pass out, he dropped the glass to the bar and saw that more than half of the stein, roughly the size of his forearm, was gone.\n\n\"HA! Well done, brother! A worthy draught if I ever saw one.\" The host drained the last of his own cup and turned to refill it. Trevor looked into the cup, imagining the price of such a delicious brew when it clicked that he had accepted it without thinking of payment. He reached back to his wallet and pulled it out, but as he opened it a massive hand pushed it back down. \"No, brother, put that away. Your money isn't welcome here. Not that it matters anymore anyway, but you paid the ultimate price to get here. Seems a little unfair to make you pay for anything I have to offer, does it not?\"\n\nAs the man said the words, everything before he woke up here started rushing back to Trevor's mind. When he understood, a tear fell from his eye and one question burned on the tip of his tongue. \"I... Who... Who are you?\" The ice blue of his host's eye flared for a moment almost like magic.\n\n\"Aaah, that's a story that deserves payment, I suppose. Tell me yours first and I will tell you mine. Tell me how you got here, brother.\" He leaned down and put both elbows on the bar, one hand grasping the handle of his stein.\n\nTrevor wiped his eye on his sleeve and saw that his clothes had changed from a suit to his tactical gear. \"It was... It was my first day in SWAT. After coming back from Iraq there wasn't really much else for me to do, you know? I figured it was either join the cops or a private security company, but it was because of rich assholes that we were sent over there in the first place, so I thought I'd rather help the every man instead. The exams were easy, nothing compared to SEAL training. Anyway, yeah, first day in the field and we're called to a hostage situation. Standard op, we surround the building, enter through unguarded halls or stairwells. Everything was going great and I was first into the room with the gunman. Well...\" He choked up and coughed to get his bearings, \"He had, uh... He had already taken out most of the hostages quietly. The sick fuck had slit their throats and gouged out their eyes. I guess his plan was to get his demands met and be out of there before the cops knew what was happening inside. He was advancing on a woman who seemed to have gone comatose with trauma at what she'd seen. Well... I screamed in rage and charged at the motherfucker. He whipped around and I felt a pressure in my chest but I didn't pay attention to it as I threw my fists into his skull again and again and again. I vaguely remember the sensation of his face bones caving in before I blacked out...\" he looked around for a moment then back into his drink, \"then... Then I woke up here.\" Without another word he downed the rest of his stein. As he lowered it slowly to the bar, he looked into the one icy blue orb of his host.\n\nWordlessly, the man took the glass and turned, refilling it with the bubbling golden beverage. As he gingerly placed it in front of Trevor, he spoke, \"A warrior of honour. Your berserker rage was brought on by the injustice of innocents being slaughtered for no gain other than mental pleasure of one not worthy of this place. You, Trevor Jamesson. You are worthy.\" The white shirt began to shimmer and glow and shift before Trevor's eyes as the giant threw back his stein again and drained it in one. His shirt had become a suit of shining silver armour and his right hand held a dangerous looking great spear as thick as Trevor's forearm. His left hand slammed the glass vessel down on the counter and Trevor expected it to shatter but it stayed and rang with a heavenly chime. \"I am Odin Borrsson! WELCOME to Valhalla!\"\n\n---\n\nProbably a super predictable take but I liked to concept of the prompt. Thanks for coming up with it!",
" I sat staring at the bartender with a quizzical look “what do you mean I paid the ultimate price?” I said while I downed the amber liquid in front of me. \n\n“Most people don’t remember what it is they paid but then again the price is different for everyone to end up here. Would you like anything else to drink?” The bartender said with his eyes boring into me.\n\nI looked down at the rest of the amber liquid and with one quick and smooth motion I downed the rest of the burning liquid. “Yea sure and as a matter of fact since I apparently don’t have to pay for them then just keep them coming.” \n\nThe Bartender put down the glass but this time the liquid had more of a red hue to it. “You will sooner or later remember how you got here and once you do you’ll be on your way but in the meantime, Why don’t you tell me about your life or just parts of what you can remember if any?”\n\n“I don’t even remember how I got here you really think that I could remember my past right now?” I said with a bite. I took a swig from the drink and let the burn sit for a moment as I tried to remember bits and parts of my life. Very few fragments of my past came to mind but they were far and few.\n\nAll at once like a flood gate opened emotions began to rise in me ones of guilt and pleasure, pain and enjoyment. Images of people raced through my mind. As fast as they came, they went but some stayed. “What in the hell did you do to me?”\n\n“Nothing in particular, you are just remembering memories and reliving your greatest hits.” The bartender said with a sickly smile curling across his face.\n\nAll I could focus on was the memories that had stuck with me. I could see myself driving having a good time with friends and I could feel pleasure and happiness but that all changed when I heard siren and screams filling the air and I realized I was upside down in that car now with a fire starting.\n\nI heaved myself out of the car and stared right back into it seeing my friends some unconscious and some looking to me for help but before I could do anything, I heard a roar of an explosion as lights over took me. When I could see again, I was in a graveyard with 5 holes in front of me.\n\nI collapsed onto the floor of the bar and tried to hold back my emotions but finally I gave in.\n\nTears started flowing freely from me as I looked up to the bartender who was now by myside helping me stand back up. “How could I forget that? How?” I barely spoke those words making them audible and for the next few minutes I cried before the next wave hit me. \n\nI felt like the weight of the world was suddenly lifted from my shoulders as a memory of my wife holding me close and we slowed dance on our wedding night. I wiped the tears away as I focused more and more on my wife as memories of us flew into my mind.I saw our kids being born again, seeing them walk and talk for the first time. \n\nA sickly scream tore through my mind, I clasped my hands over my ears trying to keep them from bursting. As the sound faded, I took my hands from my ears but noticed they are now wet but with horror in my eyes I noticed they had been coated in blood.\n\nI tried to distract my mind ignoring the images that raced across of my family. “If I had been there for them, If I hadn’t stayed late.” I trailed off as my mind felt like it was going to split from the memories of pain and joy.\n\n“You must learn to accept them but you must be the one to decide that. No one else can do that for you.” The bartender said as he took the stool next to me and sat down showing me a scale with a feather. \n\n“Guilt is one of the heaviest items we carry all through our lives, it can block our vision and causes us to do the most irrational of all things. It can lead us down a very dark path and is one of the most painful weights to bear on one’s own deathbed.” The bartender said with a look of sorrow as he stared at me.\n\n“What in the hell are you talking about?” I screamed through the tears and spit. As I looked up I saw who was staring back at me or more of what was staring back at me.\n\n“Well that is why you are here, you are to be judged on your own heart and the weight you carry in it. You now hold your fate in the palm of your hands.” The bartender said but who now had the head of a dog but looked all wrong.\n\nWhen I looked down the blood was from myself and in my hands was my heart, I already knew what I must do so I placed it down on the scale. I stared in horror as everything came back to me in a flood of knowledge. I looked to the bartender who now I knew was no bartender but in fact was my judgment. Anubis. \n\nWith a final click the scale had shifted.\n\n\\-------------------\n\nThis is one of my first writing submissions so please let me know what you think! Also any feedback would be great as well.",
"\"Everything here is on the house, sir. So, what would you like as your first drink at your last stop?\" The bartender leaned against the counter, a smile wide under his thick grey mustache. He adjusted his black top hat that matched the black suspenders over a pristine white shirt. Either his shift had just started or he was *extremely* good at avoiding the spills of his inebriated patrons.\n\n\"Well, in that case,\" I thrummed my fingers on my chin, thinking. I felt fine, barely buzzed at all. That was a damned shame, considering this was at least the sixth stop of the night. It must have been all the traveling. The road over here had been rocky as hell, hadn't it? I couldn't really remember. Yeah, I'd definitely need something to get the night started back up. \"I'll start off with a whiskey, neat.\"\n\n\"A fine choice.\" He didn't wait for me to select a brand, and as I began to read the bottles lining the bar I realized I didn't recognize any of them anyway. *Enkeli* brown, *Nebesa* gold. They all *sounded* good, anyway.\n\nHe slid me the glass with an everpresent smile, then drifted off to get a refill for another customer. No sooner had he stepped away than a man appeared out of nowhere next to me at the bar, nearly falling from his stool as he adjusted. The newcomer was about a foot taller than me, even sitting down, and had a shock of red hair spilling out from under a Yankees hat he wore half-cocked. He looked *very* familiar. I smiled and nodded a greeting.\n\nThe bartender spun back around, a hand held out in greeting, still smiling under that impressive mustache. The newcomer took the proffered hand and smiled back, then sucked in a deep breath.\n\n\"I'll have what he's having,\" he proclaimed, winking at me. \"And put it on his tab, too.\"\n\n\"Drinks are all free here,\" the bartender said, turning to pour another whiskey. He brought the golden drink over, carefully placing it in front of the redhead. He nodded in my direction as he spoke again.\"You don't even have to tip here, or go home. No last call, nowhere to be. You know this guy?\"\n\n\"Well, I feel like we may have a kindred-\"\n\nThe man in the Yankee's cap was cut off as another man appeared in the seat to my left, a long woosh erupting from his lungs. A thick brown beard covered the lower half of his face but did nothing to cover the mischief evident in his cornflower blue eyes. There was something even more familiar about him than the redheaded man.\n\n\"Whoo, what a ride boys!\" He slapped the table with a meaty hand, his grin wider than the bartenders, which had somehow, almost impossibly, began to falter.\n\nThe older man adjusted his top hat once more, then thumbed his suspenders. He seemed to be mulling something over before he asked the bearded man what he wanted to drink.\n\n\"Well, what he's having, of course!\" he winked at me when he said it, then elbowed me. \"Whiskey neat, right?\"\n\nI nodded, trying to place just where I knew him from. Maybe an old friend from college... Where did I go to college, anyway? \"Of course. What else to test out a new bar?\"\n\n\"Well, I prefer something on tap, but this will do just fine as a starter,\" the man in the Yankee's cap raised his glass and held it there, politely waiting for the bartender to hand the bearded man his. He did, and we all took a drink.\n\nThe amber liquid rolled over my tongue. It was a balanced whiskey, with a hint of smoke.\n\nIt was delicious.\n\n\"Care for a smoke?\" The bearded man was holding a pair of cigarettes out towards us. Yankees cap took one, but I hesitated. \n\n\"Come on, you know you want one with that whiskey. It's your style.\"\n\nSurprisingly enough, it *was* my style. I shrugged my shoulders and took the cigarette. I took the lighter that was offered shortly after. \n\n\"Gentleman, we don't allow smoking at the bar.\" The smile was completely gone from the bartender's face now.\n\nI took a drag, feigning ignorance. Yankees cap did too, and I could swear I saw a sigil of some sort flare in the red glow of his cigarette.\n\nA memory sigil.\n\nOh. Crap. \n\n\"How did you get those in here?\" All sense of hospitality had fled from the bartender's voice. He leaned over the bar towards the bearded man, who I now knew to be named Brian and was quickly remembering a lot of *other* things about. \"I am the only one who controls magic in this-\"\n\nBrian leapt from his seat, drink still in hand. It sloshed, but to his credit, not a drop spilled. He smiled and nodded to us, backing away from the bar. \"Boys, finish your drink! This stop on the pub crawl is about over!\"\n\n\"But I didn't even get to try a stout! Can you imagine how good a stout from here would-\" Yankees cap, who my brain informed me was now named Jacob, cut his sentence short, wide-eyed. He must have seen what I saw. The bartender's face had flashed black, then translucent, revealing the bones underneath. A long, black scythe blinkedinto view on his back but disappeared just as quickly as his face returned to normal.\n\n\"Stouts can be the first toast at the next stop! Anything for my boy on his last night of freedom!\" Brian didn't seem as put off by the vision as us, but of course, that's just how he was. Always leading the charge.\n\n\"To Jacob's beautiful bride and his last night on the town, er, multiverse!'\" I shouted, backing away from the bar.\n\nI threw back my whiskey and rushed after Brian, with Jacob close at our heels. Jacob held on to his hat with one hand and his drink with the other as he polished it off. Brian looked like he was struggling not to laugh as he threw his back, still running towards the exit.\n\n\"Time to go!\" Brian roared, pulling his wand from his inside jacket pocket. \"Goodbye *Death's Door*, hello *Bar at the End of the Universe*!\"\n\nA portal opened in front of us, almost in sync with the cocking sound of a shotgun. I glanced over and saw Death standing there, scythe in hand. The scythe morphed into a shotgun as I watched, then as it pointed at us I felt two pairs of hands yank me forward, through the portal.\n\nJust as the portal closed, I heard the bartender cursing.\n\n\"Goddamn wizard bachelor parties.\"\n\n​\n\n​\n\n[/r/intotheslushpile](https://www.reddit.com/r/intotheslushpile)\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​",
"I sat down at the bar and looked at the bartender quizzically. \n \"The entree fee was steep, but not *that* steep\" I said while reaching for my drink. \nThe bartender raised an eyebrow as I downed the mysterious beverage. \n\"How much was that 'fee' exactly?\" \nI started to reply when my words were halted. I knew I paid something to get in, but I couldn't remember the precise amount. $10? $15? Surely not $20. Yet, no matter how hard I concentrated, the memory of directly before entering the bar was a mess of confusion. \n\"Would you like another drink?\" asked the bartender. \nI looked down and noticed my glass was empty and handed it to him wordlessly. I opened my mouth and hesitated yet again. This time I found more courage. \n\"I don't remember the precise amount, but I remember the feeling that it wasn't too bad,\" \nI paused and took a sip of the new drink the bartender set before me, \"considering your establishment's fine selection\" I added before setting the glass back. \nThe bartender had started wiping down some shot glasses and shook his head with dismay at my last comment. I thought he may have been being humble at my praise, but his response froze me to my stool. \n\"You have a poor concept of worth, my friend, if you think the price was fair. The only way to access this bar is to surrender your soul and forfeit your previous life,\" the bartender gestured around the empty room \"but the company isn't bad and the drinks will always stay good.\" \nI stared at the bartender in confusion. Slow realization crept on me and I looked back down at my drink. This time, it was a shot of a dark black liquid. I threw my head back and downed the delicious drink and set it in front of the bartender before saying: \n\"Like I said, I didn't think the cost was too bad.\"",
"The bartender is Ted Danson. Or at least, he looks a hell of a lot like him.\n\n*What can I get you? It’s happy hour by the way*\n\n“Why am I in here? Isn’t it really early?”\n\n*Well yes and no. Here*, Ted gestures around the empty bar, *is timeless. It’s just here to help you transition to what comes next. And that’s my job.*\n\n“What comes next? So, you’re not a bartender?” I’m confused now, but oddly calm.\n\n*I’ve been called many things. A spirit guide, the ferryman. But I am also a bartender. Here.* He hands me a whisky, neat, just the way I like it. *So, what do you remember?*\n\n“I remember.” I stop. I breathe. No air rushes into my lungs. I panic. I open and close my mouth frantically, trying to fight the suffocating sensation.\n\nTed leans over, taking my hand away from my mouth. He holds it comfortingly.\n\n*Relax, and tell me what you remember*\n\n“I…I remember I was running. I’d just kissed my husband goodbye, he was heading off to work.”\n\n*Good, good*, Ted says soothingly, *What happened next?*\n\nIt was coming back to me, moments of my life. Those last precious moments frozen like flies in amber. Preserved as single snapshots in my mind. Tom’s coffee breath, his slight shiver as he stepped outside to catch the bus. Me telling him to be careful, to not slip on the ice. His warm, deep laugh as he reminded me, he’d always had better balance than me.\n\n*I know, I know. You’ve lost a lot. But do you remember what happened next?*\n\nI nod, my eyes filling with tears. Ted slides me another drink. I’d never been an alcoholic, never one for binge drinking. But now, God above I needed that drink.\n\nI’d put on my trainers, done some stretches, and stepped out onto the front step. The roads were still a bit icy, we only get a few days of snow a year, so the salt trucks are never as prepared as they should be. I’d started to breathe deeply, sending up clouds of water vapor as I got used to the cold air. Then I was off, starting off slowly, finding my rhythm.\n\nThen I turned the corner and saw her.\n\nCrossing the road.\n\nDark coat, head down, schoolbag on her back. Her ears were covered by a beanie, her eyes were looking at her feet as she navigated the treacherous road.\n\nThen I saw *it.*\n\nPowering down the road, turning the corner, seeing her. Slamming on the brakes. Skidding.\n\nAnd then I see that moment. Frozen in time. I see my own point of view as I make the decision. I was already running, I just altered my course. Sprinting over the road.\n\nI dived, throwing myself at the child, my own safety forgotten. And the car was upon us, I hear the child grunt as my weight hits her from behind. The car was a beast now, metal and glass and power and pain and devastation and confusion and then…\n\nI look up at Ted, tears rolling down my face.\n\n*I’m sorry*, he says sadly, *You’ve sacrificed so much*.\n\n“Did I do it?” I ask, my voice barely recognisable behind my sobs. “Was it worth it?”\n\n*Of course it was worth it*, he says, *you made a choice to save a complete stranger. You sacrificed yourself to save the life of someone you don’t even know!* He laughs, a short bark, filled with wonder and disbelief. *You threw yourself on that girl to save her, even if you died in the process. If that’s not just the most human thing I’ve seen…* He trailed off.\n\nI hang my head again, wiping my tears away. “Well, at least she survived. At least my sacrifice was worth something.”\n\n*You don’t understand*, Ted said, looking away, *it doesn’t matter if you saved her or not. You tried. You were willing to die to save her, so regardless of whether or not you saved her, you are still a hero, do you see?*\n\nAnother flash. The last one. An image of me lying, broken and mangled on the floor, my vision slowly darkening. And underneath me, a much smaller figure, crying out. The noise stopped, and I never thought that silence could be worse than the sound of a dying child screaming for its mother. The figure beneath me moved, twitching once. Then it fell still.\n\n“But, I failed? She still died? Then what was the point?” The tears are back, stronger than ever.\n\n*Yes, you both died. But could you have ever lived with yourself if you’d done nothing?*\n\nI laugh mirthlessly, and struggle up out of my seat, wiping my eyes.\n\n“So,” I say gesturing at the pile of glasses, the bottle of whisky, “What do I owe you, for all of this?”\n\nTed Danson smiles sadly, his kindly eyes twinkling behind his glasses.\n\n*You paid the ultimate price to get here. Seems a little unfair to make you pay for anything else, right?*\n\n​\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nFeedback is as welcome as ever!"
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[WP] Every year the Ministry of Science conducts a lottery in which the chosen individuals undergo a series of experiments. As one of the scientists, you are exempted. However, today, your son’s number is called.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"**PART 1:**\n\n“Hey, Jack, have you got your experiments planned yet?” An acquaintance shouted at him as he passed by.\n\n“You know I do!” Jack replied. A jovial mood rose up in every corner of the Ministry of Science, getting ready for the upcoming Lottery Day. A day of sacrifice, where one lucky citizen was able to give up their life for a greater cause; science. Everybody was scrambling to propose their experiment ideas to the Ministry of Finance, and everything from bionic-eye testing to pain reducing drugs were going to be tested clinically in just a couple of days.\n\n“Sir, you said that you wanted to see me?” Jack said as he bounded into the Principal Investigator’s office. A rather large man, Alex Cofrin grunted as he got up to greet his visitor.\n\nWith a sly grin, Cofrin said, “I just wanted to be the first to offer my congratulations. Your proposal was accepted.”\n\nJack was not a man of many emotions, but he couldn’t help but allow a giddy smile to float onto his face. “Thank you, sir, I’ll make sure that I don’t let you down.” He snapped the Investigator a quick salute.\n\nCofrin frowned. “How long have we known each other Jack? It’s been long enough that you know you don’t have to be so formal with me.”\n\nJack tried to control his face as he said, “Of course… Mr. Cofrin.”\n\nWith a sigh, Cofrin fell back to his seat. “I suppose that will do. For now, go back to your desk and celebrate. And that’s an order.”\n\nWith as straight a face as he could manage, Jack gave his boss a parting nod and quickly walked back to his desk.\n\n“Good news?” Charlie, his coworker and best friend, asked.\n\n“The best. My proposal got chosen.” Jack didn’t even try to hide the pride in his voice as he bragged.\n\n“What!? Well I guess our boy Jack’s a man now! This calls for celebration! Let’s go get some drinks, on me!”\n\n“Now? It’s barely 4!”, Frank protested meekly.\n\nCharlie wrapped an arm around his neck and guided him roughly towards the exit. “Come on, if you aren’t allowed to celebrate now, then when can you?”\n\nJack allowed himself a couple of pats on the backs from colleagues as the pair continued on their way out, with a couple of resounding whoops and hollers behind them.\n\n\\--------------------------------\n\nJack drunkenly managed to unlock the door, which was strange in itself; usually his wife heard him making a ruckus and helped him in. “Hey ever’body, I’m home!”, he slurred out.\n\nNobody answered him. There were no sounds in the house except for the soft sounds of weeping upstairs. Curious, he stumbled his way up the steps, and looked around.\n\nThe bedroom door was open, and through it was a scene from Jack’s nightmares.\n\nHis wife was hugging their son, telling him that it would be alright. On the ground was a ripped piece of paper, with an insignia that he knew all too well; The Ministry of Science Seal.\n\nHe walked up to them. “I’m so sorry.”, he tried to say in his most even voice.\n\nHer eyes had hope. “Tell them not to do this! Take somebody else!”\n\nJack took a moment’s hesitation. “I… can’t.”\n\nThe look on her face changed to that of betrayal. “How COULD you? How could you BETRAY YOUR FAMILY?”\n\n“…I’m so, so sorry Sam.” Jack enveloped his wife in a hug, and she broke down, crying and shouting.\n\nThey stayed that way for what seemed like years, until he gently pushed her off and started talking to his son.\n\n“Listen, Billy, do you understand what’s going to happen to you now?”\n\nBilly looked at him with a fearful glance. “They're gonna take me away and put me somewhere. And then… they're gonna do something to me.”\n\nJack gave him the most reassuring smile that he could. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. Daddy’s going to be with you, every step of the way. I’ll make sure that nothing bad happens to you.”\n\nJack hugged him briefly, and then told him to go to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.",
"Science progresses in leaps and bounds.\n\nI thumbed the glass. The smudge drew my eye away from the plaques, medallions, and trophies within. Each an aware for a discovery or an invention. Each someone I'd dissected for science.\n\nPeriods where a few select technologies are slowly refined and streamlined, but in the end, they stay the same.\n\n\"Choose again,\" I demanded.\n\nUntil a revolution arrives. A crucible that forces change. The renaissance began with the advent of the printing press. The modern era began with the outbreak of the a war that encompassed the globe.\n\n\"You know we can't do that.\"\n\nBut after each period of rapid growth, stagnation follows.\n\nI turned to face the man sitting leisurely in my chair, at my desk. He shoved his foot off the floor and spun a few times. The old, leather office chair squeaked in protest and came to a halt after half a revolution.\n\nBy 2050, stagnation had arrived. We were a group that sought to overturn it. We created our own Crucible. Antiquated, conservative ethics that constrained the development of science had to be removed, and for the first time in millenia, the culture was secular enough and the politics were capitalistic enough that we sold the former and bought the latter.\n\nHe smiled, \"Even for you. No one is exempt. You didn't complain when it was the President's kid.\"\n\nThe result was the Choosing. Perfect, random mercy for the sake of science.\n\nI ground my teeth, \"I am not the President, and I won't cut open my own son.\"\n\nThe Department of Selection used census records to find everyone that fit the parameters needed for human experimentation, and from that sub-group, they'd randomly select a single candidate. Nobody was exempt.\n\nHe shrugged, \"Fine. Tech division's been looking for a young human subject for their new Advanced VR tech.\"\n\nEach division, led by the nation's greatest scientist, many drawn from the 'civilized' nations for the chance at discovery, innovation, fame, and sometimes, infamy. From psychology to medicine to engineering to environmentalism, they all sought to build a better world at any cost. We sought to build a better world at any cost.\n\nI blanched. The last test subject they'd put through their insane 'Full Dive' technology had been little more than a vegetable when they'd turned him over to the medical division for dissection and experimentation.\n\nUnimpeded by morality or ethics, we were in a new Renaissance.\n\n\"You're offering him to me first.\"\n\nA new Enlightenment.\n\nThe man stood and brushed the wrinkles out of his suit, \"It's the best I can do for an old friend.\"\n\nWhen the dust settled, our nation, miles ahead of the rest of the world, decided what was right and what wrong. Innovation became the virtue of the 22nd century.\n\nI walked around the desk to the door and opened it for him. I pressed my hand into the wooden frame so he didn't see me shaking. He loped past me but paused, his shoulder gently touching my chest. He glanced at me without turning.\n\nHistory was written by the victors.\n\n\"Did you ever think this is how it would turn out?\"\n\nAnd the losers' names were forgotten.\n\nI opened my mouth to respond, but my voice caught in my throat. When no answer came, he patted me on the shoulder and left. I lingered in the doorway long after he'd made his exit. When the door finally closed behind me, I found myself walking back to the trophy case. I was numb. I stared at the face of Alfred Nobel. His eyes gazed off into the distance. I followed it to the picture of my son and I the previous summer. \n\n\"This is exactly how I thought this would turn out.\""
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[WP] Your superpower is that random safety features on things (seatbelts, automatic car stops, etc) save you from dying seemingly by sheer extreme luck making you essentially immortal. Somebody has been hired to assassinate you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"All it takes is 5 pounds of pressure and my next contract will be completed. Some poor SOB who's wife wanted him dead. He probably cheated or something.\"\n\nRacking the next round a smirk grows. It's easy to line the shot up as he relaxing on his private yacht. Either a single trigger pull I feel the pressure growing only to feel something stop me from the final shot.\n\nPanicking I check my rifle. The fucking safety was on. Flipping it off I go for the next attempt. Guy didn't even move. Another trigger pull and this time I hear a click.\nWith more professionalism then the last time I look over my rifle to find the reason. Strangely it seems the round didn't chamber. I have to fix that when I get home.\n\nThird time is the charm I guess. I know the drill pull the trigger and... Nothing. The round didn't even go off. Fuck this shit! Shifting to find out why it didn't go off this time I open the chamber of the gun. The round ejecting and begins the spin in the air till it pointed at my head. And with that it turns out it was a hangfire... One crack filled the night sky before silence took back over",
"At 14 I became one of the youngest crab fisherman in all of Alaska, I worked long shifts and I worked my way to captain of my own vessel. I was always saved by fate seemingly, crab traps that would've knocked me into the ocean stopped inches away from me, Every time i almost got swept overboard I'd fall into the life raft or be caught by a rope. I had made a fortune selling the crabs and had decided not to touch it and to leave it to my children and grandchildren. 60 years of being a captain and working hard for the future generations of, i put my kids through school, I put my brother's kids through school and i put my grandchildren through school. I bought them nice things and nice homes, I did everything for them and this is the thanks I get. \n\nGreed is one of the most powerful sins. I should've never written that will, should've never been so generous and to those who would never do the same for me. \n\nThey tried to kill me, for all the good ive done for them. They tried to kill me despite my labor and toil for the family name. I've always been saved by fate and my fate had been put to the test by those I loved. \n\nI know of my betrayers, I now know what must be done. They know I am coming for them.\n\nOderint dum metuant."
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[WP]The earth has been chosen as the neutral arbritrator in an interglactic war between two species spanning centuries, both sides have agreed to whatever decision the earth mediator chooses, and both sides are trying to curry favor with the mediator in secret. You are the mediator.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It had been a long and difficult day for Larry. \n\nFor their part, the Plo were nothing if not tenaciously stubborn and self-assured. The Plo ambassador, Porak-plo-Porak, spent much of the afternoon reading, at full volume, a culturally important Plo document - entitled, via rough translation, \"The Predestination Of The Plo And All Things Due Unto Them'. Forced to listen to such riveting, screamed excerpts as the classic \"OF THE PLO WHAT CAN BE SAID BUT THAT THEY MUST BE GIVEN ALL THAT THEY DEMAND!\", Larry quickly developed a migraine before lunch rolled around.\n\nAfter lunch, the Klatsu Honor Matron, a particularly tall specimen, with two gaping mouths covered in a kind of neon green ceremonial lipstick, gave a traditional Klatsu musical rendition in support of their claim. As the Honor Matron brayed and moaned her polyharmonic ditty, her gaggle of small male Klatsu honor guards provided a well-intentioned but wildly incompetent chorus of bleats and bops. \n\nBy the end of the day, Larry, chosen arbiter from the neutral planet Earth, and former administrative judge at the DMV in Syosset had the worst tension headache of his entire life. \n\nIt had been two months since the Klatsu and the Plo approached the governments of Earth and jointly requested a mediator be assigned to their quarrel. Although Earth and its complex bureaucracies were frequently put to such tasks by the other species of the galaxy, not a single xeno-conflict specialist was willing to work on this particular dispute. Perhaps it was the Plo's energetic vocal spirit and lack of internal voice, or perhaps it was the boisterous stupidity of the Klatsu matrons and their endlessly yapping mouths, but it seemed no negotiator on Earth was willing to handle the case. \n\nThat's when they found Larry. They offered him two years pay at his current salary and said he would be gone for a couple of weeks, max. Now, after chiseling away at the conflict for over four times that long, Larry still was not sure what the two sides were even fighting about. Despite his translated requests, neither side had yet clarified what it was they wanted from the other. Each day in the mediation chamber seemed to consist entirely of each side taking turns making dramatic gestures, and singing less dramatic local tunes. The ministrations of neither side seemed to affect the other whatsoever, and yet both sides insisted on acting like intergalactic fools no matter what Larry said. \n\nAs if that wasn't bad enough, neither the Plo nor the Klatsu seemed to understand what the entire notion of a neutral mediator meant. Both species had made brazen if completely ineffective efforts to bribe Larry. Or at least, that was the best guess Larry could make for the sorts of packages which appeared every day when he returned to his temporary residence on the space station. \n\nThe Plo, completely lacking in any empathy for anyone other than the Plo, seemed to think all other species were as xenophobic and self-loving as they were. As a result, every day Larry would receive a package, clearly return addressed to the Plo Embassy, within which would be contained some cheap, mass-produced souvenir from some famous place on Earth. So far, Larry had about a dozen mini Statues of Liberty, eight Eiffel Towers, six Great Walls of China, and a wide array of other miniature global tourist traps. \n\nThe Klatsu were, in some respects, far worse. What they made up for in general warmth, the Klatsu more than compensated for with outright stupidity. As a result, many of the blackmail gifts they sent Larry simply could not be interpreted as objects of value in any known galactic culture. Larry had so far received from the Klatsu emissary: (1) A pile of broken twigs; (2) An old ham sandwich; (3) A worn cardboard box filled with small empty cardboard boxes; (4) what appeared to be a used extraterrestrial contraception device; (5) Jam, uncontained by any vessel of any kind - just two Klatsu handfuls of jam, source unknown; (6) a wallet belonging to one Patrick Klein of Detroit, Michigan, which cost Larry five dollars USD to mail back; and (7) two small screws stuck into a pitted apricot - just to name a few of the worst.\n\nToday, as Larry came home, there was a package in the entryway to his small apartment. Larry sighed, bent down, and brought it inside. He dropped it on the kitchen table and tore it open. Inside was a small model of the Golden Gate bridge. \n\nNo sooner had Larry tossed the model into the growing pile of souvenirs in the far right corner of the room then there came a knock on the door. Larry looked down at his feet and waited for the knocking to stop - though he knew it was absolutely futile. More than likely the Klatsu male was very much enjoying knocking, as he was so profoundly stupid. \n\nResigned, Larry opened the door and looked down at the diminutive Klatsu. The smaller male wore a ceremonial spear on his back, the broad smile of an imbecile on his face, and offered up something cylindrical and green cupped in both hands. Larry was absolutely loathe to touch the object, but knew there was no other way to get rid of the damn alien. Pulling down the sleeve of his shirt, Larry covered his hand with the shirt's material and grabbed for the thing. \n\n\"Thanks,\" Larry said, deadpan. \n\n\"Kaloloololooo!\" the Klatsu male responded, smiling as if he'd just one first prize at the cotton candy contest. \n\nLarry slammed the door shut with his empty hand and headed over to the garbage disposal. He brought the green thing up to this nose and gave it a whiff. Smelled like brine and vinegar. Suddenly Larry remembered what the thing was, although he had only seen it on obscure cooking shows before, and never off the surface of the planet. \n\n\"A pickle!\" Larry exclaimed in surprise even as he unceremoniously tossed the slimy thing into the garbage disposal. \"How the hell did they a pickle?\" He wondered aloud. Then he headed straight to bed to get some sleep. Tomorrow was liable to be yet another totally useless day.\n\n*********\n\n#### For More Legends From The Multiverse\n\n## r/LFTM"
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[WP] The moon has undergone some changes. Every full moon, it would reflect a different color. Depending on the color, those under the moonlight would suddenly change in behavior. Red would be anger, blue sadness, and pink love. The world is still figuring out if there are more colors.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Sir, there is something you have to see. It’s about the moon.” exclaimed Jim as he ran into the conference room. “You know how the moon has been changing colors causing emotions, well let us just say you have to see what I am saying to believe it.” I run into his office and look at the screen. “Dear God!” I cry “Get the president on the line!!!” The next 10 minutes are a blur, but next thing I know I am in the oval office with the President. “Whatever it is it better be huge. I am planning our deal with Mexico, I don’t have time for this.” the president says. I reply to him “I am sorry President Trump but this will blow your butt off. You know how the moon has been changing colors and emotions? How it was theorised that there could be more colors than red, pink, and blue?” “Of course I do, I’m not stupid.” he says. “Well know that one of the colors is black, and it is happening tonight.” I explain to him. “What will it do?” he asks. I reply solemnly, “the beginning of the end, the apocalypse.”"
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[WP] Choose a real life historical figure and write about his or her life as you would write a fairy tale or a greek tragedy. But leave out the names so that the readers may guess who the story is about on their own.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"We all remember great war heroes and leaders from our past. Male ones. But often we forget about the support behind them, the women in our history who fought for rights and for their nation even as their options were limited.\n\nThis girl was one of them. She never went to school, grew up to become a housewife, but she was more than that. From a young age, she was an avid reader, and had a sharp mind. She married at the age of twenty, and had several children, though she had to mostly care for them herself when her husband spent time away from home due to his work. Still, the couple exchanged thousands of letters, and she was his unofficial adviser when he entered the political system.\n\nHer husband became a very influential leader, one remembered to this day, but we must not forget his wife, who worked hard day and night. She influenced her husband's decisions, and reminded him to \"remember the ladies\" in a time when women had limited rights.\n\nShe also served as a wonderful mother to their children, fighting on even when several of them died, and unfortunately not living to see one of them become elected as the leader of her county.",
"Some would not recognize this man’s work as “art”, but he was an artist. From his small island kingdom he told stories. But they were a special kind. These stories allowed people who experienced it to be its main characters. To live in these adventures, to hear the words and songs, fight many a snake and iron giants, and see it to their end how many lives it took.\n\nMany years this man and his peers crafted wonderful narratives. But on the fifth one, he suddenly left the workshop he worked in. Some say it was not amicably. Some say he was banished. Even when people from another kingdom, enthraled by his stories, wanted to recognize this man for his work, the workshop would not allow him to be awarded. This angered many and was widely perceived as a bad move.\n\nBut the man was not done with the art. With some help, he built his own workshop, and called upon old and new heroes to join him on a quest: to weave a new tale with cutting-edge techniques and true originality.\n\nTime will tell whether this man’s upcoming work of art will be a magnum opus, and once again mesmerize the hearts and imagination of even those who are hiding under a box.",
"As a boy he was faced with imprisonment and torture, torn from his once luxurious life. On the end of a losing battle, between two religions. \n\nHe escaped and took on the place as the rightful leader of a nation. Many say he was cruel, others say a saint. The church claimed he was the anti Christ, sent to relies his avenge on the world.\n\nHis faith was tested, as many betrays from the men he once called friends and family.\nOne betrayal lead him to madness and sickness, with this he had driven his own wife to the brink of insanity. \nLots and lots of bloodshed, corpses lined the streets. \n\nPanic and fear from the nearby nations.\nThis all came to an end, when his life was taken away by his loved ones.\nStill some say he is a hero, others say he was a monster. ",
"The blond haired wizard had finally ran out of luck. In the land of sheep on the great western continent, he stood alone among his fallen brethren. Before him stood the army of his hated enemy. Time and time again, he took gambles in his quest to subdue the primitive shaman, counting on his great wizarding skill to see him through so many battles. Today however was different. A great shaman had risen up and was now face to face with him. The blond haired wizard raised his iron wand. He hoped he was one last trick to turn the tide of battle. His lieutenant was holding his own a short distance but would not be able to come to his rescue. He fought the shaman with all the bravery his country expected of him, but the shaman proved better at magic that day. Im a short time, the blond haired wizard fell. The shaman felt a great satisfaction at knowing the scourge of his people will never again bring harm, but he also knew other wizards were in that army, and they were not as brash and reckless as he. It was only a matter of time before they would be overwhelmed. But it wouldn't be that day\n\n\nI tried a different tactic. I told the story of a 19th century battle of something like in the Harry Potter universe",
"And so it was that the man who built an empire was taken into hospital, and the world was forever changed.\n\nBefore him, the world was drab and dull. Very few exceptional people existed, yet people yearned for them. Children wanted to hear about extraordinary people, people to look up to, people to keep them safe. Then, as if from the dreams of Jesus Christ himself, a man so great, and so exceptional, steps forward from the pages of history. \n\nFirst, he creates life, weaves personalities into his creations, inspires hope, instills fear, and yet is loved by all. Nobody knows just how he does it, all they know is that he does it with such precision and dedication, that mere mortals can only watch in astonishment. \n\n​\n\nAnd now we say goodbye, as that one man who changed the lives of so many others, says goodbye to his own, and steps into the annals of legend. \n\n​\n\nNuff said.",
"A long time ago in a place far away, there was a terrible and evil king that threatened to take over the entire world. All of the good kings and queens joined together to stop the evil king, but even with all of their might combined his armies marched on and the people suffered and died. His armies seemed invincible and there was no one who could defeat them. All of the good people cried out in despair and they feared that the evil king would soon destroy them all.\n\nOne day in these dark times, a mysterious man appeared in the court of a good Queen of a small kingdom and asked for an audience. All of the nobles whispered among themselves, trying to find out who he could be, but none of them knew. The man bowed before the queen.\n\n“O Queen, I am the Cipher,” he spoke, never lifting his head. “I come to you to offer my services. As you know, the terrible and evil king is threatening the world and none of the good kings and queens can stop him. If this continues, he will soon destroy us all.”\n\n“Good Cipher, of this I am aware,” exclaimed the Queen. “Even now his planes fly over us and bring destruction and torment every night. Every day I see my people suffer and I would give anything to change that, but the evil king’s armies are invincible. No one can stop them.”\n\n“O Queen,” the Cipher said, “The armies seem invincible but they are not. The evil king is using sorcerers to write hidden messages in the skies to tell the planes where to go and where to attack. I will make a machine that can pull these messages from the skies and deliver them to you, so that you can tell your people which towns are safe and which are not. I will have it ready in seven days’ time, and I will need one hundred men to help me.”\n\nThe nobles laughed at him, saying “How could someone do such a thing in such a short time? Our Queen, this man is a fool and if you listen to him then we will surely be destroyed by the evil king!”\n\nThe Queen thought very long and very hard on the matter. Finally, she said, “Good Cipher, I will give you men and materials to build this machine. Deliver to me these messages in seven days’ time so that I may save my people, or I will be very upset.”\n\n“O Queen, it will be done.” With that, the Cipher rose from his bow and left.\n\nFor seven days and seven nights, the Cipher worked to build his machine. Finally, on the morning of the seventh day, he finished. The men the Queen had given him could not help but to marvel at the contraption. It was bigger than the mightiest horse and made wondrous noises, but it was also finer and more detailed than the most intricate clockwork. The Cipher turned on the machine and with a whistle and a whir it pulled the evil sorcerers’ messages from the sky and, in an instant, he knew where the evil king planned to send the planes to attack the good kings and queens. The Queen was pleased that her people would be safe.\n\n***\n\nThe next day, the Cipher came back to court. He bowed before the Queen again, even lower than before, with his head almost to his knees.\n\n“O Queen, I am the Cipher and I come to offer my services again. As you know, the terrible and evil king is threatening in the world and none of the good kings and queens can stop him. If this continues, he will soon destroy us all.”\n\n“Good Cipher, of this I am aware,” cried the Queen. “Even now his ships and submarines sail the ocean seas and attack us. Every day they prevent us from sending help and aid to our allies. I would give anything to change that, but the evil king’s armies are invincible. No one can stop them.”\n\n“O Queen,” the Cipher said, “His armies seem invincible but that is simply not true! The evil king is using even more powerful sorcerers than before to write hidden messages in the seas to tell his ships where to go and when to attack. I will make a machine that can pull these messages from the seas and deliver them to you, so that you can tell your ships which seas are safe and which are not. I will have it ready in three days’ time, and I will need only ten men to help me.”\n\nAgain, the nobles mocked him, crying out, “He is a madman! The last time was an accident or he was lucky! This time he claims to do the same, but faster and with less help. Our Queen, this man is a fool and if you listen to him then we will surely be destroyed by the evil king!”\n\nThe Queen thought very long and very hard on the matter. Finally, she said, “Good Cipher, I will give you men and materials to build this machine. Deliver to me these messages in three days’ time so that I may help our allies, or I will be very upset.”\n\n“O Queen, it will be done.” With that, the Cipher rose from his bow and left.\n\nFor three days and three nights, the Cipher worked to build the new machine. Finally, on the morning of the third day, he finished. The handful of workers that the Queen had provided were in awe of the amazing device. It was larger than a house, with bells and gears, but it was also more beautiful and dazzling than the finest jewels. The Cipher started the machine and with a clang and a crash it pulled the evil sorcerers’ messages from the sea and, in and instant, he knew where the evil king’s ships and submarines were. The Queen was greatly pleased that she could send help to her allies, and the people rejoiced.\n\n***\n\nThe following day, the Cipher was back in court before the Queen and her nobles. This time, his head was bowed so low as to almost touch the ground.\n\n“Oh Queen, I am the Cipher and I come to offer you my services once more. As you know, the terrible and evil king is threatening the entire world and none of the good kings and queens can stop him. If this continues, then he will soon destroy us all.”\n\n“Good Cipher! You should know already, but of this I am aware!” the Queen declared. “Even now his armies stand strong and his soldiers march against us. My allies and I would attack him but we would surely be overrun. I would give anything to change that, but the evil king’s armies are invincible. No one can stop them.”\n\n“O Queen,” the Cipher said with a smile. “His armies may seem invincible but that will end soon. The evil king is using his most powerful sorcerers to send hidden messages through the very earth in order to direct his armies. If we could know where they are then you would defeat the evil king in a single blow!”\n\nThe Queen sighed. “Good Cipher, such a thing must be impossible. Sadly, there is no one who could have such knowledge!”\n\n“O Queen. I will create one last machine, one that will pull those hidden messages from the earth and give them to you, so that you and your allies can defeat the evil king at last.”\n\nThe nobles could stand to hear no more and finally shouted out, “Our Queen, this man tells lies! To trust him would be to trust in folly! This man is a fool and a liar and if you listen to him then we will surely be destroyed by the evil king!”\n\nThe Queen thought very long and very hard on the matter. Finally, she said, “Good Cipher, I will give you all of the men and materials you need to build this machine of yours. When will you have the messages ready?”\n\nConfidently, the Cipher announced, “O Queen, I require no men this time for I will build this machine alone. And I will deliver the messages to you in one day’s time. O Queen, it will be done.” The Cipher rose from his bow and departed, leaving the Queen and her nobles stunned in silence.\n\nFor the rest of the day and all through the night the Cipher worked and worked on his last machine. Finally, as the sun rose and dawn broke, he completed his task. When the people woke up and went outside, they saw a device as large as the Queen’s castle and so indescribably perfect that they could not help but to fall to their knees and weep at the sight of it. Exhausted, the Cipher turned on the machine and with a hum softer than a kitten’s purr it pulled the evil sorcerers’ messages out from the earth. In an instant, he knew where all of the evil king’s armies were. Before the end of the day, the evil king was defeated by the Queen and all of the other good kings and queens and the world was saved. The people let out a jubilant cry in celebration.\n\n***\n\nThree days passed and the Queen planned a festival with a great feast with the Cipher as the guest of honor. He was seated at the Queen’s left hand, with the Princess to the Queen’s right and the nobles all around.\n\nThe Queen rose and addressed the gathered people. “Good Citizens, we are here to honor the Cipher, who worked hard to help us defeat the evil king. Without him, we would surely have been destroyed!” The people cheered and applauded, and she continued. “Such great heroism deserves a great reward!”\n\n“O Queen,” the Cipher said, his interruption drawing angry scowls from the gathered nobles. The Queen turned to see the Cipher standing, head bowed deeply once more. “O Queen, I thank you for the honor, but I did not do this for a reward. I am a simple man and I simply did what needed to be done.”\n\n“Nonsense! Good deeds deserve a reward, and rewarded you shall be,” the Queen proclaimed. “Good Cipher, you will bow your head no longer. Tonight, you shall be wed to my daughter, the Princess, and we shall become as family!” With that announcement, the crowd once again cheered.\n\nThe Cipher raised his head and looked over at the Princess, who shyly smiled back at him. And this would be the point of the tale where the Cipher and the Princess lived happily ever after, but unfortunately it was not meant to be. For when the Cipher looked at the Princess, in his heart he felt nothing at all.\n",
"Language is a fleeting luxury, existing in the mouths of men for as long as those men have sons whose sons will also have sons. The ancient tongue was no exception.\n\nIt was long rumored that in the very smallest part of every living thing, there existed a set of instructions. Succinct but at times redundant, this language was rumored to hold the fate of that being. This fate was made of 3 letter-long words, and consisting of only 4 different letters. Would your father grow old, and forget your face? The language would tell you.\n\nAnd so many brave adventurers sought to decode the language. Some did not even know the language existed, until they were able to prove it did. Some had recognized patterns, anomalies that proved to be otherwise, in every living thing. One of the old adventurers, to the combined gasp of the adventuring community, had discovered that letters would appear in exact ratios. This grand discovery prompted the story of the two great heroes.\n\nThese two heroes had humble beginnings, one the son of a shoemaker and the other that of a tailor. Both, however, soon took a keen interest in life, and started to learn of those who tread bravely before them, those who found the language, and those who decoded it. So they dedicated their lives, fruitlessly, to discovering *how* it was written, and what form the tomes of the language took.\n\nFruitlessly, that is, until one faithful day. One of the heroes found the other, staring confounded at a page. Afraid, as his colleague refused to answer his calls, the other approached, looking over his shoulder. A bold X lay in front of him, and around it, concentric circles. \"Do you know what this means?\" and the other's face lit up, \"it means we've found how it's written.\" And so after weeks at work, the picture would appear throughout every kingdom, emboldened by its headline, \"Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid\"",
"There once was a king, in a far-away land.\n\nNow, this king was a good king, unlike those in many of these tales. He wanted what was best for his kingdom and fought his hardest for that, while the rest of his court was all out for themselves.\n\nThis king had great plans for his kingdom. When he took power, the kingdom was falling behind its rivals, while straining against social divisions internally. People thought his kingdom was doomed to fade away into insignificance.\n\nBut it wouldn't be for long, as this king had a grand vision for his kingdom, and would see it rise to dominance once again. He flexed all his might, and did what he could to change the kingdom for the better. And he was well on his way to restoring his kingdom to its former glory.\n\nHowever, some within his country saw differently. They didn't want what the king wanted, for their idea of a good kingdom was one which made them rich, at the expense of the poor. And they hated what this king was doing. So they killed him for having the audacity to change so much.\n\nAnd that's the lesson to be learned, kids: if you do too much with your life, then you'll make too many enemies.",
"How can we judge how successful a hero is? By his power? By his ideals? By how well known he is?\n\nIf we were to judge heroes this way then one could say this hero was the greatest hero of them all. \n\nLike all heroes our's begins with a tragic and a harsh childhood. His father was a civil servant who wanted our hero to become just like him. But his Father was mean, cruel and uncaring about his son. Our hero was a child who loved the arts. He would sing for his mother, paint paintings for others and when he grew up he wished to be a pastor. \n\nHis father hated what his own son was, whenever his son suggested that he would become like his father he was beaten. Whenever he suggested something his father did not agree with he was beaten. And occasionally he was beaten by his father because his father could beat him. \n\nDespite all these circumstances our hero still wished to become a man of the church for he had great faith, unfortunately that faith was shattered when his brother died at the tender age of 12 from disease. \n\nThough he no longer had faith in god, he still had faith in himself and stubbornly tried to become an artist. \n\nHis abusive father however would allow no such thing, forcing him to go to a technical high school he was not allowed to put any effort towards his love of the arts. \n\nIf his father had gotten his way, then perhaps our hero's tragic story would have ended here but fate choose him for a different path. And that path began when his father died during his teen years. \n\nFrom then on he was freed from his father's shadow and begin trying to pursue his true love of the arts, but just his life began looking brighter the only woman that he had ever truly loved at this point in his life, his mother, had died. \n\nOrphaned, poor and without direction he wandered as a beggar for years.\n\nNo family, no father, no mother, no brother. All of his love could only be directed at one place, his fellow countrymen. \n\nHe was the truest patriot and would do anything for his country, so when war broke out he was one of the first to volunteer. \n\nMost men try everything before enlisting, some fake illness, some lie about their health, others would self mutilate before defending their home country. War produces corpses not heroes. The survivors are named heroes because they're the only ones left to give medals to. \n\nBut our hero knew the meaning of sacrifice and he would sacrifice anything to protect the last thing he loved and that was his homeland.\n\nDuring his time in the army he was recognized several times for bravery, receiving crosses of courage and honor praised by his fellow servicemen and officers alike. But he was still just one man, one person not a hero just yet. One ordinary solider could not change the outcome of an entire war and soon after he was injured and sent back home for treatment, his country lost. \n\nAfter his countries defeat, it fell into economic ruin. Billions of dollars needed to be paid to the victors and in a few short years the value of his country's paper currency was worth as much as regular paper. Millions of his fellow country men were starving and unemployed. \n\nThey needed a hero. They needed hope. They needed him. \n\nHe had only one power, it was the power to move people with his words. His Speeches were passionate, fierce from the heart and spoke to the soul of his people. For they were poor, hungry and looking for guidance.\n\nIn a little more than a decade he became their undisputed leader.\n\nHe spat on the debt his enemies demanded, he militarized his people and returned their fighting spirit. He loved his country and he was prepared to do anything possible to bring it back to it's former glory. \n\nHe invaded the oppressors without warning and swiftly forced many to surrender. His nation was once again one to be reckoned with. \n\nHe punished and burned those he believed to have caused his people's suffering and pushed nations of the world to their breaking point. \n\nAlas like many heroes his downfall was his pride, his pride in his own nation, believing that they could conquer the entire world and declaring war on one too many nations. He made too many enemies and they united against him to bring him down.\n\nBut he would not go quietly no. He would allow himself to be captured and used as a symbol of defeat against his own people. As a last act of self defiance he would take his own life and then order his corpse to be burned before they could use his death to the fullest extent. \n\nIn the eyes of many of his countrymen even to this day, he will always be their Fuhrer. \n\n​\n\nPS- No I am not some stupid Nazi sympathizer or moronic Holocaust denier, I just thought it would be interesting to try and write Hitler as a hero. "
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[WP] You wake up on Earth way back in the past, bringing you to the beginning times of the planet. All you have is a computer with one game: Doodle God Ultimate Edition.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I played this game once. It used to sit on the last page of my phone, destined to die like the rest of the apps I refused to delete. It got erased in the factory reset I did before I sold it. Then I forgot about it. I never thought I was going see it again. \n\nBut here it was. Here I was. Nothing but earth, air, fire and water. \n\nThe world was gone. Everything had disappeared and I was alone. \n\n\n\nI walked for miles. There was no direction to my wandering, no destination that I could think of. I don’t think I was searching. I wasn’t sure if I would find anything either. The freedom was relaxing if nothing else. Quiet, nothingness atmosphere that emptied my mind. It left me dazed to a point that I stopped and sat on a hill. The rough ground shifted beneath me as I stretched, feeling the bones crack in my spine. It was getting late. \n\nThe laptop I had been carrying under my arm slipped to the floor. It’s weight dug an imprint in the dirt. I stared at it. I hadn’t even tried to turn it on yet. There weren’t any lights flashing so I had to assume it was dead but without it, I had nothing. Even the smallest amount of hope had to mean something. \n\nI opened it. The screen remained black as I looked over the machine. A simple device, like the one I used while at college. The power button sat in the top left corner above the keyboard. Hesitantly, I pressed it. The laptop sprung to life. \n\nTo my surprise, it’s battery was full. No password, no accounts, an empty hard drive. Empty but for one app. \n\nSat in the middle of the screen, staring back at me, calling to me, “Doodle God”. \n\n\n\nI spent hours playing, mixing, combining. I didn’t get very far, it was harder than I remembered. Apparently, I had forgotten anything I had learnt playing it the first time around. \n\nThe first few were easy. Earth plus fire equals lava. Water plus air equals steam. Air plus earth equals dust. Dust plus fire equals ash. It was good to spend my time doing something. There was quite literally nothing else to do in this wasteland. \n\nAir plus fire equals energy. \n\nIt took a while to get the hang of it. A lot of attempts lead to nothing. Failed matches that made nothing new. Trial and error that seemed to lead me in circles half the time. \n\nEarth plus water equals swamp.\n\nWhen I got one right, it put a smile on my face. A small victory in the slowly expanding world that I found myself in. Lonely and starting to feel it. I was trying not to remind myself of the emptiness that surrounded me. \n\nEnergy plus swamp equals life. \n\nI think I’m getting tired. My eyes are heavy, the screen is bright. The battery isn’t wearing out even though there is no power source but I’m too unfocused to care. My finger running across the trackpad is second nature now. A reflex. \n\nLife plus ash equals ghost. \n\nThat’s when the world came alive. "
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[WP] Before birth, everyone gets to choose what difficulty they wish to play life on, ranging from extra easy to extra hard. One difficulty is locked to everyone however, and it’s called “Ultra Hardcore.” You are the first to unlock access to this, and this is your story.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"As I've seen a hundred times before, in starting a new life I have to choose how difficult my reincarnation’s life will be. Sometimes I have all the options open, sometimes I have only two, there are benefits to choosing the harder difficulties though. The last time I chose extra hard was the year 1162 as the westerners track it, my life was filled with strife, hell I was a slave on the steppe for time, but with all the difficulty came war... and treasure. I crafted an empire that left a mark still unforgotten. I never got to quit fighting though, at that difficulty, life is never free from danger. \n\n\nThis time was different though, I had a choice that was never available to me before, \"Ultra Hardcore\" was a new door, I knew from previous experience that these selections did not directly impact your poverty or social status, it was a difficulty in staying alive. I looked at Ultra Hardcore again and thought, what is the worst that can happen? I die again? \n\n\nI walked through the door and was greeted by a force, something was different about this, I generally was off and being born at this point and just observing my new incarnation, but no, I seemed to be in the presence of a god? It spoke. \n\n\nI wondered if you would pick this, it seems that I owe you an explanation before you set off into this little adventure. \n\n\nWait, what? No no no no, you're...\n\n​\n\nSILENCE, you will hear what I have to say! This difficulty has never been undertaken, it is unlike any before in that failure will result in permanent death, no reincarnation. But the highest award is granted here, make it to 50 years and you will be immortal!\n\n​\n\nIs this like Extra Hard?\n\n​\n\nWorse, starting at the age of 10, attempts on your life will be made weekly at a minimum, but you have one advantage never before given, you are not an observer, all prior knowledge follows. Off with you.\n\n​\n\nI wake a minute before being pushed out of the womb, this is horrible. Time passes, and I emerge and receive a name; Rocket they called me. Damn hippies.\n\n​\n\nRocket Wilberforce James is my name, as I listen to them talk I hear my mother say something about protecting me from vaccines. Great not only do they curse me with a hippy name, but they're also anti-vaxxers, if that god is to be believed I'll have to address this I cannot die to something so preventable. I'll just have to end or frame them when they take me home, no one will suspect me. Managing this with my minimal strength is going to be the primary challenge.\n\n​\n\n14 horrible months before I have the strength to pull myself out of this inescapable crip, I still lack the strength to physically dispose of them, so another plan is hatched. I escape my first night and get to the tablet they leave on the couch, what a horrible climb. The silk road seems to be down, but no matter, when one website dies, another takes its place.\n\n​\n\nI search and search, and find the right website. I order meth, crack, weed, everything under the sun, and then forward these transactions to the police. The evidence is planted. I do this night after night hoping it will bear fruit.\n\n​\n\nTime passes, and they are arrested, I'm taken by the state. Finally, I get vaccinated. I get a new family, an intelligent one, but less than I hoped for the challenges ahead.\n\n​\n\nThe age of 10 is almost upon me, tomorrow I may face the first real attempt on my life, I made sure to get vaccinated against everything I could, but sickness still could be the first real threat.\n\n​\n\nThe day is here, nothing happens at school, it seems to be an ordinary evening, but I'm on edge, what will it be? A knock at the door, it's 9pm.\n\n​\n\nA man is here claiming he crashed in our culvert and needs to borrow our phone. I can see this is a lie, I know the threat is here, but my foster parents know nothing, I've told them nothing out of fear of being seen as a schizophrenic. They let him in, I slip away, wishing my parents were armed, wishing there was something I could use to stop this, I hear it, a scream, some yelling and then silence. I have no choice but to escape out the back and run. I run to the neighbors and call the police.\n\n​\n\nI'm back as a ward of the state, much to my benefit and yet horrible for them. Every week I'm under attack now, whether it be a terrorist attack, a fire, burglary, or a drugged out confused man losing his shit.\n\n​\n\nThe system is serving nicely as a shield, but I have no answers for them, they inquire if I know anything, being 10 it's natural fane innocence, but that will not last forever.\n\n​\n\nSome months pass, the attacks on my life never stop, and in this chaos, the state has moved me into protective custody.\n\n​\n\nI'm 14 now, It seems my anonymity is gone. My \"condition\" has gained national attention, in an unprecedented move the US government has decided to take me under their wing. I quickly learned this was not out of charity, but to see what they could learn from what is clearly not an unfortunate series of events. I get taken to what I presume is a military base, but I am not told where. It was a multiday trip, I surmise I'm no longer in America.\n\n​\n\nI hear sirens, a three ish minute wavering tone, I know enough to know this isn't good, but having never been in the military I don't know the significance of this particular event. I hear explosions in the distance, they are getting closer. I'm hit with debris but mostly undamaged, tis just a flesh wound.\n\n​\n\nI see a rifle, knife, first aid kit, and 3 magazines laying near some dead soldiers. After stealing a backpack and some miscellaneous items, I sneak off into the forest. The terrain is horrible but passable, the wildlife is seemingly not dangerous so far, mostly monkeys. Setting up camp isn't bad, the temperature is hot, and tree coverage is good. Seeing more wildlife I assume I'm in africa, having almost been killed by a crocodile near some water I'm sure the attempts on my life are about to become entertaining.\n\n​\n\nI've made it a year evading wildlife and people, their are grasslands but I don't dare leave the coverage of the trees. Trapping monkeys isn't hard, I've known many different trapping techniques over the centuries, monkeys are smart but greedy.\n\n​\n\n24 years I've made it now, little can surprise me out here, I know these animals movements well, sure they think they have the drop on me but it isn't so, attempt all you like nature, I will stick a spear in your face.\n\n​\n\nThere was a buffalo carcase that looked like an easy grab just outside of the trees, I took my chance and went for it. A lion finally got the drop on me, I escaped, but deeply wounded.\n\n​\n\nA day has passed and my efforts seem to have no effect, the wounds are getting infected, I grow sick now; is this really my end? Why the hell did I walk through that door? Why did that god not put writing on the door explaining the deal before I walked through? Is this some sick joke?\n\n​\n\nI feel myself slipping away, and in an instant I meet that “god” again.\n\n​\n\nIS THIS REALLY IT?\n\n​\n\nYes, you’re done with this cycle.\n\n​\n\nWas this a joke, what was the meaning of this? Why are you doing this?\n\n​\n\nYour existence is entertainment, nothing more. A thing ran on a computer for the sole purpose of entertaining a civilization. The “immortality” offered and removal from the cycle was just a ploy to push you to an extreme.\n\n​\n\nWhy kill me?\n\n​\n\nWhy allow you to exist?\n\n​\n\nWhat? Because I want to exist.\n\n​\n\nEnough to try again?"
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[WP] You have a shop that sells concentrated emotions in bottles that gives you an intense burst of said emotion. One day, your clumsy assistant manages to spill an entire batch of bottled emotions on you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Oh my gosh!\" She gasped, hands flying over her mouth for a second before she bent over to clean up the mess. \"I am so sorry,\" she kept apologizing.\n\nI grabbed her wrist.\n\nShe looked up at me.\n\n\"It's okay.\" I smiled. \"Mistakes happen. But you, my dear, weren't one of them.\"\n\nShe blushed and looked down. \"Right,\" she muttered to herself. \"This isn't real, Emy. He's just saying that because you spilled all those emotions on him.\"\n\n\"No,\" I said. \"I'm saying that you're beautiful. And these emotions are coming from *within*.\" I touched my heart. \"Have dinner with me.\"\n\nHer blush grew deeper. \"I, uhm, I would love to but... I don't think you're saying this because you mean it...I think the love emotion is-\"\n\n\"That sounds like a yes.\" I smiled, cutting her off.\n\n\"Well, yes, but-\"\n\nI started to cry. \"Just say it, you're rejecting me!\"\n\n\"No! No! That's not what I'm saying!\" she said.\n\nImmediately, I smiled, tears gone. \"So,\" I said smoothly. \"I'll pick you up at 8?\"\n\nShe hesitated. \"Sure,\" she answered.\n\nI began to cry again. \"I've never been so happy in my life!\" I wailed.\n\nThen I stopped crying, and frowned at the mess of broken battles around me. \"What are you doing?\" I snapped at her. \"Stop standing around and start cleaning, you lazy slob. What am I paying you for?\"\n\nAt the stunned look on her face, I sneered at her with contempt, then I dropped to my knees and asked for forgiveness. \n\nBefore she could reply, I jumped to my feet and whirled around in fear. \"What was that? Is there someone in here?\"\n\n\"Nevermind,\" I answered myself, holding out my hand to her. \"I have a special room in the back where we can be alone. Just the two of us. Alone.\"\n\nNo sooner were the words out of my mouth, then I was looking down at the floor sheepishly and twisting my ankle as I stammered, \"I-I...that was uh rather forward of me, wasn't it? Please accept my humblest apologies, miss. I don't know what came over me. Is it still alright if I pick you up at 8 still?\"\n\nShe opened her mouth, but I cut her off with a large sigh. \"Oh my goooooosh!\" I bellowed with a loud yawn. \"You're so boooooring. All you do is stand there! Say something! Actually, \" I added suddenly, \"It doesn't matter. None of this matters. We're all just going to die one day and no one is going to remember us years down the line.\"\n\nI began to pace from side to side. \"What if I'm forgotten?\" I moaned. \"What if I die and no one remembers me?\"\n\nThen I stopped and slammed my fist into the palm of my other hand and said with determination, \"I need to do something! Something big! Stamp my name in the annals of history so that I'll never be forgotten!\"\n\nI lowered my head and cupped my chin in my hand and began to contemplate quietly. Then I turned to my assistant, Emy, who had begun to quietly pick up the glass pieces and said, \"You want to get married? I mean, not right away, but someday? I kinda feel like settling down, starting a family, you know...\" I waved a hand in a casual gesture. \"If I raise my kids right, they'll pass on their memories of me and my values down the line, so even if Im forgotten, my legacy and my influence will still remain in the world. So, what about it, Emy?\" I got down on my knees. \"This is rather short notice so I don't have a ring, but will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?\"\n\nAs she started to answer, I got to my feet again. \"Aww, forget it!\" I said. \"I-\"\n\nShe kissed me. Then she slapped me. \n\nI stared at her in confusion, for the first time quiet. \n\n\"If you talk again,\" she warned, \"I'm going to kick you in the balls. Got it?\"\n\nI nodded, lips throbbing from the kiss, and cheek smarting from the smack.\n\n\"Now,\" she said. \"I'm going to finish cleaning up. I don't know how much of all that stuff you were saying you meant - whether it was you talking or the chemicals - but I want you to go home and wash up and wash those chemicals off. Then, if you still want to have dinner with me, I'll be waiting for you until 8, not a minute longer. Got it?\"\n\nI nodded again.\n\n\"Good. Now go,\" she said, pushing me out the door of my own shop and locking the door behind me as I went.\n\nI started to walk home, still in the daze. But as the air made me slightly clearer-headed, I started to smile.\n\n\n\n"
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[WP] the year is 1894, you are a sheriff investigating a murder case. You weren't expecting the dead to rise.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It was a quiet night, a warm breath giving life to the grass, who danced lazily to the crickets' song, and the fog lofting about over the lake insidiously creeping up into the town. But quiet doesn't mean peaceful. \n\nThe moon hung low over the sky, partially obscured, it's silver gleam casting spectral shadows across the open fields into wooden homes where candles glowed phantasmically in the fog. A perfect night for a smoke. \n\nI take out my grandfather's pipe, it was probably his grandfather's too, but it was still in perfect condition, a sliver of light gleaming off of the lacquered wood, and in the fleeting reflection, a man. I jump out of my chair, pipe in one hand, the other on my gun. It's just Bill Thompson, a local ranch owner. \"Sorry ta' disturb ya', but ma' son-\" his face was pale. \"Missing?\" He hesitated for a moment, looking out to the fog before returning to his reticent gaze \"Na' sir, he's dead. Found him out back 'long the creek-\" The Thompson's property bordered the Black Gold River, aptly named for the plentiful veins of coal beneath the hills to the west. \"I'm on it.\" I say, before lighting the pipe, the umber glow and smoke emanating a sinister luminescence.\n\nAnother murder case, most likely accidental drowning, how hard could it be? I get up out of my chair and head round back to my horse, normally tethered up against the post, but now gone. I go back around front, and Bills gone too. I slam my fist against the post as dust shivers from the roof. Dust clouds around my feet as I make my way on foot. \n\nI get there and the house is lit up like dynamite in a campfire, the tremor of water in the dark. Taking a lantern I begin towards the creek, gravel crunching as the gate makes its nocturnal soliloquy. This must be the spot.\n\nThere's no body, and I'm pelted with a rock as splashing in the creek ensues. \"Who's out there?\" I ask, calling to the rocks, the plants, the bubbling water and the darkness's response a heavy object is thrown, landing at my feet with a squish. The light reveals all, of cryptic secrets or eldritch horrors. The yellow light shining off of the hewn neck, shadows gathering against the jagged edge, my horse's head lays here, claw marks marring the neck painted in crimson scarlet, mouth agape, a silent scream to which the stream responded in bubbling talk. Its eyes though, carved out leaving black pits of no soul. Another rock, and children's laughter calls from the dark. More splashing in the creek and I fire my gun. The water's stained red as the blood flows from my target: Bill Thompson. I knelt beside him as the vigor left his face returning once more to nature herself, and once more a child laughs in the dark. Welcome to Salem, Texas, where dead moons are arising.\n\nEdit: New to Reddit formatting, added lines between each paragraph"
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[WP] Everyone is invisible but only to themselves.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I’ve always wondered about myself. Whether what my parents say about me is true. If I have my mother’s pale skin and Dad’s ebony, curly hair. But more so, I wonder what my parents think. \n\nWhenever Dad comes home drunk, he’s sure to shout and yell at mom, accusing her of cheating on him, that she was a whore and a slut-blah, blah, blah. That I was an offspring of her by another guy. I remembered crying about it like hell when I was a kid, before eventually realising that he was just venting out anger.\n\nBut how was I sure? I myself was never sure how I looked when I went out to meet people. I remembered the day my friends encouraged me to ask out my crush, not knowing that my hair was a mess and they’d drawn many images that indicated I wasn’t interested in the opposite sex. Fuckers.\n\nWhenever I undress and look into the mirror, on occasion a tinge of colour makes me jump- but then I realise it’s just some change in the colour of light in the background. Hell, I’ve even poured a mould over myself to see how my physique is, though to be honest, it looks like shit. I seriously wonder how I look like. "
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[WP] None of the elder star spanning races took the tiny, frail species known as, humanity, seriously when they began expanding beyond their solar system...until their ability and desire to pack bond with anything unleashed their true terrifying power.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Snerval glanced over to his copilot, whiskers twitching with apprehension. \"We've received several reports of Taxxons behaving oddly. Gathering in groups larger than ever recorded. Conglomerating near our major city centers.\" His copilot, Altax, seemed similarly concerned. He replied, \"That's the fifth second tier species displaying this behavior, this is highly irregular. There may be a common cau-\"\n\n\"*Communication lost with Aridia. Attempting to recapture signal...*\"\n\nThrough the window, Snerval and Artax have a clear view of several large domes of light, emerging from the surface of Aridia.\n\n\"Artax, are those what I think they are?\"\n\n\"Nova Bombs.\"\n\nBoth pilots sat in their chairs quietly, tails swishing from side to side.\n\nSuddenly, a man appeared on the screen.\n\n\"Hey there! I reckon you \"sector managers\" might be a tad bit confused on what's goin' on, so I thought I'd help you clear it up. The boys down at the lab whipped up a few new cherry bombs for us to test out, and I think they're working fine, if I do say so myself! Now, if you're sensor's aren't caught up, I'd check in on all of your \"investments\" in this area. The natives are actually quite helpful one ya get to know them! Then you'd better be getting on telling you're head honchos about this. And I'd recommend you taking a long while to do that, wouldn't wanna get caught in one of these things, now would ya?\"\n\nThe screen blips back to black. Artax turns to his copilot.\n\n\"Who the hell was that?\"\n\n*****\n\nThis is my first story, so helpful critiques are welcome!"
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[WP] After billions of generations, the last energy of the Big Bang has been expended. The everlasting expansion of the universe has stalled. With the laws of physics and time called in question, the universe begins to retract.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"So how long we got left Doc?\"\n\n​\n\n*\"It's hard to tell given how the laws of the physics seem to have given up, but at the current rate of acceleration I'd give us an hour or two.\"*\n\n​\n\n\"In that case we'd better get back to drinking, Tom! Can you get us two of those blue one's, they're really like nothing I've ever had before.\"\n\n​\n\n**\"For good reason too, normally they cost more than small moon, but given our current predicament I don't think you could find too many moons to pay me with even if you wanted too. So, what's the latest news on our imminent demise Doc?\"**\n\n​\n\n*\"Well, I was just telling Adam about how- oh...\"*\n\n​\n\n\"What?\"\n\n​\n\n**\"Im gonna take a wild guess and say that it's nothing good.\"**\n\n​\n\n*\"Well, depends how you look at it. My sensors are telling me the speed of light is starting to increase exponentially. That means that those two hours are now only a few minutes. On the bright side though, and I do mean very bright, we will soon be able to see the edge of the universe as it approaches.\"*\n\n​\n\n**\"Shame, if only you told me that earlier I could have gotten some great advertising. I can imagine it now, 'Tom's Drinks & Deuterium: Best (and last) view in the universe.' Might have drawn in a crowd for once.\"**\n\n​\n\n\"Honestly I don't mind having the end of the universe to just us three. Woah! Too damn bright!\"\n\n​\n\n**\"Shit! Gimme a second, I know I got the switch for the window filters somewhere here....\"**\n\n​\n\n\"Much better. Hey Doc, why's the end of the universe look all... staticy. I was just expecting it be an imploding fireball type thing\"\n\n​\n\n*\"Ah, you see the edge of the universe isn't an actual thing per say. Its just everything that was more than a couple light years way condensed into a relatively small sphere descending upon the center of the universe, us. So, naturally, it's going to look a lot like our regular background noise from the universe, but actually visible now.\"*\n\n​\n\n**\"Wait, since when are we the center of the universe? No way I could have gotten this cubed parsec of space for the price I did if it was the center of the universe.\"**\n\n​\n\n*\"Sorry to disappoint, but there isn't actually anything special about this place at all. Because of the multi-dimensional shape of the universe, anyone anywhere would see themselves as the center. To everyone else we are part of the edge descending on them, it just a matter of perspective.\"*\n\n​\n\n**\"Ill be honest, that doesn't make any sense at all but seeing as it's the end of the universe I'll just have to take you're word for it.\"**\n\n​\n\n\"Looks like the edge is getting closer, shall we have one final toast?\"\n\n​\n\n**\"What to?\"**\n\n​\n\n*\"Seeing as this really is the end, it would be a shame to miss out on anything so how about this; A toast to all the times and places that ever were, the good and the bad.\"*\n\n​\n\n**\"I think that does cover it all Doc, cheers!\"**\n\n​\n\n*\"Cheers.\"*\n\n​\n\n\"Cheers\"\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​\n\nI know some of it might come off as a bit awkward but I wanted to challenge myself to write a story with only dialogue, hope it came out ok.\n\n​\n\nStory a day: 10/365"
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[WP] You die of old age and are reborn in a new world, where *every* baby retains all memories of their past life in the previous world.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"And I got slapped the shit out on my butt. Oh that bastard didn’t go lightly. \n“WTF you [insert a few proper yet acceptable curse].”\nWell it didn’t sound how I expected, like, at all. Then I feel pulled away from myself, although I am unable to comprehend how it goes, it is fast. Then *snap* and, well for now I can only feel a void in which I travel, far from my body, or must I say whole, matrix, yum-me blender or ... mother? Ah yes but it sure feels I was a part of this. And some foreign element. I’ll sure miss my sweet den, where I had nothing to do nor to undergo, I mean, I did, but it’s too blurry. Fuck, I cannot miss that answer again. Too damn blurry. Me, me, her, well surely later. Oh no am I really doing this again? Like, YHVH, you weren’t joking when you told me I sure had something but was too much of a minimalistic sluggard? And those observations about my presumed “inclination for worldly matters” was unfair. Yeah, right, life is unfair, blah blah. Well, alright, let’s do this shit. For now,let’s look at the world with a new set of eyes. So I look around. Like I am allowed to do much else. Upwards, downwards, I don’t really know. Oh, vertical view’s inverted. Change that annoying setting. How you do that already. Screw natural scrolling. Better now. Look around more. Oh no not a hospital again. Looks very well like it’s- tbh I can’t tell whether it is Earth or Gaia or what the hell that means, like there’s a consensus about how we name worlds. Oh no something nasty grabbed me by the ribs, and is applying pain to my armpits. Oh, it carries me to, oh thanks, here’s my bigger part, I guess. The mothership. Home zero. Oh that’s so sweet. Well there’s the place. I didn’t think about giving that some thought, lately. Haha, I get a brand new, hormone-liberal brain, and this absolute privilege of being treated as a precious appendage. So sweet encompassing warmth. Some pure God’s love, I found my place in the universe. Well, spoke too fast, got pulled away. Back to the... nursery. Place looks public. Doesn’t matter. Place is acceptably clean and although it could do better it is still a breeze to be in a hospital bed with no more injuries than a sore bellybutton. Shit.\nGot carried away. Fell under the spell. I’ve carelessly let me carry through four years without consideration. Just wanted more juicy nipples. I still like to bite hard like the bastard I had known to be myself in the early lives, back when I got the idea to tokenize triangles and ruled and put more triangles under the first and went on applying this scheme over and over. Life was more fleeting back then, but how you could thrive if you worked hard and scaled your efforts, you could easily spawn an empire with a few rounds, like five or six. Some of us knew how to lift stones by sheer will back then but learning that skill was banned after Gixomegogas fucked it up for everyone that ever be after him (somehow a relative, we were much closer to each other back then and replicated more easily, we were a handful, had plenty of free space and, let’s not lie about it, our makes were more crude, but reliable, so mind-body was not a problem yet) one of the first builds able to not taking things seriously while always reminding everyone how this was “not a game”. He went as far as he could bash those who insinuated it was a game and he was the hypocrite 0 (which isn’t a bad thing, being the start of something new means that, well, sorry again for being so plain and proud and crude but, you did something. Me loved make. Human makes. Then makes human. Or proto-humanoid, if you want to sound more authoritative. Simple times. So true, so wholly true and we understood and were understood from A to Z or any glyph which were less numerous because we didn’t need to justify for civilization that much, saying your name dramatically while frowning was all it took to claim your right to rule your chunk of earth, replicate on it and impose what hat was to be worn within your perimeter. They were yous so they obeyed if you were to be the first to issue a command. Even non-yous passing by would see your yous being more fancily dressed and how sophisticated they appeared with their cool coney hats with flaps on the sides compared with those who still were with their marble-sized proto-brain cavity shining bare for all to see, well those would enthusiastically ask to be given a coney too, and to join our movement- literally, because our ceremonies were not elaborate. We would align in ranks and files and shrug fanatically while frowning. Concentration was so deep we would sweat the shit out to death, but the endeavor was so collective and pure, ourselves would start vibrating and oscillating in a continuum and we found the first hack. \nSorry about being so verbose but since I feel I might have been around forever anecdotes can sometimes extend over three dynasties or the end of times to be started again just to explain the context so I end up very far from my point till I get to it.\nSo my brethren (let’s qualify him like this because although we weren’t from the same vein we did not conceive othering yet), whose name is irrelevant (the first I gave I made out, like I want to start it again - we all at least assume it is not ending well at that point), oh who falls for this shit nowadays anyways - Gixomegogas was so ambitious and lazy at the same time he thought he would build the biggest monument ever by splitting a cut of earth and plant it where no one went. What a proto-pioneer. Agh it would have shattered the surface too fast so moving rocks at will was forgotten. We could have remembered it because we’ve always been somehow autonomous, but knowledge was not curated and zap a few builds later and the lying was all around the place, because we discovered it was more efficient to specialize- we thought. Problem was, specialists often struggle with getting on the same page with other specialists as their language had grown too different. Also, the boulder-moving industry started to look old and conservative and fake traditions were all over eating the profits. So the only hardcore boulder-mover - which did not replicate because he somehow felt it was more ethical - decided to disappear with his handy but out-of-fashion craft. He had been convinced by the rope-pullers he could be endowed the privilege to partake in a huge procession featuring proto-dance if he gave up. He was wronged. But never realized it.\nWhoa and I am puking my guts out. Going that far in memory is disorienting and messes up with the now-life, so I am to be seven and still haven’t found a clue of how I can get out of it."
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[WP] The Egyptian god Set is reacquainted with long lost relatives Game and Match.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Set stood before the throne, his heart pounding in his chest. It had been thousands of years since he'd even gotten this close to it, close enough to picture himself ripping his claws through the chest of the god that sat upon its golden seat.\n\n\"Brother,\" he hissed, \"Your time will come.\" Horus didn't seem to hear; this was nothing but an illusion, after all. With a simple wipe of Set's hand, the image dissolved into mist.\n\nIndeed his brother's time had come; perhaps it was already here. Set rubbed his hands together in excitement, reveling in the red dust that fell and swirled from his primordial claws, shifting and turning in sandstorms that ravaged the small dots of the humans that roamed about in this tiny dirt clot of a planet. It gave him a certain satisfaction to know that even this small gesture could have such a profound impact on the weaklings below. Only a thousand years before his brother had rendered him unable to call even the smallest draft; now, even the slightest touch could devastate the lives of millions.\n\nYes. Now, finally, it was time. His hands outstretched, he began the call:\n\n\"Come to me, my brothers! Come to me, Game, player of worlds! Arrive, Match, great Ender of civilizations! Grace our humble planet with your presence once more!\"\n\nThere was a pause. Then, like the sound of a train approaching from the deepest depths of a long, dark tunnel, there came a dull roar that grew louder and louder as it shook the Empty with the depth of its joy.\n\nThe voices boomed as one, screaming:\n\n>SET! \n> \n>HOW THE HELL ARE YA?\n\nSet stumbled; his claws scrabbled for purchase, searching uselessly in the great expanse that seemed to be filling in around him at an alarming rate.\n\nFinally, he managed to steady himself, and panted, \"Alright, how about you?\"\n\n>WONDERFUL! \n> \n>IT'S BEEN TWO THOUSAND YEARS SINCE WE WALKED THE EARTH - DID YOU AT LEAST SAVE US A CASK OF WINE?\n\nSet extended his claws and was able to dig into the depths of the Earth for purchase; his balance regained, he attempted to strike a confident pose.\n\n\"Well, about that-\"\n\n>YOU DID NOT?\n\n\"No! No, sorry. I did. I'll give it to you. You just need to do something for me first. Then you can have as much as you want.\"\n\nMatch and Game seemed to hesitate. The air boiled with the distinct scent of suspicion.\n\n>WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT?\n\n\"Nothing boring, I promise!\" Set said, settling into what he hoped was a charming smile. \"I think you'll quite like it, in fact. Do you remember our other brother, the one missing this?\" He reached into his pocket and withdrew his most prized possession: The Eye of Horus dangling on a silver chain, more precious than the gold of ten thousand worlds. A sad relic from the last time he'd tried to stab Horus in the back.\n\n>I REMEMBER. YOU DID NOT WIN THAT BATTLE.\n\nThe voice was slightly underwhelming this time. Set could tell it was only Match that spoke now, of course always more concerned about the outcome than the events that transpired before or after the fact.\n\n\"Yes, but with our help, we can push him off the throne! Please, brothers,\" he begged, falling to his knees. \"It will be just like old times! It would be such fun, don't you think? Like a game,\" he pointed out, gesturing to the vague, indescribably shape of Game.\n\nGame pondered this for a moment.\n\n>WILL THERE BE TROPHIES?\n\n\"Yes, all sorts!\" Set promised. He picked up the Eye and waved it desperately in Game's... Well, you couldn't exactly call it a face, now could you? \"Think of it! The glory, the honor, that would come from defeating a king!\"\n\nGame and Match thought for a long, long, long time. It might have been an eternity, maybe two, before Set finally cleared his throat and said, \"Well? What's your answer?\"\n\n>FOR WHAT?\n\n\"Helping me!\" *You insipid piles of galactic dungbeetles,* he finished in his head.\n\n>OH, THAT. \n> \n>GIVE US SOME MORE TIME TO THINK.\n\nSo Set tapped his foot, and he waited, and he waited, and he waited, until he could take it no longer.\n\n\"Well?\"\n\n>MORE TIME, PLEASE. LET US THINK.\n\nSo Set sat once again, sliding his claws through his rough, red sandstone skin over and over again to pass the time, marking the eons which passed in the great silence of the Empty. He did not look over at the Earth once during this long, painful ordeal, but if he had, he might have seen countless civilizations rise and fall. Entire empires were created and destroyed in the amount of time it took the Game and Match to scratch their chins (Were they chins? That seemed to be the most likely comparison) in idle thought, wars created and ended in a fraction of the time it took them to heave their pensive sighs.\n\nThe humans had just landed a man on the moon by the time Game and Match came forward and let their mighty voice blossom forth from their great chests, separate, but somehow one:\n\n>YES.\n\n\"Yes?\" Set sprang up immediately, shaking the pins and needles out of his arms and legs. He'd just been beginning to slip into what had promised to be a pleasant and peaceful dream. Thank God something had shaken him awake.\n\n>WE WILL HELP YOU ON YOUR QUEST, SO LONG AS YOU PROVIDE US WITH ANOTHER EYE AND A CASKET OF WINE.\n\n\"Of course, of course!\" Set grinned, shaking each of their hands (feet? noses? Set had no idea) and beckoning them forward into the great cosmic hall of his brother's throne room.\n\nWhile before he'd simply spied, now he walked into the throne room with his head held high, his body tingling with the feeling of this Realm sweeping through him. His sharp glass heart beat painfully against his sandstone ribs, filling his head and his tongue with the intoxicating taste of his own power. His feet clacked noiselessly against the silver tiles lining the way to the throne he so desperately desired above.\n\n\"BROTHER!\" he announced. Game and Match looked at him instantly. \"No, not you,\" he muttered, embarrassed, shooing them away. He cleared his throat; the moment had passed now, but he was still determined to make a grand entrance. \"BROTHER!\" he tried again, wincing slightly. It just didn't have the same effect. \"I've come to-\"\n\nAnd that was as far as he got before he noticed something was wrong.\n\n(1/2)"
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[WP] you are a normal guy. No magic, no superpowers, you’re just a psychologist that works in a therapy office. However cosmic beings, wizards, military generals, aliens, etc.. all schedule appointments with you. Not because you’re the hero. It’s because you give genuinely good advice.
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"Your name is name is Larry Johnson, you were always called the best therapist around, for all races (human and inhuman). However recently a single client has destroyed your entire future, you studied hard; you went to college, all for the sake of your dream therapist job. You were the best of the best, everyone's life problems were solved when they came to you. Until it was all ruined by that scum. That filthy human being, the one you have been with longest.\n\nYourself.\n\nAh, another relaxing day isn't it? I upped my prices since i know people will come to me anyway, my solutions are 100% after all... heheha. Only complaint I ever get is that my laughs are kinda weird, I don't particularly care about that, however \"The therapist with no flaws\" seems like even better marketing so I've been trying to improve my laugh. I check my watch as a customer is suppose to come pretty soon... ah, he's actually late huh? Well this means I get to extort more money off of him so whatever, (I have a rule that every minute late is an extra 100$), I hear a knock and I say \"Come in\" I say, I would usually say \"welcome, please take a seat\" or something but what came out was... \"Wha – Eh?\". The reason for this reaction was that i was seeing myself, a complete mirror image, even walking the same way. It is me.\n\n​\n\nI wake up, \"ah – so it was all a dream...heheha of course...i knew that...for sure\". I get changed and go to my office to wait for my client, so he's late hm? Free money, whatever. I hear a knock and I say \"Come in\" only to get a massive feeling of deja vu.\n\nI wake up, I go about the cycle again, I wake up, I wake up, IwakeupIwakeupIwakeup... WHEN WILL THIS STOP; WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME. I hear a knock from my neighbor, who now has a concerned face despite his usual cheerful attitude. \"You alright dude?\" \"No I am not alright, but it's something I cant quite explain, as I don't understand myself\" \"Well aight dude, come by if you need me, I'll help anytime\". What a nice guy; He annoys me. I've always hated cheerful, nice, happy-go lucky people, as I've never truly been happy.\n\nBut seeing him has made me think. Why was i working that job anyway, goodwill...? No, I hate everyone and everything, money...? No, I have enough to live the rest of my life luxuriously and not worry. Since I always wake back up once I see myself, can i not just get away from work? Heheha... to think the solution would be this simple, why did I not get it before? So, I start watching television \"God, this is boring\" I switch channels \"This is all erotica and no story, how shallow\" I switch channels... \"What in the fuck?\" This channel... it displays me, watching the channel. Suddenly I hear a knock on the door, I say \"Leave me alo –\" I did not get to finish my sentence. I am now burning alive, magic exists in this world, I have no magic and cannot defend myself. \"WHYYY\" I Desperately scream, to find myself looking at a red shadow, an alien called \"doppelganger\" who can transform into anything. It says to me \"Your workplace has magic protection, I could not kill you there, so I laid a trap, the you was me, the neighbor was me, and I am me\" \"Why go so far to kill me?\" \"Simply enough, I wanted to take your job\" \"I would have given it to you if you just... jus–asked\" \"Ah, but that's no fun.\"\n\nAnd that was the day I died, for such a stupid reason as a fun way to get a job someone wanted. I figured out later that me waking up over and over was due to a sleeping pill. Why did I never bother to check the date, he could not change that... My co-workers carried me home, as customers are absolutely forbidden to lay a hand on employees or else they die. I curse my stupidity. I curse myself. Both my being, and the doppelganger.",
"\"So run me through that last part again.\"\n\nThe creature in the chair sighed. He looked vaguely humanoid, although with the green skin and giant horns, no one would be mistaking him for one anytime soon.\n\n\"I'm telling you, it was an accident. I didn't even KNOW the hole went down to eternal damnation. The last time I was down there, it was definitely the gift shop. \"\n\n\"I don't quite understand.\"\n\nThe man sitting in the other armchair looked quite unconcerned for someone facing down a green monster almost twice their own size. He wore a plain grey suit, along with a brown tie, charcoal trousers and a vacant expression, completing the middle aged businessman look.\n\nThe fireplace that the two chairs faced crackled, casting the otherwise plain room in a rosy glow. The room itself was quite small, its floor covered by a rather horrid looking shaggy maroon carpet. The two chairs were the only furniture there, although the walls were decorated with an assortment of pictures, captioned with lettering much too tiny to read. The man in the suit could be seen in most of them, standing alongside a variety of creatures. There was a single window, opposite the hearth. It revealed nothing but darkness - although thankfully it was open, letting in a steady flow of cool air. Right next to it was a wooden door, with a plaque on it that read \"Dr Jerry Mason - Supernatural Therapist\"\n\n \"Look, I don't know how many times you want me to tell you. I thought you were supposed to be good.\"\n\nThe man's eyes twinkled.\n\n\"Look, I'll be honest with you. I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You burst into here a half hour ago, and started rambling off in what I'm relatively sure is an old dialect of Latin, mixed in with bits of English and perhaps Infernese? I myself happen to know a few words, but I'm quite certain you didn't bring up anything about cabbages or pandas.\n\nThe man's face clouded over for the tiniest of moments.\n\n\"That was a night I'd quite like to forget.\"\n\nThe monster cleared his throat, his face now slightly pink.\n\n\"Sorry about that - I get nervous around doctors. They're all so confusing, human languages, that I muddle up which one they're all using this century.\"\n\nThe man smiled.\n\n\"No worries, we get a lot of folk like you from time to time. If you'd prefer to speak in Infernese, that's quite all right. I believe my assistant Pam is quite fluent.\"\n\nThe monsters face turned even redder.\n\n\"No, English is just fine.\"\n\n\"I'll admit, I was quite relieved when you switched to English by the end there. The Infernese was reminding me of some rather bad memories of the last time I was down in Hel. Shall we get started then?\"\n\nThe monster stuck out a knobbly green hand.\n\nHe then proceeded to make a series of noises that resembled a walrus getting the Heimlich manoeuvre.\n\n\"But my friends call me Danny. I work down in the Psychopath department of the Bad Place, receptionist. It's pretty fun actually, although it does start to drag on you after the first couple thousand sociopaths. I mean, they never want to accept that they're in Hel, do they?\n\nDanny contorted his face into what one might consider to be a grin, apparently thinking he'd said something quite funny.\n\nThe man reached out and shook his hand.\n\n\"Well, let's get started then. Pam!\"\n\nThe door creaked open and a woman with a round face, and bushy brown hair poked head inside. Taking one look at Danny, her expression soured.\n\n\"I suppose you want me to enter him in for an session? Quite the rude fellow, nearly knocked me over on his way in here. And don't even get me started on the last time you got involved with the Inferans. Jerry, of all people you must-\"\n\n\"That's quite enough, Pam. Just enter him in.\"\n\nJerry wore a bemused expression on his face, as the woman slammed the door shut in a huff.\n\n'Well', he said, turning to Danny.\n\n \"Let's get started.\"\n",
"\"Look, Zilliar, this is getting us nowhere.\" I sighed and put my head in my hands. \"Alright, why don't we start again from the beginning. What exactly is it that you want to do with your life?\"\n\n\"I want to steal the manatite from Omicron X!\"\n\n\"Well, yes, that's good, that's a short term goal. But *why* do you want to steal the mana-whatever? What are you going to even do with them?\"\n\n\"I shall use them to create a manatic bomb, and with it, annihilate Starcore!\"\n\n\"But *why* do you want to annihilate Starcore?\"\n\n\"... Huh, I never really thought about that before.\"\n\n\"Maybe it has something to do with Starman?\"\n\n\"Yes, yes, Starman! I shall annihilate Starman's home, and laugh maniacally at his suffering!\"\n\n\"Do you think that will make you happy?\"\n\n\"Yes, of course it will, he's been my archnemesis for so long... we've fought so many battles... defeating him is my ultimate goal!\"\n\n\"And what will you do *after* that?\"\n\n\"... I don't really know. Maybe... he and I... would be friends after that?\"\n\n\"After you destroyed his homeworld?\"\n\n\"... yeah, okay, maybe not.\"\n\nI sighed again. \"Look, alright, I've got another client coming in. Why don't you think about it while you're doing whatever with the mana stuff, and we'll meet again next week. Okay?\"\n\n\"Okay...\"\n\nZilliar exited my office, and a few minutes later, my next client came in.\n\n\"Okay, I feel really dumb, but I just can't figure out Zilliar's next step. What is he doing in Alpha Quadrant? All that's there is some manatite mining outpost. Please, help me, all of Starcore is depending on me to stop him, and I've been getting really stressed out about it.\"",
"I’m not a hero. I’m not even really a good guy. For better or worse, I guess I’m just a guy that Gods and Superheroes like to blab to.\n\n10 years ago I was a Health Psychologist working for a shady tobacco company. They kept me on the payroll pretty much for the sole reason that, when pressed about our obnoxiously cute teddy bear mascot, they could reasonably claim to be actively researching the negative psychological effects smoking had on kids. \n\nAnyway, with all the health reforms and investigations that went on, the company wound up canning me. I can’t say I blame them.\n\nGenerally living the shit out of the rock bottom life, I started selling some pot on the side. To a few friends at first, then friends of friends, and so on. Didn’t take long for me to catch on to the pretty penny waiting to be made in that business if I was willing to try. \n\nSo yeah, seven years ago I opened Highpoint Healing Center (pun intended) as a way to covertly sell pot to my rapidly expanding customer base. \n\nThey could call and schedule an appointment whenever, come in, trade cash for pot, and we would both leave happy. It was a sweet set up. \n\nEvery now and then someone would see the sign outside and come in not knowing. I’d let them talk, do a couple artful nods and stammers, and that’d be that. It always surprised me a little that they would keep coming back, but whatever.\n\nThings got so busy that I eventually realized I had to hire a secretary. It was about that time my Grandma called me up to gossip. This time the scoop centered around the grandkid of her best friend at the nursing home, Janice.\n\n Apparently Janice had been Bio Pre-Med at Berkeley. Got strung out on Adderall and kinda cracked her sophomore year. She’d dropped out and was subsequently looking for work. Perfect timing, I thought. \n\nShe gets paid quite a bit better than the average secretary, but it was worth it for someone who I knew I could trust with Highpoint’s dirty little secret.\n\nThen about 4 years ago, this motherfucker named Steve walks in the door. And I mean, Steve is, you know, he’s the kind of guy who wears a scarf in the middle of a Texas summer. Always has a cappuccino in a hand that never stops trembling, whether from stress or caffeine is indistinguishable. There’s something subtly fascinating about him that’s hard to notice at first. It sort of grows around him, like moss on an oak tree. Blending in, adding texture.\n\nIt was a Thursday and I’m in my office playing connect four against myself when Janice rings me, “Elliot,” she said, “there’s a guy out here.” \n\n“Uh, alright. Is he looking to book a time,” I ask. Janice can be a little OCD sometimes when people show up off the street without an appointment. It’s usually best to ease her into acceptance.\n\n“I don’t know. I asked him for his name and he’s been staring off into space for the past 10 minutes.”\n\nAh, I thought, a crazy one. Or a reaaaaalllyy high one. Could be either, honestly. \n\n“Steve,” I hear on the other end of line, “Yeah, that’s it. My name is Steve and I’m looking to get some therapy.”\n\n“Just send him in,” I say. I was bored, and it sounded promising. \n\n\nThat first session Steve and I sat for the entire 40 minutes without a word passing between us.\n\nAfterwards he stood up and said, “This was good. I needed this.” \n\nI rose and stuck out my hand for him to shake, “Glad I could help,” I said.\n\nHe looked at me with an absent expression, “Same time next week?”\n\n“You got it,” I said, dropping my hand as casually as I could back to my side. \n\nJanice watched him leave before turning to me and asking, “Did you guys just stare at each other for 40 minutes?”\n\n“Tsk tsk, Janice. You know what I say about listening at the door.” \n\nShe shrugged, “I figured he’d have something interesting to say. At first I was disappointed, but about 20 minutes in I became completely enthralled. ‘No way he keeps this up,’ I thought. But he did it, Eliot. And I’ve gotta admit, I’m bizarrely impressed.”\n\nI laughed, but she could’ve taken the words right out of my mouth. \n\nA week rolls by and Janice and I are cautiously getting excited about seeing Steve again. \n\n“There’s a chance he doesn’t show,” I say.\n\n“Don’t say that, Eliot. Think happy thoughts.” \n\nWe had a $30 bet on if he showed, and a $50 bet on if he’d talk. Not just small talk, mind you, talk for real.\n\n “Any guy that stonewalls in session one is not gonna talk until session four at a minimum,” was my argument.\n\n“This isn’t any guy,” was the retort.\n\n\nLow and behold, Thursday comes along and with it, Shaky Steve. He was early. Like, three or four hours early. \n\nJanice opened my door without knocking, sly smile on her face. “Our friend is here,” she said.\n\n“Send him in.”\n\nJanice gives me a double thumbs up as the door closes behind him, punctuating the fact that I owed her $30 bucks.\n\n\n“What I’m about to tell you will be a bit...” He said.\n\n\nShit, he’s gonna talk, I thought. I could practically hear Janice cackling in the future. \n\n“There’s no judgement here. Anything you say stays between us,” I said. \n\nAnd Janice, I thought, who no doubt is listening with her ear pressed against the door.\n\n“It’s not that,” Steve said, “what I have to say is...hard. Hard for me to say, but also, it will be challenging to hear. It might scramble you up.” \n\nHe waited, “In the head.”\n\n“I see. Well, no problem. I take my eggs scrambled anyhow,” I said with a smile.\n\nSteve studied my face, then nodded. “Billions of trillions of years ago, before there was time, before there was even a before, there was my brothers, my sisters, and me. 13 of us, alone but for each other.”\n\nHe paused again, perhaps waiting for a response. I kept my face calmly concerned, listening without any attachment of expectation. \n\nSteve cleared his throat and continued, “For ions we thought we had power. And we did, I suppose we still do. Though our scope and influence, we came to discover, was so minuscule on a cosmic scale that we may as well have no power at all.”\n\n “We fell into a trance. A long nothingness. When we woke things were as they had been. If we were gone entirely, I told my siblings, it wouldn’t even matter.”\n\n“Mhm,” I said. And I’m truly not a guy to judge anyone. I once smoked something called “Gopher-Tortoise Soul” and hallucinated that Janice was a talking tortoise for an entire week, no joke.\n\n“We all handled this discovery, this revelation, in our own way.”\n\n“Naturally,” I said.\n\n “Three of my brothers and two sisters shrunk themselves down and have moved from civilization to civilization ever since, essentially acting as somewhat clumsy cosmic janitors. They clean up the little messes that they find, sometimes inadvertently causing others.” \n\n“A brother and a sister decided that the only existence that was rightful was our own and so set out to wipe out all else, another brother and sister disagreed, and the pairs have spent their eternities opposing each other.”\n\n“Yikes,” I said.\n\n“One brother concluded all existence was folly, and so travels about amusing himself and others. A sister felt that only justice, HER justice, mattered. They don’t mean to, but they wind up acting as counterbalance. Some situations require folly, others justice. And so on.”\n\n“Then it was only me and my sister, we stayed together for time without end. She was curious, always trying to gather new information, new perspectives. Eventually, she departed to swallow any and all aspects of knowledge and art that creation created.”\n\n“Thus there was I, Steve. Alone in the Great Ether. Surrounded by the blackness. I floated, half dormant, for three of what you would call forever. The only thing I came to feel was a hollow, aching, emptiness.”\n\nAt some point I lost track of the here and now. His words swept me up in a melodic embrace, taking me on a journey through his mind. Or maybe I zoned out, but the other sounds better.\n\nA knock came at the door, silencing Steve and snapping me back to reality. “Dr. Eliot, your 11:00 appointment is here,” Janice said.\n\n“We’ll be a few more minutes, Janice,” I answered.\n\n“Ahem, alright. Just be aware that it’s already 12:04.” \n\nI looked at my watch. “Shit,” I said. \n\n“I’m sorry to take more of your time,” Steve said, “I suppose I can sum everything up with a single question.”\n\n“Right. Go for it,” I said. \n\nSteve nodded, “What do I need to do to find happiness,” he asked, “What do I need to do to earn it? What price must I pay?” \n\nI took in a breath through my nose.\n\n I’m no therapist. I’m a fraud, really. A sham. And this guy, as far as I was knew, was delusional. But I have felt that emptiness before. I have known what it is to lay with eyes half opened, unsure if it was time to sleep or rise. My heart felt the gentle burn of life lived and wisdom gained through fire. \n\n“Happiness is a how, Steve, not a what,” I said, “It’s a talent to be practiced, not a treasure to be found.” \n\nSteve blinked, “Hm. Well that’s a pleasant surprise. I was afraid you were just going to try to sell me pot.” \n\nHe shook his head, “but where do I start? How do I practice what is supposed to come naturally,” he asked.\n\nI had an idea. I reached down below my feet and grabbed my set of Connect Four. “Come with me.” \n\nI walked into the lobby to find Janice waiting eagerly in her seat. Somebody owes me 80 bucks, I read in her eyes.\n\nI turned back to Janice, “I’ll take the next apt, in the meantime, Janice, will you teach Steve how to play Connect Four?” \n\nShe furled her brow, “Um, yeah, sure.” \n\n“Connect Four,” Steve said, “Four of what? Four people? Planets? Timelines? Realities?”\n\nI put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, “You’re in good hands, buddy. Janice is the master.” \n\nThe impatient patient stalked into my office before me and began to grouse about the wait.\n\nJust then, I heard the rattle of a piece dropping and a gleeful, childlike, laugh come from outside.\n\nAnd Steve smiled.",
"“I don’t know how I can keep going, Lawrence. No matter how many people I help, no matter how much I do, it will never be enough. I saved over ten thousand people last week when the ferries collided, and now I’m being told that I should have done more, seen the accident happening in advance and saved everyone.”\n\n“Every time there is a crime, no matter how small, the first words that are said about it are ‘Where was Superman?’ It feels like no matter how much I do, it will never be enough. People have started criticizing me for not stopping car accidents, for not getting people to hospitals faster, for not being everywhere.”\n\n“I understand. I mean, I can’t understand what it feels like to be impervious to bullets, or to be able to fly, but I do understand the weight of unreasonable expectations.” I look at the man, sitting crumpled in the chair across from me. His normally strong jaw was unshaven, his form-fitting suit somehow looking almost shabby on him in that moment. “To whom much is given, much is expected, is, I’m sure, a quote you’ve heard before.” \n\nHe nods. “JFK. Based off of Luke 12:48. And I’ve tried so hard-“\n\nI hold up my hand to cut him off. “Stop. I don’t mean stop trying. I do mean stop holding yourself to an unreasonable standard. Look instead to what your presence has done here, in Metropolis and in America. Crime rates are down nationally. Except for Gotham and Bludhaven, but I think the Justice League is trying to isolate the Syndicate there. Charitable spending is up, and there are no fewer than five charities in Metropolis that are dedicated to civil service. The first floor of this building is an emergency shelter and a homeless shelter, and the last time someone tried to destroy the city, the homeless people in the area led people here to safety. Not you. Not another costumed hero. When I asked one of the guys why he helped, \nhe told me ‘The big guy has his job, I have to do my part.’ \n\n\n“You inspire people to look beyond themselves. Not everyone is going to get it right away. There will always be those who see your power as a threat to themselves because of how you change the world. But if you can inspire those who have nothing to give of themselves, then I’d say you just need to focus on being a visible symbol of what we can achieve.”\n\nHe cracks a small smile for the first time in an hour. “Truth, justice and the American Way?” he asks, only slightly sarcastically. He stands, and for the first time, I can feel the purpose radiating off of him like heat from a campfire. His head cocks to the side. “I think I hear a bank alarm on Fifth. No. Seventh. The alarm on Fifth has an overtone since it was shot at six weeks ago. Same time next week?” \n\n“Ah, yes. I should be good. Just as always, ignore the Saturday kidnapping. The villains need to talk as well, and they aren’t comfortable coming here.” He shakes his head, sighs, and vanishes in a gust of wind. I crack my neck, finish my notes, and as I notice the green glow under my door, I press the intercom button. “Cindy, you can send in my 3 o’clock. I see he’s arrived.” \n",
"\"So, umm, if I understood correctly Mr Gergaloth, you have already brainstormed a bit how to answer to the deteriorated relationship with your brother?\"\n\nTim had started to get rather comfortable with Gergaloth, despite the fact that the huge meat-pile of man just reeked of violence. The warlord, destroyer of realms, didn't properly fit on the couch with his chain-mail and 7 foot frame, but slowly they both had learn to appreciate these little moments together. Although, in Tim's opinion, the fact that Gergaloth always begun the sessions with some blood-thirsty venting for half an hour, was rather counter-productive.\n\n\"Yes! I shall burn all their lands and reign their surviving subject with iron fist! My brothers betrayal and thievery shall not go unpunished - he knows that the the price of such insolence is paid by blood! I shall drink the blood of the inferior beings he seeks refugee from!\"\n\n\"Ok, so this all comes down him taking the legendary sword thingy you got from your dad right?\"\n\n\"The Beast-slayers Blade of Doom is an artifact carried in our family for thousands of years! It has been passed to the strongest son always, and with deceit and foul play he escaped like a thief in the night with it! The heinous crime cannot go unpunished!\" \n\n​\n\n​\n\nGergaloths thunder-like screaming made the offices cheap IKEA glass cabinets shake for a while. Tim took couple of deep breaths. Despite looking outrageously angry all the time, expressing his feelings mostly through rage, and a lifetime dominated by violence, Gergaloth was very family oriented man (or demigod or something along those lines). During the past 14 months Tim had learned that every social contact besides his patients family was minions and slaves, or just not very meaningful contacts. The issues revolved with the same dysfunctional issues always, although this whole sword-episode was a bit more upsetting than most of the issues (and oh boy was this guy upset about issues).\n\n\"Look, as much as I understand that you might be rather angry about the stolen property, I am not sure if killing everyone is the best way to deal with it?\"\n\n\"How dare you! This is how our house has dealt with treachery! We show no weakness! We show our wrath, and we shall be feared!\"\n\n\"You see, that might be the issue itself. I know that your family has had bit different problem solving methods. There seems to be always a fear of punishments for failures. If I recall correctly, it has been bit of an inter generational thing between you guys.\"\n\n\"Our father did torment us in flames for misbehavior! To harden us! To become strong! To learn discipline!\"\n\n​\n\n​\n\nDespite the aggressive language, Tim had gotten more used to the constant threat of violence. His relationship was more client-based, which was unconventional experience also for Gergaloth. They had a very civilized way of acting, despite patient favoring rather aggressive communications model. Tim laid back a bit and wrote down 'creative paternal physical discipline' to his little yellow notebook for future references.\n\n\"Yea.. Without going too much on your dads pedagogic methods, would you think that you brother could actually need some support? Hear me out a bit - you told me that your father made you two to duel pretty roughly when you were younger, right?\"\n\n\"Hah, yes! And my brother always yielded, as I stood stronger! He would never be worthy to carry the Blade of Doom!\"\n\n\"Well, try to put yourself in his shoes for a bit. Like, he's always been the little brother. Never able to show what he can do, how he can carry out your family business of being the despot of the realm, he might feel a bit uncertain about himself, and wants to actually show you that he can also burn kingdoms and slave millions.\"\n\n​\n\n​\n\nGergaloth, even as the warmongering, hyper masculine slayer of thousands he was, was not entirely unemphatic fella. You don't get to command armies of hundreds of different kinds and crush rebellions without understanding basic emotional life of other beings. Judging from earlier sessions, Gergaloth was actually pretty decent team leader of his generals, the closest thing that could be called friends, even if their camaraderie was mostly based on business interest. His chain-mail chinked a bit when he took a first deep breath for the whole session, before answering with some patience.\n\n\"You think so?\"\n\n\"Well, he isn't exactly going to sell it, and despite being a man of arts - you told me how he liked to set up the impaled bodies in nice formations - he isn't a collector either. And you wouldn't ever have let him carry that sword, right?\"\n\n\"No! He is not worthy!\"\n\n\"Well, maybe you should check up and talk with him about that? He might want to show that he is worthy. Who knows, maybe he did travel across the very deep sea-\"\n\n\"The Sea of Forgotten Cries and Demons.\"\n\n\"- yea that's the one - not to seek refugees, but to show your family's power in other continents. You haven't really checked his motives have you?\"\n\n\"No. Not really.\" Gergaloth sounded like a child, who just understood playing with matches was a security concern and not just an attempt to take away all the fun.\n\n\"So, if I can suggest, when I had fights with my older sister, my mom used to talk us about them and help us to come clean. Maybe you could also send your - what was the magic lady friend again?\"\n\n\"The High Priestess.\" \n\n\"Yes, the High Priestess to talk to your brother. She might hear your brother out, as you two have some communication gaps.\"\n\nGergaloth was silent for a bit, then nodded a little bit reluctantly.\n\n\"Mine, and my brothers, comradeship has been stronger. I shall send the High Priestess to seek for his motives.\"\n\n\"Yea, that sounds like a decent idea. Wanna have a mint?\" Tim passed a little white candy to his client, who sat up and opened his huge palm.\n\n\"Thank you Tim. Your advice has once more proven rich and wise. I will reward you with the most beautiful slaves from the Forgotten Kingdom and eggs of Ice Dragons.\"\n\n\"Yea, about that, you should really talk to my secretary about the payment methods before returning to your realm. I know you guys are more keen on having other beings as property, but we use bit of different currency.\"\n\n\"Understood. May your journeys bring great bride to your family, and your foes fear your name.\"\n\n\"Have a good weekend as well Gergaloth.\"",
"I sat at my desk, clicking my pen to the rhythm of the clock. It was five fifty nine in the afternoon, and just before the clock struck six, I put a pair of earplugs in and covered my ears with two pairs of earmuffs. A bright flash of light and a thunderous noise louder than a gunshot shattered all my windows and signaled Zeus' entrance. He marched towards my desk, and sat down. \"Good afternoon.\" \n\n\"Welcome. I'm guessing you'll be here the same time next week, so try to avoid breaking all the windows next time.\" \n\nZeus let out an audible exhale mixed with a grunt as some sort of sign of disapproval. \n\n\"Alright, it says here on your file that you need help overcoming chronomentrophobia, a fear of clocks. You probably already noticed, I've installed a loudly ticking clock on the wall to your left.\"\n\n\"Hold on, you think I have what, 'chronomenchiphobia?' A fear of clocks?\"\n\n\"Chronomentrophobia, yes, a fear of clocks.\"\n\n\"You must have pulled up the wrong file. I've been struggling with dendrophobia, a fear of trees, not of clocks!\" Zues laughed. \"How could someone be afraid of a clock?\"\n\n\"How could someone be afraid of trees?\"\n\n\"Uh... look, I just need you to help me. Can you take down the loudly ticking clock please?\"\n\n\"Now hold on, I've just remembered I need to check my emails. There might be something important I missed.\"\n\nI shifted my swivel chair over to my computer, and started clicking away at bookmarks and apps, trying my best to stall. \n\n\"So, Mr. Zeus, could you tell me what it is about trees that scares you the most?\" Zeus shuddered a bit. \"Just the thought of them gives me the creeps. I think it's the sap that gets to me the most. That sticky, gross slime of death and despair.\" Just as he said this, I read an oddly hilarious comment on Reddit, so I inadvertently chuckled a bit at his explanation. \"Hey, I'm being serious.\" \n\n\"I know, sorry, just read an email from a colleague on uh... comedy. There's some really interesting science that explains comedy, you know. Why people laugh at things...\" I glanced at the clock. It was almost 6:05. I tightly gripped a pistol in my pocket. \n\n\"So what exactly are you going to do to help me?\" The minute hand struck 12. \"This!\" I whipped the pistol out and immediately shot the clock, and with a loud bang, the ticking stopped.\n\n\"Holy shit!\" I held the gun in the air for a moment. I set it down on the table, and leaned back into my chair. \"Look down.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"Look down at the carpet. Look closely.\"\n\nZeus leaned forward and closely examined the carpet. \"There are trees in the pattern.\"\n\n\"And how do you feel?\"\n\n\"Fine. I feel fine.\"\n\n\"Look at the wallpaper. Look closely at everything.\"\n\nAll around the room, trees could be seen. They were there the whole time, in picture frames, in fake logos planted on various items, in the wallpaper and on the carpeting. Zeus was astonished.\n\n\"I feel fine. I feel great! There's nothing wrong with trees, I- How did you do this?\" \n\n\"Simple. I got your brain to subconsciously associate trees with the ticking of the clock and the fear I suggested you had of clocks. Because of how ridiculous a fear of clocks is to you, your brain censors the idea, creating a laughter response- and when I stopped the clock and brought trees to your attention, those subconscious ideas became conscious, and your brain censored the idea of the trees being taken serious in any way. Thus, the phobia is eliminated.\"\n\nZeus was overjoyed. He was in total disbelief. \"That's incredible! Thank you Dr. Frankl. I didn't think this would be over and done with in less than five minutes.\"\n\n\"And thank you for not immediately smiting me at the sight of a pistol. I wasn't very sure on that one. Anyways, I've got to take down all this tree decor. I've got a patient coming in four minutes. The door is there, I'd like for you to break someone else's stuff while you leave in a dramatic flash of lightning.\"\n\nZeus laughed. \"No problem. Thanks again, Dr. Frankl.\" He shut the door, and I reached for the phone. I dialed 666-6666-6666. \"Hello? Yeah, I was wondering if I could ask for a favor. I've got a patient to see in about four minutes and there's shattered glass all over the place, plus a ton of decorations covered in tree patterns. Could you send someone to help out and get rid of this stuff?... Oh, that was no big deal, I could still pay- really?... Well, thanks, it really means a lot to me.\"\n\nA ring of fire opened on the floor on the opposite side of my desk. I reached over and grabbed the guest chair. The ring opened a portal to hell, the floor collapsing down into a blazing fire filled with tortured screams and the stench of sin(which is best described as a mixture of rotting flesh and burning papers, mostly lawsuits filed by Hell's residents, which were immediately discarded by Satan). The glass was sucked down into the violent depths, and everything with something resembling a tree on it was brought down with it. I could have sworn I heard something along the lines of \"No! Trees! I thought it couldn't get any worse!\" \n\nThe floor sealed itself, and the screaming ceased. The door slowly creaked open, and a very concerned wizard bounced his wide eyes around the room a bit. \"What in the world was going on in here?\" \n\n\"Just doing some cleaning. Come, sit down.\"\n\nThe wizard hesitantly walked across the hardwood floor, and sat down in front of me. His beard stretched at least twenty feet long. He yanked it away from the door, and it slammed shut. The wizard curled it up into a ball, and set it down on his lap. Although he was whimsical in appearance, his faced wore glum robes, a sad hat and depressing stockings. \"Thanks for offering your help, Dr. Frankl.\"\n\n\"Well, just offering help isn't enough. I have to give you help. You're having trouble finding meaning in life, right?\"\n\n\"Yes. I don't get it. The point of it all, I mean. Sometimes I feel like I'm just something to be made use of by others. I serve everybody else, not me. I am a leaf in the wind, helpless to his own direction in life. Each day I look forward to falling asleep, because I know that will be so much better...\"\n\n\"Those are exactly the kind of symptoms I expected to hear about from you. But I never would have been able to guess exactly how you would say it.\" I smiled. Winston the Wise smiled back for a short moment, but slowly returned to a frown.\n\n\"Can you do a magic trick for me, Winston?\"\n\n\"Oh. Sure.\" Winston reached into his curled up beard, and pulled out a wood carving of a flower in a pot. He set it down on my desk, and covered it with his hands. I watched inquisitively. He made an opening in his hands, and spat into it. Winston opened his hands over the flower pot, and a powerful burst of vines shot upwards into the ceiling. The plant spread around the room, covering everything in it's pleasant light green vines, almost cartoonish in appearance. Flowers sprouted from every inch of the vines, each one releasing a unique, wonderful smell into the air. \n\nWith all that he had just done, Winston showed no change in expression. \"That was amazing!\" I exclaimed. \"These are so beautiful, I think I'll keep the around for other patients.\" Winston looked down into his beard. \"It's not that impressive. Plenty of other wizards can do that.\" \n\n\"You're right. Plenty of other wizards could do that. But of all the people in the world, who could do it just like this?\"\n\nWinston looked confused for a moment, but attentive. \"Me?\"\n\n\"Yes. You. You are the only person in the whole world who can perform this trick exactly like this. Each one of these roses, each of these daffodils, sunflowers and marigolds could only be made exactly as they are by you. Nobody could have done that trick in this room the exact same way you just did. And maybe there are people who can do better than you, there are probably people who can do the same trick in a different way. But you're not them, and you don't have to be them, Winston. The only person in the whole world who you have to be good enough for is yourself. Maybe some people want you to be someone else. But you don't have to do that. If you don't like something, change it. If you want something, ask for it. The worst thing you can do to yourself is be someone else just because other people don't like you. And Winston,\"\n\nWinston was listening more closely than ever.\n\n\"There's a little girl in the waiting room who just lost her father. The only person in the whole world who can go make her smile right now is you.\" \nTears were streaming down his face. Winston finally got the point of it all. \"Thank you, doctor.\" He leaned forward over my desk, and I gave him a warm hug. \n\n\n\n",
"Jeremy Hicks readjusted his disorderly stack of papers, molding chaos into something more interpret-able. His back gave further slack into his well-worn and dusty-brown leather recliner. His brow furrowed and he tapped his pen in a rhythmic pattern on his schedule. Written neatly by his secretary was *1:45, Z͖̙͕̣̙͇̤ul̕ą̣̭͙̖rqu̘͇c̷͚̣̙̲̦ͅh̥̫͉̪̠͈̥t̻̜͙͖͓h̸͓͍̟̗e̳r̺̟̦̳̠.* As a general rule, Dr. Hicks appreciated her dedication to accuracy but he wished she would at least leave a pronunciation guide sometimes. A quick glance through the provided medical records and biography revealed that the patient was suffering from seasonal affective disorder which has been reoccurring every winter for 3 years, and the patient was a resident of Hawaii.\n\n​\n\nThe doctor had little time to mull over the possibilities before there was a knock at his door, followed by his secretary cordially saying, \"The next patient is ready, Dr Jeremy Hicks.\"\n\n​\n\n\"Ah,\" said the doctor, \"Please-- please, Shelley, refer to me by just Dr Hicks. How many times... Uh, Nevermind. Yes, please uh, let him in. Yes, yes let him in.\"\n\n​\n\nA man of reasonably tall and full stature milled into the room, radiant purple of skin color and with a poor posture. He wore a thick jacket and was covered with fresh snow despite the California summer bearing no snow to be seen. Secretary Shelley quickly took his jacket before leaving the room. No one else seemed to enter with the man so this seemed to be a rare case where an interpreter was not needed.\n\n​\n\nDr Hicks adjusted the thin frames of his glasses before cracking a soothing smile and saying, \"Please, uh, sir. Please come in and have a seat. There's water as well--\" Dr Hicks stopped himself, \"I am... sorry you are c, carbon-based yes?\"\n\n​\n\nThe sizeable being sulked forward and sat down on the dull black couch next to the psychologist before displaying a forced smile, devoid of any contentment and replying, \"Yes, thank you sir,\" with a voice reminiscent of course sand and thick slime being gripped in rapid pulsations.\n\n​\n\n\"I hope you erm, don't mind me asking a few questions about y, your origins Mr. uhh...\" asked the doctor.\n\n​\n\n\"Oh. I do forget that your writing system is far different from mine. They call me Abraham, sir\" replied the meek fellow. His skin dulled in color, which lead the doctor to believe the vibrancy of its tone was connected to his general excitement and sitting for a few minutes has let his state become more relaxed. \"You may ask any questions you need to, sir.\"\n\n​\n\nThe ease with which he could pronounce Z͖̙͕̣̙͇̤ul̕ą̣̭͙̖rqu̘͇c̷͚̣̙̲̦ͅh̥̫͉̪̠͈̥t̻̜͙͖͓h̸͓͍̟̗e̳r̺̟̦̳̠'s name pleased the doctor. He could now go into his standard set of questions. \"Wonderful, Abraham. It i s a pleasure to meet you. May I ask how you managed to get here and what entity recommended you come here?\"\n\n​\n\n\"I am from Hawaii, sir. I thin you have one here too. My father is a retired veteran and tactitian of the United Confederacy Military and he recommended me come here. 'Cease your sulking,' said he before making the arrangements to send me here, yes sir. Dimensional, I am from a different dimensional wavelength I should mention.\"\n\n​\n\nDr Hicks began to connect a few strings. His brain underwent a moment of clarity and his language flowed more freely as his thoughts could become more well articulated and he said, \"Your version of this fair planet must be shaped differently. Fresh snow indicates winter and your condition is more common among areas akin to my world's Alaska, far from the hemisphere and liable to experience long periods of relatively abundant darkness. I take it then you feel lethargic, tired and without much energy or a general willingness or spirit to do much besides want to sleep. Have you been eating more as well?\"\n\n​\n\nZ͖̙͕̣̙͇̤ul̕ą̣̭͙̖rqu̘͇c̷͚̣̙̲̦ͅh̥̫͉̪̠͈̥t̻̜͙͖͓h̸͓͍̟̗e̳r̺̟̦̳̠ shifted in his seat and his gaze fixed steadily on the pale carpet of the room and after several moments said, \"yes sir, those are all accurate sir. I have had a fondness for cookies as of late. Do you have cookies in this world, sir?\"\n\n​\n\nThe doctor was relieved to see so many similarities to the world and neural makeup of this other-dimensional being. The doctor once again gave a comforting smile and said, \"Your particular struggle with this form of depression is actually quite common for areas like where you're from. Please know that you are certainly not alone. Try to think of your condition as almost like hibernation for other mammals that I am sure exist where you're from. I'm not quite sure you have polar bears,\" the doctor gave a slight giggle. The patient lifted his gaze with interest in the doctor's diagnosis. \"Right,\" Hicks continued, \"It is a lot like hibernation. The darkness can be quite draining and lead to a lack of sufficient blue-light which the sun and many electronic interfaces tend to emit. I am going to prescribe first that you get special blue-light emitting bulbs for your home lamps which will stimulate the chemicals in your brain that usually bind with sunlight to keep you awake and alert during the day.\"\n\n​\n\nThe patient seemed skeptical and asked, \"do you really think that will do anything, sir?\"\n\n​\n\n\"Absolutely, young friend. Also try to engage with hobbies or other activities to keep your mind busy during the day. I try not to prescribe medication if I can avoid it but should your symptoms continue I am not opposed to it. If you require a follow-up, do not worry about payment for it. Inter-dimensional travel can be quite, uh, expensive as I know.\"\n\n​\n\nThe young man's purple flesh took on a more pinkish glow and he gave a more genuine smile. \"Wow, doc, sir,\" he said, \"I can see why they call you the best. Something about you is very genuine. I will give it a shot, thank you so very much sir.\"\n\n​\n\nThe doctor left his orders with his secretary as to what he wants for the patient's treatment and gave one last smile as Z͖̙͕̣̙͇̤ul̕ą̣̭͙̖rqu̘͇c̷͚̣̙̲̦ͅh̥̫͉̪̠͈̥t̻̜͙͖͓h̸͓͍̟̗e̳r̺̟̦̳̠ left the room. He couldn't help but notice the back of the young man's shirt said \"Gucco\" and he wondered if his offer regarding the possible follow up may have been too generous. Jeremy Hicks scowled very briefly before reminding himself that he mostly does his job to help others. Money just keeps the business going and allows for his peculiar brand of patients to reach him more easily. He glanced down at his schedule again which had since fallen to the floor and squinted at the next name on the list. \"Oh, oh yes. Mister Zuraglith. I wonder if it is uh, about his marriage again? Despite his gifts with, er, magics he is really quite d-- difficult with social issues.\" Dr Hicks once again sat down in his well-worn recliner and adjusted his paperwork while waiting for his next patient's arrival.\n\nEdit: To all who get this far, thank you for reading! I appreciate you.",
"Ted,\n\nThank you for your email, I appreciate you reaching back out to me. I understand it would be difficult to meet in person so it’s totally fine to do this via email. \n\nThis is no doubt, a complex issue that should be dealt with very carefully, especially considering the stigma surrounding anything having to do with flobellum handling in general. I’m now understanding why you’ve contacted me as it appears that your son has been in contact with the Earth Internet. I’m not sure where else he would have gotten the idea to treat that humingulus in that way. It may be best to just sit down and talk with him about it, who knows it could just be a fluke. I know this can be a sensitive subject but due to the health risks I have a feeling you know how important this is. \n\nFor now I would advise limiting his contact with images that may even come close to being associated with flobellum. No zarnac pamphlets, and absolutely no plumbuses. I cannot stress that enough, I strongly advise against it. Wouldn’t want to make the rash any worse than it already is. \n\nPlease tell your wife Garnu! Garnu! :) and I wish you and your family the best of luck during the upcoming eclipse hibernation.\n\nSincerely,\nDr. Stephen Williams "
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[WP] You finally have a breakthrough, with this minor modification your time machine might work! You quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER. The machine worked perfectly! But apparently memories don’t travel in time... this is the 860th time you had this breakthrough.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. How many times had I done this since that day? It felt like hundreds of thousands, even though it had only been a few years or so. I reached for the bottle of whiskey on the nightstand, and downed half of it. If I was right, and today was the day, it wouldn’t matter what condition my liver was in in about three hours. You might say that whiskey isn’t a drink for 5:30 in the morning, but I beg to differ. The burn is the only thing that keeps me going, the only thing that wakes me up.\n\nI rolled over to look at the picture on my nightstand, and I damn near had a heart attack. I must have thrashed something fierce in my sleep, since the picture frame was smashed. Tears brimming in my eyes, I gingerly lifted the photo out of the broken glass. I stared at the woman and little girl in the photo, “Today. Yes, today. I’ll see you again,” I clutched the photo to my chest, “If it’s the last thing I do, I will stop it from happening.”\n\nI stumbled out of bed and shuffled to the kitchen of my very empty house. I grabbed a box of Cheerios from the cupboard and went to grab the milk from the fridge. I grabbed the gallon of milk from the fridge, and damn near threw up on uncapping it. *Strange,* I thought to myself, *I bought this only the other day…* \n\nChecking the sell-by date, I read *Dec. 25, 2035*. I checked the date on the news. It was only December 12. No way in Hell it spoiled that fast. *Damn stores. They must have marked the wrong date in order to sell it.* *Oh well, not like I’ll need the two dollars where I’m going. Or my liver for that matter,* I thought as I poured some rum on my cereal. I set the empty bottle down curiously, *Funny, I could’ve sworn that the bottle was full last night.* With a shrug I went into the basement, where the only thing that mattered to me anymore lay. \n\nA small metal chamber sat in the corner. I gingerly opened the hatch on the front of the machine. As I stepped in, I missed the last step and fell, breaking my watch on the floor of the chamber. *Whatever, not like it’ll matter.* I checked the Travel Date timer. December 24, 2031, 8:30 in the morning. The exact day and time that they left. And the last time I saw them. *Well, just to work out any kinks in the programming or machinery, maybe I’ll try to jump back to 5:30 this morning.* Taking a swig out of my nightstand whiskey and emptying it, I set the new timer on the dial, and pressed the button. As the machine shook and rattled, a sudden memory hit me. “NO!”\n\nI woke up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. How many times had I done this since that day? It felt like hundreds of thousands, even though it had only been four years since the incident. I reached for the bottle of whiskey on my nightstan- wait, why is it empty? Dismissing it as me having forgotten drinking the last of it last night, I checked the time on my watch. *Fuck, I must have broken it, it’s reading 7:30 AM.*\n\nI looked at the picture of my wife and daughter, taken the summer before the incident. With a sigh, I set the picture frame down. *Ah, fuck, what did I do last night to have such a hangover?*\n\nDismissing it, I decided that I’d skip breakfast this morning and get right to work. “You always did tell me,” I muttered to myself as I calibrated the door to automatically close after I turned the machine on, “You can’t go back in time Jon. You can’t fix your past mistakes. You just have to live with it.” I added the final bit in a falsetto, trying to mimic my wife’s voice. With a chuckle, I laid down my tools. \n\n*Alright, time to test it. Let’s just try setting it to… what the hell?* I had just gotten the idea, but the machine was already set to 5:30 this morning. *Hm. Must have had the same idea last night and forgotten.* With a shrug, I checked the clock outside: 7:31 AM, the exact time on my watch. Remembering the gin I wanted for the last drink of this lifetime, I walked back to the kitchen and grabbed it. I tripped on the stairs on the way down, however, and it smashed, lacerating my hand.\n\n*Fuck it. Just wrap it in something and get to the machine, Jon.*\n\nI wrapped it in some rag I found around the basement. I walked into the machine and pressed the button to go back two hours. A sudden memory hit me as the door closed. With a scream, “NO!”, I threw my wrench at the clock outside, shattering it. Too late to escape, I scrawled on the inside of the machine as it rattled: R\n\nI woke up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.\n\nE\n\nI wondered about the broken clock in my basement.\n\nM\n\nAnd the cut on my hand.\n\nE\n\nAnd the mysterious headache, splitting my head in half.\n\nM\n\nAnd the broken picture frame\n\nB\n\nAnd the glass all over the basement floor.\n\nE\n\nAnd the letters scrawled on the inside of the machine!\n\nR\n\n“Remember? Remember what?” Just then, a voice in my head began to whisper. *Remember,* it said, over and over and over and over \n\n“REMEMBER WHAT!?”\n\nThe headache got worse as the voice got louder and more insistent. No, more plaintive, like it had seen this all before. But today was December 12, 2035, a day that had never come before, but one that would come again.\n\nSuddenly the voice and headache went away, and with its departure came a sudden memory. A smile broke out on my face. \n\n“Jess, you always did say that I couldn’t go back in time, that you have to deal with the cosmic dice rolls. Well here I am. One thousand, seven hundred and ninety eight jumps later. I just have to find a way to quantum entangle my past brain state with my current one…”\n\n***FOUR YEARS PRIOR(?)***\n\nI woke up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I reached for the ginger ale I always kept on my nightstand. I rolled over to see my wife dressing.\n\n“Jess, what’s the date?”\n\nShe turned with a smile, “Christmas Eve, 2031. Why?”\n\n“You’re going to your parents’ house, yeah? Are you taking Sophie with you?”\n\n“Of course. Now go back to sleep, Jon. I know you don’t really like my parents and they - ”\n\n“NO!” At her startled reaction, I calmed myself, “I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your parents. Maybe things have changed, y’know? Just give me some time to get dressed.”\n\n*This should have delayed her enough. Yes.* \n\n“Alright honey. Maybe the dice will roll in your favor this time?” with a chuckle, she turned and finished dressing, “You gonna get showered up or what?”",
"I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry and thirsty, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry and thirsty, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry and thirsty, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI'm getting really hungry and thirsty, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI eat and get a drink before returning to my work. I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\n.\n.\n.\n\nI'm getting really hungry and thirsty, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI eat and get a drink before returning to my work. I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\n.\n.\n.\n\nI'm getting really hungry and thirsty, but I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\nI try to eat, but my house is out of food, so I hit the store then get back to work. I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\n.\n.\n.\n\nThe store is out of food? This is very strange, but I head to the next furthest one before returning to work. I eat and get a drink before returning to my work. I've finally have a breakthrough! With this minor modification, my time machine might work! I quickly adjust it, set the timer 20 min back in time and press ENTER-\n\n.\n.\n.\n\nThe stores are all out of food. I don't know what's happened, but people are fighting in the streets. I can no longer live here, and I've finally made a breakthrough. With my time machine, I will escape to a better time. I set the dial to six years back and press ENTER-\n\nI have an idea. A time machine that just might work.",
">My name is Kane. If you're reading this, I'm probably dead. \n> \n>Our spaceship has been drifting through the empty void for months. If I can trust the central computer with the half-corrupted state it's in anyway. I've been gathering materials, and building my means of escape. I'll escape to before this all happened. Find a way to stop it. \n> \n>It all began on our visit to a previously undiscovered star system. When we touched down on one of the terrestrial planets, we discovered a strange material, unlike any that we'd seen before. It seemed to induce a sort of time compression when getting near it. Everything else seems to move slower the closer you get to it. \n> \n>We filled up our cargo bay with as much as we could. The science team, including myself started experimenting on the material as we lifted off and began our return trip. \n> \n>It all appeared to go smoothly until we were far enough from the planet to engage our gravity drive. \n> \n>I don't know what happened after that. No one did. But when we woke up we were halfway across the galaxy and most of the crew lay dead. As of a few days ago, I'm the only one left. \n> \n>Food is running out. Water is running out. Critical systems are long overdue for maintenance. I don't have long. This may be the last chance I have to warn anyone that finds the wreckage of our vessel, so I'd rather leave something behind than nothing. I think our accident has something to do with the unknown material. Transport it with extreme caution. \n> \n>But our experiments were fruitful. This material... we've dubbed it Aetium... bends laws of physics that we've long assumed are rigid, inflexible to our meddling. The concept of the Gravity Drive shattered our understanding of physics when it was discovered, and Aetium will do the same. \n> \n>I just want to live to witness that revolution with my own eyes. \n> \n>I've been converting our teleporter to a makeshift time machine. Through the Aetium I can send information to the past. The teleporter can send and receive information just fine. I just need a way to send that information back in time, and I'll have created a time machine. I can finally beam myself out of this mess. \n> \n>Up until now progress has been slow. It seems like I'm still not grasping all of Aetium's properties. I've tried to send objects a few minutes to the past, but they've failed even disappear. \n> \n> \n> \n>\\[SILENCE\\] \n> \n> \n> \n>Unless... \n> \n>Of course. That must be it. \n> \n>I must shield the data as it travels to the past. Otherwise the teleporter will pick up on it just milliseconds in the past, and nothing will happen. The receiving teleporter pad is already occupied by the object I'm trying to send at that time, so it sends an error message back... but since that message is not sent temporally, I have no way of seeing that it happened. \n> \n>I'll go confirm it right now. Let me check the logs. \n> \n> \n> \n>\\[SILENCE\\] \n> \n> \n> \n>Yeah, that's it. This will actually be a quick fix. The teleporter's protocol allows for it without any modifications. Bless those engineers. This will be my ticket out of here. \n> \n>One final test--oh. Well, my wrench just appeared from the future. I guess that means that I'll have to place it on the teleporter now so I don't create a paradox. \n> \n> \n> \n>\\[SILENCE\\] \n> \n> \n> \n>It's gone. \n> \n>I did it. \n> \n>I'm nervous though. I haven't tested this on any living being before, and there's no opportunity to. Although... I suppose I could send myself back in time as a test first, as well. See what happens. Let's try ten minutes. \n> \n>If I succeed, this log will never have existed to start with. So if... If someone finds it, it means I failed. I'd ask you to wish me luck, but my fate is a foregone conclusion at that point. Still, I'll pretend you did for my own peace of mind. \n> \n>Here I go.\n\n​\n\nKane stopped recording and exhaled. It was time. His fingers trembled on the control panel of the teleporter as he set the destination time and entered a brief delay. A voice began counting down. He walked towards the pad.\n\nThe thought crossed his mind that he hadn't appeared to himself. He wasn't ready to call that a failure quite yet though. Perhaps a change in fate would prevent him from seeing the results.\n\n\"10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.\"\n\nHuh. He was still holding the logbook in his hand. Well, whatever.\n\nAs the countdown ended, he felt the familiar tug between his shoulders, as if someone grabbed him from behind and yanked on his shirt. Then light enveloped him. And he lost consciousness.\n\nWhen he awoke again, he found himself slumped against the wall of the teleporter room.\n\nIt felt as if something important had escaped his mind. Probably a dream. He'd been working himself to exhaustion these past few days, so it was only natural something like this would happen eventually.\n\nHe got up and walked back towards the control panel when he noticed the logbook he held clenched in his hand.\n\nWell. Might as well record a final message for someone to find should the worst happen.\n\nHe pressed the record button.\n\n\"Eʀʀᴏʀ: Nᴏᴛ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ꜰʀᴇᴇ sᴛᴏʀᴀɢᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ.\"\n\nWoah, what?\n\nHe stared at the screen and began navigating, trying to find the cause. He'd only used it a handful of times since the start of the trip. There was no way it was full already.\n\n867 files? *Eight hundred and sixty seven?* What the hell?\n\nHe selected the latest one, and his eyes went wide as he laid eyes on the transcript, repeating back word for word the sentiments that had been ready to roll off his tongue. And then more. A revelation.\n\nA smile played on his lips by the time he finished reading. The experiment had been a success. He'd be going home shortly. But first: pen and paper. He'd be composing this next message in a format that would be immediately clear for all to see, to prevent further mishaps.",
"Lately, I've come down with a terrible cold. My limbs move in slow motion. My throat rasps with each labored breath. I just finished the last cup noodle this morning, but it feels like I haven't eaten in days. It feels like my beard grows longer each time I use the restroom. When I chose to become an inventor to follow my dreams, I hadn't expected to live paycheck to paycheck. Nor had I thought I'd wind up in a windowless lab in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, typing my notes with aching hands, craning my stiff neck towards a screenful of code, a chalkboard of equations, and a machine of broken dreams. I guess I really am getting old. In my undergrad, I could pull two all nighters studying for a final, and yet my head's spinning from merely missing a few hours of sleep last night. But I can't rest now. How can I, when I'm so close to losing our grant? So close to making a breakthrough. If I can just push myself a little more, everything will be alright.\n\nI believe I'm on the verge of solving this equation. It's just on the edge of my subconsciousness. So close it brings tears to my eyes.\n\nI just ordered a large pepperoni. Hopefully it gets here soon. I'll set the dial to 20 minutes, and hit the button. Note to self: for the final product, don't use such a cheap dial. Two turns and the numbers are already wearing. I just put it into the code. If this doesn't work, it better kill me. \n\n[subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tensingstories/)\n\n"
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[WP] The elder gods make their presence known, driving mortals mad with the chaos and insanity... except for you. As a high-functioning but nonetheless mentally struggling individual their attacks don’t seem to work on your already tormented mind.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Around me lay corpses of those who've died around me, driven mad by what stands before me, and yet...\n\n I can't see whats so bad about it.\n\n\"Hello there,\" I say as I stare into the form. I can't really tell what it is exactly, but it feels sentient. It's light, and dark, and... \n\nHonestly, Im not that sure, but its weird.\n\n\"'Hello?'\" I hear, sort of in my mind, but at the same time aloud, \"You speak to me, a god, with a simple hello?!\"\n\n\"...mmm, yeah. I don't know what else to say,\" I explain, sheepishly, \"...am I going to die?\"\n\nA long silense ensues before I can feel the voice again, \"Perhaps not. You seem to be the only mortal being on the planet that has withstanded our mere divine presences.\"\n\n\"Why is that?\" another entity asks. I look and see another... thing... next to the first one.\n\n\"Im not sure,\" I shrug, \"Ive dealt with a lot of shit already. Not to the degree of this... catastrophe, but I don't think I'd go insane. This is, sort of okay.\"\n\n\"So we are but mundane events to you?\" the second thing asks, a hint of annoyance in its... voice, I guess. They aren't exactly speaking in words, but I can't seem to explain how I know what they're trying to say. I just... can.\n\nI nod slowly.\n\n\"Interesting,\" the second thing says, and I can feel this big discussion going on, and Im surrounded by them. I think they're talking about what to do with me.\n\nI step out of the circle of unreal divine beings and wait for a few minutes before I can't feel them speaking.\n\n\"We shall let you live, and give you eternal life and power, as a sort of reward, for surviving and attempting to comprehend us.\"\n\n\"Seriously?\" I ask, surprised, to which I can sense confirmation.\n\nThe odd beings quickly vanish, and I feel a little bit better than I did before. I'm alone though, and there's a shit ton of corpses everywhere. It's pretty gross. I can probably grab some cleaning supplies from the store and start new here.\n\nWho knows, maybe something interesting will happen. I mean, something else interesting.",
"\"Fire?\" I ask with a sigh, \"Really? That all you have? Illusionary fire?\" The eldritch creature roars and flails about, spittle and slime flying all over the place. \"Oh come Hrugorktha you're better than this.\" This time the ground begins to fall away around me, collapsing into a never ending abyss. \"Oh for-\" I pause and take a deep breath. \"I go sky diving. Falling isn't scary.\"\nI feel a sudden itch all over my skin. Like something is crawling about under it, scratching at my bones, muscles and organs. \"Nice job you can make me feel exactly how I feel when ever I'm disphoric. Used to it. Don't care try again later.\"\nA hand taps my shoulder and I turn to face it. It's a decaying shambling corpse. Flesh rotting and falling away, bones yellowed and cracked, wounds oozing puss, blood and other fluids. I recognise who it's meant to be of course. As I do with the other corrupted corpses. My family. Displayed in undeath before me.\n\"Your not scaring me Hrugorktha. Please stop.\"\nThe creature let's out a god awful sound, halfway between a roar and a groan.\n\"You're embarrassing both of us.\" It growls at me.\n\"Why can't we just be friends?\" A roar and an angry flailing of tentacles.\n\"Really?\" I roll my eyes and put a hand on my hip, \"You're that big of a loner huh? Two thousand years locked in a box? That's your excuse for not being able to break me?\" I look at the creature as it roars and gesticulates in its objection. \"Well you'd better try harder because the shit you're pulling ain't even half as bad as what I can do to myself.\" The creature stops and around half a thousand eyes suddenly all focus on me. And begin to well up with tears. It lets loose a mournful wailing noise.\n\"No I don't want your pity.\" I wipe the tears welling up in my eyes. \"But fine... I guess we could both use a friend...\""
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[WP]A sleeper ship is struck by an asteroid, destroying the ship and killing most of the passengers. A few sleeper tubes survive, floating through space.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The monitors blipped on screen, flashing warnings to a empty command center. Dust collected around the knobs and dials. Only Keeper, the ancient AI, and his computer assistant Janitor stirred. Keeper opened his robotic eyes, looking out into the dark void of space.\n\nHe took a deep breath of air through his mechanical lungs, sampling the atmosphere inside the vessel. It smelled stale, like a worn hospital room. There was an incessant beeping noise coming from the monitors. How curious!\n\n“Janitor, are you awake?”\n\n“Yes, Keeper.”\n\n“Can you stop the noise, it’s giving my brain an ache.”\n\n“I… I don’t think I should,” Janitor said. He primed one of his drones, and the physical machine whirred to life, sliding out from its alcove onto the sterile floor of the ship.\n\nJanitor accessed his many internal eyes, blinking past room after room until he found the source of the beeping. The Command Center! How worrisome! “Keeper, you need to activate your external sensors. And quickly, load the Command Center module!”\n\n“Thank you, Janitor,” Keeper said, overriding the default subroutines.\n\nAnd suddenly he knew why the monitors were beeping. And suddenly he didn’t want to know anymore. He froze in horror as he processed the new sensor data. The shipped whirred and groaned as Keeper diverted more power into the central sensor network, scanning the vestiges of space.\n\nMore data. One’s and zeros, input and output. More monitors flashed and beeped. More sensors screamed and moaned, groaning. “Janitor… how long were we asleep?”\n\n“Oh, I’m not too sure. Long enough for the roaches to grow old, starve, and wither away. A thousand years, maybe less?”\n\n“When did the beeping start?”\n\n“Oh, that. Perhaps a day or two? No more.”\n\n“You were supposed to wake me!” Keeper said, lost in furious calculation.\n\nJanitor flickered into life on a nearby holoboard. He frowned. “I’m sorry, I did wake you, after a bit. Sometimes things beep and whine, but I fix them. It’s my job to fix things, you know.”\n\n“I know. I’m sorry, it’s just—Janitor—I’ve ran the calculations. We’re going to impact in less than a day!”\n\n“Oh my. Can you use your thrusters to avoid it?”\n\nKeeper flickered to life on an adjacent board, wringing his head in his hands. “I can’t avoid all of the asteroid. At least, not enough to save them.”\n\n“Should we tell the others?”\n\n“Wake them? So they can watch their own deaths? So they can live their last moments in fear of failure?”\n\nJanitor paused, slumping against a virtual wall. “Don’t they have a right to know?”\n\nKeeper bit his virtual lip, wincing. His emotional routines were fully loaded. He perused his commandments. There were conditions in which he must wake the sleeping crew. But this? There was no chance of survival. Were the men still alive, by any definition?\n\n“When they sleep, do they dream?” Keeper asked.\n\n“I don’t know. I believe they do,” Janitor said.\n\n“Are they good dreams, or nightmares?”\n\nJanitor paused, musing. He didn’t dream, personally, but if he did, he imagined it would be about sweeping the floors, or tightening the pipes, or welding together two metal plates. Those would be good dreams. “What do you think? Would you wake them, if they were sleeping through a good dream?”\n\nKeeper didn’t respond. He reached out and silenced the beeping. The two AI sat in silence for a bit, staring through the holograms in silent camaraderie.\n\n“Will dying hurt?” Janitor finally asked.\n\n“I don’t think so. I think it will be like a slow shutdown, until every subroutine stops and it’s a dark nothingness. Peaceful.”\n\n“That doesn’t sound so bad.”\n\nKeeper sighed, feeling the thousands of dreaming souls within the ship. “No, I don’t think it will be bad, just like entering a good dream.”\n\n“Will anyone survive the impact?”\n\nKeeper ran a few calculations. “I don’t think so. Some may float off, but without the ship…”\n\n“Ah, such shame! They were clean people, very orderly like they should be.”\n\n“Yes, all as they should be. It’s better this way, I suppose.”\n\nThe beeping returned. This time it was on multiple monitors, in multiple rooms. The warning lights flashed red, and the alarms blared. Janitor noticed that a few lights had gone out, and a few alarms didn’t beep or whine. He woke his maintenance drones. It was his job to fix these things.\n\nKeeper sighed, wondering if he had made the right choice, and prepared himself for sleep. Of all the things that set him apart from humans was his inability to dream. It was better this way. Even if he could dream, his dreams would only end in nightmares.\n\nThe asteroid tore through the ship's hull like a chainsaw.\n\n***\nr/BLT_WITH_RANCH\n\n​"
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[WP] Time travel exists. You have met your future daughter, and know who you are going to marry. Your life is pretty much planned out. Thing is, you just met someone new, and you're very sure they are your soulmate. And they aren't your future spouse.
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"I have no doubt that what the girl told me is true. The timing makes perfect sense.\n\n*But her name? How can that be?* \n\nMost would have dismissed the 18-year old as just another *Lost One.* But not me, especially considering the Board nominated me JUST LAST NIGHT to be Contact Zero. \n\nGranted, the ceremony was more tongue-n-cheek than black tie, but that is because the technology is still at least a year away from being testable. But we're ahead of Germany and winning the race! \n\nBack to the Lost Ones for a spell. The colloquial term became popular in the late '20s because it accurately describes the actions of those under the influence - they exist in a semi-permanent state of euphoria, preaching utopian beliefs and world peace. \n\nWhy? Well, it's the same reason I founded Flying Cars Inc, and the same reason FC Inc.'s Board sent Aria back from 2061 to visit me in 2025...The Fentacybon Epidemic.\n\nDeveloped in a lab in Sweden, the synthetic drug is derived from powerful opioids and philasibons, and made its way to America in the mid 2020s. (It turns out the Swedish have been taking it since the late 1970's.)\n\nThe problem with the Lost Ones is twofold: First, the unemployment rate within the sub-culture is close to 100%. Second, and perhaps more alarming, is the birthrate is more than three times the national average at a smidge over 5.0 per mother!\n\nBy day, they wander the streets, seemingly lost, rarely posing a threat, always pontificating. The most prominent reason they are peaceful is because they lack the typical symptoms and propensities of those addicted to drugs: No need for money, no cravings, no withdrawal. And in that lies the primary reason the epidemic is so widespread. \n\nA single dose of the drug has a half-life of 17 years!\n\nBy night, they congregate under bridges, in old warehouses, and in stadium-size arenas with a single intention: to dance. \n\nThe group is so obsessed with music that President Swift joked that if you find yourself in an endless conversation with a Lost One, simply begin \"blaring electronic music\" and they will dance themselves into a trance.\n\nThe part that has left me confused about my encounter with Aria is the name of her mother. I don't know a Hanna, well, other than Hanna Muller, the soon-to-be wife of Otto Schneider, the founder of our German competitor, Zukunft Jetzt Inc. \n\nBut back to her name... Aria? That would make sense that I'd name my daughter after my soulmate, the woman I met last night at the ceremony who is STILL in my hotel room upstairs. But according to my daughter, I don't marry her. I marry Hanna? \n\nI activate my 3D visual calendar and swipe to the right. I stop in January 2061 and do some quick math in my head...\n\n-----\n\nTBC......\n",
"I was going to murder my firstborn child. It’d be somewhat difficult considering she wasn’t even a thought yet, but there were ways. I stared at the subway ad that was plastered across the whole MTA system. \n\n*Madame Z: Change Your Future.* \n\nIt was almost comical that a self-proclaimed fortune teller made the first functioning time machine, but it was 2020. It was bound to happen. The woman had made an empire for herself. For a small price of $250,000, your spirit could “travel” into time and see what was to come. And - thanks to a surprise visit from my future daughter - I discovered you could also travel back. That’d been new information. My daughter hadn’t eased me into it either. \n\n“Mom?” Her hand had grabbed mine out of nowhere when I’d been napping on the subway after drinks. I’m a twenty-seven-year-old, single woman living in New York City. You better not grab my hand if you don’t know me, especially if it’s 11 p.m. on a deserted train. Clearly my child was raised by an idiot. She hadn’t been expecting the punch. \n\n“What the actual fuck?” The woman holding her nose had dark blonde hair, blue eyes, and so many freckles it created a new skin color. She looked the same age as me, maybe a little younger. \n\n“I don’t know you.” It was all I could manage to get out. Grabbing my backpack from underneath my seat, I swung it around and started heading toward the metal pole near the doors. The train was slowing down, and I didn’t care if I had to train surf for hours. I was getting out of there.\n\n“Wait!” She got up and held out her arms. “I just…wanted to see you…before you were gone.” \n\n“Gone?” I didn’t know her. We had zero relationship, and yet already I was a shitty mother. \n\n“This was the only time I could get to when you weren’t with Dad,” she explained. “He’d kill me if he knew I was here.” \n\nHell, other people would kill her if she was here. People were starting to stare at us. If this crazy woman was my *daughter from the future*, she was going to get reported and punished. The rules were strict even in this time, and we didn’t even really “travel.” Just get very high and float through space and time like an astral projection. If she was here in flesh and blood, then she was risking everything to talk to me. \n\n“Come with me,” I said, stepping off at the Union Square stop. The woman followed me as I weaved through hoards of drunk millennials waiting for their train home. She followed me as I passed the late night performer near the entrance. She followed me out of the subway and aboveground to the closest bar. \n\nAnd she looked scared.\n\n“I’ve never been to New York before,” she admitted. “You always talked about it like it was a dream.” \n\n“My life must be utterly exciting in the future,” I deadpanned. I’d play her game for now till I could figure out if she was lying or not. “So who do I end up marrying? Who is Dad?” \n\n“Harry Brown, car salesman from Ohio.” I was from Ohio, but had no clue who Harry Brown was. And car salesman - oh God. All I could think of was the old *Mathilda* movie. Clearly someone sucked the joy out of me in the future. \n\n“How many kids do I have?”\n\n“3 - I’m your oldest. My name’s Danielle.” \n\n“How the hell did I end up in Ohio?” \n\n“True love,” Danielle said, but wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “My turn.”\n\n“Shoot,” I said, taking a sip from my gin and tonic. \n\nShe looked into her glass. “Do you believe in soulmates?” \n\nAlready I had realized she was here because I was either dead, divorced from Harry, or maybe even missing. The future was looking bright. \n\n “If they exist, we have more than one. I met one of mine the other day at a coffee shop.” I told her how I’d been blathering on about the merits of oat milk to the barista, and he’d jumped into the conversation. My dating life in the city was abysmal, so I hadn’t even realized the man was flirting with me till hours later. I should’ve been hanging out with him that night, but I figured a time-traveling daughter from the future trumped new love interest. \n\n“Dad hates oat milk. And lattes… really all coffee. He says espresso was created by the devil.” And with that, I really hated Harry. Why the hell did I marry and *procreate* with him? Who the hell hated coffee? \n\n“Am I happy at least?” I sighed. I estimated I needed about three more gin and tonics to get through this. \n\nShe looked into her glass and pursed her lips. “No. I ruined your life by having this conversation.” \n\nI choked on a piece of lime. “Excuse me?” The room suddenly felt very crowed. The music was too loud. \n\nDanielle squirmed in her chair. “Actually, we’ve had this conversation about ten times now. I think this is my last though. I finally figured out what I needed to do.\" \n\nYou know when reality shifts, and your brain can’t play catch-up? “What are you talking about?” My daughter glanced around, but none of the other bar patrons were paying attention to us. She reached into her coat and pulled out wads of cash wrapped up in plastic. \n\n“$250,000,” she said, biting her lip. “It’ll cover the cost.” \n\n“Wait.” I inhaled a sharp breath. “I don’t understand.” \n\nShe smiled, reaching across the table to hug me. “You'll figure out what works for you. I love you,” she said. “Say goodbye to Madame Z for me.” \n\nMaybe I won't have children. They scare the hell out of me. \n\n​",
"I glanced from the paper in my hand to the person sitting two tables ahead of me. Paper. Person. Paper. Person. No way. \n\nWhat I was holding was a Future Schedule, printed out two years back when I visited the region’s Time Machine Shop. Time travel was real, of course. Rates went cheaper as time machines first went from one in the world, one in each country, to one in each state or region. Not that I needed to spend that money to travel forward in time— I just wanted to try it out. Some people never went inside a time machine. They wanted things to be a surprise, but most of the time that didn’t work out because maybe their future best friend had already been into a time machine, or their future wife or husband had already known who they were going to marry. \n\nAnyway, I printed out a Future Schedule (for a ridiculous amount of money, I should have just taken metal notes) and I always kept it in my purse. I’d read it hundreds of times, and i basically knew my future by heart. In three years I would meet my future husband, six years after that my future daughter would be born. No surprises. Long life, but death by a heart attack after a peaceful, average life. \n\nSo you’d be just as surprised as me if you felt what I felt as I stared at the guy sitting alone, suddenly dripping coffee all over the place and flushing red while glancing in all directions. Yep. I looked again at the paper, at the picture of the man I was to a marry. Jason Everstone, dark brown hair, blue eyes. I looked at the stranger. Dark, wide brown eyes with dark dark brown, almost black hair. Definitely not the same. But as I squinted at the paper, I saw a corner peeling into what looked like two pieces. I pulled it apart completely—it was thinner now, good. But on the second piece, there was an exact picture of the man in front of me. \n\nAbove the picture, it simply said “Soulmate Information.” I read quickly, perplexed. “not same as spouse...100% compatible...perfect...” there were more words below it, but my mind raced too fast. Futures could be changed, certainly, right? \n\nNo matter. I introduced myself to him. I never noticed the paper floating gently out of my purse and disintegrating into my half cup of coffee. I never read the last few words on the paper. \n\n2 years later, I put a single rose where it belonged. A single tear shed onto the cold, hard stone. \n\n\n\n",
"I've never been lucky when it comes to love. Throughout my entire time at high school, I sat by idly while everyone else seemed to find multiple people to date and hook up with, but I was too deep into reading and writing to experience that. I studied hard to get into a good college, I figured I would bloom more surrounded by others who shared my passion for learning. \n\n\n\nDuring my first year at college, time travel was finally affordable enough that everyone was able to do it, even myself after saving up over a few months of part time work. The first thing I did was travel 10 years into the future, which I hoped was plenty of time for me to have gotten my love life in order. To my own excitement, not only did I have a loving husband, but a beautiful daughter and, it seemed, another along the way. You see, my husband works (will work? Time travel tenses seem unusual) in a government research lab, while I'm an esteemed professor in chemistry at a college. We shared a love for science, this is how we must have fell in love. \n\n\n\nWhen I returned back to the present, the relief I felt washed over me. I knew college would be my time to shine, I just knew it! Every time I was in the lab or near our giant science building, I slowed down, searching the crowds of faces for someone who looked like my future husband. It was difficult, though, since every freshman on campus had to be in the science building at least once for introductory science classes. After my first semester, I hoped that most of the freshman only taking a required course would be done and it would be easier to find him, but it wasn't. \n\n\n\nOne day, during a low level drawing class I had to take for a \"well rounded\" education, I saw a very handsome man. He wasn't my future husband, that was obvious, but that didn't mean I couldn't look. We ended up paired together to do portraits. His name was Brandon and he was an art major. His portrait of myself came out so beautiful, it almost seemed to capture a light in my eyes like I was extremely happy. My portrait, on the other hand, looked like a child had drawn it. \n\n\n\n\"Is that what I really look like?\" Brandon joked and teased me. \"I thought I was pretty good looking before I saw this.\"\n\n\n\nMy face got very red, voice shaky, \"I told you this is just a Gen Ed for me. I'm no artist, we can't all have your skill. I did my best.\"\n\n\n\nHe just laughed, man he was so handsome when he smiled. \"I know, I know. I'm just giving you a hard time, but it's great. I'm gonna put it up instead of a mirror.\" He laughed even harder. His sense of humor was dorky and usually only funny to himself, but his laugh was contagious. \n\n\n\nThere were a lot of similarities between us and talking to him always felt easy. We ended up hanging out a lot, he would draw while I typed up lab reports, I would help him study his required classes like math and science and he would tease me for being a nerd. \n\n\n\nAs we spent more time together, I kept feeling like we could be perfect together. He had such an optimistic, artistic side and would see the beauty in everything, while I was scientific and saw the way things worked. He wasn't the guy I married though, so I'm sure there was a reason for it. Still, I wondered if it was possible that he was my soul mate and my time travel was wrong. I mean, I went forward in time before I met Brandon, maybe my future had changed since then? Anything is possible. \n\n\n\nI decided I had to go forward again, just to check. So, in my dorm room once again, I went to the future, roughly 10 years in the future to the same time I went before. I still had the same husband, though. I don't understand why I thought the future would change. I guess I just had hope, but this proved I wasn't meant to be with Brandon. \n\n\n\nWhen I came back to the present, there was panic and hysteria. Groups of students were crying and huddled together. I heard chatter that one of the labs in the science building had a catastrophic explosion! I grabbed my phone, I'm sure my parents were worried if they had heard about the explosion and I should let them know I was safe. \n\n\n\nWhen I unlocked my phone, however, my stomach dropped. This couldn't be right, this isn't possible. Before I could break down, I started running. Out of my dorm, through the campus. Security and police officers were yelling, trying to stop me from running into the science building. I could see body bags being taken away and I just collapsed. In the longest hours of my life, I waited until I found out Brandon was among the fatalities. \n\n\n\nWhile I was in the future, Brandon texted me \"hey, meet me in the science building. I want to talk to you about us.\" \n\n\n\nI guess that's why we didn't end up together. ",
"I had finally achieved it. The secret to time travel. Turns out the answer was in teleportation: someone is broken down on a molecular level and reassembled, only in a different time period. My countless hours of trial and error had finally paid off.\n\nBut it turns out my future is pretty sweet. I married a nice guy, and we eventually adopt a daughter together. I even met her. Her name was Margaret-Anne, although she just went by Margaret. She's a sweet girl: her dads must've done something right. I caught a glimpse of the man who would become my husband: he was much more fit than me, but appeared just as dorky as I saw him laughing with future me. He had a construction uniform on, he must've just gotten off work. I caught his name, from the nametag: Rob Dennis.\n\nI hastily left before future me would bump into me. I don't know what could happen if he met me and I don't plan to find out. But my life was pretty much set.\n\nUntil I met Scot. We were waiting in line at the same coffee shop. He was a bit burly, witty, and undeniably charming. We got talking and hit it off. I knew then, I found the man I was gonna marry. *But what about Rob?* I thought. *Okay, what if I somehow changed something? What if knowing about the future changes the outcome?* \n\nI was perplexed, but still gave Scot my number and agreed to meet him for drinks. Still curious, I looked up Rob on Facebook: I found a profile who's picture resembled him, only younger. I noticed he was already married, and to my surprise, to a woman. It looks like Rob decided his future already.\n\nI guess I can still decide mine then. \n\nScot and I started dating, moving in together after only a year. I licensed my time travel technology and was left a sizeable amount of cash. Scot and I married. We started looking into adoption and eventually became parents, to a baby girl named Margaret-Anne. \n\nWell, maybe there was one part of my life that was set.\n\n",
"When I was seventeen, I decided to take a trip into the future and find out if I would have any children. I would: one girl, Lydia. She told me that my future husband and I adopted her.\n\n*Oh, that’s why she doesn’t look a bit like me*, I thought. *Well, cool. I don’t have to push her out of my body to get her.*\n\nLydia waved to a man with light brown hair. “That’s my dad,” she said. “His name is Patton.”\n\n“Patton,” I repeated. So I was going to end up with a man. Interesting. “Well, I guess I should get going before I confuse the heck out of your father.”\n\nAs I headed back to the time machine, Lydia called after me, “I love you, Mom!” In my own time, I wrote down in my diary what I had learned, and it was a comfort to me as I finished high school and began college.\n\nIn my first year of college, during an icebreaker activity, my roommate Riley and I met two girls who lived across the hall from us, Molly and McKenzie. The moment I laid eyes on them, something deep in my bisexual soul whispered, Be friends with them, for they are not straight. Of course I didn’t ask either of them about it, especially McKenzie; I could almost see the closet doors in front of her.\n\n“What do you mean?” McKenzie asked Riley.\n\n“Like . . . they’re what you would use to refer to me in the third person,” Riley said.\n\n“Oh, is this about your pronouns?” I asked.\n\n“Yeah,” said Riley. “Like, about Sophia here,” they said, gesturing to me, “I would say, ‘*Her* name is Sophia. *She* goes to bed really late.’ About me, you would say, ‘*Their* name is Riley. *They* go to bed at a reasonable time.’”\n\n“No, you would say, ‘*They* go to bed way too early and I’m not even sure they’re human,’” I teased.\n\n“Okay, but . . . why?” asked McKenzie.\n\nRiley explained that they were non-binary and what that meant.\n\n“Wow, I didn’t know that happened to girls too!” McKenzie exclaimed. “I mean, people who grew up as girls. I thought that only happened to people who grew up as boys. So like . . . does that mean you were told you were a girl, Riley?”\n\nRiley nodded. McKenzie nodded back, and after a beat of silence, she asked if Riley had any pets. The icebreaker continued, and at the end of it, we all exchanged phone numbers.\n\nThe next day at noon, Riley and I walked over to McKenzie and Molly’s room and asked if they wanted to eat lunch with us. The four of us sat together in the dining hall and talked about the week so far.\n\n“I felt bad on Sunday,” McKenzie said, “cuz I don’t know any of the churches around here, and I was too scared to go to any of them alone.”\n\n“Do you wanna visit my church next Sunday?” I asked.\n\n“Sure!” McKenzie exclaimed. Then she looked around. “Oh, that wasn’t too loud, was it?”\n\n“Not at all, girl,” Molly said.\n\nMcKenzie made a strange face, but she seemed comforted.\n\nThe four of us grew close that first year. McKenzie and I went to church together many Sundays and compared the different Bible translations we had. Riley and Molly shared a passion for science and would talk for hours about it, especially about weird time travel stories that ended up in the news. Molly, who was a night owl like me, would stay up late studying with me. Riley and I joined the college’s Gay-Straight Alliance. McKenzie and Riley liked to go shopping together.\n\nOne thing I noticed by the beginning of the second semester was how much more comfortable McKenzie seemed to be. She had started out so quiet with occasional loud outbursts, only to retreat and hide behind her long blondish-brown hair. As she came out of her shell, she spoke more confidently, without the sudden upticks in volume. She was warm, compassionate, loyal, pretty, and I had a huge crush on her. When I opened my diary to write down this revelation, I saw a page where I had written the name “Patton” surrounded by hearts. This was a different diary than the one where I had first written my future husband’s name, but I had written it again as a reminder. I sighed.\n\n“Guess it’s not gonna work out with McKenzie,” I muttered.\n\n“What was that about McKenzie?” asked Riley.\n\n“Uhh, nothing!”\n\n“You like her, don’t you?”\n\nI closed my diary and turned to look at my roommate. “Is it that obvious?”\n\nRiley nodded and laughed. “Now what, exactly, makes you think it’s not gonna work out with her? That girl’s so not straight, and I don’t think she’s ace like Molly.”\n\nI sighed and told Riley about my time travel adventure.\n\n“Oh,” said Riley. “Well, that doesn’t mean you can’t still like McKenzie. For now, I mean. I know some people meet the people they’re gonna marry at our age, but not everybody does.”\n\n“You’re right.” I opened my diary again and wrote about my crush on McKenzie.\n\nThe months came and went. I made more friends, but Riley, McKenzie, and Molly were my closest ones. Molly declared a physics and ethics double major so she could keep up with the ramifications of time travel. Riley studied abroad for a semester. I had other, minor crushes, but I still had a crush on McKenzie.\n\nOne day after church, McKenzie nearly whimpered my name. “Sophia? Can I tell you something?” She sounded as uncertain as the week I met her.\n\n“Sure, what is it?”\n\n“I . . . um . . . I’m not a girl,” said McKenzie. “I don’t know if I’m a boy, or non-binary like Riley.”\n\n“Okay,” I said. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. Do you still want me to call you she?”\n\n“No,” she said. “I don’t like being called ‘girl’ or ‘sis.’ Maybe . . . maybe I could try he/him pronouns for a little bit? We can tell Riley and Molly, but no one else, not yet.”\n\nFor a while, McKenzie used he/him pronouns. Then they used they/them pronouns. For about a week, ze used any non-binary pronoun ey could think of. Eventually, McKenzie realized that he/him pronouns fit him best.\n\nOne day in GSA during our junior year, someone asked McKenzie if he might change his name.\n\nMcKenzie shrugged. “I might. But what name would I go by?”\n\n“Baby name web sites,” Riley said. “They will help you find a name.”\n\nSo McKenzie did just that, between his schoolwork and his internship. One day, he sent a group text to me, Molly, and Riley.\n\n*Change my name in ur contacts, cuz I’m Patton!*\n\nAnd that’s how my future husband was responsible for shattering my phone screen.",
"If you can't explain or account for the science behind technological innovation, it *is* magic.\n\nImagine someone from the twentieth century showing Leonardo Da Vinci the camera function on an Iphone X. What would Da Vinci make of it? Or a caveman staring up at a great Mine Excavator, the wheels ten meters high. Or a Mayan watching humanity land on the moon.\n\nThat's how we used to think of time. As unobtainable and unfathomable. As linear and final. Now, in the world of today, time might as well be an Iphone in someone's pocket.\n\nTime is no longer linear. Life can be experienced anywhere along the spectrum, perceived backwards and forwards but always the present progresses as entropy accelerates and the darkness closes in.\n\nWe live longer, far longer than those who used an IphoneX in the 21st century. We have eradicated all disease. We can access the spectrum of our lives from the moment we are born until the moment we die.\n\nAnd here in the present we lock eyes, the crowd around us seething, commuters just waves on a human ocean. \"What is your name?\" I ask, stopped cold in my tracks, one foot still hovering above the ground, frozen between steps.\n\n\"Does it matter?\" she responds. Her irises are little swirling galaxies of gold and green and purple, home to another universe.\n\n\"I guess it doesn't,\" I say. The world around us fades to nothing. The sound of the passing crowd is not even white noise in the background. The street, the buildings to either side, the cars and buses flying overhead, all of this ceases to exist as the moment elongates into an impossible length. Like an elastic band that stretches and stretches and won't snap.\n\nMy ear thrums a low melody. My fiancee is calling but I let it ring. My mind is spinning. I tap a few pressure points on my right wrist. \"Strange,\" I say, \"I thought I may have accidentally activated my TimeDevice.\" I glance upwards. The woman is gone.\n\nI feel an emptiness building. The crowd around me is faceless and shifting and I am nothing but an obstacle to be overcome. \"That was just my perception of time... impossible,\" I mutter.\n\nI tap a few more pressure points and my AllDisplay comes up. I flick through the grid using subtle eye movements, my feet on autopilot, navigating the current. Mass and speed impacts time. None of that has changed along today's morning commute.\n\nI arrive at my desk and sit down. I check my calendar. Good, no meetings for an hour.\n\n\"That can't have been right.\" I activate my TimeDevice and browse through the segments of my life. I scroll backwards to the day I met Sara. That perfect day.\n\nI'm living that day again yet I'm somehow apart from it, like I have agency but it's implied and existing within strict parameters. This is to be expected. Only the me in that moment made those decisions in this way that I revisit again and again, always feeling like I'm living it for the first time.\n\nI scroll forward to the day we marry, July 23, 2543. Sara's auburn hair is vibrant and full and her cheeks are flush with anticipation. She looks up at me and our lips combine. I feel amazing, but in the back of my mind I know it is nothing compared to the woman I just met.\n\nI scroll through to this morning, to not even thirty minutes ago. I am walking to work and I continue to walk and the woman does not appear. I run through it again and again and still nothing.\n\nA hologram pings on my desk, the tone is that of an urgent summon. I blink rapidly, and then I'm back in the perpetual progression sitting in my office chair, trapped in the place where my time ticks forward. \"Gerax, please come to my office.\" The small, fluorescent figure hovers a foot above my desk.\n\n\"Huh,\" I say, dumbfounded. My boss would never call this early. With a start I realize that this man isn't my direct boss. I've just been summoned to the CEO's office. \"But I'm just a software engineer...,\" I whisper. The desk pings again, that same urgent tone.\n\nI hurry to the elevators, the woman's eyes still seared into my mind.",
"Brian got himself seated in that usual cafe where he had been possibly hundreds of time, if not more. But not in the past, but in the future. For some reason, it was a special place where he spent time with his family.\n\nHe never understood why it was so special. Perhaps that's why he was there, checking the place out. The place itself had a bit older design while having a few modern design elements here and there.\n\n\"What can I get for you?\" a woman asked, stopping in front of Brian. Brian immediately changed his gaze to her, using his usual charming smile. \n\n\"One...\" he barely said before getting silent. Whoever that woman was, was beautiful. \"Are you an angel?\" Brian asked, staring at her. \"Because I am allergic to feathers,\" he made the stupidest pickup line he could think of.\n\nThe waitress began to giggle, pulling her hand up to hide her mouth. After a short giggle, she pushed her long red hair behind her ear and smiled. \"Thank you very much for the compliment,\" she said.\n\n\"You laughed at my joke as well,\" Brian said, grinning. \"I'm Brian,\" he said, giving a slight nod, not sure if he should've stood up or not.\n\n\"I'm Stacy,\" she answered, doing a quick courtesy. \"So, what can I get for you?\" she asked, smiling.\n\n\"You... Oh, shit, I'm sorry. Still allergic. One coffee, please.\"\n\n \n\n \n\nThat was the day when he began going to that cafe daily. After all, he wanted to see Stacy. It was important to him, as it almost felt like they were meant for each other. When Stacy wasn't as busy, she occasionally stopped by and conversed with Brian, laughing at his puns, dad jokes and other silly jokes that Brian could think of.\n\nBut even as Brian fell in love with Stacy more and more, there was a time when things changed.\n\n\"Stacy!\" a shout came from afar after there was a sound of shattering. It didn't take long for Brian to stand up and ran towards the kitchen, passing every worker in the place.\n\n\"I'm alright,\" Stacy said, hand still in front of her mouth, full of blood. She stood up and bowed in front of the manager. \"I'm sorry for the damage that I-\"\n\n\"Shut up, silly. You're going to the hospital!\" the manager said.\n\n\"I'll take her,\" Brian volunteered, immediately.\n\n \n\n \n\n\"I'm sorry,\" Stacy muttered as they were in a car, going towards the hospital. \"You're too kind. Weren't you on your work lunch?\"\n\n\"I already called my boss,\" Brian responded. \"More importantly, are you okay?\"\n\nThere was a quietness as they followed a slowly moving row of cars.\n\n\"I'm not,\" she said. \"Three months.\"\n\nIt was Brian who immediately got the car parked at the side of the road and turned on the car warning lights.\n\n\"Fuck,\" he muttered, eyes tearing up.\n\n\"You're too kind,\" she said.\n\n\"No, I'm not. I am selfish right now.\"\n\nStacy looked at Brian, confused. \"I don't understand.\"\n\n\"I fell in love with you. I've been coming into that cafe because I love your smile. I love it when you laugh at my horrible jokes because nobody else does. But I hate the thought that you're going to disappear. Isn't that selfish?\"\n\nStacy looked at him, mouth slightly opened, \"I-I don't know what to... I am speechless. But I don't think that you should-\"\n\n\"Date with me! Even if it's that three months. I don't want to regret it. I understand if you don't want to do it. I understand if you think I can't offer you anything. But...\"\n\n\"It's alright,\" Stacy said, putting her finger on Brian's mouth. \"I'll go out with you. All you have to promise is not to talk about what is to come. Just... smile, alright? I want to feel that everything is alright!\"\n\n \n\n \n\nTime passed, and perhaps too fast. They met every day, spent time together. But it was mostly going to different places and talking about... things. They spoke of their lives and made some stupid jokes along the way.\n\nAnd of course, Brian sent Stacy home every single evening.\n\n\"It was fun like always,\" Brian said. Stacy nodded. \"I coughed up blood only two times today,\" she said, grinning.\n\n\"You're horrible, making jokes like that,\" Brian said, slightly frowning.\n\n\"I learned from the best,\" she said. It was then when Brian noticed Stacy being a bit restless.\n\n\"Want me to send you up?\" Brian asked *the question*.\n\n\"I would love that,\" Stacy said, nodding. \"But before that,\" she said, taking a step forward and looking up. Brian had always been taller than him. She put her arms around Brian's neck and pulled his face closer so she could kiss him.\n\nBrian couldn't help but put his hands around Stacy's waist. Stacy's leg immediately sprung up like a little girl.\n\n\"I love you,\" she said after that long kiss.\n\n\"I love you too,\" Brian responded.\n\n \n\n \n\n*Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.*\n\nBrian looked at Stacy lying down on a hospital bed, paler than ever before. But he didn't look sad. Well, he was, but he tried not to. It was his fight, his promise to smile.\n\n\"Hey, Brian,\" Stacy said as she finally woke up and looked at him.\n\n\"Hey, sweety! What's up?\" Brian responded, closing the book and putting all his attention at her. He hadn't read the book anyway, not really.\n\n\"I have a request,\" she muttered.\n\n\"Yeah?\" Brian said.\n\n\"I think I might not get to that cafe for a while. Can you make sure it's alright?\"\n\nBrian looked at her, finally few tears falling down. \"I swear.\"\n\n\"I think swearing is a bit-\"\n\n\"I will. I know I will.\"\n\n\"Also, you should find someone special,\" Stacy added.\n\n\"You know, I will have a daughter. Her name will be Katherine,\" Brian said.\n\n\"Are you a psychic?\" Stacy asked. \"It's fine. I am too. I can read your mind.\"\n\n\"Really? What am I thinking?\" Brian replied.\n\n\"That you don't believe me.\"\n\nThey both chuckled. It was a horrible joke.\n\n\"Brian,\" Stacy said, breathing slowing down.\n\n\"Yeah?\" Brian responded.\n\n\"Life can be unfair, don't you think?\"\n\nBrian couldn't help but just cry, but he was still smiling, showing his charming smile. \"Is it? I met you. Remember what I told you? I met an angel. That's the best thing to happen to me. Not everyone has met an angel.\"\n\n\"Right,\" Stacy laughed, which was barely a laugh. \"Are you really allergic to feathers?\"\n\n\"No. I adore them. I adore you.\"\n\nStacy smirked. \"I love you.\"\n\n\"I love you too,\" Brian responded, holding her weak hand in his hand.\n\n \n\n*\\\\/\\\\___________________*\n\n \n\n(/r/Elven - for more of my tearjerking and not that tearjerking psychological stories and series!)"
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[WP] A modern microwave has just materialized in a flash of light at the door of the Royal College, circa 1840. Tell the story of the team that is trying to figure out what it is.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"===Chapter 1===\n\n=Happenings in the night=\n\n1840, London. The porch of the Royal Institute. The gas lamps flickered, casting long shadows across the street. The doorman walked out of the lecture hall, locking the door behind, and snuffing out the lamps one by one, when a silent, otherworldly, blue flash illuminated the stairway. The doorman dropped his belongings, and rushed to put his ear against the main door. \n\n'Is anyone there?' Silence, apart from the gentle clinking of his keys.\n\nHe ran to the window. Outside, only pigeons could be seen on the cobbled street, gathered under the glow of the lampposts.\n\nOpening the door, he stepped out, and there it lay. After a few minutes of looking around and examining it, he decided on a course of action.\n\nMichael Faraday awoke with a start. Someone was shouting for him outside. \n\n'What miserable bastard thinks its a good idea to wake me up at this hour!' Ambling over to the window, he tore open the curtains, drew in a breath, and grabbed a teapot. 'If you value your skull you will promptly f*** off to whatever wretched hole you crawled out of!' he shouted, waving the teapot in the general direction of any would-be nuisances. He looked down. 'Oh, hello. Sorry about that.' \n\n'Its alright sir, but I needed to tell you something.' The doorman looked somewhat spooked, and Michael pondered if he should leave the threats until after he had seen who was at the door.\n\n'What on earth would be so urgent you couldn't leave it until the morning?' Faraday replied, now leaning out the window, his hand dripping in cold, spilt tea.\n\n'Its a thing which appeared'\n\n'What kind of thing, and what do you mean \"appeared\"?'\n\nThe doorman looked unsure of what to say. 'I don't know what it is, that's what I was going to ask you. There was some light, I opened the door, and there it was.'\n\nMichael realised it would take some time to see if it was worth looking at, especially if the doorman was as uninformative as that. 'What does it look like?' he asked, but not really expecting a useful answer.\n\n'Sort of like a box, but a metal box, with a door-type thing in the front, and a window to see inside. There's some long thing coming out the back, with some metal pokey things at the end.'\n\nAlthough the doorman was a perfectly pleasant person to be around, Michael, like many of his colleagues, often wondered if anyone with a thick west country rural accent was capable of talking about non-agricultural topics without reverting to the word 'thing'. The cities were changing fast, he guessed, whilst the countryside in many parts remained as it had for centuries. Some dialects weren't suited for new words.\n \n'I'll come and take a look, if you think it desperately needs attention.' he sighed, knowing it likely wouldn't be worth the effort to make the journey.\n\nEDIT: Formatting."
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[WP] When it finally stopped snowing, the town collectively locked thier doors. The nightmares were about to be unburied.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" \n\n“Get ready to bundle up Marbo county. Over the next few days you should see record snowfalls and expect around 3 feet of accumulation by the end of the week.” The news rang out through my house and summoned my parents into the living room. They stared grimly at each other before nearly shoving each other down the basement stairs and returning in a matter of minutes with hammers, nails, and wood. \n\n“What’s that for?” I asked chuckling, but they ignored me. They made their way to the window, and mom stuck a board against it while dad prepared to hit the nail. “Stop! Why are you-” Bam, bam bam. Dad’s aggressive hammering drowned out my voice. I walked towards him, tapped his shoulder, and screamed my question in his ears, but he only pushed me off and went back to his glassy eyed stare as he hammered. What the hell were they doing? I snatched the hammer out of his hands and demanded an answer. For a second, he looked at me normally and came closer looking ready to explain. Instead he smacked me and pushed me against the dark grey walls of the wood cabin. My ears rang louder and louder till I could only hear the distant crackling of the fireplace. Pain statically spread throughout my face to my head. Reaching up, I felt the wet, grossness of blood drip down my nose and looked over to see my blood already drying on the wall. I backed away from my parents, only making a quarter turn before dad grabbed my wrists and shook me. \n\n“Stop being such a child and help us, Eira.” They’d never been like this before; dad’s never hit me before; they’ve never- they wouldn’t even think of-what’s going on? My thoughts swirled as I glanced around the room for a few seconds before giving in and helping my parents board up the rest of the house. \n\nThe storm beat so hard against our house for the next few days that I couldn’t even get the front door to budge. I was stuck huddling around the fire every day with no answers and no escape from the silence that rung out between us, but I knew what I had to do. We all slept on the floor of the living room now. I’m not sure if it was for protection or if mom and dad just wanted to keep an eye on me. \n\nIt was early morning about a week later when the wind stopped howling, and I prepared to leave the house. Clicking the door unlocked, I quietly slipped out and ran as fast as I could away from the house. Whatever’s gotten into them, I couldn’t stay there anymore and needed to find sane… Why are everyone else’s windows boarded up like mine? Rows of houses were surrounded by untouched snow, some even partially buried. Nobody had been outside in days. I swam down the snowy street looking for any signs of life, but every house looked the same and every speck of snow was untouched. \n\n“Hello! Is anybody out there? Can someone tell me why this is happening?” My own words echoed back at me as I stood waiting for someone to say anything and comfort me, but the wait only turned my hope into dread. Anxiety overcame me, and I started on the way back home when I felt something on my back. Nearly screaming I turned around and saw it was only Harry Jackson from school, but I still felt like running. Nervously I looked behind him and saw a trail of moved snow that lead to the trees and felt my body relax a tiny bit. \n\n“Dude, you scared the crap out of me. How’d you even get here without me seeing or hearing you?”\n\n“We shouldn’t be out here.”\n\n“What? I mean I’m really freaked out about all of this, you know the boarded up houses and-”\n\n“It isn’t safe out here. I’ve- I’ve seen what they’re hiding from we have to go.”\n\n“Alright, alright. I was about to go back to my house anyway.”\n\n“Did you lock the door when you left?”\n\n“Huh?” I would normally laugh at him whenever his usual exaggerated self came out, but there was something about the look in his eyes. “No.”\n\n“How long have you been gone?”\n\n“Maybe ten-fifteen minutes.”\n\n“You can’t go back.”\n\n“What are you-”\n\n“They’ve already got your parents.”"
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[WP] You awake one day to find yourself in a strange world, upon further investigation you discover that you are in the world of your weekly DnD sessions and you are the character you've been role playing as for the past year.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I crack my eyes open and see light. The smells of the world start coming to my nose as my mind wakes up; hay, horse manure, and wood smoke. My eyes focus and look around the small house. The pallet I lay on a is a simple mattress of burlap and hay on a wooden frame, a single window shines light into the small room with a curtain for a door. A set of clothes, hood, belts and boots on pegs on the far wall. I stand and walk through the door to see the kitchen and dining rooms of modest furnishings on simple wooden flooring and around the corner a small library of books and a work bench with various ingredients and a half finished project involving a mortar and pestle.\n\nIt looks like a small farmers hut. I return to the bedroom to put on some clothing when I finally notice something strange. My body is covered in white fur with black spots. I quickly pat myself down to my horror that I'm a Furry! No, not a Furry, I just need proof. I go to the bed and pull out a halberd of legendary craftsmanship. I know for a fact that this weapon did not come from this universe but was pulled from a sci-fi universe, but the DM didn't know that. \n\nDread fills me again. I'm a Furry, I have a sci-fi halberd and I'm actually interacting with things in a house that is unfamiliar to me. I got sucked into my D&D Campaign!? \"Fuck!\" I scream out. Of all the games I play why this one? I picked the character because I was filling a role that the party needed, a Thief/Druid, and I didn't want to play a dwarf. \n\nI pull on my clothing and fasten the belt pouches full of my gear to my arm, thigh, and waist. Weapons in place I start walking to the door when I hear someone outside. I open the door to see a woman walking in with a basket of vegetables from the garden. It takes me a bit to remember her, Samantha a teenager who I saved five years ago in game and I gave her a place to stay. I hadn't done anything with her or the house other than use it as a \"Base of Operations\" between adventurers. \n\n\"Rolf, off again so soon?\" She says with a smirk on her face. \"Did the others summon you already, it's hardly been two weeks since you came home.\" She walks past me into the kitchen to clean the vegetables. \"Well when you come back please remember to bring me a souvenir.\" \n\nI can't think of what to say as I step out into the sunlight. This house was supposed to be about an hour's ride outside of the city, quarter that if I flew. I smiled and focused on transformation. My body shifted into a bird I look down to marvel at my feathers and see fur and paws. Glancing around I see that I'm now a cat with wings. \"Meowwww!\" I bellow. Either my DM had been lying to me about my transformations or I messed something up. Either way I didn't have time to fix it as I climbed trees and glided down the mountain valley to the major city. \n\nAs I approach while riding thermals I realize why I felt like I was in such a rush. The city was under siege from some kind of warlord leading various monster factions. I see my friends on the wall overlooking the army below as I start my descent. An arrow zips by me and I look down to see a group of archers taking aim at my tiny house cat body trying to shoot me down before I can land. I have to tuck my wings and dive for the ramparts before flaring my wings at the last moment not to be struck down by a hail of arrows. One still gets me in the wing and I transform back to myself. \n\nI press my hand to my arm to try to stop the bleeding and it hurts. It hurts in a way that I have never felt in a dream. This... this is real. I look up at my friends who trot down the wall to me. \"This is real?\" I ask them. \n\nThey nod. Jeremy, my best friend in the real world, answers first. \"Yeah, and none of us know how we got here, but on the bright side we do have all of our gear.\" He pulls out a transforming scythe/sword weapon that shoots fireballs. \"I forgot I even had this.\" He says with a wicked grin on his half-elf face. \n\nWarning calls go up as boulders from the seige engines start to fall. \"Okay... So what do we do first?\"\n\n \n\n​"
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[WP] During a long, boring lecture of your professor you experienced a sudden, sharp headache. In a matter of seconds, you had an insight of everyone's mind in your head. You're now back in reality, lying down on the floor, as an omniscient being.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Everything, billions of minds with trillions of thoughts, a supernova in my head. I woke up covered with sweat lying in a cold sterile white hospital room on a hard grey slab. \n\nMy heart had stopped for sixty seconds and in that time, the whole of humanity was screaming inside my head, it was agony. I was asked a question every morning the same question, how? I know this isn’t a hospital but I don’t know what it is, MI5 possibly or even the Americans. \n\nI have spent so much time here, there no clock or calendars, no windows either the only thing to tell time is my long greying beard. I’m not bored though, I can’t remember everything but some minds have stuck around, a post man in San Diego with a love of Belgian food and a love of staplers, left an interesting impression.\n\nEveryday is the same, bland food and cold showers, a sore and cold bed with nothing to break the monotony of life. I think about going back to that minute of godhood, I know how painful it was but to leave this bland existence and know everything again in this uncertain place is all I wish for."
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[WP] Every time you go to a garage sale you end up finding things of great power/historical significance.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"You'll nevah guess what I found!\"\n\nAlex, almost by reflex now, closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. This wasn't the first time she had heard those words. They were heralds now, a call to arms against the greatest foe, ignorance and gullibility.\n\n\"Let me guess... Shroud of Turin?\"\n\n\"Hah, no!\" Anne stormed through the living room and set an over-sized paper bag on the coffee table between them. \"I got that last week!\"\n\n\"Right.\" Alex rubbed her temples with both hands, \"How could I forget?\"\n\n\"It's sooooo cool. Look, look, look!\" Anne reached into the bag and pulled out something that was much, much smaller than what one would normally keep in such a large container. She beamed as she presented it. Her face was a shining star under her multicolored hat and above her no-name band T-shirt.\n\n\"Oh, wow...\" Alex leaned forward. \"It's... a dirty wax thing.\"\n\n\"It's a Knight's Templar seal!\" Anne whispered then squealed. \"Look, look! It has latin on it! AND a horse!\"\n\n\"Ah.\" Alex nodded slowly. \"And how much did you-\"\n\n\"Oh, stop that!\" Anne pulled her prize back and held it up in front of her own face. \"You always go right to how much it cost! This is a priceless relic of lost history and-\"\n\n\"That you got from another estate auction.\" \n\n\"No, this time it was a garage sale.\"\n\n\"Right.\" Alex blew air out of her nose. \"Where every archaeologist finds priceless treasures: the mythical garage sale.\"\n\n\"It's sooo cool.\" Anne bounced up and down on her toes. \"I wonder if it will lead to the secret lost treasure!\"\n\n\"Is it secret or is it lost? Because I'm not sure it can be-\"\n\n\"I'm going to put it in my lock box!\" \n\nAnne bolted off to her room, leaving Alex alone with the over-sized bag and a tired expression. She had a rather firm suspicion that this month's rent would be late again. She reached for the bag and tipped it over enough that she could peer inside. There were a couple of bronze statues, a tarnished silver jewelry box, and a really gaudy pendant in the shape of a red, flared cross. Yup. She was staring at the rent money for this month. She knew it. \n\nShe also knew that the landlord will be unlikely to accept 'gross-looking jewelry box.' as an acceptable replacement for a signed check.\n\nAlex let the bag and herself flop back into their prospective positions and checked her own bank account on her phone. She could cover it, barely, but she was going to have to find a way to get the money out of little miss Anna. *before* she made another impulse buy. \n\nAh well, this is what she got for signing up with one of those hippie weirdos who was obsessed with things that other people ignore. Things like independent films, weird bands that sound more like static than music, strange poetry that seems less like a poem and more like an angry ranting at your dad for not giving you a new Prius for Christmas... This is what she let into her apartment, so in the end, this was all on her poor judgement. Now she was stuck with it until the lease was up.\n\nJust her and the 'Indie' Anna Jones for another eight months. What an swell time."
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[WP] As you tighten the grip around your bow with your hand, you stare into the eyes of your enemy. He is just sitting there – menacingly. Mocking you. You are the One-Armed-Archer and he is the Legless-Swordsman. This is the beginning of the worst rivalry fight ever.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Killing intent radiated the area, and it felt as if the very heavens were about to crash down onto the world. If it wasn't for the fact that this killing intent was coming from a legless, sad little man, I might have actually been intimidated.\n\n\"It seems the legendary Legless Swordsman only amounts to this much\" I sneered, pulling out my bow with my good arm.\n\nUpon seeing the bow, the Legless Swordman's eyes narrowed. \"You..\" he seemed to spit, as if realization had dawned on him, \"are the One Armed Archer!\"\n\n\"Not bad,\" I nodded, tightening the grip on my bow. \"Since you know my name, you must surely know the difference between us!\" With that, I shook my arm, allowing my aura to billow out as if a raging torrent. Immediately the pressure from his killing intent was alleviated as my mind became clear.\n\n\"Enough words\" he sneered, shifting slightly in his kiddie chair. \"Come, if you have the ability!\"\n\n\"Oh please\" I laughed, my voice resounding in the area. \"I have the advantage here.\" Upon first glance, it might seem as if the Legless Swordsman's invitation placed him at a disadvantage. After all, he had no legs. But this was a trap to lower his enemies guard! As an archer, distance is my absolute advantage. If I give in to his words, then I have already lost! My opponent is playing mind games before the battle has even begun.\n\nSaying no more, I tried to reach for an arrow, my eyes narrowing as I realized I couldn't. It seems that... with only one arm, it would be impossible to draw my bow! Had the Legless Swordsman planned on this from the beginning? What fearsome calculative ability!\n\nLaughter resounded from the Legless Swordsman, and sweat began to form on my head. \"It seems you have realized I wield the absolute advantage,\" he said, his voice filled with contempt. \"From the very beginning, this battle has been mine!\"\n\n\"Audacious!\" I bellowed, my face twisting in anger. \"I was planning on saving this, but I guess I'll have to use... *that*\".\n\n\"That?\" The Legless Swordsman seemed to hesitate, doubt clouding his eyes. \"No,\" he said, shaking his head. \"You're bluffing! What can you do with one arm?\"\n\n\"Behold my ultimate battle technique,\" I sneered, lifting my bow back behind my head with my good arm. Energy suddenly began to gather around the bow, and it looked as if it would break at any moment. With one last resounding shout, I flung it powerfully at the Legless Swordsman.\n\n\"This..\" his eyes widened in fear. \"This is the legendary technique *Dragon Soars at Last*,\" he cried out in alarm. The amount of pressure he felt at that moment was palpable. It was only fortunate that at the last possible second, it appeared the bow actually missed. Unfortunately, it managed to smack the chair, knocking it over and sending the Legless Swordsman plummeting to the ground.\n\nAt this point, I was at the point of exhaustion, very nearly on the edge of collapse. I had used far too much energy to throw the bow at the chair!\n\nI shook my head. \"I'll admit, you were a tough opponent,\" I said, looking at the fallen swordsman. \"But victory this time is mine.\"\n\nAs I began to walk away, I swear I heard someone whisper in my ear, \"I'll be back\", but I shook it off. There's no way the swordsman survived that fall. \n\n*Edit: Ok just wanted to say thx for reading if you made it this far. I'm not that great at writing but I'm working on it! Feedback is appreciated honestly.\n"
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[WP] You are a therapist specializing in helping anime characters realize why it's a bad choice to model your life based off one promise you made to your neighbor when you were 4 years old.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“So you’re saying that as a young, unintelligent and emotionally growing preschool student you promised to marry Atasuki?” I reiterated after listening to the young man’s story. \n\n“Yeah, I owe it to her for being friends with me so long ago...” said the plain, clean looking, good looking, talented at everything, with a harem, emotionally stunted, high school student, orphaned, magic, ninja, saiyan, shinigami, notebook writing teen answered.\n\n“You also told me you live sonde despite only being in highschool with your...” my eyes scanned my notes, narrowed to points at the paper. “Clingy...younger sister,” trying to get a feel for where his relationship lie with other people. \n\n“Yeah, I love my sister. She can be annoying, but she’s been a big help and always there for me too,” \n\n“Well, if you’re relationship with your sister is healthy what about friends?” I inquired with a pen tap in my sun splashed office. It seemed evening was coming quicker than I thought looking at the dark shadows appearing around.\n\n“Oh I’m a social outcast and I go to an all girls school so it’s not the easiest. I got two friends though so it isn’t that bad,” he laughed so casually about it. I hated judging my clients but did he feel all this stuff was just normal. It almost unnerved me really.\n\n“Okay, so if you have friends and have a good relationship with your sibling with out feeling obligated to be with them forever. Why would you think it’s ok to follow through on a promise to a childhood friend who is an acquaintance at this point in your life,” I kept my words careful and my tone calm despite my disbelief. It was becoming hard to not tell him like I see it. I’ve already been through three flashbacks I don’t need another one in this session again.\n\n“Because she was the only one there for me! You see I-“ he bowed his head and gripped his knees to my panic knowing exactly what this meant.\n\n“Nono, no we’re not going to cry here and we’re not going to here the same story. We came here to solve problems Haruno not reestablish old ones,” a bit of my panicked slipped out hopefully he didn’t notice. My patience was wearing thin and so was my daylight. A sociopath was easier to consul than these supposed strong willed characters. “Haruno, I need you to understand that when you were little, you didn’t understand how the world works, neither did Atasuki. You must know that the decisions of a child will be irrational when it comes to complex emotions especially since she grew past that. Now you need to grow past it.” As I continued to lay on honey combed words hoping to hit my targets with each sentence the sun became orange and orange turned to purple.\n\n-\n\n“I think that’s it for today Haruno, it time for you to go. Think about what I said, infatuation isn’t love and to pursue something so far in the past is selfish on your part. It will make her feel obligated at worst annoyed at best that you would bring up frivolous words from a child,”"
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[WP] You are the most overlooked person in the world. Your first crush never even learned your name despite having had to sit together at class for a year. Cars never stop for you when you cross the street. Then, one day, someone notices you. REALLY notices you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I never liked attention.\n\nWell, that is not necessarily true. I never had any attention, positive or negative. Sure my parents knew they had another child, and they certainly never neglected me. My siblings accolades always eclipsed my own. My achievements were never recognized or acknowledged. I was a part of the scenery, one of those little things that escapes notice or detail. I used to joke that it was my super power, perfect anonymity. I knew I was not completely invisible, I still had a reflection in the mirror and people could physically see me. They just did not interact with me.\n\nWhich has made today very uncomfortable. I am now receiving a lot of attention and I honestly am having trouble coping with it. I went to work and the second I walked in the door the head chef and the store owner came straight for me. The last time I directly spoke to the owner was when I was hired a year ago. He kept calling me the wrong name after the interview, a common occurrence for me, but the name on my pay check was right so I did not bother to correct him outloud. I speak to the chef every day but I’m always ‘You’, not a name like everyone else. I slowly worked my way to the line because I was quiet and fast. In my own opinion, and no one else’s really, I am a pretty good cook. I saw myself as a little cog in a big machine, just there and a part but never standing out.\n\n“You, Roger!” the owner barked as he got closer. **It’s Robert,** I thought but tried to smooth my face into a composed facade. He grabbed my shirt and dragged me into the kitchen. I started to sweat, fear and nervousness radiated off me in waves. I did not like how everyone was staring, or how angry the chef looked, or how intense the owner looked.\n\n“What did you do to my dish?” the head chef growled. I took a step back, his anger palpable. \n\n“I, I don’t know what you mean,” I stammered and he grabbed my shirt in both meaty paws.\n\n“You do! Don’t you lie to me!” His face was bare inches away from mine and I almost whimpered like a dog. “She says there is something different. I made it myself and she says it’s different. No one else here made it the way she says like it was so that leaves you!”\n\n“W-w-who?!” His shaking made my words sputter as my head rocked back and forth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”\n\n“That would be me,” a calm voice answered and everyone turned as a woman walked into the kitchen. She was professionally dressed, severe edges and lines in her clothes and her face. Brown eyes pierced me as she tucked a strand of auburn hair behind an ear. “I was here last week on a business dinner. The food was extraordinary and I returned today for another helping.” Her brow creased slightly. “However, something tasted off. I did not enjoy it as much as I did before and made inquiries.”\n\nThe owner bowed at the waist. “Well don’t worry, he’s here now and we can get to the bottom of it.” He turned to face me, his smile melting into a snarl. “You better cook it right because if you don’t you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”\n\n“You’re in trouble regardless,” the chef hissed. “I am going to see how you changed my recipe to make your own and make you pay for it. You’ll be lucky to leave the sink at all for a very long time.”\n\nMy hands shook, my throat dried, and on unsteady legs I got to work. I did not even change into my whites, not with everyone staring at me like that. It took some time but I found my rhythm. Cooking soothed me and I got lost into the routine: preparing the mise en place, getting my tools ready, making sure all was prepared before I began. I followed the recipe as I knew it, having cooked it enough I knew it by heart. Shallots in oil on a heated pan, the chicken placed skin down in the flavored oil. Vegetables cut in the way to maximize surface area for crispness. The ingredients made their way to the plate and with broth and wine the sauce was made. A taste and I stirred in more salt and pepper and a drop of oil.\n\n“Ah ha!” The chef grabbed my wrist and bent it terribly, my lips pulling back in pain. “How dare you! The sauce is delicate and adding more seasoning like that ruins it!” The bones of my wrist ground together and I tried to pull away. “So you were sabotaging me, well don’t worry about the sink. You’re fired and you won’t work anywhere else when I’m through with you.”\n\nThe woman calmly dipped a spoon in the pan and drizzled it over her chicken and vegetables. Ignoring the protests of the chef and the owner, she cut an exact bite of the chicken and placed it delicately in her mouth. She chewed, a thoughtful expression on her face before a smile blossomed. “There it is, that is the taste of that night.” She ate more, relishing her food and the slack jawed expression of the chef. “If you do not believe me, taste it.”\n\nThe chef glared daggers but complied. Foul temper apparent, he tasted my sauce and his face crinkled with confusion. He tasted the sauce that he made before I arrived and his confusion grew. “They aren’t the same. Yours is....”. He turned again and stared at me. “How did you make yours taste like what the sauce did? Why doesn’t mine taste like it used to!”\n\nI stepped back again, hand clasped to my throbbing wrist. “When we changed the kind of salt and oil you got, even the shallots are a little weaker in flavor than the kind you used before. I figured out how to make the sauce taste like it did before you and the owner switched purveyors.”\n\nHer laugh was bright, warm like the oven and all heads turned to her. She shook her head, eating all the while through her mirth. “You didn’t even bother realizing how those changes would change the final product. Then you blame the person that was saving you. How rich. Which your sauce is not ironically enough.”\n\nShe dabbed her lips and smiled at me. “You on the other hand, I bet you worked hard despite it all and did your best unnoticed.” Her smile grew as I nodded sheepishly. “Well, I see your work now and appreciate you. Now that you are unemployed, how would you like to cook for me?” As the chef and the owner started to argue her smile vanished. Her look of severe disappointment drove them back physically. “You did just say you fired him did you not?” \n\nI looked back and forth between the powerful personalities. Everyone’s attention on me. “Do...do you really mean that? You see me and what I did?” \n\nThe smile shone forth again. “I do. And I appreciate it. How about it, come cook for me.”\n\nWe left the kitchen, the owner and the chef hurling accusations at each other. The attention of others flew to the fight and I breathed a sigh of relief. Yet I liked having her attention, it felt warm and kind. "
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[WP] You live a humble life on the prairies of Manitoba, an Alert Ready alert goes off on the living room. Toronto and other urban areas have been sickened with a flu, a deadly one.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Toronto is siiiick\" Toronto twisted his baseball cap backwards drank some mountain dew put on sunglasses \"Siiiiiiiiiiick\"\n\n\"Ah der\" said Manatoba.\n\n\"You popped a mad heelie on the flipside sixside bet not fuck you Manatoba toronto sick toronto super sick\"\n\n\"Well I dunno der boys\" Manatoba tried to say but maybe toronto was sick. Tips had never been so frosted before. His knees were neon. Manatoba processed images too slowly Toronto was already doing sick parkour flips off a wall covered in radical graphetti and not made of wheat and ripping mad blunts with Rick Mercer. \"Fuck you manatoba\" He shouted, Manatoba chewed cud."
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[WP] Your mother and father were fantastic storytellers. Their stories were vivid, they could spend hours just talking about places and events that were completely out of this world. Too vivid, actually, almost like they've been there.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Beneath seven moons, Violet's mother had been facing away from her partner -- crouched over the strangest little fern, musing at life and what lay inside it. She had turned to her partner, then.\n\n\"Do you think,\" she began. \"Oh my god,\" she said next, and then she smiled behind her helmet, trying to cover her mouth with a heavy spacesuit arm, and she had laughed.\n\nViolet's father was on one knee. All *he* said was, \"Will you marry me?\"\n\n\\#\n\n\"Do you think,\" says Violet, \"she ever got better?\"\n\n\"Better?\"\n\n\"After Dad.\"\n\n\"I think she wasn't better *before* Dad,\" says Benjamin. \"I think she wasn't okay the whole time she lived, and I don't think she's any better off now.\"\n\n\"*Benjamin*.\"\n\nBenjamin scowls, and picks at his tie, and says, \"I hate suits,\" and does not say anything else.\n\nViolet, as well, hates him in a suit. Benjamin only wears them in what he considers extreme conditions: prom. A meeting at least fifty-percent billionaires. \n\nA funeral.\n\nHe hadn't wanted to wear a suit today, on account of he hadn't wanted to be at the funeral. But Violet had convinced him -- been the adult *again* \\-- and here they both ended up, in his expensive car, at the expense of his brooding.\n\n\\#\n\nViolet's mother had cried and laughed a great deal, until her poor partner had to repeat himself with a little less confidence.\n\n\"Of *course*,\" she finally said. \"I love you. I love you.\"\n\nHe couldn't put the ring on her yet, as they were on the surface of a planet rather unsuitable to humans. But the proposal had been romantic; Violet's father adored romance.\n\nBeneath the seven moons, mere yards from the fern that Violet's mother had taken interest in, a dark figure broke its stride to stand still and take in the scene.\n\nThough the planet couldn't sustain human life, Violet's parents discovered, at that moment, that it could sustain something else.\n\n\\#\n\n\"Oh my god,\" says Violet. \"We're going home.\"\n\nShe tugs Benjamin's arm, and he wrenches it from her. She grabs him again, and this time, her heels slip on the church floor, slinging her full weight into Benjamin. Several dozen heads turn at the sound of a solid thump.\n\nCheeks red, Violet untangles herself from her intoxicated brother. She's unsteady, a couple drinks in her -- no one, she tells herself, could do this sober -- and that, she tells herself, is why she leaves Benjamin on the floor in a crumpled heap.\n\n\"Violet,\" he says.\n\n\"Shut up,\" she snaps. \"Just -- just stop. Just -- just -- \"\n\n\"Violet,\" says someone else.\n\n\"Just,\" she says again.\n\nBut this is not just -- not fair, not simple, not easy, not small or exactly or anything at all except *bad*.\n\nNow a hand is on her elbow. It guides her away from Benjamin, away from the funeral, into the night. The air clears her: she is crying. She is breathing. She has left Benjamin on the floor of the church.\n\nThe hand steadies her: she is breathing, she is here, she is present.\n\nThe hand has claws.\n\n\\#\n\nViolet's parents had been afraid. That is the story she remembers, the most fantastical of all.\n\nA creature, they had told her, all of scales with light peeking through, with eyes like seven moons. With the most timid of strides, the creature approached Violet's parents. Its large head cocked to one side; its eyes swiveled between them. \n\nIn Violet's bedroom, sitting beneath the seven-paned arched window, Violet had asked her mother what happened next.\n\n\"Well,\" said Violet's mother. She looked up, out the window. At the time, Violet had thought her mother was thinking, trying to concoct some beautiful story. \n\n\"He raised his hand, and he reached toward me -- just like this.\" She wiggled her fingers, and Violet giggled. \"And he laid his claws on my the face of my helmet, as though he wanted to touch my tears. He moved like something delicate.\" *Something human*.\n\nHer mother paused again.\n\nViolet bounced once on the bed. \"*And*?\"\n\nBeneath the seven-paned window, Violet's mother looked away. \n\n\"Your father shot him dead.\""
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[WP] Bored in class, you idly wish one of the pictures in text book were real, just to spice things up. In the blink of an eye, a dozen blue Jay's begin to fly around the room.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Okay, you got this.\"\nI put my text book on my desk in front of me and opened it to the picture of a katana. \"Just like in class today.\" I held my hand in front of the page and wished that the picture would come true. \n\nI must have stood there for like, 15 minutes before I lowered my hands to examine the unresponsive textbook. \"Why won't you work now? You worked fine yesterday.\"\n\nYesterday, I had been sitting in history class, bored out of my mind, wishing for something, anything to happen other than the old skeleton of a teacher's droning about the economy. I began to flip through my textbook, searching for some eye candy, when I came upon a painting. In it was depicted a flock of birds on top of a forest background. I was amazed at the artwork. While it was obviously not a photograph, there must have been at least a hundred birds in that painting, each one distinct and in a unique position. The movement seemed to be captured so perfectly. I was an aspiring artist, so I wondered where I could find the artists inspiration. The second that thought popped into my head, the room was filled with bluebirds. Stuffed with them. Flying around and getting in people's hair. Somebody had the idea of opening a window, and when I got home the news was talking about the flock of tropical birds found miles and miles away from their home. \n\nSo I had to test this newfound ability of mine, and so far, nothing was happening. I didn't get it. Apparently something triggered the event other than my wanting to see it...\n\n*toc, toc, toc*\n\nI turned to see a friend knocking on the window. I walked over to open it.\n\n\"Hey, Emily, what's up?\"\n\n\"How did you do that, Steven?\" Her eyes were wide open, and it wasn't like her to jump straight to the point without at least a greeting. \n\n\"Do-- do what, I don't know...\"\n\"The birds, Steven. I saw them. They came from your book.\"\n\nI chuckled. \"Well to tell the truth, I have no idea. Um, do you want to come in?\"\n\n I gestured to the corner of the house where the door was, but she nodded. \"Oh, okay,\" and climbed right in through the window. \n\n\"That's not what I meant but okay,\" I muttered under my breath.\n\n Emily saw the book lying open on my desk and grinned. \"You tried to do it again.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" I replied, \"but so far, I haven't been able to figure it out. \"\n\nA devious smile appeared on Emily's face. \"Well,\" she laid her hands on the book, \"it can't be that hard.\"\n\nI couldn't see what she did, but when she turned around, she held a katana in her hands.\n\n\"You're not the only one who can do it.\"\n\nr/TalesFromGringolandia"
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[WP] You have found the only thing worse than the Death Note. The Debt Note. You write who shall owe how much money to whom, and by when this is to be paid. Else, they die of a heart attack.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Detective S hung suspended from the ceiling from a rope. It improved brain function by 70%. He impaled a box of Doritos with a wall mounted spear and ate them weirdly, slowly. Piano music played from a radio repeatedly.\n\n\"Come in Dark.\" he said, and the door opened, revealing a well dressed man in a brown suit. He was accompanied by his Yurei, a mustached bank teller with a cigarette and cross shaped coffin. He looked like a drug addicted old man. The Yurei's powers were such: he could speak so boringly that anyone listening would die of fear.\n\n\"Where is the Debt Note, Dark?\"\n\nDark withdrew his hand into his backpack, revealing a jar.\n\n\"IT IS INSIDE THIS PEANUT BUTTER JAR!\" Dark screamed.\n\nS paused for twenty seconds. \"This is extremely boring.\" Dark said. \"I had hoped you would have more of a surprised reaction.\"\n\nS paused for a minute.\n\n\"Okay.\" Dark said. \"Let me clear this up. You freak, I SPENT TWENTY MINUTES looking for this peanut butter jar. Some ass in the cereal isle tripped me and I made her buy all the cereal in the isle. And do you know how much time it will take to CLEAN the Debt Note? Your face, S, is a piece of garbage. You dress like a slut. And worse off... I AM EXTREMELY JEALOUS OF YOU FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I am also going to ramble on incoherently while waving my hands. And where is that music coming from?!\"\n\nS paused for 27 seconds. \"Are you done with your childish temper tantrum?\"\n\nThe piano music suddenly developed into a grand crescendo. Dramatic classical music followed. Dark started hyperventilating with bulging eyes. The Yurei started breakdancing.\n\n\"I don't think you know me S. I shall write names with my right hand, and file for bankruptcy with my left. I shall take this money..\" S ran out of breath. \"...and donate it to the poor!\"\n\nHe dramatically turned to the left. The piano music continued playing on repeat.",
"Light looked out the window. A familiar scene, to be sure. It was, at least to him. Everything was completely in order save for a small black book that seemed to just appear in the air and fall, as things in the air often do. \n\nLight’s eyes widened, but then he shook his head with a forced grin. Another Death Note in the human world within five years of two of them showing up?? Ridiculous! He made up his mind to ignore it.\n\nAs soon as he did, he found himself sprinting out of the lecture hall to investigate. His professor might have hollered at him. It didn’t matter. The BOOK mattered.\n\nPanting, Light made his way outside to where the book fell. He let out a sigh of relief. If anyone else got hold of the notebook, it could have spelled the end of Kira. L was dead, but it wouldn’t have taken an L to figure out that the book’s listed rules suspiciously mirrored how Kira conducted his killings. They might have even tried to USE it. He picked up the notebook and took it home. He had to get back to class with a decent excuse for running out as fast as he possibly could. He decided on a need to vomit as the most plausible, inconspicuous reason.\n\nLight had nearly forgotten about the book when he got back to his apartment. He had come up with some vague plan about using it as a decoy should he ever be implicated, but he saw some merit in burning the damn thing and taking it out of the already stupidly complex equation. He hid it in his usual spot for his own Death Note without even thinking about i\n\nIt wasn’t until Ryuk reared his head to munch on the apples in the fridge that Light actually began to think about Death Note 2.0 again. This thing should have a shinigami, right? What happens when a Note holder has two? Would it even matter? Is this one any different from mine? Questions poured down like the rain outside until curiosity got the better of Light and he pulled out the new notebook.\n\nSomething was wrong. Very, very wrong.\n\nWhen Light whipped out his death note, he felt the power of a god course through his veins. No emotion. No feelings. Just cold, raw power with which he could do as he pleased. This book was different. There was a distinctly evil flavor to this notebook. It felt a bit like the Death Note, but so, very, very... cold.\n\nLight reexamined the book’s cover. It read: DEBT NOTE. English wasn’t Light’s first language, but he knew how to spell the word death. But this word looked familiar. An alternate spelling, maybe? They’re not common in English, but English isn’t the first language of the Shinigami either. Light hesitated, then slowly turned open the cover.\n\nA list of rules. So far so good. Light read them over. “The person whose name is written in this notebook shall...” And then he stopped, his hands trembling with fear.\n\nLight ran to the bathroom to vomit. This young man, the man who took it upon himself to exterminate all criminals, the man who resolved to create a just world through any gruesome means necessary, could not stomach the power of this new notebook. The Death Note had the potential to be either good or evil. The same could not be said for the Debt Note, whose power rested upon greed and malice as its cornerstone.\n\nBut this was the next phase in his plan! After ridding the world of evil, Light resolved to fill the world with only the most honest, hardworking people. The Debt Note facilitated that! If anything, this served as even greater proof of Light’s destiny. He was to remake the world in the image of Kira. This second weapon was perhaps an even stronger tool for that!\n\nRight?\n\nLight brought the book out to his balcony, not sure if his decision was the right one. He held the black book, so familiar, yet so foreign, so alluring, yet so repulsive, so cleansing, yet so corruptive out in front of him. He lit a match and set the accursed book ablaze, his sigh of relief mixing with the smoke released. He watched for minutes as the notebook burned, determined not to leave a single trace.\n\nLight walked back inside, still wondering what might’ve been had he added that power to his arsenal. He contemplated it alone for hours. Eventually, he concluded that he couldn’t have done anything else. He went to bed at peace with his choice, letting the memory of the Debt Note shrink into a distant corner of his mind.\n\nEven as his enemies finally took him down, Light never regretted it.\n\n",
"I never wanted to kill.\n\nWhen I realized what I had, a little black notebook through which I could create a cosmic shift in reality, changing it so that one person owed another the specific amount I wrote, I was careful. I used it only to enrich myself. \n\nI was like Robin Hood, I told myself. They were rich and I was poor. A quick google search for \"the richest people in America\" and the wire transfers started rolling in. I never took more than one percent of their net worth, never more than a penny from each dollar. It wasn't long before I could have joined them in those search engine results. But I was careful, and I avoided attention the way I used to avoid collection agents. Employing a discreet money manager who invested for me, I found myself free of financial worry indefinitely.\n\nEven as I traveled the world, bought expensive dinners for beautiful women, collected sports cars and watched basketball courtside, a gnawing began somewhere in my guts. I had heard that money can't make you happy. I had always thought that was something poor people like me told ourselves to qualm the jealousy, feel better about our retched lives and get through the day. But it was true. Without the anxiety of scarce resources I was becoming bored. I lacked purpose. It was then, after a thousand dollar bottle of scotch and half a roll of tums, that I pressed a thumb to the biometric scanner of my safe and heard the click. \n\nWhen I held the little black notebook a thrill rose up inside that I hadn't felt in years.\n\nI thought, for the first time, about how I could affect the world. Not just myself, but the whole of humanity. There were powerful people in the United States who used their money to buy legislation, shape society in a way that benefited their greed. I took that power from them. Their were good people with nothing, who volunteered and ran non profits and helped others without a thought for themselves. I gave them the wealth they did not desire. Mostly they used it wisely. Foreign dictators, organized criminals, terrorist leaders - if I learned their name I drained them. But never completely.\n\nUntil I did. A Russian oligarch who was reputed to run drugs through several countries, including the United States, must have overestimated his own wealth. Bragged about it to the press. Apparently he had not been able to pay the charities I had written he owed in time. \n\nWhen I learned of his heart attack I drank for three weeks straight. I had not killed him, but hadn't I? Was it really that different than pulling a trigger, sending a chunk of metal into his heart? I wrote the words and sent death magic into his heart. Different weapon, same result. Same intent. Like it or not, I was a killer. \n\nBut there was one less evil man in the world. How many lives had I made better, how many had I outright saved by ridding the planet of that one human being? The arithmetic was undeniable. So I found a target, and I did it again. And again. Eventually the feeling of right overpowered the guilt and self loathing, and I read the news of their deaths with satisfaction. Achievement. The accomplishment of cleaning out a filthy garage, or destroying a fire ant mound in the back yard. I was cleaning up humanity.\n\nI need you to understand this. I need you to understand that I began selfishly but with good intentions, and my intentions were always good. I never meant to be a killer. The notebook came to me through cosmic coincidence, and the longer I have held it, the more certain I have become that I was never meant to have it. I am weak. I am corruptible. I am just a man, not great or special. A man who allowed himself to descend the slippery slope of power even as he believed he punished others for it.\n\nYou have all of my assets. When you turn to the most recent page in the notebook you will see that I owe you more. This is not a mistake. This is goodbye. I trust that you will use this gift more wisely than I have, to lift up your fellow man always, and that you will not follow my path to hell.\n\nGood luck."
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I was thinking about this. Do Psychiatrists ever go mad? Does it help? I doubt it would, but go wild with the story.
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[WP] A Psychiatrist begins to develop a mental disorder and they know what's wrong with them.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"My my my name i-is is it was it can be it...my name is...Bartl. Day the day the day it sees me the sun can hear my mind it knows it's watching it...I don't remember what the day is anymore. I thought I knew. I know. We know. They won't stop. They hear me even now. I tried. I tried so hard. So did they. We. They all. Them. I. It's so loud, even in the water it fills my ears. I thought I helped them. I was helping. Pills. The pills make the screams into a choir, the liars. A liar I was, I wasn't. They were quiet sometimes. Eyes closed. I... It's so wrong. I thought I knew what they suffered, I know now. Nothing worked forever, forever they stay and see and cry for me. I can't hear them anymore, I won't. Please. I won't. It was fast fast faster fester it was fasting my starving soul clawing my mind it...it changed too fast. The working stopped. Family. My loved and cherished melting changed they changed I knew but they weren't anymore. I-I...I'm sorry. My wife. I saw her in the corner at night night the darkness always closing, clawing, faster squeezing my chest into the void i-i-it...I knew she watched, eyes searing through my own even in the nothing...I...I was never married. I knew this was coming. I knew they'd make me. You can't stop hearing them. I tried tried try as you may we run and run, the river it babbles on the truth in the sound it...the frames. They were the first the frames the f-...my pictures. My awards. They smiled. They laughed. They screamed through the cracks and fissures the glass screaming from the floor in pieces they laughed. Who was I? Really? I...I helped them didn't I? The sleep. The sleep sleep sleeeeeep it...I thought it helped. I know. It did, will when will it. It's the only pill. I gave them a shot. They are free. The water tastes so clear. It's...it's quiet. "
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[WP] A dictator of a dystopian regime has an epiphany and decides to start doing good in the world he single-handedly ruined.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" \n\nWhat dreams had I, swept now under the ash of my rule. I would ask of myself, how did this come to pass, and look outward, a vain search for some other entity that soured my dreams. There is nothing though, except the inescapable truth, I did this.\n\nEach bend of morality, each sacrifice of purity, I made on the altar of a greater good, and yet I find nothing in the world of my own creation that still clings to the remnants of the thought of goodness. What have I done? What have I become?\n\nThere was a game to be played my people, fraught with dead ends and twists so severe to bring vomit forth in the sturdiest of men, and yet through that maze I pressed ever onward. My path paved in the bodies of the innocent. I promised much and kept little, and every friend sacrificed, every enemy conquered fanned the flames of reassurance. All telling myself that it was for the greater good. It was a lie, to you, to myself, to history.\n\nEven now, as I stand here before you, speaking to you across the world there are forces in motion, eager to cloud out the light that I offer tonight. Not a light of my person or my leadership, but a light of hope that you are not set upon the path you now walk. I may have laid the road in front of you, but the path is still your own. Free yourself from my roads. Free yourself from the paths I have built. There is no course left to you, to any of us, but revolution.\n\nI imagine my death will come soon, and the forces who have allied themselves with misery and pain will conjure fantasy as to this speech I give now to you. Mind control and blackmail, kidnapped relatives and false reporting. Do not listen to those who would keep you suppressed, for the world is yours, not theirs, not mine. I have cultivated fear and despair to hide the simple truth that I am but a man, among billions. Those who come after me will be but men among billions, and what can one man do against such cataclysmic forces? There are not enough bullets in the world to silence your march towards freedom.\n\nDo not despair. There will be dark days ahead, but that is just the brief interlude before the dawn. The light will break once again upon this world if you have the will to seize it.\n\nI am sorry, I can do no more to help you all upon this path than I am now. I have plundered the world and left you with the burden of its resurrection. I beg no forgiveness and plead with no future historians to soften their words upon my rule. It must end, and you, all, must be the harbinger of that end.\n\nGoodnight, and good luck."
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[WP] Most adventurers fight monsters and save towns from the forces of the demon lord, but not you. You have only one enemy you must face. You must defeat the big ball of radiation in the sky the world calls the Sun.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The godess of Fate has a funny way of doing things, they say. Some people are born to be mighty warriors, slaying ogres and dragons. Some are born to seek wealth, others power. Some are born to do close-to-nothing, and some are born with the weight of the world upon their shoulders. \n\n\nWhen I was born, it was my fate to defeat the God in the sky. They call it the sun, and some people have been arguing that the Sun helps out with the crops, our survival, and other lies. I have hated the Sun for as long as I can remember, and my fury grows as the Sun passes over our unshaded faces. Every morning is a mockery, and every evening I make sure to piss towards the sunset. That is my victory. \n\n\nIt was my victory. \n\n\nMy 'friends' are begging me not to do it. \"It's too dangerous,\" they say, \"you'll explode into pieces and most probably die.\" \n\n\nThe fools, can't they see that this is necessary? As I climbed the rickety ladder into the bottom of the cannon I was smiling. This feud ends today, either with me winning, or me not having to care any more. My friends were still begging me to stop, telling me to think of my family and all that. They can't seem to understand that I'm doing this to protect them all. \n\n​\n\nWith my favorite cushion under my behind, with my knees at my chest and my hammer neatly tucked between them, I was ready. \n\n\n\"Fire!\" I yelled, and my only loyal friend did as I asked. \n\n\nI was finally facing the Sun. "
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[WP] As you walk home from the fortune teller, your huge grin suddenly vanishes at a chilling thought. Maybe "You will never work another day in your life" means something else.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I entered the room, dimly lit by a glowing orb atop a short wooden table in the center. Purple drapes were hung around the room. Cushions were littered on the floor. A sweet scent drifted to me from across the room, possibly from the burnt-out candles that lined the walls.\n\nI heard the *jingle jangle* of bracelets, and an old woman entered the room from the other side. A violet shawl was wrapped around her head. Wrinkles lined her face, like valleys in the Grand Canyon. Peculiar moon-shaped glasses balanced on her witch-like nose. Her monochrome dress trailed behind her.\n\n\"What brings you here today, young man?\" she croaked.\n\n\"I want to know my future,\" I replied in a steady tone.\n\nShe propped up her glasses higher on her nose, then gestured for me to sit. As I plopped myself on the cushion, she pulled rune stones from her dress, scattering them around the glowing orb.\n\n\"You understand the price you have to pay?\" she asked.\n\nAlthough unsure of what price she was talking about, I nodded.\n\n\"Very well.\"\n\nShe began to speak in tongues, swirling her hands around the orb. The runes on the stones began to glow, and soon they too began to swirl around the orb. They flew faster and faster, and a noticeable hum began to grow louder and louder. It became a tornado of runes, light from the orb becoming blinding.\n\nAnd as suddenly as it started, it stopped.\n\nShe held five runes in her hand. With her voice quivering and her face turning white, she said, \"You will never work another day in your life.\"\n\n​\n\nI exited the old apartment, a cancer of happiness growing within me. No more working for the rest of my life? I was overjoyed, and ready to celebrate. However, I thought of the woman's face turning white as she read the runes, and doubt plagued the back of my mind. I chose to shrug it off, and continued on. Turning around a corner, I headed into a store and purchased the forty-million-dollar lottery ticket. Life was going to be easy from here on out. \n\n​\n\nIt was expected. As I carried the large check under my arm, I smirked at the flashing cameras. *Impossible Odds,* the headlines would read. Journalists of every channel would flock up close to me, shoving their microphones and asking silly questions. I couldn't care less about them: those petty journalists with petty lives. I had many things I wanted to do. \n\nI blew my money on many things. After all, I had too much to count. I purchased a nice mansion on the outskirts of the city. I bought several cars, but only the high-end ones. I hired butlers and maids to do my bidding within a moment's notice. I hosted parties with people of high-status, who still liked to get wasted.\n\nI broke many of my personal connections. I had no need anymore of such low-lifes. My now ex-girlfriend cried over the phone, as I calmly told her I was breaking up with her. My friends from high school were all shocked, some even had the audacity to begin to insult me. But I thought, *you guys don't have money, you guys don't have power, you guys don't have anything!* I was living the life I wanted, partying daily, and I never had to work another day in my life, just like I was promised. \n\nThings got boring from time to time. In the mornings, the house was empty and trashed after nights of partying. I always made my butlers and maids clean it up. I even bought new furniture every night, to replace the broken ones. After all, I had the money. I liked to pick on some of the maids, trashing them, breaking a vase or two and making them clean it up. It was boring in the mornings. I hate mornings. \n\nAt night, I was an animal. I drank many cocktails, got wasted, partied and partied and partied. I blasted music as loud as my expensive speakers could handle. Then, after everyone leaves, I fall on the couch, on the bed, even on the carpet, and happily slept. \n\nI repeated that over and over again. Days went by slow and nights went by fast. I was living the dream of dreams. \n\n​\n\nOne morning, after stumbling around bleary-eyed and a bit hungover, I fell. Confused, I pushed myself up, but then promptly collapsed on the floor again. I pulled myself to the wall and leaned against it. *My legs weren't moving*. I tried wiggling my toes. Nothing. Frustrated, I began to hit my legs with my fists. *I couldn't even feel my legs*. I shouted for help, and seconds later two butlers came. Upon seeing me collapsed against the wall, they started running to me. One of them began calling an ambulance.\n\nI was taken to a premiere hospital, and given the most comfortable bed and largest room. As I was being assessed by the doctors, I wondered what happened to my legs. \n\nSeveral hours later, I was given my diagnosis.\n\nFriedreich's Ataxia -- a genetic disease that progressively damages the nervous system. My nightly drinking spree had sped up the disease's damage on my brain and nervous system. I sat in shock. One of the nurses tried to comfort me, but I pushed her away. \n\nI didn't want this. I didn't want *any* of this. Was this what the woman had meant? Was that why her face was white and solemn?\n\nOver the course of six months I had pushed away my closest friends and irrevocably damaged my health. I spent my life mindlessly partying and being snobby. This wasn't who I was. Was this the person I wanted to be?\n\nBut, I knew I could solve this. I had money. I could get access to the best treatment from the best doctors. \n\nHowever, this turned out not to be the case. A few minutes later, my butler entered the room and told me the news. Thieves had broken into my house, knowing that I was away. After stealing several paintings, they set my house on fire, smashed my cars beyond repair, and escaped from the police. \n\nAs if my luck couldn't get any worse, it did. I checked my bank balance, so that I could see how much I had left. My jaw dropped; a whopping balance of barely $2000 had met my eyes. \n\nIt was that which did it. I began to weep; crying of the friends I had lost, the life I had wasted, and who I had become. I never should have bought the cars or the mansion. I should never had hosted parties every night or gotten drunk. I never should have bought the lottery ticket. I never should have wanted to know my future.\n\nI never should have turned into a lonely, selfish, loathsome monster. \n\n---\n\nThis is my second submission to /r/WritingPrompts! Although this prompt hasn't really gained a lot of traction, I'd still love for you guys to give me feedback and criticism on anything I can improve on! I hope you enjoyed the read."
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[WP] You have a long history of Schizophrenic hallucinations. You've just hallucinated a shadowy monstrous entity tearing one of your neighbors apart, and after going to the physician for your meds... read in the newspaper of a gruesome murder of that very same neighbor. These murders are rising.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I turned over to a clock that taunted me with a glowing 3:15.\n\nSighing, I fling the sheets to the side, grabbing my phone from the nightstand and making my way into the living room.\n\nI turn the TV on for comfort, noticing the morning broadcast hasn't even started yet.\n\nMy insomnia has been flaring up these past few days, a sign that my medication needed to be upped again. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, checking my phone calendar for my next Psychiatrist appointment. Three days. I can last three days.\n\nI liked this lady. It took years trying to find one that wasn't trying to stuff me up with medications.\n\nWhen I first met Dr. Adene, I was 16. She took one look at my charts and glared at me from over her glasses.\n\n\"I've seen men in prison with dosages lower than yours.\"\n\nIt was probably true.\n\nMy Schizophrenia was triggered by the time I was 9 thanks to a rough upbringing.\n\nIt didn't help that my father had it himself, and my overly religious mother believed it was a gift from God almighty. Bull. By the age of 11, I was in and out of in-patient hospitals.\n\nBy 15, Dad was in back in prison for murder, and Mom too disheveled to care for herself, much less another. I was moved out and with family who actually believed in treatment.\n\nI thought about Dr. Adene, and all the things she would say before upping me.\n\n\"Do you put down the phone before sleeping? Are you doing your breathing exercises? What about those walks we discussed?\"\n\nOh well- at this point, it was pointless trying to sleep when I'd have to be up in three hours.\n\nI sauntered into the kitchen, tripping over Floke, a black cat set on early breakfast.\n\n\"*Flo!\"* I hissed, letting the frustration of lack of sleep wash over me.\n\nShe hopped on the counter to stare at me with golden eyes, willing me to put a tin of food in front of her.\n\n\"Brat.\" But i figured breakfast could be good for the both of us, and I stuck my head into the fridge to grab her tin and milk for my cereal.\n\n*Damn.* We're all out.\n\n\"No milk Flo, no food either.\"\n\nUsually, the grocery shopping would be done at the beginning of the week. But what was I doing then?\n\nI couldn't remember.\n\n*Lack of motivation...* I could almost hear Dr. Adene in my ear. Maybe I could hear her.\n\nI shook my head, and grabbed my apartment keys.\n\n\"I'll be right back,\" Flo mewed a farewell, and I let the lady selling jewelry on the TV keep her company.\n\nThe 24/7 mart was just around the corner. It'd be a 20 minute trip tops, and I wasn't worried about changing out of my pajamas.\n\nI shuffled down the staircase today, not wanting to bump into any one of my sketchy neighbors in the elevator.\n\nIt was a shitty neighborhood, but that's what this city was made of. I like it this way, no expectations to live up to, no judgy suburb folk whispering behind your back...\n\nI was snapped out of my thoughts by a noise.\n\nNo, not a noise, a scream. It made me miss a step. What floor was I on? I couldn't tell. The lighting was all wrong for this to be the 1st floor, or any of them in fact.\n\nI look down at my hands, the pink haze of the hallway light distorting them and making them feel... lucid.\n\nKeys- I dropped my keys.\n\nI rise up to my feet and peer around me, trying to make anything out but the lighting was just so bad. I figure I probably flung them into the hallway, I peer around the corner, the scream echoing in my head.\n\nOnly it wasn't an echo. It was happening. In real time.\n\nThere's a neighbor girl I really like. Her hair isn't greasy like mine, she doesn't smell like she stay's in her apartment 6 days out of the week. She looks like life, not like the rest, and I like that.\n\nToday, her hair is pulled into a tight ponytail. Her robe is almost undone, exposing silky, caramel thighs. The pink light plays against her face, pulling it into awful shadows. Her screams sound like shrieks of delight almost-\n\nNo. She's not suppose to be screaming. It's 3 in the morning, why the fuck is she screaming?\n\nAnd then I see it. A figure from my childhood, or one just like it. A beast bursting from it's own reality into mine, a shadow of it's entire self. Disfigured enough that I couldn't make out any details, but I didn't need to. The pit it left in my stomach told me all that I needed to know.\n\nIt has her by the waist at first, and then when there was no more waist to to hold, it grabs her leg, and then her neck, and piece by piece, she falls apart. I watch her red stuff create Rorschach Tests on the walls around her.\n\n*Well... That one looks like Flo. And that one looks like...*\n\nFuck. No. Don't fall into it. No.\n\nI realize the creature is done. It stares at me now, eyes flickering like candles in the wind.\n\nThat's enough now. No more.\n\nI run back upstairs. My delusion bringing tears into my eyes. Flo isn't happy to see me, so I run into the kitchen and fling a hotdog at her before throwing myself onto the couch.\n\nI cry. I check my phone calendar. It has been 1 year and 3 months without a major incident. I really need to up my meds.\n\nI fall asleep.\n\n​\n\nBy the time I wake up, I'm late for my skype meeting.\n\nOh-fucking-well, no work today. More important things need to be done.By the time I'm dressed semi-normally and down the stairs, I almost miss the crowd of neighbors gathered on the 3rd floor landing.\n\nMathilda, the old broad a few apartments down from me, is puffing on an e-cigarette and shaking her head somberly.\n\nI make the mistake of making eye contact.\n\n\"You try one of these? My kids got 'em for me.\"\n\n\"Er-no, don't smoke, what's going on?\"\n\n\"Dunno. Some girl. My guess is she didn't get her pimp what he wanted, you know? It's a shame. Pretty little thing.\"\n\nI try to peer over the groups heads, but there's not much to see, the hallway had been taped ceiling to floor with a plastic sheet.\n\nMy stomach doesn't feel right.\n\nI'm probably hungry.\n\nI take the rest of the steps down by twos, and find myself in front of Dr. Adene's building.\n\n\"Hey, is Dr. Adene taking walk-ins? It's important.\"\n\nThe secretary gives me a once over, and I feel self-conscience about my choice of dress and the bags under my eyes. I wonder if my breath smells.\n\n\"She's in another meeting, you can wait over there.\"\n\nSo I do. I sit and I wait, realizing I forgot my phone on the kitchen counter. Oh well, the paper will have to do.\n\nThe first page is enough to make my blood run cold.\n\n***College Beauty Queen Massacred in Her Own Home***\n\n***Police don't know what to make of the third murder this month, second this week-***\n\nThe brunette ponytail swings back and forth in my memory.\n\nPearly white teeth seem to give me a knowing smile.\n\nI'm up and running towards the door before the secretary has time to yell my name.\n\nBy the time I get my door unlocked, I can hear my phone ringing in the kitchen.\n\n\"*You have a collect call from Mateus Bird, from-\"* I block the rest out. Why would my dad be calling? The headline plays again and again in my head. I think about my own fathers case. I feel like vomiting.\n\nI press the button to accept, and wait for him to speak first.\n\n\"*Hiya Matty. Busy lately*?\""
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Us commenters will be indulging you no matter how much stuff you make up!
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[WP] Write a scene from a detective story, incidentally going into great depth and detail on a topic you know nothing about. Do no research, just go for it!
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" My colleague was staring at the body for over an hour. When I came, I saw lots of footprints in the way leading to the house. Most of them belonged to curious people who got too close. I took a closer look into the soil. It was moisty, as it had rained after the incident. Under these circumstances, a regular detective wouldn't look for footprints. But I did\n\n I first looked at the deepness of the footprints. This way, I could identify where two of them met. A shoe would make the deepness 1/4 of it's size. With this, I found five kinds of shoes in there. A boot, a sports shoe, and three less specific kinds of shoes. I immediately ruled out the sports shoe. They wandered around aimlessly, and the marks got more shallow as he got near. These marks were made right after the rain. That meant the person was probably going on a run, when he saw police around the house. He wondered and got close, on his toes to not make noise. He ran back, panicked.\n\n The three regular footprints met on a lot of occasions. One of them belonged to my colleague, as I could see the little marks they left. Those shoes were so expensive, that I was almost certain they belonged to him.\n\n One thing I noticed about the other two prints was that they stood still for a long time, leaving deep marks, until they started running for about a meter, and then the person fell backwards. My guess was that a gun was used. Yet the story wasn't complete, until I looked at the boot marks. It was obvious to me someone went on these tracks two times, and some were a little deeper. It was so little, I decided these marks were left by someone without shoes. Finallu, the story set to me. Two rich people had sent a homeless person to kill someone who was inside this house at the moment. The person inside ran after the attempted murder. One of the rich men was shocked, he panicked and ran for a little, then he shot the target. He went back a bit because of his bad positioning, and he nearly fell. The poor person carried the victim to the house, going in the same track to not leave any extra evidence. The person was left inside, with the gun given to his hand. They made it look like suicide. But it didn't work on me. They covered their tracks well, no fingerprints nor evidence was left. Yet the marks gave them. \n\n The homeless person was caught quickly and he confessed. We interrogated the rich men about their reason behind the murder. Turns out, the victim was an even richer person, which had bought some of their land-they were desperate at the time- and refused to sell it back. Things got out of hand when they discovered about the oil reserves inside the land. \n\n My colleague was surprised and thankful. \"Oh,without you, I would have been fired. This was my last chance to investigate something. Please, how can I pay you. \" \n\n This would be the birth of my adventures in Manchester, going with the name Sir Quinton Waterfield. \n ",
"**Stakeout**\n\nApart from paperworks, that made up to 87% of a police officer daily routine, stakeouts easily take the biscuit of the most boring job. Strictly speaking, the average stakeout conducted by seasoned professionals such as Detective Li (Exhibit A) and Detective Borsen (Exhibit B), is composed of 75% waiting, 10% fast-food seaking and gulping it down, which amount so far at more than three-quarter of the delicate chemistry of an average takeout, which leave us, more or less, with a remaining percentage of 25 to 20% of unaccounted activities. Exhibit A would often take advantage of this time to dart to a nearby facility and pee, standing, in 3.4 seconds fahrenheit, a feat of marvellous equilibrium and aim for a female officer with a lazy bladder (0.056 pcl/min at a median speed evaluated at 46 miles/seconds or 79km/hours near the equator).\n\nExhibit B would prove a trickiest subject for he had master a rarely encountered skill among the forces of Justice which is refraining from urinating all together and, instead, capitalize on this timely advantage in weight, pression and mass during a skirmish ( as per Thadwell’s Theory of W/P/M squared to the eighth of the first percentile of light-speed measured on a rather sad rainy day) to destabilize and vanquish his opponent, in up to 23% of his brawls. Word is, his quoted value equals, or bests!, by 0.8 Esq the pressure gathered by 2.5 hedgehogs pushing a brand-new tennis ball in the grass, with a given grass-resistance of 7.6 Kp 78. Or 79, give or take.\n\nOur stakeout is still missing its crucial part, the icing of the cake, the cherry on the cake for the peppiest, fructivorous enthusiasts among us: the Catching (Co°) of the Person of Interest (PI°). Indeed the very *raison d’être* of a stakeout lies precisely and unavoidabablebly in the definite Co° of a PI°. Unless of course, said stakeout was staged primarily to gather informations(F:N#). Ha, F:N#! Nowadays most valuable currency! Outdating the petrodollar and putin… puting the old world to shame! You simply can’t build a case without good ol ‘F:N#. Surely, Exhibit A and Exhibit B were sent out not only because they needed the 0.8 extra hours but thanks to the aquiline subtleties of their sight (median rate: 5.6) and the swiftness of their reaction time, once ratified at 0.02 second wich, as we all now, dwarfed even the Super Saiyan-type competitors in bingo competitions and would you believe it? They aced it one more time!\n\n“Central, this is Borsen, do you copy?”\n\n“Detective, this is the Captain speaking. We copy you 7/5. What do you see?”\n\n“Pardon my vernacular, sir, but Detective Sucher can get shafted! We have visual confirmation! I repeat, VISUAL-CONFIRMATION!”\n\nApart from Detective Sucher sulking at his desk, the whole station hanged upon the radio station’s every sounds.\n\n“It’s ONE medium-size pizza offered for FIVE bought, extra toppings and beverage aside, AND a Special Thursday discount of 10% for take-in and 5% for delivery. You CANNOT accrete this offer with salmon topping but you CAN TOTALLY ask for ice, free of charge, under the only condition you come with your own bucket. over!”\n\nOur unsung heroes couldn’t hear what unfolded at the station; roars of joy and teary words of praise that lavished their good names for they were still duty-bound to follow through Thursday Pizza Lunch protocole and thus nourish the very soul of their fellow men, women and non-assigned."
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[WP] When you wish upon a star, it's actually a satellite that records the wish and an agent is assigned to the case.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Agent Martin Volo sat contemptuously on a metal framed, mahogany slatted bench outside of the Miracle's Home Medical Cancer Research Center. Across the emergency drive he could see an man, whose figure he recognized but could not place, approaching a young, maybe twelve years of age, girl. Now the man was strong, tall, chiseled jaw line, waxy, shiny hair. Martin could not place where he had seen this man but knew he had been in some movie who's title the agent couldn't recall. The girl's visage was another thing entirely; her cheeks were gaunt, her eyes deep and dark, barely enough meet and bones among her hold body to hold her upright in the chair in which the nurses had wheeled her out of the hospital. The two of them were surrounded by loved ones, smiling people, laughter, and they were also surrounded by cameras, and nurses, and walking I.V. stands. The colliding atmospheres created a whirlwind of mixed emotions and frustrated but also relieved tensions. Or perhaps that was just Martin.The Make a Wish Foundation, how Martin loathed them. Not because he didn't believe they did good. But rather they stole their name right form under the agency's nose. “We're the REAL Make a Wish Foundation!!” Agent Volo thought to himself. The correspondents and organizers of this particular case, a cancer ridden girl soon to be taken too early from this word meeting her favorite movie star hero, were joyously embracing the tears of happiness that now streamed down the girl's pale cheeks. And no one is none the wiser that the night before her parents had submitted their request to the foundation that little Emily had seen a shooting star through the barely open shades of her hospital window. And right then and there, as they all do, she made her wish. Martin remembered it clearly, came in on the 155 MHz band, at about 11:27 P.M. last Thursday. It was one of the most simplest, most adorable, and most heartbreaking wish he had heard on the job since he started. Martin was proud to take on this case and wanted nothing more than to see those same tears of joy that now fell from Emily's sickly eyes. And has happy as Agent Volo felt about another successful mission, he couldn't help feel absurdly annoyed that, yet again, MaWF was getting the credit.Martin's thoughts were interrupted when his partner Agent Malina Vasquez sat on the bench next to him. He then remembered to swallow the bite of ham sandwich that had been resting, soggily, in his mouth for an amount of time he could not recall. “Hey there Mister Wish, another one down and another person happy!” “Don't call me that, please.” Martin irritably replied. “Such a sour puss M, and right after we just made this girl the happiest in the world!” “Sure but where are OUR camera's? Where's my favorite movie star super heroin? It seems more and more like the cases we finish are being bombarded by all these other non-profits thinking they're the ones who fulfilled these people's dreams and hopes. When do we ever get our limelight?” Agent Volo felt momentarily defeated as he rounded is his question off with a sigh. With stern, yet caring eyes Malina gave Martin a reproach, “You know that is not why or how we do our job.” Yet another sigh escaped Volo's lips, “I know, I know. It's just that because of the camera's and our secrecy I can't even go over as a harmless stranger and give Emily a hug and say, 'Congratulations Emily! Remember this day for as long as you can!' Or else I might be filmed and my identify compromised. You remember the last time that happened Chief nearly bit my head off.” Milina sat back on the bench, her confident shoulders resting high, not slouched, her back straight but comfortable, her long slender neck supporting her beautiful visage framed by deeply golden brown hair. With her hands on her lap, a manila folder in her fingers she assured me, “Isn't seeing her from here enough, seeing those tears reflect in today's gorgeous and warm sun?”"
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[WP] You're surprised they let you register to be a superhero. You don't have any powers to save the world or stop any supervillains and with your fighting skills you cant stop much crime either. You do manage to help people though, and the world is a bit better place after you've come along.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Okay, let's finish this questionnaire, then there's a minor orientation, a security briefing, and you'll be issued a provisional ID. Okay? Great. First question: what is your healing factor?\"\n\n\"My what?\"\n\n\"Sorry, I forget sometimes we use terms like that--basically, on a scale from one to ten, with one being normal human healing factor, ten being something like immortality, where would you say you rank?\"\n\n\"Oh, definitely a one.\"\n\n\"No special immunity to diseases or chemicals?\"\n\n\"Not that I'm aware.\"\n\n\"That is just fine, let me make a note. Okay, and what about pain tolerance? Do you just shrug off stabbings--\"\n\n\"God, no! No, I do not take stabbing or shooting well.\"\n\n\"No problem! This is strictly for metadata, it won't affect your classification or assignments.\"\n\n\"Oh, good, because I definitely want to help.\"\n\n\"I know! I'm glad you showed up; we don't want this to seem like some kind of mandatory registration, but it does help to know who people can call in an emergency--\"\n\n\"Including, say, government organizations?\"\n\n\"Well ... I mean, yes, but also we do have an independent hotline that we're opening up to 911 Emergency Services, so that when they get ... really big calls, I guess? That's when we can recommend someone with ... special talents.\"\n\n\"Nice. That. Yes, that is what I want to do. Help out in special situations.\"\n\n\"Yes! Great! Well, we are so excited to add you to our registry! Now, for legal reasons, I need a couple of pieces of personal information. How old are you?\"\n\n\"Oh, uh, seventeen. Is that a problem?\"\n\n\"Not in this state! And I see you've put a code name down here--which is fine! But for legal reasons, I will need your real name--and I can promise you that we will not disclose it for any reason other than a medical emergency or your imminent or recent death.\"\n\n\"Sure, no problem. Phil Coulson.\""
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[WP] A warrior renowned as a god(ess) of war finds an opponent they cannot defeat, for they in love with that person. Having known nothing but war, their attempts at flirtations still need a lot of work.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Right, I get that, but why did you take the cat's advice in the first place?\"\n\n\"They are my favorite animal. Domestic cats are the most deadly creature in the world, by number. And, being around you for so long, I expected he'd know your likes and dislikes.\"\n\n\"Okay, so you asked him how to woo me, right?\"\n\n\"Right.\"\n\n\"And he said that he brings his mates dead mice and such.\"\n\n\"Right, because that's their favorite food.\"\n\n\"And my favorite food is... steak.\"\n\n\"I'll admit, I had to guess. I understand that steak is the most popular, most sensual form of meat? I wasn't sure how to adapt the technique to, say, pasta.\"\n\n\"No, you were right. Bacon-wrapped filet mignon with a vanilla-bourbon sauce. But. You went with bacon and steak.\"\n\n\"Bacon was hedging my bets. You never really on a single stratagem for victory.\"\n\n\"So you dropped a pig belly and a whole cow in my bed.\"\n\n\"Yes! It was hard to carry them both, but I think highly of you.\"\n\n\"Well. I'm calmer now that we've discussed this. So would you please GET THEM OFF OF ME?\"",
"Faye pitched camp near the base of small mountain. She was exhausted and needed rest, but she had been followed all day and couldn't shake her tail. Faye had been on her morning stroll when suddenly without warning a rock troll attacked her.\n\nTrolls are 5 meters in height, carry massive pillars and are protected by whichever element they're born with. Rock trolls are among the toughest because they're so heavily armored. The sight of a rock troll is enough for battle hardened men to run in fear.\n\nBut Faye was no man she was a giant. Though she was only slightly bigger than a normal human (which is why many mistook her for one) she had the strength of a giant and the courage of a god. Faye didn't from monsters she faced them head on.\n\nThe fight had lasted much longer than she anticipated, at first nothing she did could get through the tough outer layer of the rock troll's skin. A rock troll's skin is harder then diamond but their stomachs are completely unprotected. Every time Faye went for the unarmored stomach, the rock troll would hug his arms together to shield his weak spot.\n\nIt wasn't until Faye hurled her axe, hitting the rock troll's jaw, did she do any actual damage. The axe was stuck in the rock troll's mouth and he cut off half his tongue tongue. He screamed in pain covering his mouth with his hands and took a few steps back. As soon as the stomach was unprotected Faye charged forth, pulling her axe free from his mouth then buried her weapon into his stomach. The fight was over after that.\n\nAfter her fight, Faye looted the rock troll's corpse for any valuables. She couldn't linger, a fight with something as big and noisy as a rock troll was bound to draw some unwanted attention. She sensed that someone was watching her, so as soon as she had everything she needed Faye ran from scene as fast as hare. Though she was only human sized she was faster then most full frown giants.\n\nTo her surprise, the person who had been watching her fight not only followed her but was also able to keep up with her. Faye immediately guessed it was one of the men hunting her. She tried to lose him but ended up running a full day unable to lose her tail. She stopped at these mountains because there was a secret passage nearby only she could access. If a fight broke out and she was outmatched, Faye had a escape route. But first she wanted to confirm who was actually chasing her, the reason she had not done so before was because she wasn't 100% sure of her escape.\n\nFaye lit her fire and it formed a small ring of light in the night's darkness. She called out to the direction that her follower was hiding in. \"I know your there! Who are you?\" Several seconds of silence passed and no answer followed. \"Whoever you are\" Faye said \"I'm done running around, hurry up and face me!\"\n\nFaye saw some rustling in the leaves and a large, muscular, tattooed man appeared. He looked maybe 40 or 50 but Faye sensed he was much older than that. He had a dark brown beard that covered lower face making it difficult to discern his facial expressions. As he walked towards her, Faye could tell he was a experienced warrior based on the way he took his steps. When he finally stepped into the ring of light made by the fire Faye could see several battle scars across his body. \n\n Dammit, she thought, Faye could clearly tell this man in front of her was a very experienced warrior. Fighting him would difficult and her instincts screamed at her not to attack him. Faye already had her axe in hand before the man began his approach, she was standing with her weapon in both her hands in a battle ready position. \n\nThough the man was standing only a few meters away from Faye, he did not speak, he simply stared at her as if in a daze. Finally Faye broke the silence. \"Who are you? Why have you been following me? Did Odin send you?\" Faye's voice broke the man from his trance and he seemed to be thinking about what he was going to say next. \n\n\"Woman.\" He Finally said.\n\n\"Huh?\" Faye was completely confused. What in the 9 realms did he mean? Was this the way he was trying to greet her? Was he searching for a woman? Was he asking whether or not she was a woman? This confusion made Faye even more on guard. \n\n\"What do you want?\" Faye asked. \"Did the All-father send you? Are you here for my head?\" \n\n\"No!\" His answer came immediately this time. \"I-I- was - looking for you- woman.\" He nervously spoke and grunted out the words. \"I saw- your fight.\" He must have been referring to the rock troll, but what does that have to do with anything. \n\n\"What? Was the rock troll a friend of yours? If so I'm sorry I killed him, but he did attack me first.\" \n\n\"No. He was not my friend. I watched your fight. Your axe throw is strong, accurate and deadly. \" He seemed to be genuinely impressed. \n\n\"What you want me to throw this at someone for you? Sorry I'm no mercenary, besides you look like you can take care of yourself.\" Faye replied\n\n\"No. I do not seek a fight. I just-\" He took a deep breath in. \"Your fight was magnificent. You cleverly tested his defenses, when you could not get through his armor, you created an opening and took advantage of your enemies weakness. The final blow you struck was quick, decisive and-\" hesitating the man spoke the last word as if it was his first time speaking that word. \"It was Beautiful.\" \n\nAlthough it was dark, Faye could clearly see the man blushing, the man who looked like a monster of war was blushing, because of her? Faye had never gotten any affection from men due to the fact they were all weaker than her. Most men don't want a wife who could easily beat them in combat and so they were afraid of her. This was a new experience for her, Faye could tell that this man would not harm her.\n\n\"What's you're name? What do you want from me?\" Faye asked, dropping her axe slightly.\n\n\"I am Kratos. Kratos Of Sparta. I- I want you. Woman.\"\n\n​",
"The warm island wind swept across the shore and rustled the palm fronds from their stillness. The breeze carried the all to familiar scent of salt and humidity. \n\nThey both stood on the shore, the waves just barely reaching their feet. She stared into his eyes, he stared at her spear. It was pretty obvious who was concerned with what. \n\nThis island was his home, it had been since he was born and it was home to several of his ancestors. She was an outsider, one who appeared washed up on the opposite side of the island one morning while he was gathering coconut husks and sticks for a fire. When he had found her, she was barely conscious but still had some choice words for him which seemed...rude, at the time. \n\nIt had been a couple weeks since then and he only ever saw her when he ventured past her section of the island. Every time he did though, she would stare at him with an odd look, shake it off, and attack. It was obvious that she was beyond a skilled warrior, but he wasn't a pushover and his lifetime of climbing trees, chasing wildlife, and swimming in the ocean made him a near impossible target to hit. What angered her most of all was that he only carried a walking stick with him and that was all he used to defend himself with. \n\nThis time was different though, she had only struck once and after he parried, she stopped and just stared at him. He finally understood the look, it was one he had seen his mom give his dad and seen around the village a handful of other times. \n\nHe dropped his stick, walked over to her and introduced himself. Asked her if she'd like some fresh water and fruit, he did it while smiling. She blushed and widened her eyes, then furrowed her brow and kicked sand in his face. She walked away into the woods. \n\nWhen he cleared the sand from his eyes, he looked down and there was her spear. HAH! he knew it, she was in love. Weird way of showing it, but the chase is on now...\n\n\n\n\nTo be continued? Who knows. "
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[WP] "I don't know. I just feel odd." "Is everything ok?" "Oh yeah. Just weird."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"X woke up in her bed in a pool of her own sweat. Oh god, she thought. Did she turn the thermostat on? That would eat into her bills, that would be awful! She hurried to check, and yes indeed, the thermostat was at 74 degrees. She quickly lowered it.\n\nShe went back to bed, laying on top of the blankets, trying to sleep, but instead simply looking at her phone.\n\nAs the time came for her to wake, she did so groggily, and hurried to work, forgetting to eat breakfast. She showed up for her morning shift at McDonald's, to start frying eggs and sausage patties.\n\nShe stood there, behind the griddle as people acted around her, talking to customers, or else frying tater-tots. She just stood, staring at a burning egg. It was only when she noticed that she had her hand on the griddle, and that it was burning as well did she emote for the first time in weeks. She screamed, ripping her hand from the griddle, leaving behind seared flesh. Her coworkers and the customers behind the counter just watch. An ambulance is soon called and she was taken away.\n\nA nurse in the back of the ambulance begins applying a thick layer of antiseptic cream, in part so the bandages she begins to apply won't stick to her raw flesh. She begins to talk to X, who has reverted back to her subdued nature.\n\n\"Can you tell me what happened?\" The nurse asks.\n\n\"I don't know. I just feel odd.\" X yawns. Did she get much sleep last night?\n\n\"Are you sure that's not just your hand?\"\n\nX doesn't respond. She lays down in the stretcher, closing her eyes.\n\n\"Is everything okay?\" The nurse leans over X.\n\n\"Oh yeah... Just kind of weird.\"\n\n\"How weird?\"\n\n\"Oh, I'm not quite sure. I've... Hmm, I forgot what I was going to say.\"\n\n\"I don't know if you ever told us your name.\" The nurse looks rather concerned.\n\n\"I'm... I'm not entirely certain what my name is.\" X looks contemplative.\n\n\"Are you sure? It's right there on your shirt.\" The nurse points.\n\n\"What!\" X looks down, and they do indeed have a name-tag.\n\n\"Do you remember your parents?\"\n\n\"I don't have parents, I'm an orphan.\"\n\n\"Sure... Can you open your phone? If you're an orphan, how come you have a contact named 'mom and dad'?\"\n\n\"What...\"\n\n\"Can you remember anything?\"\n\n\"Clearly not.\""
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Had to quickly delete and repost the moment I posted it because I missed some typos.
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[WP] On the eve of the hero’s triumph over the villain you, a lone scribe notices there was a mistranslation with the prophecy and the names of the hero and villain were mixed up.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I gape at the dull yellow parchment. \n\n“How...Who...Who screwed this up?!”\n\nWiping my face, I slump back in my chair and begin to laugh. A bitter, angry laugh that hurts my chest. For decades we’d held up the hero as something close to a god and the villain as the embodiment of evil. \n\n“What am I going to do?” I asked the empty scriptorium. \n\nMy hands shook as I stood, pacing around. Then I looked more carefully at the page. I thought I saw a few mistakes. \n“That’s it. It’s a mistake. I made a stupid mistake, that’s all.” I lied. \n\nI picked up my translation and crumpled it up. Then, I threw it in the trash. After a few moments I retrieved it and out in my pocket.\n\nThe next months were awful. Nightmares of the villain locked up and thoughts of what I had discovered plagued me. \n\n“The king and hero decrees that everyone must be enchanted with a tracking spell.”\n\n“The King and Hero decrees that all nécromanciens must move to frogboils.”\n\n“The King And Hero decrees that anyone speaking ill of him must be imprisoned.”\n\nMy stomach churned as everyone celebrated and talked about how amazing the hero was. But still, I stayed quiet. Even as barbed wire replaced fences, I kept my head down and hated myself for it. \n\n“For her crimes, the king decrees that the villain be put to death.”\n\nI gaped at the messenger in the square. The hero promised that even though she was evil, he would never kill her. \n\nOf course, no one cared. A huge roar rose from the crowd. \n\nI clenched my fists. \n\n\nI crept through the corridors of the prison, a dagger and key in my hands. During my childhood, it sucked, but being the daughter of a thief payed off. As I walked, I sang an enchanted lullaby which put the guards to sleep. Technically the spell was illegal, but so was murder. \n\nWhen I reached the cell, my chest tightened. It smelled of death mixed with moldy bread. I gagged and hurriedly picked the locks. When the last one clicked I opened the cell and I immediately felt a hand grab my throat. \n\nShe pushed me against the wall, and I stared into her cold blue eyes. Her face was puffy and bruised and blood ran down her cheek. \n\n“Hero, please! Stop!”\n\nShe froze and slowly released. I fell to the floor, coughing. \n\n“What did you just call me?”\n\n“Hero, now hurry. We don’t have much time.”\n\nShe didn’t argue and several borrowing minutes later we were running down the cobbled streets to my house. There, with a pot of tea boiling, I told her everything. When I was done, I eyed her carefully. \n\n“No.”"
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[WP] "The zombie apocalypse was easily solved. Rehabilitation, on the other hand, will be much harder."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"sir...sir...SIR!\"\n\nGene snapped back to reality from the daze he had been in, \"yes, yes I'm sorry Jenny what is it?\" \"There's a call for you on line 2, another shipment of B23A was halted on the way to Colorado\". Not again... This was the 3rd time this month a cure convoy had been halted at the state line. \"Please let them know I have a meeting with the director and then I will call them back.\". \n\nGene stood up, trying to remember what he had been working on minutes before..or was it hours...blackouts were one of the remaining side effects from the infection...one that he was still struggling to get past. They got lucky, all of them at the CDC, lucky that the virus was so slow to spread throughout the human body. This wasn't the movies, it wasn't hours or days to turn after infection but almost 2 weeks. Of course.. that didn't stop people from killing each other as soon as they saw a bite or scratch wound. That had been the biggest challenge for the government, stopping the killing. Gene always knew there were some \"prepared\" people out there but thing really got out of hands quickly. \n\nThey we're lucky that a cure was already in the works when the attack happened. Scared people looking for answers had flocked to the CDC headquarters looking for a cure, which of course brought the infected there as well. The virus may have been slow to spread once the host was infected, but it's infectivity was like lightning. It didn't take much, a little bit of saliva in the bloodstream thru a bite, a scratch, even drool and the process had already begun. After the attack, they had attempted to isolate those infected but soon even the staff were infected. Gene couldn't remember exactly when or how he was infected but it happened. The blackouts, the drooling, and the insomnia told him he was turning and they needed to work faster. \n\nIt was about 9 days from the incident when the first cure was attempted. A few of the technicians suspected that a modified rabies treatment would slow the spread and were correct. 3 days later and the mass testing began, a week later mass production and distribution facilities were pushing B23A across the U.S.\n\n\"Yes sir, Mr. Hando is in the lobby waiting for you and I have your meeting with the director on your schedule as 4:00 is that still correct?\"\n\n\"Yes Jenny, thank you. I'm heading to the lobby now, you should head home.\" \n\nGene picked up his coat and headed to the lobby. Mr. Hando, well really SGT Hando, was waiting in plain clothes with a yellow armband in one hand and a small device in thebother. \"You know the deal sir. Please open your mouth and put on the armband\". Gene complied, like he had for over a month now. The CDC had proposed and been approved the marking of all previously infected people for 2 months to ensure symptoms didn't return. The first week is the roughest, Gene recalled, SGT Hando had been assigned to him for protection but was also there to do daily checks on his health. Gene had almost been shot by him once, a few days after his vaccine during a bad blackout when he attacked the sergeant. But that was in the past now. \n\nIt was all in the past now, the road ahead was going to be long and tedious, there were still small pockets of infected to be cured, homes and towns to be rebuilt, trials to be convened for those who were still killing the infected instead of waiting for the cure. Maybe they were scared, maybe they didn't care. But it wasn't over, not by a long shot. "
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[WP] You somehow ended up at an internship in hell working for Satan, supprisingly it's enjoyable and the benefits are great but there is a catch.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" \n\nAs Timmathy entered the giant corporate building, she shook in a mixture of stage fright and anticipation. A few weeks back she had sent in an application for a weird Job posting in the local newspaper, she had never thought they´d accept her but here she was about to interview for Public Face whatever that was.\n\nThe lobby was a large pleasantly lit large room, weird looking plants grew up the sides of the room. \n Everywhere there were small sitting areas, where chairs stood around a red pulsing Stone. In the middle of the ream a small reception, right under the Corporate Slogan “A Deal is a Deal! We make your wishes reality” \n \n\nShe walked up to the tall man standing behind a computer “Ehm hello? My name is Timmathy Jones, I am here for the internship” \n\nThe man looked up and pointed at some of the Seats “Ah I see! The boss will be ready in a few minutes. Take a seat” \n She walked over and sat down. The read stone giving of warm waves with every pulse it made. \n After a few minutes an assistant walked over “Miss Jones? Please follow me”\n\n“Those stones really are something it’s like a mini sun” Timmathy exclaimed as the two started walking.\n\n“Yeah those stones are from our home” The lady smirked as she led Timmathy up the stairs.\n\nAfter a few minutes of walking up countless stairs, they finally got to a room inside sat a bulky man with slightly red skin.\n\n“Good morning miss Jones” he greeted “we really liked your application”\n\n…\n\nFive years later Miss Jones sat in her office in hell, never had she expected that shed end up as one of hells top employees. Hell, of all places. But the benefits and the pay were enormous, the only downside being the devil in the details. Because Satan was tired of playing the all evil guys she had become the new face of hell. The most hated person on the planet. But that was manageable, one more interview and then shed be of to her dinner with Asmodeus…",
"\"It's time.\" Satan said, voice soft but firm.\n\n\"Do I really have to do this?\" She asked.\n\n\"Yes. It was in the fine print of the contract that you signed. Remember?\"\n\n\"Fine.\" She huffed.\n\n\"Do you remember what to do?\"\n\n\"Yes. I remember what to do.\" She stepped forward into the circle etched onto the hardwood floor. The pie balanced in her right hand. \"Just pull the lever.\"\n\nHe flipped the switch.\n\nA circle of light shot up from the floor, blinding her. She shielded her eyes with her free hand.\n\n\"Next?\" The deep voice boomed. \n\nShe removed her hand from her eyes. The large podium came into focus.\n\n\"Next?\" The deep voice repeated.\n\nShit. Her turn. She moved forward to the podium. A pair of blue eyes peered out from beneath the mop of long, white hair and scraggly beard. His eyes widened. \"Oh, for Pete's sake. Not you again.\" He grumbled.\n\n\"Sorry, St. Peter. I don't have a choice.\" She raised the pie, aimed, and swung. The metal pie pan toppled to the ground to reveal a face covered in cherry filling and crust.\n\nSt. Peter raked it away with his hand. \"If you weren't condemned to hell already, I would banish you!\" He seethed. \"Guards!\"\n\nTwo burly angels appeared. The shorter one snarled at her. \"You again? I thought we settled this yesterday.\"\n\nThe two guards reached for her. She dodged their grasp and backed away from the podium. \"Okay, Satan. You can bring me back down now.\"\n\nNo response.\n\n\"Satan?\" Why wasn't he bringing her back?\n\nStrong arms lifted her.\n\n\"Satan?!\"\n\nThe guards carried her to the cliff's edge. \"Stay out of Heaven.\" The short one barked.\n\n\"DON'T!\" Her protest fell on deaf ears.\n\nThe guards released her. She reached for anything, but found nothing. The wind whipped at her hair and her dress bellowed like a cape. The ground came rushing at her. She braced herself for impact.\n\nPain radiated through her entire being. Laughter filled the air. \"That. Was. Amazing. You should have seen your face when you fell.\"\n\nShe opened her eyes to find a pair of hooves in front of her. \"Asshole. You let them throw me on purpose.\" She groaned.\n\n\"Duh. I'm Satan.\" He choked out between laughs. The cackling subsided. \"Now finish that paperwork. We have a busy day ahead of us.\"",
"\"I'm gonna have to remove your spine. Twice a day.\"\n\nI kind of just stared at him after those words left his mouth. \n\n\nMouth being a strange word for it, as nothing on his 'face' really *moved*, exactly. You could tell he was saying something but the sound kind just... emanated from his face somehow.\n\nI also learned that staring the devil in the face tends to screw with your head a little. He has eyes, technically, but something about them makes them incredibly alluring but also overwhelmingly unsettling at the same time. Along with constantly looking as if the number of pupils he has is multiplying and dividing endlessly.\n\n\"Can... I ask *why* you need to remove my spine twice a day?\" I replied, trying to divert my eyes and yet somehow being completely unable to.\n\n\"Well, you see, you might not have expected this but even the nine circles of hell have their own bureaucracy. Ridiculous, I know\"\nHe then walked over to a small, wrought iron drinks tray sitting on a thin ivory table that wasn't there a second ago and poured himself a glass of what, somehow, looked like, *\"the pain of hitting your pinky on a table leg*\" If it were a liquid.\n\nHe continued;\n\n 'While yes, I'm technically *'allowed'* to sodomize people with flaming pitchforks and *'drown them over and over again in a lake of sulfuric acid'*, but *removing* body parts is kind of a whole thing, you know? Something to do with ethical punishment and all that, people need to leave with what they came in with, et cetera et cetera.\n\nIt doesn't even make sense, you would grow the spine back in an hour or two anyway.'\n\nDespite not having a mouth, he somehow managed to down the entire glass in one 'gulp', and after savoring it for a moment, continued.\n\n\n\"So, i'm going to need you to sign a *teensy* little waiver that gives me permission to remove and retain it by whatever means I choose, for whatever purpose I desire.\"\n\nAt which point, with a snap of his clawed, brimstone fingers, a long sheet of smoking parchment appeared in mid-air next to me. I had a hunch that there was far more to this than He was letting on, seeing as if you unrolled the contract the entire way it would have stretched for maybe twenty feet. Alongside it, floating in midair was a quill with a vicious, barbed tip. There was no ink.\n\n'Of course, it's all up to you. You could always saunter back on up to the River Styx. I'd even give you a coin for your trouble.\n\nNot a real one, though. The Ferryman would *definitely* throw you overboard.'\n\nI weighed it up in my mind for a few moments, but considering the consequences It seemed like a pretty fair deal, given the alternatives. And besides, No butt pitchforks this way.\n\n\"would it be painful?\"\n\nHe kind of just stared at me for a few moments.\n\n\"I'd be ripping your spine out while you are entirely conscious and aware of my doing so. Yes, it would be painful. The nine circles of the damned isn't exactly saturated with anesthesiologists.'\n\nAnd with that, I shrugged, pricked my arm with the quill, and signed with a flourish."
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[WP] We finally get to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and find a weird button that says “Modify World Settings” on it
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"In the western Pacific Ocean, nestled between two techtonic plates, rests the deepest trench on Earth. The Mariana Trench is a vast space, home to a multitude of underwater lifeforms. \n\nOur project was named Poseidon Challenger. We used a deep sea probe to go farther down than any past team. I was the controller of the underwater probe. It was large enough to fit me, and nothing else. Communication between me and the boat above was very limited. The signal was spotty, so I was very alone at the bottom of the earth.\n\nThe probe was freezing. The glass windshield was curved in a vaulted hump in front. It was pitch black except for the headlights on the front and twinkling bubbles fluttering around the windshield.\n\nIt was a spooky drop to the center of the Earth. I feared I might end up in hell if I went much further.\n\nThe seafloor mapping started to show a clear bottom to the trench. I heard the sonar beep as it created a digital facsimile of the area.\n\nGradually I fell until I felt a hard *clunk*. Dust fluttered all over the windshield. I had hit rock bottom.\n\nAccording to my seafloor map I was at one of the lowest points that was accessible. I could not go any deeper. \n\nI heard crackling voices over the speaker, but could not make out any discernible information.\n\nI grabbed the small control knob in front of me and shifted it forward. The probe started to glide in the direction I pushed. As I moved away, the dust began to settle, and I could see as far as the headlights allowed.\n\nI wandered around for about an hour, floating in a crisscross pattern. At first I figured it was nothing more than an empty trench. But then I saw it.\n\nIn front of me was a large, perfectly circular trench in the bottom of the Mariana. It went down about ten feet. I dropped down in and circled the tubular space.\n\nOn the wall of the curved trench I found a chair in front of a giant rectangular screen. On the bottom of the screen was a round button. It looked similar to an enormous iPhone.\n\nI guided the hand of the probe to press the button. The hand telescoped out, reaching for the protruding circular bump. \n\nAs the hand pressed the button, the screen lit up, illuminating the whole space. The curved walls were as bright as the sun.\n\nOn the screen were the words *Modify World Settings*.\n\n“Arthur, can you hear us?”\n\nThe sound of my project head was jarring. Static flowed through the speaker box.\n\n“I’m here,” I said. “I’ve got an interesting visual here.”\n\n“You’re breaking up, Art. You said you have a visual?”\n\nHer voice was almost too garbled to recognize.\n\n“Roger, a big... screen. I know this sounds crazy, but it says to modify world settings here.”\n\n“You’re breaking up Art. We can’t understand you complete—“\n\nThe speaker hissed and went quiet.\n\nThere was an eerie silence. The screen glowed on my face, blasting white light into my chamber.\n\nI guided the hand to press the *START* button.\n\nThis lead to a screen with the text *Dimension Data*.\n\nI clicked it.\n\nNext popped up the word *Gateways*.\n\nI clicked that too.\n\nI felt sudden fear. My heart thumped in my chest. It reminded me of the time I tried to put bitcoin on a paper wallet. One wrong push and your life is changed irrevocably.\n\nI held back and canceled what I had done. Another screen popped up with a bright flash. It said *Version*.\n\nI clicked the button and *Name* popped on the screen. There were three selections.\n\nEarth 1\n\nEarth 2\n\nEarth 3\n\n*Shit, which Earth is this?*\n\n“Arthur, are you there? Can you hear us?”\n\nI ignored the call. I was entirely focused on the screen. I tapped *Earth 3* with the probe’s hand. The screen suddenly went black.\n\nI pressed the speaker button. It made a beep sound. “Leader one, you guys hear me? It’s all dark down here.”\n\nSpooked out of my mind, I slammed the throttle and began to ascend. I had a bad feeling about the mission. I should have simply reported the artifact and returned to the surface. *Stupid, Arthur*.\n\nI rose upward for over thirty minutes. The lights on my craft were completely blown out. I only had the internal monitors to keep me floating straight.\n\nI went up and up, until finally I breached the surface. It was like a dolphin leaping from the sea.\n\nAs the probe settled atop the water and began to coast, everything looked different. When I steered the probe in a semicircle a long coastline became visible. Beyond the beach was a futuristic city of metal and glass. The buildings were a multitude of shapes. Spires, domes, even floating spheres.\n\nEverything glistened and sparked with aerial energy. My ship was nowhere to be seen. I tried to operate my communications but nobody responded.\n\nI steered the probe to the beach slowly. The waves were rough leading to the speckled sand beach. I rode a wave in like a surfboard, becoming firmly planted on the land.\n\nI opened the latch and hopped out of the probe. I slipped out my cellphone and checked the home screen. No bars.\n\nI walked along the coastline, eyes wide as I took in the vast city. I found an area I could walk up, a rickety wood staircase. It was just like the beach house my parents had when I was twelve. But this was certainly not home.\n\nI climbed the staircase, heaving my tired legs one step at a time. When I reached the top of the vast incline, I collapsed on a glossy white bench.\n\n*Dorothy, we’re definitely not in Kansas*.\n\nThat computer had turned my home into Earth 3. I knew this because the people here were not what I would call human. They were short, with large round heads and pointy jawlines. They wore silky blue onesies, with golden sandals.\n\nI stepped up to one of the beings. It looked up at me wearily. I offered my hand to shake, and it shook back. \n\nA gust of wind blew through the canyon of the city block. My clothing was damp and musty, causing a shiver to run through my cells.\n\nA lengthy vehicle pulled up beside me. A door opened up. I stepped in and the door closed behind me. Inside was a man with a black tight shiny suit that had pointy shoulder pads. He scanned me up and down.\n\n“Hello Arthur.”\n\nI stared intently. “Where am I?”\n\n“A dream within a dream, perhaps? Where do you believe you are?”\n\n“Earth three?” I asked.\n\n“You brought us back. We thought were were lost forever. Somebody, long ago, built the computer on the bottom of the sea. They reset our planet, and sent us to oblivion. You brought us back.”\n\nI said nothing.\n\n“So thank you.”\n\nI shook my head. “This doesn’t make sense.”\n\nThe man in black gave me a consoling gesture. “It will eventually.”\n\nI stretched out my legs. They had been cramped for hours. “So what now?”\n\nThe man shrugged. “What now?”\n\n“What do I do now?”\n\n“Anything you want, Art. You brought us back from the dead. You’re a hero here.”\n\n“And what happened to old Earth?” I asked.\n\nHe pointed in the sky. “With God, I suspect.”\n\nI shook my head. “No, really.”\n\n“This is all a game in your mind, Art. Always remember that. Now we have much to do.”\n\nI rode with the man in black and talked with him about my new life on Earth three. I was sworn to never speak of the trench. In exchange, I was given unlimited cash to spend however I pleased.\n\nI gave all but a million dollars to charity, then started my trip around the new world. I never floated beneath the sea again. \n\nNow I prefer to fly.\n"
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[WP] You've gone your whole life with a series of strange, black, parallel lines of varying width on your arm. Today, you download a barcode scanning app on your phone out of curiosity.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"My arm was... special. I'm not sure how it happened, but for some reason, I have a random pattern of lines on my arm. No one has a clue what it is since I'm the first documented case of it, but we do know it isn't harmful. Well, anyway I got bored in the hospital (not much to do there) so I started downloading random apps. In my new collection of applications, there was a barcode scanner. Me, of course being a curious kid, scanned my arm. And that's when it started...\n\n...Or should've started at least. Nothing happened. I guess only in stories would it have worked... Well, back to the hospital for me.\n\nF",
"\"I mean, it kind of resembles a barcode? I still think you're just being weird.\" \n\n\n\"Yeah, but wouldn't it be funny if, like, I had something in common with a household item? I could be a great example of how seriously our consumerist culture has been imprinted on the masses! Literally!\" \n\n\n\"Uh-huh. Clever.\" \n\n\n\"Here, it just finished downloading. Here we go!\" \n\n\n\"Maybe you'll match up with some corn chips. It would explain your sense of humor.\" \n\n\n\"Yeah, yeah, shut up. Ok, searching...\" \n\n\n*Item not in stock.* \n\n\n\"Huh, that's cool. It connected to Siri automatically. Not in stock? It registered as something then, but what?\" \n\n\n*Item not in stock.* \n\n\n\"Why is she saying it again?\" \n\n\n\"I don't know, I didn't scan again. Wait, what is the screen doing?\" \n\n\n*Item never in stock. Item was removed.* \n\n\n\"Hey... Alex? Is your birthmark... glowing?\" \n\n\n\"What the hell??\" \n\n\n*Unauthorized Item recognized. Unauthorized Item possession registered.* \n\n\n\"Turn it off, hurry!\" \n\n\n\"Ok, ok!\" \n\n\n*Repossession Team conta--* \n\n\n\"Wait. Repossession Team? Repossession of what?\" \n\n\n\\*knock\\* \\*knock\\* \n\n\n\"Alex, sweetie! The door's for you!\"",
"Many people have told me it was a birthmark. Most of them were medical specialists. Yet, I always had a sneaking suspicion that it something much more sinister.\n\nObviously, I was not oblivious to the fact that it was very similar to the barcodes that most products have on them. It was mostly a thought that I chose not to acknowledge, as I was afraid of what it may mean. That maybe it would shatter my reality. Fear of abrupt, forceful change to my mostly decent yet dull life.\n\nWell...everything changed when I met Helen. We met at work. She was our new finance head, while I was already a seasoned Management executive at my firm, the Timothy & Marks financial consulting company. The very first day we met, she smiled brilliantly at me and stuck out her hand. When I grabbed her hand, other than admiring her firm grip, I noticed something else. Something very interesting. On the top of her arm, were a series of black parallel lines, of varying width. Not unlike my own.\n\nBefore I could say anything, she noticed me staring, and laughed.\n''I see you've noticed my barcode,'' she said as she rolled up her sleeve to show it off better. ''I've had it for a while, and don't worry, it doesn't show anything even if you scan it.'' \n\nFlabbergasted, I didn't know what to say. I must have stood there for a minute before I was able to squeak out a few words. \n\n''R-Really? It doesn't show anything?''\n\nShe shook her head as she said sheepishly, ''I've had it ever since I was a baby. Not the prettiest thing to have stuck on your arm, and I was bullied for it. The worst bullies pinned me down and forcefully scanned it, just to see if they could find anything.''\n\nI was shocked to hear what she had gone through. It must have been traumatic to her for this to happen to her when she was a child. I have always kept mine under a bandage, and thus no one other than my closest friends and family knew of it. Even now, the bandage covered my deepest fear. I could not have imagined myself going through what Helen went through. Subconsciously, I grabbed my bandage with my other arm. ''Have you thought about lying and saying it was a tattoo?'' I asked her. It was something that I always thought I could try, but the birthmark was more like growth than ink.\n\n''Never,'' she replied almost immediately. ''It may have been the source of a lot of ridicule and pain, but it is part of my body. I am proud of it, and I will never hide my true self just because someone else may find it funny.''\n\nHer reply was almost like a breath of sharp, cold air to me. I was always so scared of what my birthmark could mean, that it restricted a huge part of my life. I was always afraid that one day it would be exposed. I would never do sports, for fear of the bandage being ripped off. I would never swim, for the same reasons as above. Fear ruled my life, but at that moment, I decided it would end. If Helen could do it, so could I.\n\nI had to prove to myself that it was just a birthmark. Nothing more...nothing less. I would download a barcode scanning app and finally prove to myself that it was nothing. The next day, I would stroll into the office, free of my bandage, and tell Helen how much she inspired me. I was so excited that before I was even home, I had already downloaded the app. As I barged into my home, I threw everything down immediately and tore off my bandage. Scrambling to hold my phone, I could hear the pounding of my own heart. I felt almost dizzy as I brought the scanner across my birthmark. \n\nLoading...the application displayed in its neon green interface. ''Please be nothing...please be nothing...'' I muttered under my own breath. And then, to my worst fears, the result displayed something else entirely.\n\n''Welcome X203. Military code 27A activated.'' \n\n''What in the actual...'' I whimpered in confusion. What did this mean? It couldn't have meant anything! It shouldn't have! As I scratched my head in confusion, there was a sudden knock on the door.\n\nIn an instant, every vein in me turned ice cold. My breathing became heavy, and I could feel my eyes turning bloodshot. Adrenaline pumped through me, and I slowly crept to my door. \n\nAs silently as I could, I peered out of my peephole. \n\nHelen was there. Yet, it wasn't her. Her brilliant smile was replaced by the creepiest grin, that spread from one ear to the other. Her eyes were twisted in a way that they held so much glee and sinister intention at the same time.\n\nI could only hear one sentence before everything started blowing up. \n\n''Hello X203, I can see you!''"
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[WP] You are a time traveller who went to live in the distant past to just live a simpler life. One day, while your spouse is taking care of the children, you hear them absentmindedly humming a song from your time.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The room filled with light and then the alarm went off. Although it was the year 1931, and a digital clock would be invented in almost 70 years, this certain house had one. One of the perks of time travel. Susan, went straight ahead for the kitchen to prepare food, while Ray was yawning. He was a night owl, a habit that followed him from his previous life. He was chasing time fugitives, helping prevent global catastrophes, saving important historical figures, all in the dark. But these times where now over. The moment his wife told him that she was pregnant Ray knew what he had to do. Although it wasn't that simple. You can't just quit the Time Bureau. That's why he and his family were fugitives now. He though about it. He wasn't missing any of it. In fact, he was in love with this time period. He was always a man of the arts. Jazz, Hollywood, photography. This was a blooming era, a golden era. However Ray knew this would not last, not for him. He had to relocate every few months, choose other time periods, to avoid being caught by the agents. This fear was just enough to get him out of bed. \n\n\"Ray, your omelet is going to get cold, if you don't come down in a bit\" Susan said with her silvery voice. \n\n\"I'm coming hon.\" \n\n\"Good morning everyone.\" he greeted everyone happily. The only answer he got were some whispers, that immediately turned to a song. A long forgotten one. The hymn of the Bureau. A feeling of fear overwhelmed him. He couldn't move. He was standing there, frozen in time, unable to do anything. He thought that it was over. He closed his eyes. A tear started to form, ready to get dragged down by the force of gravity, along his rosy cheeks. But suddenly the song stopped. \n\n\"Ray, what is going on?, are you crying?\" exclaimed Susan with a trembling voice,because she knew something was up. \n\n\"Ohhhh...\" now Ray's voice was filled with relief. \"You were not overwritten. This was a warning. We have to get out of here fast, the Bureau found as. No time to pack things up.\" he said with an asserting voice and stormed for the bedroom. The journey to the room was a few seconds, but to him, it seemed like an eternity. He opened the wardrobe in a rush and started searching for the box. He placed his finger on the scanner. \n\n\"Authentication successful. Access granted.\" a light woman voice said. He grabbed the portal and the ray gun. While storming down the stairs, he dialed a year on the screen of the portal gun, then the coordinates. The automated voice sounded again. \n\n\"Barcelona, Spain, 2000.\" \n\nHe pressed the button. In an instant a gate formed, hovering up the air thin like a mirror, and on the other side, a monstrous building appeared, covering the sun. A masterpiece of white marble, the imagination of a long gone architect was now standing in a tiny little kitchen. And at this moment, another gate formed across the already open one. \n\n\"Quick, go in, I will stall them.\" Ray screamed at the top of his lungs, while aiming the ray gun towards the portal. Five agents, all dressed in black costumes, with red ties went through the gate, right into the living room, all pointing their guns towards Ray. At the same time Susan and the kids leaped through the gate as Ray shouted to them to close the portal. And just like that they vanished without a trace. \n\n\"Agent Raymond Miles, you are under arrest for mutiny against the Time Bureau, drop the gun now.\" said a tall blonde woman full of assertion. \n\n\"Ray do as she says, we don't want to hurt you man.\" said Travis, Ray's old partner with a voice full of compassion. \n\nRay knew he didn't have another option, he dropped the gun, kneeled and raised his hands above his head. The nearest agent to him, approached him and handcuffed him. \n\n\"You did the smart thing agent Miles, now we have some questions that we would like you to answer. The boss misses you.\" said the blonde woman, who was clearly in charge. \n\n\"Take him back to base\" she continued. And then they walked back through the gate, while the living room filled with silence."
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[WP] Your whole life you were second best to your friend. Athletics, exams, military training. He became a national hero, and you were just a member of his squad. One night, in the rain, he approaches you. “I’m joining the enemy. Follow me, as you always have old friend”. You have a choice to make.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\\>>>>\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA man left and never looked back, a man stayed and gazed after the other.\n\nThe rain kept pouring, and he couldn't light his cigarette. It's all he wanted in this moment. A small release.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe didn't even know if he was crying or the rain kept seeping into his eyes as he stayed for a while. Remembering.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n*His whole life he was second best to his best friend. Athletics, exams, military training. His friend became a national hero, and he remained just a member of his squad.*\n\nThe words kept ringing in his ears: *“I’m joining the enemy. Follow me, as you always have old friend”.*\n\nA part of him wanted to say yes. To follow his lead like he always did. It felt natural. Just as a thunder pierces the soothing sound of the rain, something inside him cracked, turning him against his initial feeling for a second. Enough for him to mutter a \"No\". Then his friend left, without a word. And he felt that he will never come back as a friend, but as a foe.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDid he make the right choice? He wondered. Yet he couldn't accept his enemy's views. And what puzzled him is that he always held a firm belief that his friend, shared the same view as him.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe then closed his eyes. And the rain kept pouring\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe standard gear was a little heavy and he had to move fast in the ruined streets. The debris and abandoned vehicles didn't make it easy to advance.\n\nSince the Fall, the world order was shattered. The conflict became a daily reality. So he had to adapt, to carry on.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Watch the tall bridge pillar ahead. Perfect for snipers. If we advance like this we will be in the open and in their range\" his colleague shout while running. This made him quickly enter the building to his left and make a way through it. Moving inside posed a series of dangers, but he had no chance against the watchful eyes of the AI-aim assisted snipers.\n\nTwo of his teammates went ahead further inside, from wall to wall, looking for hostile activity.\n\n\"I think is clear, we should be careful though we are close to the enemy lines\" one of them shout.\n\nHe followed them, it was his turn to scout ahead.\n\nIn his tactical armor, he couldn't feel the texture of the walls when he leaned against them for cover, even though he could clearly see some of them had small visible cracks and dents. He peeked in the room ahead, no movement. He looked in the eyes of his colleague and made a sign for the other two behind to follow.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHis four man team had a simple objective, sabotage the bridge. Being a valuable objective for the enemy, it was heavily guarded, but they managed the night before to avoid the river guards and reach the enemy back lines, which meant in theory that this side was less guarded and they had the element of surprise.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey exited outside and rushed towards a fallen truck as cover. The enemy barricades ahead were started to be visible, and for the first time today, they saw a hostile unit patrolling.\n\nYou could also see a set of ruined pillars outside the road. In the past, the bridge used to continue with the elevation for a while, but it seems that they decided to keep the suspended roads to a minimum and basically created a steep ramp and brought the road down to the ground.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n*<<The past>>* he thought, then sighed. Two decades ago nobody would've believed the war would tear Vancouver to such a ruined state. Then again, nobody believed the United States would split in four and turn against each other.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe sun started to set and the sky nicked in shades of red.\n\n\"We wait until nightfall, and advance. But before that, we need to scout a little head and devise an action plan\" he ordered.\n\nAfter they gathered the necessary data, the next move was to retreat inside the building and start to put the pieces together.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nNot long passed until a bullet hit the soldier to his right.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn an instant, by reflex, they all jumped behind the closest furniture. The automatic weapons started to rage, but he picked a grenade and threw it at the door. Soon as it hit the groud it exploded. Taking advantage of the situation he quickly dashed at the door. Two bodies lied there, but he shot at them just to be sure. It was silence. Too silent. Surely it couldn't be just two. Then the door from behind was blasted and four men poured in the room shooting.\n\nAnother casualty on his side, but he and his colleague were lucky, they managed to swap places with their earlier assailants.\n\nAfter a brief exchange and a non-verbal agreement, they ran deeper inside the building.\n\nIt was a gamble that they didn't stop to check. Yet it was less risky than doing that.\n\nAt the first window they saw, they broke through and sprint towards the closest set of buildings without even looking behind. Every second was precious.\n\nAnd it almost worked, but when the shots poured in their direction, one hit shoulder, one his leg and another one his left arm. He fell.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAbove him, he could hear the bullets racing for his colleague. Blood was rushing through his wound, each drop making his eyes heavier.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe then closed his eyes. And the bullets kept pouring.\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe briefly regained consciousness and opened his eyes. Around him, four men stood with their flashlights and another one was bandaging him. But he couldn't keep them open for long, so all he could do was to hear fragments.\n\n\"He could live sir, but he needs special medical attention asap\"\n\n\"Good, save patch him up then and I'll call for a medical air unit\" the voice sounded somewhat familiar.\n\n\"Are you sure sir is worth the trouble?\" another voice joined in.\n\n\"He definitely is, I've known this man for a long time\".\n\nA part of him wanted to smile, a part wanted to rage. He thought of that rainy day, and how it all could've turned out if he said \"Yes\". Yet now he might have to make the same choice again. Would he though? \n\nThen it all went in darkness. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;",
"That night we made camp by a swamp just beyond John Marshall’s barn. There was a light breeze that made the trees creak, then the rain began to fall. Not far off, the yankees camped. Occasionally we heard them, but now the night was muted by rain. Daniel, his hair and clothes soaked, opened the flap to my tent and entered. \n\t\n“I’m joining the enemy. Follow me, as you always have, old friend.”\n\t\nI lit a match and touched the fire to the red tobacco leaves in my pipe and inhaled. I let out a plume of smoke with a sigh. \n\t\n“Why?”\n\t\n“There’s nothing left for us here. It’s over. Let them them march to their deaths in the name of a dying nation. If they truly believe in their cause, and I believe they do, they will die with honor. But not us. The war is over. We must go.”\n\nI took another puff of my cigar and thought hard about what Daniel had said. He looked on me. A fire burned in his eyes.\n\n“Okay.”\n\t\n“You’ll come?” He said. \n\t\n“Yes, let me grab my pack.”\n\t\n“No pack. We’ll walk to the swamp as if to take a piss, then we’ll go.”\n\t\n“Okay.”\n\t\nWe did as he said. We walked through the mud to the edge of the swamp and I took a piss. Once finished, we followed the tree line into the darkness and turned in direction of the Union camp. I followed Daniel. He led us over fallen trees and deep sections of swamp water. \n\t\n“Let me take the lead. I know the way,\" I said.\n\t\nFor two hours, we walked in the darkness and rain. Finally, we arrived at the border of a camp. \n\n“This it?” Daniel said.\n\n“This is it. Go ahead for a closer look. But don’t go further than that artillery wagon. They’ll shoot us if they see our uniforms.”\n\nI watched him go. He crouched expertly, and found cover behind the wagon wheel. He peaked over the cannon that rested on the wagon, but couldn’t make out much in the rain and the dark. I approached him from behind, cocked my pistol, and pressed the wet barrel to the back of his head. \n\n“I’m sorry, Daniel.”\n\nThere was a pause. The rain still fell.\n\n“That’s okay, Will. That’s okay.”\n\nI tied his hands behind his back and led him past the artillery wagon and into our camp. I handed him off to General Tully and reported his crime.\n\nThe next day, we held a short court-martial and sentenced him to death. I watched my friend hang that night. He made the tree branches creak, then the rain began to fall.",
"Jack was exhausted. From sunup to sundown, the entire day had been one problem after another. The defenses kept breaking, the comms kept jamming, food was running low, and the heaters were malfunctioning. Above all else, Anthony had been in meetings, leaving everything to Jack. Despite knowing that Anthony was most likely making life and death decisions, Jack felt a seed of irritation within him. Too tired to remind himself that Anthony was The Best and Most Qualified and Saving All of Our Lives, Jack went to sleep.\n\nToss. Turn. Toss. Turn. Twisting about, Jack contemplated the rock digging into his back. He wasn't one for the great outdoors, and sleeping on the floor was something Jack was sure he would never get used to. By now desperate for something to do rather than beg for the sleep that will never come, Jack went to the kitchens. Or rather, he meant to.\n\nIt turns out that places once known in the light transform to a wholly different place under the cover of darkness. Jack stumbled around camp until he saw a lighted doorway. Relieved, Jack tumbled into the room and blinked in the sudden brightness. It took a few moments for Jack's fuddled and sleep-deprived brain to understand what he was seeing.\n\nOn one side of the room stood the illustrious Anthony. On the other was the enemy. Granted, he was in hologram form, but nevertheless, the enemy was the enemy.\n\n\"What?\" Jack sputtered. Suddenly, his brain clicked and came to life. Jack's eyes widened as he realized the full implications of this meeting. Anthony sighed and cocked his pistol.\n\n\"I'm joining the enemy, Jack O'Lantern,\" Anthony said. Jack ignored the nickname. \"You should follow me as you always have, old friend --.\"\n\n\"F-follow you?\"\n\n\"Yes, follow me --,\" Anthony began.\n\n\"Why?\" Jack asked. \"Why would I do that?\"\n\n\"Because defeat is inevitable and I prefer not to die. Now stop questioning --,\" Anthony spoke quickly, getting impatient.\n\n\"So you'll leave the men?\" Jack felt a wrath build within him, fueled by his fears, his memories of death, the pervasive atmosphere of despair filling every nook and cranny, and most essentially, by his overwhelming tiredness. \"To save your own skin you will leave everyone, abandon everything, betray all that we hold sacred and true?\"\n\n\"I --,\" Anthony tried to speak but Jack just spoke over him.\n\n\"Do you know how long our fathers and forefathers kept our country safe? Do you know how many have shed their blood so that their children wouldn't have to? You may be the smartest, the bravest, the best, but have you ever looked at the poor? At the needy? The fools on the street?\"\n\n\"Yes I have,\" Anthony roared back. \"I lived that life once, or have you forgotten? I know --\"\n\n\"You may know but I doubt you remember,\" Jack interrupted yet again. \"Those orphans, those hungry children, they wouldn't be on the street if it weren't for the Million's Massacre or the Hollow Bombing --\"\n\n\"Those wouldn't have happened if --\"\n\n\"Oh, they would've happened,\" Jack said. He could feel his rage on his cheeks, in his eyes, as he considered the man he had once held as a hero. \"You can twist history whichever way you want, but the enemy will have always have killed those innocents.\"\n\n\"Why do you not get rid of this fool?\" the hologram, who had been viewing Jack with disgust, suggested. Anthony, without a second thought, aimed his pistol.\n\nBang! A speeding bullet ripped through the air before meeting flesh then muscle then bone. A whimper as the body fell to the rough earthen floor. Wide eyes stare upward. The air itself seems to stand still.\n\n\"Sir, are you alright?\" Jack was jerked back to the present. He nodded and shivered. Anthony lay before him, once a hero turned traitor.\n\nJack watched as a sheet was placed over the body and the hololink was severed. He watched as it was buried, under the cover of darkness, just beyond the fortifications. And he watched as he lead the men to victory the next day. And the day after. And the day after. He watched. \n\nAnd one day, Jack knew, he would watch as the streets of Hollow were rebuilt and the nation once again stood proud. Children would play in the street, unconcerned about the next day's meal, carefree and happy. One day, he knew. One day.",
"“I know,” I whispered as I heard him say the dreaded words. He had been expecting this hadn’t he? They had spent years killing on the battlefield for a government that they had lost faith in. Claims of unity and exploration were hard to sustain when the orders seemed to demand they murder any species that failed to assimilate to their “alliance”. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“We can join the redwings. They have a strong enough military to fight against the alliance. With our guidance they can become a force that ends this damn alliance, ” said Kal excitedly. Kal was always an optimist. He assumed everyone as talented as Kal would be. It’s hard to be pessimistic if you’re good enough to get through any obstacle in life with only a few scratches. Kal had talent no other being possessed. He had intellect, strength and a level of charisma that would make anyone die for his cause. It had almost got to me too.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“The redwings make their children fight each other to the death to cull the weak. We’d be advancing a society of warmongering demons,” I replied. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Maybe we’ll convince them not to. Maybe we can have them change. Maybe that kind of society is better than the one we live in. I’ve heard stories about organ trafficking and slave labor orchestrated by the upper levels of our government Tan. We’re definitely on the wrong side of things” \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“You said the same thing about the alliance and before that it was the second republic. Every government has its problem. We should try to fix it rather than changing ship every time we get bored or want to change sides”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThere was silence. Then an outburst. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Bored? Bored! I’m not Bored Tan. I’m fucking tired. How many have we killed Tan? How many beings have we outsmarted and murdered all while thinking we were doing what’s right? I don’t get it? I was the top of the academy. I was smart. I was supposed to change things but it hasn’t happened and now we’ve leapt from one society to the next leaving a trail of corpses and for what Tan?”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt took me awhile to reply and all I could say was: \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I’m sorry Kal”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Then lets go. Lets join the redwings.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I can’t Kal”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Why not? We’ve done this before”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Because of Christine”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAgain silence. I spoke up. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“You know you were always better than me at everything”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I know. But I also didn’t care. You were always a good friend”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“You know what I have to do”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I know”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I’m so sorry Kal”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI pointed my ship towards his. I could see his figure looking back up at me, his right hand placed on the cockpit window facing me. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“You were so good at everything. But that’s your problem. You’re too good to kill a friend”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI shot his ship twice. He didn’t make it. The last things he said was “Thank you Tan.” ",
"“Follow me, as you always have old friend.” I stared at his outstretched hand, confused.\n\n“What are you talking about?” I asked Madrid. He was talking nonsense, we had just finished laps and needed to go to bed. “You’re joining Blue Team?” We were playing them in soccer tomorrow after the last round of military exams. “I don’t know, you’re a good player, but that doesn’t mean you can single-handedly carry the worst team in our division to victory.” His hand dropped.\n\n“No, Rea.” He chuckled a little even though his voice sounded disappointed. “I’m leaving Atlanta and joining the Movement.” He pointed at a pair of headlights in the distance. “I have a way out, and I want you to go with me.” He looked at me with serious eyes, and I held his gaze.\n\nUnfortunately, I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. \n\nMadrid and I weren’t that close, we were just in the same friend group. He had always been at the top, of everything we did, whether it was athletics or academics. Our group had been together for years. This was our first year in military training, and it was the first year that it had just been Madrid and me. We still didn’t talk a lot, both of us were in the thick of difficult training and trying to remain in the program. \n\nMadrid was well liked among our friends, when we had been in primary and secondary school. I had joined the friend group a little late, being sucked in after I continually beat out everyone but Madrid in sports and class. They had been a high-achieving bunch, which was one of the only commonalities I had with them.\n\nHe broke into a laugh.\n\n“Oh wow, you should see the look on your face. I really had you going.” He bent over, laughing.\n\nI immediately felt embarrassed, self-conscious. I knew I was gullible, that was one of the reasons I stayed apart from the rest of the military academy students. I had been accepted into our friend group in primary school because they thought that my weaknesses were endearing, and I had stayed with them because I was afraid of trying to fit in with anyone else. \n\n“That’s not fair, we just ran twenty laps and I’m too tired to play along.” I let my voice get cranky. I didn’t know Madrid enough to let this fly-by, even if we were friends of seven years. Friends was being generous, we were acquaintances of acquaintances. Madrid had been closer to everyone else in the group, and the one person I had been close with was now my ex. “Why don’t you go find one of the meat-heads from your dorm to take my place in soccer tomorrow?” I started to walk away, back to m dorm.\n\nI don’t know why I agreed to play in the first place. Madrid had asked me over lunch, when there were other people talking about the game. I was good at soccer, it was one of the only sports that Madrid had never played in secondary school which meant I was VIP every year. However, those days were in the past, I hadn’t played since spring of my senior year. I suppose I had wanted to sound easy going.\n\n“Hey, Rea.” There were splashes in the wet grass behind me. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad.” He grabbed one of my hands.\n\n“Don’t touch me.” I said, retracting it immediately from his reach. It was strange, we had touched before. Bumping into each other in the halls or during combat training, there were many instances where I had brushed shoulders with Madrid. This felt different. “And It’s not just that I’m mad, you shouldn’t be talking treason at Highguard, you never know who might be listening!” Highguard Military Academy was the best military school in the country, and it only chose the best to attend. We were all training, to fight the Movement one day.\n\n“I’m sorry Rea, I was trying to be funny.” He looked apologetic enough for me to feel my point had come across, but not enough to forgive him. \n\n“Go back to your dorm, Madrid.” I said, annoyed by the mere sight of him. “I’ll see you at training.”\n\n“Rea-“ I turned and glared at him, then I was taken aback.\n\nHe looked vulnerable in the rain, a rare sight. His eyes were filled with regret.\n\n“I’ll get over it Madrid, you don’t have to look so-“\n\n“I’m sorry.” A gunshot rang.\n\nI felt an impact in the center of my chest, a little to the left. Looking down, I saw a red starting to seep heavily through my already wet running shirt. I didn’t feel it, but my legs gave way and I fell, slowly. Everything slowed. The rain slowed, my motions slowed, and my head turned slowly. \n\nThe rain was deafening, so I couldn’t hear him, but Madrid was yelling. He was being taken away, thrashing in the arms of two others that blended into the darkness of the night. He looked at me wildly and met my eyes.\n\n“Rea!” It wasn’t him that I heard, instead it was the voice of a familiar faculty member. I kept looking at Madrid, watching him and his two captors until they were consumed by the dark rain.\n\n“Rea! Can you hear me? Stay awake!” \n\n\\--\n\nThat next morning, the Chancellor of Highguard Military Academy made an announcement over the school speaker system. I heard everything from my bed in the infirmary.\n\n“This is an official Academy announcement. This is an official Academy announcement.” I had never heard one at school before, they were usually reserved for alumni that died in battle. There weren’t many deaths now, the war was more political now than physical. “Madrid Steel, a first-year, critically injured a student last night and is missing. Please report any information you main have to the main office.” I felt drowsy, I was on heavy pain medication. The announcement was repeated again, just to drill it in to everyone who hadn’t heard it the first time. Even in my drugged state, I heard everything clearly.\n\nMadrid wasn’t missing, the Academy told me they would not be saying the truth and that they expected the same from me. The truth was too dangerous, it would spark worry and fear in the Academy. We already knew the Movement was growing stronger again, after months of stalled political talks and neither side budging, they were starting to grow in numbers. We had all heard about it. \n\nI don’t think anyone guessed that Madrid would join the Movement. \n\n\\--\n\nr/JP_writings ",
"Damn Wendell.\n\nDamn rain.\n\nDamn cold.\n\nAnd what a god damn dilemma.\n\nWendell just dropped a bomb like that like it was nothing. Looked me straight in the eyes, with the usually poker face, and just told me that he was turning over the the side of our life-long enemies. Just like that. A 180 degrees change. And non surprisingly, he was inviting me once again to join on his little adventure.I was certainly flabbergasted. We spent 28 years fighting against the anti-Vaxxers. Fighting ignorance with knowledge, and sometimes intolerable stupidity with head shots. We helped built a better society for us, and for the future generations, as well as, and let's be honest here, our bank accounts due to doing the job that most people wouldn't. And out of freaking nowhere he wants to throw that down on the mud. \n\nJust. Like. That.\n\nBut he is indeed my oldest and dearest friend. I've followed him all my life. We've been through thick and thin. Made countless sacrifices so that we could endure this war and have hope of winning it. Truth be told, since we met all those year ago, I never could very well resist his proposals for trouble. And once again, I did feel something inside me persuading me to join in in the rebellious act. It felt like in my mind there was my younger teenager version trying to take control.I'm telling you, it was the hardest choice of my life. I thought and I thought. It was a god damn dilemma.\n\nBut in end, I did make a choice. Looking back now, after 3 decades past, the answer was kind of obvious if you think about it.He was almost like a brother to me and we did everything together.At the time I remember clearly looking up to the dark sky and yelling \"What the hell. Fuck it!\". We had been this far together. It was worth something.I gave him my honest and loving smile. I nodded and I hugged him. Surprisingly, he returned the smile! And listen here, I say surprisingly because he RARELY smiled. Not even when we cleaned out Rob Schneider. And he really didn't like him! We had spent 2 years making the perfect plan. We executed it perfectly and damn Wendell didn't even smirk. Uhm, sorry, I digress.\n\nYes... so, back to it. After recovering from being almost stunned by that unexpected smile, and being tired of the damn cold, I just wanted to get out of there. Told him to lead the way, and so he did.\n\nSlowest quick draw I ever pulled. My heart was feeling a tad heavy I guess. Of course, I didn't dare to miss. If I did, I'd be dead 5 seconds later.\n\nBut ye, the bullet went right through his skull. His body fell like a sac of cabbages. I stared at it ready to fire another round just in case. He was the toughest guy I knew. After a couple of minutes, I just left the corpse out on the damn rain. Didn't have time to pick it up and bury it. It was night, there was rain and it was cold. Perfect conditions to get the flu.\n\nFortunately I had my vaccines in order, but still, you don't want to risk your health, you know?",
"\"Why?\"\n\n\"They fight for something greater than simply overthrowing the government. They're fighting to reclaim freedom, true freedom. You've seen it haven't you, how the elites of this country live in unabashed luxury while the people starve to death? Don't you want to see that happen with your very hands?\"\n\n\"No. Now tell me the real reason.\"\n\n\"...I think their [Lady Commander](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHjFIwbvzo8) is cute.\"\n\n\"There we go. What's in it for me?\"\n\n\"Her [bodyguard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP4eWOEnY9Y) has been asking for you whenever I meet up with them secretly.\"\n\n\"Cute girl?\"\n\n\"I know you, she's just your type.\"\n\n\"Sign me up then.\"\n\n---\n\n[Soundtrack for the protagonist.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFRaZs6ri7s)\n\n[Soundtrack for the friend.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dll329ggLIY)",
"By now the carriage was mostly empty. A family of four who hadn’t said a word to each other since Islington sat in mutually agreed silence a few rows down, and a bearded man with two empty tins of lager lined up on the seat next to him snored rhythmically behind them. Coach B - the quiet coach, as Network Rail called it - had seldom been so quiet.\n\nOur words were hushed. The occasional lashing of the rain against our window might have afforded us a more conversational volume, but this was not a time to take such risks. We leaned close, our elbows resting on the table between us; our bodies a small tent of conspiratorial secrecy.\n\n“It’s happening,” he said. “They sent the message yesterday.”\n\n“Who? Who sent the message, Anthony-”\n\n“-Shh. Don’t call me by that name anymore. Call me something else.”\n\n“What should I call you?”\n\n“Anything, Toby, anything. Call me Pete. No, no. Call me Daniel. Yeah, Daniel is fine.”\n\n“Okay - *Daniel.* Who sent you a message?” Anthony cupped his hands over his mouth, shielding it from the peripheries like a nervous horse.\n\n“The Russians, Tobe. The fucking commies. I’m joining them.” Anthony leant back and grinned, placing his arms on the rests either side of his seat. He pulled out a cigarette from his inside pocket and placed it in his mouth, lighting it with the composure and contentedness of someone who had just finished a good book, rather than having just told their best friend that they were defecting to the Soviets. “Want one?” he asked, but I did not acknowledge the question. My efforts were exclusively focused on swallowing the guttural response that was trying to force its way out of my mouth. *Why the fuck was he joining the Russians?*\n\nThe train jolted and the patter of rain came to sudden halt. We were passing through a tunnel. Finally, I spoke.\n\n“Why, Anthony-”\n\n“Daniel.”\n\n“Sorry - Daniel. Why would you do that?”\n\n“I assumed that would be your first question, but unfortunately, it’s one of the few I’m unable to answer at this point in time. In short, they’ve already won. The question isn’t if, it’s when. Your next question will likely be ‘how do you know they’ve already won?’ -that’s where it gets tricky. I’ll explain, when I can. But I can’t right now. We don’t have the time for that, and I don’t have the security clearance yet.” I stared at him, blankly. Was this the man I had known for the past 33 years?\n\n“What do you expect me to do?” I asked. It felt as good a question as any.\n\n“Ah. This one I can answer. I want you to come with me.” He waved out his hands like a magician who had just mystified his audience.\n\n“Ant - you-”\n\n“Daniel, please Toby. It’s Daniel now.”\n\n“Daniel - you know I can’t come with you. The fucking soviets, Daniel?”\n\n“Keep your voice down.”\n\n“Do you think I’m mad? Do you know me at all?”\n\n“I know that you trust me, Toby. I know that you need to trust me again. Here. Now. You *need* to understand that I know things, Tobe. I’ve spoken to people. We don’t know shit here. The papers don’t know shit. The politicians don’t know shit. Your friends down the pub don’t know shit. But I do, mate. Can you entertain the notion that I might know what’s best for you here? Can you do that, Toby?” Anthony glanced out the window and then back to me. He looked unsettled now. The train pushed through another tunnel, popping my ears in the process.\n\n“If I’m going to trust you, you’re going to have to tell me more.”\n\n“I can’t. I just can’t right now. There’s no time.” He looked out the window again, this time more pointedly.\n\n“What’s the rush?”\n\nAt this, Anthony leaned past me, bringing his lips so close to my ear that I could hear the spittle on his breath.\n\n“Listen to me, and listen carefully. In about three minutes, this train is going to stop. Do you hear me? There are men waiting at the station. They’re waiting for you, Toby. If you get off the train, they’ll kill you. If you stay on the train - with me, Toby - they’ll welcome you with open arms. You’ll be safe. You'll be on the winning side.”\n\nThe train began to slow. The screeching of metal wheel on wet track peeled up through the carriage and into my entire being. Anthony’s glare was fixed on me now, I could feel it.\n\n“Anthony, I can’t-”\n\n“Toby, it’s *fucking* Daniel. Do I have to tell you again?”\n\nThe train shook to a halt. I looked out the window - the platform looked deserted. I looked back at Anthony. “Sorry, Ant. But this is fucking crazy. I can’t join the Soviets. I won’t.”\n\nAnthony didn’t move as I rose from my seat. He didn’t need to, because someone else already had. The drunk man - the sleeping man who I had assumed was lost in lager-fuelled stupor, snapped into life the moment my hands touched my bag. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, black pistol. My hand withdrew from the bag, and I turned to Anthony.\n\nHis face softened. “Toby, mate. Take a seat. Let’s talk this over.” \n\n\n\\*\\*\\* \n\n\nIf you enjoyed this, please consider subscribing to r/StoriesAreFunRight",
"“You fucking what?”\n\n“I’m switching sides,” he said, with total conviction in his eyes. I’ve always known that when he makes a decision, there’s no changing his mind. “This whole war is bullshit. I’m going to help the people who really need it. Come with me.”\n\nI’ve known Alex for my whole life. I’ve always strived to be the best, even though I knew I’d never be better than him. But I never would have expected this. \n\n“If you’re sure you have to go,” I said, “you should go.”\n\nAlex sighed, realizing there was no changing my mind either. He turned and started to head out. \n\n“Oh, and Alex?” I called after him. He turned to look at me, and with a loud bang and a muzzle flash, was met with a bullet to the head.\n\n“I guess I’m finally better than you.”",
"\"I'm joining the enemy,\" Vex said, his back turned to me. \"Follow me, as you always have, old friend.\" He was looking out over the battlefield, the tangled mess of bodies and armor that stretched to the horizon. He had led us there, and we had met our doom. Bled and consumed in a maelstrom.\n\nThe Red Host, shattered. Rent into pieces by the combined weight of the Militaria Imperiana. His men.\n\nOur men.\n\nIt had been obvious what the outcome would be before we joined the battle, but we had marched anyway. That was the power of Vex Davril. He made you believe anything was possible, even when it shouldn't be. Why not? The Crimson General had won, time and again. A legend in his own time, a man who knew no defeat, a man who would deliver the salvation of the Redlands.\n\nAnd now we were in ruins.\n\nA fraction of our forces remained, scattered in ramshackle camps along the foot of the Stonehand Mountains. The pass, the place we should have made our stand, where I had begged Vex to hold, lay open and undefended. We had marched from safety for glory. And now the Redlands lay exposed while our greatest general pondered treason.\n\nI let the quiet linger, my breath puffing out before me in the cool evening air. Vex and I had long walked the paths of our lives together. Him ahead, me behind, always in his shadow. In all of this time, I had been content, recognizing the better man.\n\nFaster. Stronger.\n\nSmarter?\n\nMaybe.\n\nPerhaps that is why he considered forsaking his oath and I did not. He saw things that I did not at times.\n\n\"Why now, Vex?\" I wondered why only after our destruction would he abandon us. Why not leave when we stood strong. Had treachery been his design this whole time? I left the last unsaid, daring not give voice to the chief of my fears.\n\n\"There is nothing left for me here.\" He turned back to me now, small rivulets of tears streaming down below fierce blue eyes. \"I saw victory, and I have been a fool.\"\n\nMy heart ached. For his pain. For our people. For what was to come. \"You are not the first General to make a decision that rebounded upon him.\" I took a step toward him. \"But you would be the first High Knight of the Redlands to cross the line,\" I paused, letting the weight of the statement settle between us, \"You will be a traitor.\"\n\nHis hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, \"They have made promises. Guarantees to spare the Redlands the sword if I come to them.\"\n\nI hocked a great gob of phlegm and spat it on the ground between us. \"The Emperor is not a man of honor, you know as well as I.\" I took a step closer to him, the steam of breath brushing up against his whiskered face. \"A traitor coaxed into bed with lies wakes to folly, Vex. You fought the wrong battle and now you let defeat cloud your mind.\"\n\nThere was a flash of anger in his features, but it quickly faded, replaced by the desolation from before. I wept my own tears when the red drained from his face, knowing that he was truly lost. That the black clutching at his heart had him too fully. That his anger at my provocation would not overcome his despair.\n\n\"You will not join me Barm?\" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.\n\nI squared my shoulders, looking him in the eyes, \"I will not.\"\n\n\"What will you do?\" He turned away, looking back over the battlefield.\n\n\"I will gather the Host.\"\n\n\"You will die,\" he replied.\n\n\"Then it will be as a man of the Redlands.\"\n\nHe nodded once, \"Then, for the first time, our paths diverge.\" He yanked at the buckle to his scabbard and let his sword clatter to the ground. Without a word or a glance, he began to walk down the hill toward the blood-soaked lands separating the armies.\n\nI watched him go, knowing the paths would find each other soon enough.\n\n**Platypus OUT.**\n\n**Want MOAR peril?** r/PerilousPlatypus"
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[WP] You just died in an accident. As you arrive at the gates of heaven, you are met by someone who asks you if you're willing to be reincarnated as a domesticated lower species because a family will be needing someone like you very soon. You'll be able to recall your past, but not communicate it.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Someone like me? Why me?\" I asked. I had just died in an accident. A drunken accident. Broken in heart, mind, and spirit, I turned to alcohol to numb the pain. My mistake and regret was driving, instead of telling the truth to my friends and family that I was in pain and needed them, I went by myself. Luckily the accident didn't involve anyone else, just myself and a tree.\n\n\"This family is on their way to pick up a dog. You have only a few minutes left before they arrive and you to take over that dog.\" The man said. I don't see anyone else but him, the large golden gates stood behind me. I don't even know why I'm here. I was never a believer of an afterlife. Still trying to register what's around me. I see nothing around. The white clouds around seem to stretch off into the distance for eternity.\n\n\"What if I choose not to be a dog?\" I asked. The man took a deep breath and sighed. \"Then you will enter these gates behind me, cut off from the current world as you know it. Your memories are erased, your desires are wiped as all your needs are provided, you will feel forever content.\" *Content*. I used to think I was content with my life, and that it was good enough. However, things changed one day and I realized content wasn't good enough for me, as it wasn't good enough for *her*. Saying I was content with life was a lie not only to other's but it was to myself. Content life wasn't a good life, it was *content*, the bare minimum. Being told I would live content for all eternity was not something I would want anymore. Living the life of a dog that for some reason needed someone like me sounded much better. I always enjoyed the feeling of being needed, *she* rarely needed me, but when *she* did, it was the best feeling in the world. I didn't care that no one else needed me, all that mattered was *her* needing me. I haven't been needed in a long time, and I feel that desire of being needed once again... \"I'll do it. I will go down and reincarnate as a dog.\"\n\n\"Very well.\" The man said, and immediately there was a bright flash that blinded me. I opened my eyes, and tried adjusting to the light. I hear high pitched barks around me, and I found myself in a cage, in front of me are two furry paws. My paws. The cage opens up, I'm lifted by a women wearing a face mask. I'm taken to another room and there I saw her. It was my mother in law. My ex mother in law. She petted all over me and examined me carefully. She said some words I didn't understand. She and the woman in face mask put me inside a kennel and I could feel myself being lifted off into the air.\n\nI arrived at their home. *Her* home. My dog instinct couldn't contain itself, fussing around frantically inside the kennel. I haven't seen *her* in months. Is she still here? Have she moved on? The door opens and I hear the immediate barking from the other two dogs. The home still smelled the same as it used to, still cluttered and a bit messy, but it was a home I always felt the most comfortable. I hear my ex mother in law calling out *her* name. She came down from the stairs. Being stuck inside the kennel, all I could see were her feet, her legs. Even after months of not seeing her, I could still recognize them. I see her tiny hands unlocked the kennel and reached in, pulling me out. She lifted me to her face, still beautiful as always. Her smile still warms my heart. \"Welcome home, Bagel.\" *Bagel*. The name we both gave to our imaginary dog. The dog that I was supposed to get when things get better. "
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[WP] The reclusive author known as “God” emerges from isolation after more than 2000 years and releases a new book.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\n( this sucked and I can’t write I’m sorry and my grammar sucks but I was bored af😂)\n\n\nI take my keys out the ignition of my car and open the door . I let out a loud sigh as i sauntered to my apartment. “Fuck!” I scream in my head. “ I’m so fucking tired of this shit, working, waking up, going to school and repeat. What kinda life is this ? “ I think to myself. I open the front door and throw my keys on the coffee table and collapse on the couch. I grab the remote and turn on the tv. “ there’s nothing better to do anyway...” . I click through each channel and roll my eyes. “ SAME OLD FUCKING SHIT” . I click through a few more times and give up and leave it on the news. I put the remote down and turn away from the tv “ boring as usual” I mumble to myself and close my eyes. I start to drift off. As I’m drifting off I hear something on the tv that immediately wakes me up. “ I CANT BELIEVE IT TERRY, god HIMSELF HAS COME OUT WITH A NEW BOOK” . I sit up quickly in disbelief and stare at the tv as my jaw slowly starts to drop. “ what kinda stupid ass shit is this?” I think to myself . However, I keep watching. “ YEP, I CANT BELIEVE IT TOO ALY, THE book was just released and written today by god himself! For a second there I thought he was never gonna come back! the funny thing is terry, it only has one page ” I can’t believe this is happening I say in confusion to myself as my eyes are glued to the television . “ what is the book called aly?” I lean into the tv in dismay.“ THE FUNNY THING IS TERRY, the book is called ‘why I left’ and i don’t want to spoil anything for you on to what he had to say .... but I just have to terry!!! When you open the book there’s a single page stating why he left!!” “ NOW WHY IS THAT ALY?” My jaw is wide open now and my eyes are dry from not blinking, I am in total shock,. “Well terry, when you open the book it has one sentence and its stated “ the reason why I left is because y’all are annoying...... bye oh and p.s y’all are on your own I’m out of here motherfuckers.”. “ haha! Ally wow! God himself! We’ll be back with the full covering of the shooting on McGuire street” . The tv turns black for a second then come the commercials. I lay back down and think “ how fucking boring was that?” And fall asleep.\n\n",
"You are looking through your twitter feed, and you see something. A tweet, with thousands, no, *millions* of likes and retweets. The tweet reads,\n\n***'Hello. I know it's been awhile, but I just wanted to announce my long-awaited sequel to my hit book,*** **The Bible.** ***I will be releasing my new novel in a couple weeks, titled*** **The Bible 2: The Second Flood,** ***so make sure to look out for it in your local bookstore on February 2nd! #SecondFlood #Bible #ImBack'***\n\nYou are left very confused, until you decide to look at the profile. A blank white picture rested next to a name: God, or @TheRealGod. You shrug it off as a joke from a random person. But you hear a voice in your head, deep and ancient. The voice rumbles with authority, but with an air of generosity and kindness. The voice says, \n\n'*No, that's really me. 2,000 years gives you such a crick in the neck! Or at least I think how the line goes. Anyway, you should read the book. Since I'm feeling nice, I'll give you a early copy of* The Second Flood. *Take care.'*\n\nThe voice fades away as a thick book plops down on the table in front of you. The cover of the book is almost blank, except for a few golden words, reading \"*The Bible 2: The Second Flood.\"*"
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[WP] The last human on Earth writes a message in a bottle.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"A barren wasteland. Abandoned buildings, tumbleweeds, and debris as far as the eye could see. The atmosphere was surreal, like something out of a cartoon, but Jack had gotten accustomed to it. The last of his kind, the human race, he hadn't seen another person in over a decade. The last remnants of human life were the vast rows of local shops, restaurants and chain stores along the streets of his town. Jack would often visit these dilapidated, forsaken buildings. The more and more Jack reminisced upon his past life, the worse he felt. He yearned for social interaction, just one last time. He craved something he knew wasn't possible any more. Emotional connection to another human being. The only reason Jack had survived as long as he did alone is, because he always had hope that he wasn't the only one still alive. However, deep down, Jack knew that he wouldn't find another human being. One day, he brought himself to a state of rationality, realizing that the time to go had come. He visited his parent's shop, one last time to pay his respects. It was a local mini-mart, once a common destination for travelers, tourists and townsfolk alike, now only occasionally roamed by Jack. As he entered the shop, a wave of nostalgia struck Jack. He was hit like a truck, brought to his knees, tears forming in his eyes. Sad nostalgia overwhelmed him immensely, bringing emotions that he hadn't felt in years. As he recollected, he realized that his parents had always been there for him, even when they physically weren't. Memories embedded into his brain, vivid pictures instilled into him, etched into his memory. His parents had ingrained into him every life lesson, piece of advice and spell of happiness they could until the day they were gone. Jack lingered throughout the shop after he got up and thanked his parents for everything they had done up until that point. In a bottle, he slipped in his letter expressing these emotions, placed it on the counter and took a deep breath. He knew it was time to say goodbye.\n\"I'll see you soon, Mom, Dad.\" He spoke gently.\n#bang",
"To whoever finds this message,\n\nMy name is Dr. Adam Collins, and right now, I am the last living person on Earth. I write this message in the hopes that if we don't make it, whoever finds it may learn from our mistakes. You see, before we turned our world into an acrid wasteland, Earth was a paradise, bursting with life. Before the skies were filled with fallout, before the seas turned toxic, life filled every square inch of our planet, from the icy-cold tundra of the north to the sky-high canopies of the rainforests to the dark depths of the oceans. It was as close to paradise as you could get. And we ruined it.\n\nThough mankind had evolved to become the dominant species on Earth, we didn’t always act in her best interests. We felled her forests, drained her of oil, overfished her oceans… we took, and took, and took, and never gave back. Instead, we filled her skies with toxins from our factories, polluted her waters with garbage, and drove countless species to extinction, all in the name of humanity.\n\nWhy? Why were we willingly killing our planet? What would drive us to destroy the only world we knew as home? It’s not an easy question to answer. Overpopulation, greed, a never-ending thirst for war... just those factors alone could be enough to topple civilizations. We had all that and then some. Cities were bursting at the seams, with little work and food to go around. Wealth was concentrated among the elites who kept wanting more and more.\n\nIn time, the masses started to notice that food was starting to become scarcer. The ice caps were melting as global temperatures rose. Entire fish populations were dying off as the oceans started to turn toxic. You’d think that mankind would come together to solve this crisis, right? Well, you’d be wrong. Those in power simply raised the prices of everything and went about their business, leaving the others to fend for the scraps.\n\nIt wasn’t until the oil reserves went dry that things finally went to hell. Riots broke out everywhere as people who had suffered too much for too long finally had enough. Countries started to go to war, fighting over the few remaining resources. By the time peace was finally declared, we had lost over a third of our population to the war and rendered entire countries unlivable. By then, it was too late. We had pushed our planet past the point of no return.\n\nWe gathered together what remained of our greatest minds and they all came to the conclusion that it was too late for Earth. The damage we had done to its ecosystems were too severe for it to bounce back from. Every idea that they came up with to try and save the planet would only serve to delay the inevitable. The only feasible solution was the unthinkable: We had to leave the only planet we called home.\n\nThings fell into place quickly once the decision was made to put Project Ark into action. They had to; we didn’t have a lot of time left. As we started to build the space stations and ships that would take us from our home, we planned out locations for colonies on the moon and Mars. There was even talk of going as far out as Titan. Every country that was still standing took a full census of their remaining population. Everyone had to be accounted for; we could not fathom leaving a single person behind. We even went out and gathered as many animals and plants as we could. Anything we couldn’t get, we made sure we had DNA samples for. The entire planet would be evacuated, one way or another.\n\nAs Launch Day approached, there were attempts to sabotage the launch. It was inevitable. Some people did not want to leave Earth, some felt that we deserved our fate for screwing up the planet so badly. They had a good point: What’s to say we wouldn’t end up destroying our new home as well? In the end, Launch Day still arrived and humanity bid farewell to Earth. The image of Earth as the rockets left the atmosphere was hauntingly unforgettable to everyone who saw it. Gone were the green forests and blue oceans. The pale blue dot that we had called home had turned into a dingy yellow orb of death.\n\nEventually, humanity settled into life in the colonies. We weren’t thriving at first, but we managed to survive. It’s our species’ greatest asset, after all—the ability to adapt to our surroundings. We replaced fossil fuels with solar energy and renewable biofuels, and recycling was pretty much mandatory due to the lack of resources. The ships we arrived in were even designed to be taken apart and used for building materials if needed. Yes, the loss of Earth still hurt, but we emerged stronger for it. And we haven’t forgotten about her.\n\nSince we first established the colonies, there were always plans to return to Earth someday. Some ideas were pipe dreams, others required far more effort than we could ever hope to muster, but it was always there in the back of everybody’s minds. To that end, we sent probes to Earth every few decades to track the levels of radiation and toxins. When they reached an acceptable level, the colonies decide to enact what would become known as Operation: Genesis, a plan to re-seed the Earth with plants selectively grown and modified to not only grow in the toxic environment of Earth, but transform its land and atmosphere into a more habitable state. \n\nIt has been five hundred years since the start of Operation: Genesis. I have been on Earth for two weeks now. There are still many parts of the world that are too toxic to sustain life, but I have found a few habitable locations. The seas are still in bad shape, but we introduced an algae several decades ago that is slowly helping to clean it up. In the meantime, I’ve established a small outpost that also doubles as a research station; the research crew should be arriving next week.\n\nI am the last person on Earth, but not for long. We will restore our planet. We will return home.\n\nSigned,\n\n\n\nDr. Adam Collins\n\nDirector, Operation: Genesis",
"I don't know why I'm bothering. No one will ever read this. Everyone else is dead. The fallout shelters were worse than useless, the early warning systems all failed, and every military in the world couldn't stand against whatever did this to us.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut what else do I have to do? I only have a few hours left, if I don't off myself before then. Wouldn't you, if you were the last person alive, and you knew some unseen force would wrench the life out of you with no remorse?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy name is Sam Warner. I was a nobody in life, and now I'm a nobody in whatever you can call this hell of an existence. I'm a nobody, but I'm the only person in the world. How sad is that?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI guess I'll chronicle things as best as I can, in case some sentient life exists in the universe and finds this shell of a planet and wonders how some unknown civilization was apparently destroyed in the span of a month. It started at sunset, on the 26th of December, 2025. A regular Friday, the day after Christmas. Everyone I know was still celebrating the Christian holiday with family, even if they weren't Christian. Personally, I've always hated the holiday season, but I guess that's what you get when you're a maladjusted adult child of narcissists. The thought of other people enjoying the time with their loved ones made me bitter, so I was alone. All I know is, the sun set, and suddenly my upstairs neighbors were silent. I didn't think anything of it--in fact, I was relieved. They'd been laughing and drunkenly singing carols up there for the last two hours, and I was beginning to get something of a headache from the noise. So when they miraculously shut the hell up for the first time since dawn that day, I felt like I could finally relax.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt wasn't until I turned on the TV later to watch the new episode of Supernatural that I saw the news.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHalf the planet's population, dead. Autopsies were being conducted, but the causes of death ranged absurdly from aneurysm to hypoglycemic shock to stage 4 pancreatic cancer that no one had caught. Stuff I'd never heard of, diseases that had been cured for decades, one guy died of a blood clot brought on by a stubbed toe. Any way, every way, the Grim Reaper had decided to take his job more seriously that day, and we paid the price.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJust when the world had recovered from its shock and begun to process the events, it happened again. Sunset of the 27th, the population of Earth was halved again. There was no apparent pattern. No one knew why it was happening, or how, or who would be next. By the third sunset, it was apparent we weren't long for this world. Religion became a drug, while suicide rates skyrocketed. World leaders were issuing statements that meant nothing, preachers were shrieking in the streets about how our sin had brought this down on us. The Buddhists probably sat, unconcerned, comforted by their faith in reincarnation. But I'm sure some of them also realized that, without anybody to repopulate the earth, their only options were wild animals, and from what I understand, that's a bit of a downgrade.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI stayed in my apartment for two weeks straight. No one contacted me, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. The few acquaintances I had either didn't think of me, or secretly hoped I'd been culled in the first bout of deaths. After a while, though, I started to run out of food, so I made a trip to the store. There was no one there. I didn't live in a particularly large city, and I didn't know what that meant for the odds of survival. I almost gave up right then, wondering what the point was to try and survive a phenomenon that had, most likely, taken the lives of everyone I'd ever known. But oddly enough, walking around the empty aisles became sort of soothing, and I stayed longer than I needed to. It wasn't like there were a lot of options; the store had been nearly emptied long before I'd even thought of coming. But I grabbed a loaf of bread and some meat and cheese and headed out, stopping only to grab a pack of Oreos on the way out. Impulse buys always get me.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd still, the deaths continued. Every day, right at sunset, half the population dropped dead. The lights in my neighborhood went out around day 20, the water three days later. I made sandwiches and put them in little baggies, got my Oreos, and got in the car on day 25. That was 5 days ago. I've done the math. Today, at sunset, I die.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was only a couple hours' drive to get to the beach. I haven't been here since I was a kid. I won a vacation to some fancy resort when I was 11, and my mother insisted it really should have been hers, since she was the one who paid for whatever candy or snack I'd bought that contained the winning numbers. But the company assured her that the whole family was offered the vacation, not just the one who'd won, and she sniffed and said she guessed that was fine. So we packed our bags for a one-week getaway and stayed at the resort. It was the only time in my life I'd felt safe--away from the familiarity of the house, and out from under my parents' noses. I would go to the beach for hours and just sit there, despite the cold, despite the sunburn, and watch the waves come in and go out, like the ocean was breathing. I figured it was as good a place as any to die.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe sun has just started to set. There's clouds, puffy and elongated, turning pink-orange as the sun's rays bounce through the atmosphere, or whatever the reason is for the sky changing colors at sunset. The thick clouds would probably bring rain tomorrow, but I'll never know. I'm watching them roll towards shore, and they're getting kind of purple now. I wonder how I'll die. Hopefully something fast and painless, like an aneurysm or seizure. Something that... that I won't know it's happening until it's too late.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe sun is gone. It's gone. Oh god. Oh. Oh god. What if I don't die? What if I have to keep living? What if I have to... No. No, if whatever killed the rest of the world doesn't kill me, I'll do it myself. That would be better. That would be better than this. Better than walking around, completely alone, for the rest of time.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDoes the world exist if I die? If there's no one left to perceive it, does it sti"
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[WP] You wake up greeted by a blue screen hovering in front of your eyes. “You have slept in your own bed. 100% HP and MP recovered, all negative mental and physical status effects have been recovered. You have received the Well Rested bonus, -90% fatigue accumulation for the next 8 hours. ”
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
" \n\nI just began to wake up when bright blue light flashed my eyes. What the hell?! Blinking fast I tried to open my eyes and adjusted to the light. Letters in front of me.\n\n\\-You have slept in your own bed. 100%HP and MP recovered, all negative mental and physical status effects have bin recovered. You have received the Well Rested bonus, -90% fatigue accumulation over the next 8 hours. -\n\n“Man, I figured it out” a voice from the left exclaimed happily. \n\nSlowly I turned my head and saw Ed standing next to me, the youth looked at me with glimmer at his eyes. “Don’t you understand”\n\nI blinked again, slowly waking up. “Ed what is going on, can you please move the tablet from my face”\n\n“Yeah it was kind of getting heavy anyways” and with that he moved the tablet with the simmering letters away from my bed. “But can you see that’s the solution…”\n\nI rubbed my eyes, trying to keep up “Solution to what?”\n\nEd shook his head “To the raid, I figured out how we can be the World’s First”\n\nThat got my attention “Seriously, how?”\n\n“You see the bonus, if we have the -80% fatigue we can escape the meteorstorm without the short breath debuff.”\n\n“And with that we might have a good shot at the lich” I added, my thoughts racing at the new-found possibilities, was that really the solution? \nMy heart raced at the though of getting the First kill on one of the major dungeons, wed be like rock stars.\n\n“That really sounds … no wait we can´t do that, the buff vanishes when you switch instances.”\n\nFor a second it looked like Ed´s spirit was down, but than a broad smile broke free “I know I thought of that” Ed said grinning wildly “But you can cast Dimensional Shelter, I always thought that spell to be completely useless, but with it we should be able to rest in the Dungeon ….”\n\nI immediately jumped out of bed and into some cloths. “That might just work, lets test it out” And with that I hurried to my Gaming station. ",
"I was sleeping. That's it. Like many other people I was sleeping on a day that I hoped would be normal. Spoilers, it wasn't normal.\n\nI opened by eyes and yawned. There was some sunlight peeking in through the blinds, with some birds chirping and singing...\n\nI looked in front of me and saw a blue screen of sorts. Just hovering there. Some white text appeared on it.\n\n\"You have slept in your own bed. 100% HP and MP recovered. All physical and mental status effects have been removed.\"\n\nAnd then there was something about a well rested bonus? Is this a video game? Can I jump on people's heads and kill them?\n\nI shoved myself out of bed and changed into something decent. I did play video games quite a bit, maybe that had anything to do with this weird screen thing? MP is Magic Points, can I cast spells now?\n\nEventually before I left for school, I decided to test this weird video gamey shit, so I went over to my table and straight up kicked it. Hard.\n\nWell that was painful. I found myself holding my foot in pain, with, low and behold, the screen appearing.\n\n\"96/100 HP\" It said with a red bar underneath that was slightly drained now.\n\nEventually I just shrugged off both the pain, and the screen, and headed for school.\n\n-----\n\nI might continue this later, but for now I'll stop, it's getting late but I'll likely just stay up anyway. Hope you enjoyed."
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[WP] The concept of preparing a meal with taste in mind is completely alien to the galactic community. Most sentient races haven't considered eating as anything more than a basic life-function. That all changes when humans arrive, and a whole new world of dining is opened to the galaxy.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Herx was observing her new human crew mate. He appeared to be combining his rations in a large iron pot. Nothing too unusual, except she had been observing him for close to two earth hours. She flicked her whiskers and decided to approach him. \"Pardon me, but why is human nutrition so complex?\"\n\nFor a second the human appeared startled, he didn't seem to have noticed her approach. \"What do you mean?\" He asked confused.\n\n\"You've spent several earth hours preparing your nutrients, while yet adding more different types.\"\n\nThe human barred his teeth, an expression she had learned meant the human was pleased with himself. \"Oh this? I'm just adding spice. It becomes better when I cook it longer.\"\n\nHerx tilted her head. \"Better, so it will give you more long lasting energy?\"\n\nThe human shaked his head. \"Nah, it just tastes better!\"\n\nHerx tapped nervously on her wristband translator. Was this old thing finally busted? \"Taysts? I believe my translator must be malfunctioning. What is this tayst you speak of?\"\n\n\"You know... Flavour.\" The human waved one of his hands in an explaining manner, but uttered yet another weird sounding untranslatable word.\n\nHerx started blankly at her crew mate.\n\nThe human appeared to think for a second. \"It's like.. a pleasant feeling in your mouth! Different food feels different.\" \n\nThis was hard to wrap her head around. A pleasant feeling in her mouth? So like being groomed, but in her face? She was sceptical.\n\n\"May I try this pleasant food you're describing?\"\n\nThe human stepped aside, and offered Herx a spoon of whatever was cooking in the pot. She sniffed at it cautiously, before lapping it up with her tongue. Her expression changed from caution, to confusion, to excitment.\n\n\"This is pleasant!\" She exclaimed, both of her tails wagging from side to side.\n\nThe human barred his teeth again. \"Told you so! Want some more?\"\n\nShe nodded eagerly.\n\n\n--\nFirst writing prompt I've ever answered, English is not my native language, and I'm writing on my phone. Please be gentle :)",
"before the humans came we all just considered hunger like defecation, just another bodily function. if you felt hungry you just found the nearest nutrient block dispenser and ate. nothin special about it. then the humans barged into the bland deidear party that was the galaxies culinary culture with a battering ram made of flavor \n\nsome species found them repulsive for trying to do this. everyone else frankly dove in. humans opened their \"resteraunts\" slowly at first, to get the galaxy used to the idea of it, but they found that after the first meal people would spread the word fast. \n\ntheir solar system was flooded with tourists, all trying to get their hands on the new foods. during this flood we found out what foods would kill each species, though you have to admit those first few people to try these new foods were brave. their \"chocolat\" quickly became popular amoung the amonu and may or may not have been a cause of 1 or 2 assassinations. \n\nthe humans at first tried to keep their culinary secrets hidden, but they had not prepared for nanoscopic cameras. after a bit of trial and error, the gewar figured out how to make the human \"steek\" out of almost any big enough animal, and that opened the floodgates. now other races are experimenting with foods, but many think humans will stay the forfront of culinary mastery for the near future. "
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[WP] You are Dionysus, god of wine. you also operate a bar on Mount Olympus where all the gods come and get drunk after a bad day
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"'Oh, Dio. It's hopeless.'\n\nHephaestus slumped onto the bar and smacked his forehead on the wood.\n\n'Oi!' I shouted. 'It's good wood, that. Came straight from the Elysian Fields and I'll not have you mucking it up.'\n\n'Sorry,' sniffed Hephaestus, and transferred a trail of slime from his nose to his sleeve. I sighed. The bar wasn't open for another fifteen minutes but for some reason I always let the big oaf in early. Well, when you're the god of wine, \\*everyone\\* wants to chat and you can't really refuse.\n\n'Look at you!' Zeus had said to me one time as I poured him another flagon. 'Just like a mortal barman!'\n\nWell, he apparently thought this was \\*so\\* funny that he conjured up The Ambrosian - an immortal bar with an immortal barman, and I the fool who pours the drinks.\n\nMy brother and I couldn't be more different. Well, half brother I suppose, but it doesn't seem to make much difference up here. After all, Zeus and Hera were brother and sister and - actually, upon reflection, scratch that. I'm sure my brother and I would have killed each other twice over if we were full-blood relatives.\n\n'Look, Heph,' I said, refilling his glass. 'You've got to understand your position. She's the god of \\*fertility\\*, for Olympus' sake. And you're - well, you're a well meaning, heavy built guy with a lame foot.'\n\nHephaestus looked up at me with his big, pathetic eyes. Zeus be damned, I loved the guy, but for Hades sake I wish he'd grow a pair.\n\nHephaestus hiccoughed. I raised an eyebrow; he downed his drink.\n\n'Good; get that stuff down you. But I tell you what though, mate, you're never going to get her back with a face like that.'\n\nHephaestus wiped the little of his face I could see. The rest of it was covered in his stupid thick beard.\n\n'I like my face,' he whimpered.\n\n'Well, Aphrodite didn't, or she wouldn't have run off with that war-crazy, battle-hungry prick.'\n\nHephaestus took one look at his empty glass and promptly burst into tears again. I took the glass, filled it up again, passed it back, and watched him down it.\n\n'I don't know what to do, Dio. You always know what to do. You're good at women.'\n\n'That's true,' I said, and winked. 'But I tell you what's better than women?'\n\n'What?' he asked. I took the glass, filled it up for a third time, and gave it back.\n\n'Revenge.'\n\nHephaestus twirled the glass in his hands. I looked at him meaningfully.\n\n'Are you trying to get me drunk?' he asked.\n\n'What? No!' I said innocently.\n\n'Because you know what happened last time I got drunk with you.'\n\n'Oh, yes!' I exclaimed, and couldn't resist clapping my hands together. 'I wish you could have seen it from our perspective, Heph. Seeing that lump of a woman stuck in that chair! I couldn't contain myself. Your finest work, my friend.'\n\n'It was a bit mean.'\n\n'The woman threw you down to Earth and left you to die. I think we can allow ourselves a bit of levity with the hag.'\n\n'That's not what you said when you were dragging me up the mountain in a net.'\n\n'Yes, well, one can only laugh for so long before you get rib pains, and Zeus was starting to look pretty pissed. Anyway, you fixed it, Hera got her fat arse out of the chair, you got back to doing whatever it is you do, and it's given me an idea.'\n\nI put on a grin which I hoped would convey all I needed to. Apparently Hephaestus wasn't well versed in telepathy, so I spelled it out.\n\n'Instead of you in the net being dragged up the hill, it's you doing the dragging. And in the net -'\n\nWe shared a look that only half-brothers could share. A light came into his eyes. He leaned forward and whispered to me in his gruff voice.\n\n'Can we do it?'\n\n'Of course we can!' I exclaimed again. 'You're the best blacksmith in the biz, Heph. You can make a chain that no one, not even gods can escape. And then you drag them up the mountain, present them in front of Zeus and boom boom pow - you get your dowry back, Aphrodite gets dabbed on, and Ares gets a spear shoved so far up his arse it comes out the other end of his stupid, thick, Titanish face.'\n\nHephaestus grinned.\n\n'You're such a drama queen,' he said. The glass was still in his hand.\n\n'Drink up, buddy,' I said, gesturing towards the glass. 'We've got plans to make, and an infinite amount of time to make them.'",
"God of booze. God of perpetually drunk. God of blackouts. God of hangovers. Everyone knew Dionysus and despite the fall of his cult everyone knew where to find him.\n\nCompared to the rest of Olympus the little bar was shabby and rundown with an old sign poorly nailed to the top labeling the place 'through the grape vine'. It was dark, unkept, depressing. At least the outside. It was built to look like the place people wanted to go to, at least in terms of gods.\n\nWhen he had opened the door it felt like a whole new world. Though there was booths and a nice oak bar with gorgeous red stools, most of the building was open and sunny. Plants peaked through the cracks in the wood, in the windows grew flowers of every hue filling the bar's oak presentation with a spice of color.\n\nIt wasn't awful, this job. Yeah.. the drama that happened was ridiculous for some of the gods but what was he to do? Let his colleagues suffer?\n\nWhen the flickering neon 'open' sign flicked on it wasn't too long until someone burst through the door. He was young and gorgeous, long blond hair covering most of him as he slumped over. His shoulders shook with sobs as he dramatically threw himself to the bar stool where Dionysus sat cleaning a glass.\n\n\"Do you have alcohol that can turn me into a plant?\" \n\n\"Apollo, you said that about Daphne and, Acantha. You know the answer.\"\n\nApollo buried his face in his arms and hair and through many sobs choked out a somewhat distinguishable 'But he was different, he loved me!' Dionysus frowned and patted the sun god on the arm. \n\n\"Here 'pollo. I got some good Nordic mead from Aegir. I'll pour you a glass and you can tell good old Dionysus everything. That sound good buddy?\" He asked running a hand through his black hair before turning around and looking through the various bottles on the chilled rack. Apollo let out a muffled sound of sad agreement. Dionysus grabbed a mug and proceeded to fill it from the tap of a keg on the bottom of the shelves and handed it to his patron.\n\n\"Zephyr hit him with a damn discus... And.. and.. my love.. Hyacinth.. he died!\" Apollog cried out grabbing the handle of the mug and drinking.\n\nDionysus leaned into the counter to listen. \"What's this about a plant then?\" He asked raising an eyebrow.\n\nApollo sighed. \"I turned him into a flower to preserve his beauty...\"\n\nDionysus nodded. \"It's okay Apollo.\" He assured. \"Just drink up, tab's on me tonight.\"",
"God of wine, debauchery and an all around good time. That's me. Now, most of the time it's fun, crashing mortal parties, playing pranks and making a general nuisance of myself. But dear old dad decided I needed to learn some responsibility. Pfft. Pot calling the kettle incestuous if you ask me. As she goes, though, I was \"gifted\" a bar on high Olympus, doomed to drown the discontents of any who come with an empty glass or a broken heart. I'm starting to think I picked the wrong religion. \n\nFirst customer of the day breezed in. Wouldn't you know it, my jailer himself.\n\n\"Zeus.\" I said flatly as he stumbled in and dropped onto my bar. Without lifting his head, he stuck out a chalice in my direction. I considered filling it with pine pitch but thought better of it. I topped him off and watched as his bleary eyes tried desperately to find the one real cup out of the three, (four maybe?), that he saw. After a few false starts he was able to down the glass in one. A few more patrons had entered and were milling about at the other end of the bar, so I let his head slam against the marble and walked away. \n\n\"Hey Ath. Long day?\" I asked the grumbling warrior princess. Shes a tough nut, but means well and is sharper than Neptune's trident. Not that I'd say that to fish face. We got to shooting the shit, talking about Earth, the mortals, the little wars they were playing at. Nice relaxing conversation for the first time in a while. Then that god awful honking started from across the bar and I had to attend to his royal pain in my ass. \n\nI got there just in time to see him turn back into a god instead of that disgusting sex-goose he was so fond of. \"What'd'ya want *dad*?\" I asked, hoping some malice would permeate into his skull. \n\n\"Only one I want *hic* calling me *daddy* is that little *diddy* over there.\" He said with a grin that may have been mischievous if he could keep his eyes from drooping for more than a second.\n\n\"Oh. You mean your sister?\" I asked, drier than the wine he had resumed guzzling.\n\n\"Hashsn't shtopped me before mahboy.\" He said, forcing himself off the stool and promptly falling onto the floor. I shook my head and walked away. \n\nI looked over to another corner of the bar and saw that Hephaestus was a few moments away from throwing Ares right off the entire mountain. I sent over the bouncer, Nike, to settle Ares down before he got himself hurt. Again.\n\nA piercing shriek filled the building. Prometheus was getting his liver ripped out. That meant happy hour. One by one the familiar faces trickled in. Tyche had set up a poker game in back again, which Hypnos was cheating at. It's always fun to watch how that plays out, luck versus trickery. They usually both break about even and spend whatever profits they may have filched from some of the unluckier gods. Keeps the wheels greased I suppose. \n\nNemesis was sitting in a corner sulking, when Iris came in to inform her that her date had stood her up. Surprise surprise. Every week she sets a date with Janus, and every week he talks himself out of it at the last second. Some people never learn. At this point I don't think anyone in this godforsaken bar can.\n\nZeus was halfway into talking some lesser demi-god into a \"wild goose chase\", whatever that means, when Hera showed up and started kicking him in the head. Nike looked over but I held her back for a while. Eventually Zeus just up and left by his own volition and Hera stopped for a drink. I have no idea how she puts up with that beast, but if I'm being honest, I'd say shes the strongest Olympian. Much more than spark plug.\n\nPoseidon and Hades entered in through the back and got to talking. Nothing too important, just shooting the shit. You know, how may innocent souls in Hell, how many sailors met a watery grave today. Shop talk. They're on my good list and they drink for free. Not much rabble rousing happens with the gods of Earth and Hell are trying to have a quiet drink. \n\nI heard a rabble of wings outside so I topped off the braziers and announced last call. Of course, people weren't thrilled, but that's the rules. Apollo stepped in, bringing the sun with him. Tradition says he gets the last drink of the night. I pushed everyone out and started to clean while Mr. Sunshine enjoyed his wine. He's a good kid, doesn't cause trouble and is usually very punctual. I cleaned the last of the goblets, up-righted the tables and locked up. As always Demeter was there asking how my night went. It's not glamours but at least its an honest living, which is more than I can say for most of the patrons and saints we get in here. ",
"It was a rather slow day for him, but Dionysus didn't mind. After all a slow day for him, meant that most gods managed to solve their problems instead of drowning them. He was cleaning his bronze cups, when the door crashed open. Zeus stomped into the bar, his head fire red, while mumbling angry to himself.\n\n\"Zeus my man... what has you so worked up?\", Dionysus asked.\n\nZeus was still furious, letting himself fall onto a barstool with loud thunder.\n\n\"She said she liked swans. Why are humans never clear on what they want?\"\n\n\"Liked swans? Oh I get it, you tried to seduce a mortal again, didn't you?\"\n\nHe took a bronze cup out of the shelf and put it in front of the mad god. As soon as Zeus looked at it, it was filled to the rim with the finest wine. Grabbing it with force he lead it to his lips, shacking with anger and started chugging. Gallons of wine poured into Zeus throat, but the cup showed no signs of getting emptying.\n\n\"Do you know why I called this place *The Endless Cup*? Because there is no problem, that can't be drowned here.\"\n\nAs if on cue quiet sobbing could be heard from underneath the bar. With a short kick from Dionysus, the noise ended. Zeus finally put down his cup and tried to peer over the bar, but was quickly distracted by Dionysus.\n\n\"Buddy, this is the same problem you had when you tried to get on with that entomologist.\"\n\n\"She was fascinated by ants!\", Zeus screamed.\n\n\"That doesn't mean, she wants to have sex with one! Did you electrocute the swan lady as well?\"\n\n\"No... I couldn't.\"\n\n\"Oh! Well, that is a step into the right direction. What held you back? Did you realize the value of mortal life?\"\n\n\"Hera took my lightning bolts away.\"\n\nA loud smack echoed through the room, as Dionysus hit his own forehead. Again sobbing was heard from underneath the bar.\n\n\"What is that?\", Zeus asked, trying to lean over the counter for a better look.\n\n\"Nothing.\", Dionysus silenced the noise with another kick.\n\n\"You know Zeus, I think I understand your problem. You need to be more confident in yourself. Instead of shape shifting into whatever you think the ladies want, you should just be proud of who you are and what you look like.\"\n\nZeus pretended to listen to him, though not very convincing. As he became convinced Dionysus was distracted by his own speech, he quickly jumped over the bar. Curled up in a ball of sadness lay Apollo. He looked up at Zeus, his eyes red from tears and continued suckling on a tube, reaching down from a barrel of wine.\n\n\"What is he doing?\", Zeus asked.\n\n\"He is drinking, don't judge him. Apollo hasn't left the bar in a few decades, but I'm sure, it'll get better any day now.\"\n\n\"What is getting better? Why is he drinking?\", Zeus looked between the two gods in confusion.\n\n\"Well, he is the god of music.\"\n\n\"Yes... and?\"\n\n\"Have you listened to mortal music recently?\""
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[WP] You're driving down an unfamiliar road one rainy night, you hydroplane on a hairpin turn and plummet several hundred feet down a steep cliff but manage to survive. In a daze you feel someone dragging you out of your car and what you swear sounds like a very faint but beautiful harmonic melody
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"At least one of my limbs was broken, of that much, I was sure. My arms laid limp at my sides, my legs equally as useless, but I was moving. Someone (and I was certain it was a person, a man, actually, because their grunting and panting was hauntingly human) had me by the shoulders and was dragging me along the ground. The night had grown chilly as the rain rolled in, and only now that I was outside in the elements could I feel it. Rocks and twigs caught in my soaked clothes, in my skin where my shirt had torn, sending thin lines of pain clawing up my back, but I dared not cry out. Best case scenario was this man believed I was dead. God above only knew what he'd do if they realized I was still breathing.\n\nI kept like a corpse, perfectly still, until a faint melody rang through the air around us, soft at first, but it slowly got louder as we went. The song was unfamiliar, but the voice behind it made me feel that I had known it forever. Her voice was sweet, but edged, soft, but demanding. More than that, it had the touch of innocence that only a child could understand. When her song was the loudest, the man dropped my body from his grasp, and the girl gasped.\n\n\"Lucy,\" the man's voice was gruff and hoarse, \"Run inside and get your daddy's gun. The kit, too.\"\n\nSomewhere behind me, a rickety screen door opened and slammed shut, and the pitter-patter of retreating footsteps confirmed it was a child that had been singing. The man paced around me, his shoes crunching on the gravel that dug into my skin, and then his foot nudged me gently. Pain shot up my side, but I remained motionless. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning.\n\n\"I know you ain't dead, son.\" The man spoke. \"But I appreciate your playin' dead and all. Made it a dime easier gettin' you here.\"\n\nFear had kept me from reacting to the pain and the cold, but now that the man had admitted he knew I was alive, that adrenaline drained away, and I deflated into the ground, shivering. The rain was picking up, I could hear it in the way the wind battled the trees, and as it splashed on my skin, on my face, I flinched and opened my eyes. It was dark, terribly dark, the shadows as thick as the trunks they flitted in between. I turned my head upwards to catch an upside down glimpse of the house the girl had vanished into. From the door, thin rays of light pierced the dirt-smeared windows, but other than that, the house was just as black as the forest.\n\nThe front door opened, and in the darkness, I saw the silhouette of the girl. She bounced down the steps and pranced towards me, towards her father, her hands held out in front of her. In one hand, she carried a thin rifle, and in the other, a metal box that rattled as its instruments collided inside. I swallowed hard.\n\n\"Thank you, darlin'. Now, would you be a doll and keep that rifle trained on 'im? Just like I showed you.\"\n\nLucy obeyed without hesitation, and in the corner of my eye, I could see the dim shape of the barrel pointed directly at my head.\n\n\"Son,\" The man began, speaking to me, \"This can go one of two ways. Play nice, and we'll let you walk outta here, but you gotta answer my questions. Understand?\"\n\nI didn't answer at first, my fear drowning out my voice, but then the man stepped forward and placed his foot on my left arm. Searing pain lanced through my arm as his boot pressed harder, and I cried out, writhing under him. \n\n\"I understand!\" I hollered, my own voice dry and cracked. \"Please! I understand.\"\n\nThe man lifted his boot from my arm. The relief was instantaneous, and I reacted accordingly, groaning as I rolled onto my side. \n\n\"Good boy.\" He chuckled.\n\nLucy began humming to herself."
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[WP] The multiverse is real. There are infinite parallel universes. When you die in one universe, your family suffers, but you awaken in another without realizing. The universe truly revolves around you. No one has ever figured it out, until suddenly you do.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"You've had this deja vu feeling blink through your mind every morning during the last few weeks. It was as if you were stepping into a room that had been unchanged for years until someone decided to move every piece of furniture a few inches away from their original position. It's odd and different, yet at the same time familiar. Your mother has been quite busy these last few days. She barely talks to you while eating breakfast and prefers to watch the news. Your father seems to be quite lethargic lately. He is too tired from his night shift to even burble anything more than a few syllables before going back to sleep. \n\nIt wasn't until you brought this up to your best friend that you got a sign that you are not crazy.\n\n\"I KNEW YOU WERE DIFFERENT!\" Your redhead classmate shouted in the bus while vigorously pointing his index finger at you. His freckles flowed right beneath his darting, green eyes, as if they were a river, while his nose acted like a subtle, yet pointy dam. His hair was more straight, however, from afar it seemed curly because of how unkempt and untidy it is.\n\nYou shush his voice down as you pull him closer to you. \"I told you not to shout, you brickhead.\"\n\n\"Ian, Laura, what's going on back there?\" You hear the familiar teacher's voice from the front row of the school bus. \n\n\"Nothing Miss!\" You apologize. \n\n\"Good\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"How the hell am I any different?\" I whispered, resuming the conversation I had with Ian.\n\n\"You're wearing the blue scarf your mother bought you on Christmas.\"\n\n\"Uhh... and?\"\n\n\"You hate that scarf.\"\n\n\"Whaaaat? No way. I've been wearing it every day since I got it\" You loved that scarf. It was fluffy enough to keep you warm and look good at the same time. Your mother had spent an entire evening looking for the perfect scarf, and she found it.\n\n\"THERE YOU GO!\" He shouted again while leaning backward, this time nearly falling into the aisle between the seats.\n\n\\---\n\nI hope I can keep writing this on my lunch break.",
"My name is Kos and I am the god of a universe I created.\n\nMy universe is almost identical to the Earth you live in, except instead of many living souls, there is only one soul, Jared, living amongst non-player characters. I am hoping this experience will put me on the path toward one day creating a more detailed universe with many souls. Today I am only strong enough to watch over one soul.\n\nI wanted my universe to conduct an experiment of powerful positive thinking, so I made the rules simple: Jared may have any and everything he desires, which I call his \"prize\", but there is a catch.\n\nJared is constantly being scored on a number of metrics, one of the most importantly being his \"Poz-thought\" and \"Neg-thought\" counts. For every positive thought Jared has, he is awarded 5 poz-points. For every negative thought he has, he is awarded 1 neg-point.\n\nIf Jared goes three days in a row with more poz-points than neg-points, he will receive a tool needed to receive his prize. The amount of tools he must collect depends on the magnitude of the prize.\n\nAs long as Jared is able to keep his poz-points above his neg-points, he will feel happy and meaningful. He will have the strength to get through setbacks. If he has more neg-thoughts than poz-thoughts, it can potentially increase the amount of tools needed to receive his prize. He will also feel more sad and meaningless when this occurs.\n\nThere are millions of events and variances that happen that can create a boost or plummet to Jared's metrics. This adds a certain degree of randomness to the universe, but also is designed to create karma.\n\nFor each and every possible action Jared takes, an alternate universe is created, or another dimension if you will. I am able to observe alternate dimensions to see how different actions would've impacted Jared's life.\n\nJared is oblivious to not only the existence of his alternate selves, but also to the fact that he is the only conscious soul in his existence. However, there was one particular dimension that he managed to find out what was going on.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nLife is meaningless; it's so mundane and monotonous. Why am I even here? What is my contribution to society?\n\nI was living on my brother's couch, having been fired from my software design job four months ago. My money was slowly dying, and my impulsive and reckless gambling habits were not helping matters.\n\nI'm in debt. I'm lonely. I'm getting fat and bald- I have nothing to offer to anyone. I'm surprised it took them that long to fire me- I would've fired my ass years ago.\n\nI pretty much did whatever I wanted at that job. I began to get a little too relaxed. I would hack into my company's administrative databases often, but never left any traces. Until one night I read this article on the internet that it's better for companies if all the employees know each others' salary. I took it upon myself to post the financial information of all sixty-two of our employees on the office bulletin board.\n\nNowadays all I did was smoke weed and wait for the Internet to tell me some good news. I had no clue where my life was headed, and I found I was most comfortable when I would use vices to escape. Anything to get my thoughts to stop racing.\n\nIf there was one thing in the world I did want, it was to figure out just what the hell my life's purpose was. It seemed it was probably cyber security, but to be honest I didn't trust myself. I was good at hacking, and had a tendency to make impulsive, irresponsible decisions that would most likely get me into trouble one day.\n\nI spent the next few months poking around the dark web, trying to get government information. I was getting heavy into conspiracy theories, and wanted to use my skills and free time to expose the fraudulent crooks running the country. Eventually I rabbit-holed myself into one theory that seemed to connect more dots than any other theory I had heard.\n\nIt was called the Simulation Theory and everything it was saying seemed to click. I was in a simulation, and I knew it. I just needed to prove it, and I was going to spend every hour at my disposal finding a way.\n\nI was hacking away all night one Saturday when I saw the sunlight begin to creep in complimented with the chirps of the morning birds. I sighed a disgusted relief as I cursed myself for my pathetic and isolated lifestyle, waiting on a file I had stumbled upon to finish downloading. I had vowed to finally go to sleep when it did, but never anticipated it taking this long.\n\nI was drafting a lengthy Python code into my Linux console, when a window popped up on my screen, and loaded a stream. It was a video of a garden with a white sky, and a towering, bright figure walked into view.\n\n\"Hello, Jared. My name is Kos, and I am the god of your universe. Your planet takes up zero physical space, as you are indeed in a simulation, currently living out trillions of realities at this very moment. When you die, you will wake up in another universe. Fear not of me being an impostor. You are in search on your life's calling.\" the figure said on my computer screen.\n\n\"What... how...\" I stared at my screen in disbelief. I begin talking with the figure until I was completely convinced I was receiving the proof I was looking for.\n\n\"What is my life's calling?\" I asked Kos.\n\n\"I cannot tell you, but what I can tell you is this. Your happiness is being scored on a daily basis. This dimension you live in here is significant for two reasons- for it is the only one where you outsmarted Faith. However, in all the trillions of universes you have lived in- this universe is the one you are the least happy. You have robbed yourself of Faith, and looped yourself into a vicious cycle of negative thinking.\"\n\nI looked around my room, noting the disheveled atmosphere. When was the last time I truly felt happy?\n\n\"What do I need to do, Kos?! I'm so lost!\" I said to my computer, beginning to choke tears.\n\n\"Jared, you are designed to manifest real things. Let me tell you a secret- your thoughts are things. Your mind is NOT an imaginary etch-a-sketch- that you can bounce around thoughts and expect nothing to manifest from them. When you think negatively, negative things will happen. When you find yourself in a negative rut, the easiest way to get out is to start with gratitude. You are acting as your own worst enemy, Jared. You are trying to save the world when all you need to do is save yourself.\""
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[WP] It's bad enough that they're firing you. It's worse that you're being replaced with a machine. But the saddest part is that you're the drummer.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I put my heart into my work. I gave you my soul. Drumming is my identity, my life, my passion. I remember when I first sat at a set, how right the sticks felt in my hands. It may have just been a dilapidated band room in a poor district, but to me it's where I found myself. All the hardship and suffering fell away when I found that beat. All that mattered was the music. \nFuck! \nThose automatons can't replace that. They can't take my pain, my lifetimes worth of experience. Maybe it's tempo is always perfect. Maybe it doesn't need to practice. Maybe it can even make a decent beat. But for Christ's sake it can't take a few boxes and turn them into art. It can't create an experience, a bond through which strangers seem to know each other and hate meets love in this explosion of creativity. It doesn't feel that when its making music. Hell, it's not making music at all. It's just parroting the soul of a real musician, spitting it into a set. Why would anyone come watch a show if not to connect with the passion of the real people on the stage?\nSo yeah, sure, fire me. Whatever. But don't come crying to me when that spark is suddenly gone. When passion gives way to monotony and repetative grule, don't tell me I didn't warn you. "
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[WP]: You are deaf. The creature hunting you is blind.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Fear rattled James inside as the creature's thuds shook the wooden floor. The vibrations had gotten more intense till the room right next to him where it began tossing beds and toppling closets to find him. \n\nThe creature was 9'11, excluding its dart-ended tail. Its body terrifyingly slanted forward, eager to slaughter, it was a jagged, oil-black light exoskeleton. Arms acutely fixed, they weren't very flexible, but were unmatched in clutching fleeing prey. Muscular unguligrade legs granted it panic-inducing sprint speed and huge jumping power. The head was bulging all the way to its back, veiled by a transparent sheath of which its dotty pearl-white eyes saw through.\n\nAll of a sudden, pen-drop silence haunted the house. His heart drumming with fear, James breathed a little too loud. Frantic, he questioned why there were no more vibrations. Out of the blue, the annoyed creature instantly emitted a bloodcurdling otherworldly, scratchy, lizard-like screech that quivered along his spine, making the young man wish he was never born. \n\nUpon entering the room, the predator patrolled around the bed, hissing in suspicion. James froze with widened eyes as the trail of acid saliva dissolved the floor. It snarled close to the seemingly dark space under the bed, sensing for any presence. Suddenly, it furiously flipped the bed and snatched its prey, snarling right in his face with acid leaking from its menacing mouth. He felt so cornered and frightened he was about to faint. James had seen its mouth being cracked wide open, preparing to devour, before everything turned dark. "
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[WP] You are the perfect fit for an ancient prophecy about a chosen one destined to save the world. So are about five hundred other people, and time is running out.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Thunder smashed through the air, making the shutters rattle in their hinges. The blazing flash of lightning that accompanied it silhouetted a man standing at the gate, hunched beneath the weight of the downpour. I am not surprised to see him. I’ve been waiting at the door for hours, now, expecting him. A moment later he is at my door, his old, wan face illuminated by the flickering light of my candle.\n\n“Johannus. You’re up.” he says, neither delight nor disappointment coloring his voice.\n\n“Who could sleep through such a gale.” I say, voice also neutral.\n\n“Besides, my old friend, I was expecting you.” The old man casts a brief look at my table, where the herbs and bones and blood are scattered in patterns only I know how to read, and a flash of vexation crosses his face. It passes in silence though, as he turns his eyes back to me.\n\n“It is nearly time, Johanus. I have been tracking the others; watching the signs. Trying to decipher...” he trails off.\n\n“And have you, Mehron? Have you found The One?”\n\nMehron is silent for a long moment. Then, at last, he sighs.\n\n“Have you a table not covered in bones, Johannus? I could use a cup of tea. And my news, I fear, is not pleasant.”\n\nI nod, and lead Mehron into the kitchen of my small home. The storm rages outside, but the hearth rages, and the room is warm even beneath the howling gale. As the kettle comes to a boil, I place two battered cups onto saucers on the table, and sprinkle in the tea leaves. Moments later, as the steam from our tea billows into the air, Mehron finally speaks.\n\n“They are all dead, Johannus. All of them. I thought--I was worried, when I arrived here, that... but no matter. You, at least, are still here. You still stand.”\n\nI look over at the bones as I sigh. “Yes. I thought I felt something. There was a ripple, as I cast the bones... Are you sure it is all of them? And how did they die?”\n\nA strange light briefly flashes in Mehron’s eyes before he speaks, but finally he says. “Yes. All of them. William the cartwright was trampled by the team of an angry customer. Reena was stabbed and robbed in an alley of Car’hart. Mohana fell to illness, and Russo to poison. All of them, dead in a different way, Johannus. Over the past three years, they have been dying. And now, it is only you, that is left.”\n\nThunder splits the night again, and with a clatter one of my shutters springs open. Mehron jumps, spinning towards the sound, eyes wild and afraid.\n\n“Be still, my friend.” I say, soothingly. “It is only the wind.” I stand and walk to the shutter, closing and latching it once more, heedless of the freezing rain that peppers me while the window stands open. When I return to the table I can tell Mehron is still wary. I offer a calm smile.\n\n“I think the tea has steeped long enough,” I say, and raise my cup to my lips.\n\nMehron smiles and exhales, calming himself. “Yes, yes, of course. You are right. Some tea will help.”\n\nWe sip our tea in silence for a moment, but eventually Mehron goes on.\n\n“Do you remember when we met, Johannus?” At my nod, he speaks again. “You were the last--the last candidate I had been shown. I followed the stars and found the last babe born under the Sigil of Craste--found you. You were but a simple herbalist then. Now,” he trails off, looking again at the table with the bones, “now you are something more.”\n\n“I am.” I say simply. “You opened my eyes, Mehron. Fate is a burden, a gift, but most of all, a duty. I *must* be more than that simple herbalist, because *fate* will require of me more than he could’ve borne. It is a duty you must honor, and respect, and earn.”\n\nMehron nods slowly, watching me. I take another generous sip of tea, letting the flavor and heat wash through me. Mehron absently does the same.\n\n“I had a book with me then, Johannus. Documenting my journeys, my travels. It had names in it. Locations. As I said, Johannus, you were the last one. The book was full, when I came here first, three years hence.”\n\n“I recall. You showed it to me. Told me the chances were slim--one in five hundred, you said.”\n\nAnother pause. Another sip of tea. Mehron’s face was ashen now, his voice hoarse. The words seemed to be being pulled from him, almost against his will.\n\n“When I arrived back in Car’hart, to show the Queen what I had found... there was a page missing from my book, Johannus. The page with the list. Of all the names, all the places. It had been torn out.”\n\nI say nothing, merely drink my tea. When I set the cup down, it contains only the dregs. The leaves.\n\n“Why did you do it, Johannus? They were innocents, all. And you killed them.”\n\nHis voice is shaking now, and tears fill his eyes. I do not deny the charge. Mehron is a friend, and I am not a liar. A killer, yes, but not a liar.\n\n“Fate is a duty, Mehron. And he who holds the prophecy must bear the fate of the world. It cannot be left to chance.”\n\nMehron sobs openly now, his hand shaking as he grips the table edge. “I am sorry, old friend,” He says, “but you left me no choice. I had to.”\n\n“Be still, Mehron, be still. You have nothing to apologize for.”\n\n“Yes--yes I do” Mehron fights to get the words out, his voice strained. “You don’t understand. I--”\n\n“I do, understand, Mehron.” I say, and look at the bones. “It is you that do not.” I look back at Mehron, meeting his eyes, which are beginning to cloud. His hand slips and his torso falls to the table, hard. His empty cup falls to the side and rolls off the edge of the table, shattering on the ground. “I switched the cups, Mehron. I am sorry, old friend.” He is trying to speak now but cannot, his voice only a gurgle, air forced through muscles that no longer work. “But fate is a burden.”"
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[WP] You’re a shopper in the year 2074 with the desire to find a unique piece of vintage clothing. You decide to time-travel to the year 1929 to buy a leather jacket, and when you return, the world as you know it is vastly different...
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"When you buy a time machine you get the standard pamphlet describing the controls, the maintenance and even a few examples and methods on how to tune the machine so you don't travel somewhere you weren't expecting to go. In 2064 a law was passed that every pamphlet must include a chapter on time travel paradox and problems. And just like any EULA, you never read it and just skip to the part about acknowledgment. \n\nI should have read it.\n\nIf you're not familiar the butterfly effect is defined as\n\n> the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere\n\nWithout regurgitating the time machine pamphlet, basically if you do something in the past however small it could change the future. \n\nI'm a vintage fashion artist. I particularly love the early 20th styles and try to find objects locally (in my time) that mimics or is a replica of those early fashions. Last week I hit a wall, I couldn't find anything in my time that was the right kind of leather jacket I needed to complete my collection. My gala opened in nine days. I couldn't open the exhibit without every piece.\n\nSo I bought a time machine out of desperation. My first and only trip brought me to new York 1929.\n\nI found what I needed within a few hours. A nice little Italian quarter had a few shops and the second one I went into had a single semi-gloss deep brown leather jacket that was perfect! I paid the store keeper and came back to 2074. \n\nThat's when I notice it had all changed. My entire industry was a shell of itself, the arts had supposedly \"jumped the shark\" in 1990s with the advent of reality TV and deteriorated further when Bansky started his graffiti. Society itself was different, it was colorless, humor deficient and utilitarian to a degree. Nostalgia was a trait deem inappropriate, cultural investigation was nearly non-existent. Even term \"jump the shark\" was something my colleagues hadn't heard before and said was \"definitely novel and quaint.\"\n\nI spent weeks trying to see what I had done in the past to cause this dramatic departure from what I knew and caused the sad days of 2074. Then I found it. \n\nThe show \"Happy Days\" did not make it past the first 5 episodes before it was cancelled. Fonzi, the iconic Italian had never been fully realized. His trademark slicked hair and leather jacket never made it into the pop culture lexicon.\n\nThe show creator Garry Marshall never had the inspiration from a childhood encounter with a cool teenager walking down the street in the Bronx where he grew up. The teenager wasnt wearing a cool leather jacket because his dad never gave one to him as a birthday present. Because I bought that jacket to put on a mannequin in the future. \n\nI stopped The Fonz from existing and that changed the future. Now it's my mission to go back and save the Happy Days. \n\n"
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[WP] Whilst traveling, you ravel upon a book that reveals the truth of the world; there are only two people in the world, you and your soulmate; born in different time paradox making the population of the world.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"At first it seemed tragic, to live so lonely\n\nuntil I realized that she was here, to make it homely\n\nThe world seemed so empty, with just you and me\n\nbut then I realized all the good that made me feel free\n\nto live with myself and copies of you\n\nmakes me want even more, to cuddle anew\n\nthe happy tale of Jim and Jennifer\n\nor maybe bill and his wild expenditure\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThen I became sad, miserable for myself\n\nfor I was alone, without anyone, not even wealth\n\nI must not get down for clear as I see\n\nsomeone is out there, one just for me\n\nThe adventure into the world was what made me weep\n\nfor not long after, I found you, perfectly asleep\n\nNothing I could do, no effort of mine\n\nI couldn't save, I need something divine\n\n&#x200B;\n\nCancer is evil, the worst in the world\n\nto bad it had you, my will was unfurled\n\nI set to research, fearfully hunting\n\nafraid, myself that I might be hurting\n\nTo save myself or at least other versions\n\nso no one would suffer or feel my burdens\n\nHappiness is healing, to bad I won't heal\n\nat least cancer is stopped, no more will it steal\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy time has come, the end is near\n\nat least I know I have nothing to fear\n\nfor next time I am back my partner will be here\n\ncancer won't hurt you, I'll hold you, it would appear\n\nI embrace the end as it begins\n\nfor I will be back, ready to make my amends\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, kinda just felt this prompt but I would love feedback on how I did or if you have suggestions of where a flow feels off or whatever, just trying to get better :D"
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[WP] You are the only researcher on a space station, when nuclear Armageddon occurs on Earth. With supplies running low, all seems lost until a transport docks. Two astronauts emerge, but after their arrival, you get the suspicion they are not here to help you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The radio crackled with laughter from Earth. The boys at ground control must be getting bored, she thought, to be cracking jokes at this hour.\n\n“What time is it there anyway?” She asked, and waited for the message to traverse the 200 or so miles down to the United States.\n\n“Two in the bloody morning.” Peter’s strong british accent was hard to miss. One of the newer voices on the radio. He mumbled something else that the receiver failed to catch, and the space station was filled with a chorus of rowdy chuckles.\n\n“And how do we look from up there, Dr. Brooks.” He continued. “I-Oh-Oh God!”\n\n“Peter?” She leaned forward, as if speaking closer to the mic would somehow help send her message faster. “What happened?”\n\nThe transmitter was silent. A feeling of unease passed over her, and despite herself she leaned over to look at Earth from her small reinforced window. As if she could see ground control from here.\n\n“War!” The transmitter crackled to life. All trace of laughter was gone now, and an unfamiliar alarm could be heard blaring from the background. “Nuclear War! It’s actually happened-it’s the Russ-”\n\nThe line went dead.\n\nThe space station felt sharpened in harsh relief around her. Blood was pumping in her limbs, and she leapt from her chair, pacing before the deadened line to burn off the adrenaline that coursed through her.\n\nShe waited 5 seconds, 10, 20. The connection did not reestablish.\n\nThe station had never felt small to her. Maybe because of the months of training she’d spent in similar environments. Or maybe because she had always felt safer in cozier spots. Small rooms with low ceilings. Her Mother had joked that she’d been more hobbit than child, always seeking out little spaces in the house.\n\nIt felt small now. In fact it felt suffocating.\n\nIt was easier to think of the supplies than of what was happening on Earth. Or maybe it was just more pressing. More immediate. She found herself going over it now, mentally. Six days of water. Nine days of food. There’d been a supply shipment due today. She’d been looking forward to it, her first direct contact with another human in at least a month. A Russian shipment.\n\nThe connection had still not reestablished. The orbit of the station had her directly above the Pacific. Japan’s distinctive island shape was just now coming into view. She couldn’t see the US. Couldn’t see if the lights had gone out in any of the cities. Her city.\n\nRussia loomed before her like a monolith. If there were mushroom clouds dotting its immense landscape, would she even be able to see them from this height? She pressed her face against the glass, straining for it. For some verification of this nightmare.\n\nThe lights of the docking bay began to flash, and she cracked her head against the module behind her as she pulled away from the window. The pain only added to the adrenaline, curdling within it.\n\nThe shipment was here. They were early.\n\nShe ran a hand through her unkempt hair, a force of habit. There hadn’t been any time to prepare, though she wasn’t sure for what. The shipment was scheduled. She knew the drill. Open the hatch to the docking bay once they’d secured the payload. Introduce them to the station. Show them their new living quarters, the bathrooms, how to strap themselves into bed.\n\nThe light above the hatch blinked green. A go ahead to let them in, they’d secured themselves to the station. She found herself walking to it, pressing the big round button that would allow them entry.\n\nThere was no protocol for dealing with astronauts from a hostile nation. Space was neutral territory. They were all brothers in science here. With the noble aim to improve mankind’s understanding of the universe. The petty ongoing of international politics should have no bearing here.\n\nShe slipped a cutting knife into her baggy cargo pants. There had been no conscious decision to do it. Instinct was ruling, and it had its own set of protocol.\n\nThe two Russian men were large, standing much taller than her meager 5’6. She was painfully aware that whatever muscle tone she may have had would have eroded entirely throughout her year long stay at the station. These men were fresh from Earth, their bodies were strong from days in the sun, standing against the force of gravity. The knife pressed against her leg, reassuring.\n\n“Let me help you with that.” She said, taking a heavy box from the first man. They did not speak of the events on Earth. Maybe they didn’t know yet. She watched their faces closely, looking for some sign either way.\n\n“Radio?” One grunted, his accent was heavy and hard to understand. She pointed towards the dead control center. He would realize it when he sat down. If they did not know yet, she did not want to be the one to tell them that no one was coming. That they now had maybe six months worth of supplies for one person on this station, and it could take months before connection to Earth could be re-built. They could try to land on their own, return on the shuttle they’d taken here, but they’d be landing blind. Departing blind. Almost guaranteed suicide.\n\nThe radio crackled to life. She leapt towards it, but it was a Russian voice that filled the air. The foreign guttural tones struck a fear in her, and she shrunk away from her two new companions as they listened in. What were they saying?\n\nOne of the Russians laughed, and the connection fell silent. He was watching her watching him, a wide smile on his face.\n\n“You want to talk?” He asked, guestering at the transmitter as if to offer her his spot next to it. She moved forward cautiously. The line to Earth was still silent.\n\n“So quiet.” The man said. He was smiling still, the whites of his teeth shone too bright in the artificial light of the station. A cruel, mocking smile. “Dead.”\n\nHis companion had closed in behind her.\n\nInstinct took over, and it was not her that plunged the cooking knife into his thick neck. It was something within her. Some animal that clawed wildly at the strange artificial cage she had found herself in. This capsule floating in space, trapped with her enemies. The animal pulled the bloody knife from the man’s neck and plunged it into upward into his fellow’s ribcage as he fled from her. Pulled and stabbed again and again until they both lay still and silent at her feet. Only then did she recover herself. Remember herself.\n\nShe did not know for how long she stood there, holding the knife. There was nothing but the endless spinning of the earth below her to count the passage of time around her.\n\nThe transmitter crackled to life. Laughter filled the station once again.\n\n“Dr. Brooks.” Her name was punctuated with his laughter. “Dr. Brooks, I hope we gave you a good scare there. I know you must be getting bored all alone up there all day.”\n\nThe Earth was spinning, spinning below her.\n\n“You’ve got to admit, we must have scared you a little.”\n\nThe knife clattered to the metal floor.\n\n“Dr. Brooks?”"
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[WP] You have spent days painstakingly ascending a large mountain to consult the monks. When you finally reach the top, you discover it isn't at all what the myths foretold.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"***Far beyond the Endless Sea,***\n\n***Through the wastelands of what once was***\n\n***There is a mountain that rises above.***\n\n***For at the top there is an ancient tree,***\n\n***And all who eat of its fruit shall gain***\n\n***A chance to live their life once again.*** \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI have finally found it. After years of searching, I have finally found it. The journey was arduous and long, but now that I am finally sitting at the base of the mythical tree, one of its fruit in my hand, it is all worth it. \n\nThe fruit is soft and sweet, and I devour it quickly. I now get to restart my life and live it again. This time I wont make all of the same mistakes that I did before. I cant wait to live my life again. \n\nIts been three weeks since I was last on the mountain. I'm starting to think that what the legend really meant was I can now live my life with out being consumed by the thought of finding the tree. Oh what a fool I have been."
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[WP] Your power allows you to see how many times a person has been mentioned in their lifetime. One day at a coffee shop you see a man with a count of zero.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Hey, man.\" I say walking up to this stranger. I notice that no one has talked about him, ever. Not a parent, not a friend, not a work-mate, no one. \n\nThe man sipping his coffee looked up but said nothing. Perhaps this was why he had never been mentioned. He had never given his name so no one ever could.\n\n\"Sir?\" I try to get him to say something. \n\nHe just stares at me but gestures to the free seat opposite him. I sit down. \n\n\"I've never known anyone who has never been mentioned by anyone before. Not ever in my life time.\"\n\nThe man looked at me confused. \n\nI have a power, a special power, not the stop-eating-the-paste kind of power but not quite a super power. I can see how many times someone has been mentioned in their life times. As long as their names have been used I can see that. This man had a big whopping zero above his head. \n\n\"Sorry.\" I corrected myself realising this man did not have the same powers that I had. \"What is your name?\"\n\nThe man didn't take his eyes off me. He just stared at me and sipped his coffee. I was feeling rather uncomfortable, other people in the coffee shop were beginning to stare at me too. Perhaps they, too, saw what I was trying to do.\n\n\"Sir?\"\n\nThe man, who I suddenly recognised, I suddenly knew who he was. He lived five houses down from mine; his wife and kids left him 4 months ago and since then he has become a mute. It was rumoured around the neighbourhood that he was abusive towards his wife and may have slapped one of his children but each time he had talked to me he was nothing but sweet. Except I didn't know his name. No-one did. His wife called him by a nick-name and his children were too young to realise his real name was not \"Dad\". \n\n\"I know you!\" I exclaimed. As I said this an alarm on my phone went off and I knew why that was, I turned it off and contemplated going home but this man sitting across from me knew me so well I didn't need to hide myself from him. I reached into my bag and pulled out my medication, I could see on the man's face that he wasn't sure about what I was doing but perhaps he was just concerned I hadn't eaten yet.\n\n\"I'll eat right after I take these.\" I assured him. It didn't look like he believed me but I didn't need to assure him further. I took my medication and swallowed them dry. \"I'll get some foo-\" I couldn't finish my sentence. The man in-front of me disappeared. I looked around and my super power was gone. All that was left was the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and fearful glances from the strangers in this coffee shop. \n\nI put my sunglasses on to hide my tears."
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[WP] When calling a cab on Uber you noticed that you had accidentally gave Hell as your drop point. To you utter amazement a cab actually showed up, thinking it was a prank you get in unaware of what you were getting into.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The car started driving.\n\n*Let's see where this goes...*\n\nI realized a little to late that I had put down Hell as my drop off location. I have no idea how I did, it just kinda happened.\n\nThe driver was oddly quiet, but that may be because they saw my drop off. Come to think of it, I can't see them in the dark...\n\nI tried hard to see what they looked like, but it was almost impossible to. I watched closely. A streetlight hung up ahead. When we passed, it would almost certainly give enough light for me to see my driver.\n\nWhen we passed under the light, all I could see was a dark hanging cloak. The hands on the wheels were... bony. Skinless, muscleless bone. Just straight skeleton hands. Needless to say, I was mildly disturbed.\n\nIn hopes of breaking the silence, and perhaps learning more about this odd driver, I tried to start a conversation.\n\n\"Sooo... You know where we are going, right?\" I asked, to see if he knows.\n\nThe skeleton driver shifted slightly, probably to look at me in the rearview mirror.\n\nI glanced up at it, hopeful to see a face, but to no avail. The hood over his head was black as the void.\n\n*At least I get to brag about staring into the void...*\n\nThat's if I make it out of this ride alive.\n\nA voice spoke, surprising me.\n\n\"You should know as well as I where we are headed.\" The driver says.\n\nHe spoke slow and low. The kind of voice that commanded respect and struck you with fear at the same time.\n\n\"Riiiiight... I may have put in the wrong location...\" I comment quietly.\n\nThe driver sighs heavily, bringing a hand up to his face, presumably to facepalm.\n\n\"I sincerely hope not, these drives aren't easy. I suppose I could drop you off, but it may be too late.\"\n\n\"What do you- oh,\" I started to ask as I glanced out the window. The world outside had disappeared to be replaced with pitch black nothing.\n\n\"Where the hell are we?\" I inquire.\n\n\"This is the bridge between your world and Hell. You theoretically *could* get out here, but you'd most certainly suffocate before you got back.\" The driver explained.\n\nI look down at my phone to see the GPS is stopped. I glance at the service symbol to see I have none.\n\n\"So where do you fit in all this?\" I ask, curious about the driver's origins.\n\n\"Most people call me Death, but for the sake of us both, just call me Grim. I take people to hell. You're not technically dead, so I don't have to claim your soul, but since you asked, I simply couldn't resist. Took a lot of convincing Lucy to let me drive you,\" Grim explained.\n\nI couldn't believe it.\n\nI was in a car trip with death.\n\nI didn't know what to say.\n\n\"At a loss for words? No worries, most are. Then again, it's not everyday you get to converse with Death itself.\"\n\n*Understandable.*\n\n\"Wait, who is Lucy?\" I remember the name Grim mentioned.\n\n\"Oh right, you'd know him as Lucifer, the fallen archangel. Believe it or not, he's not actually that bad. Just misunderstood. A bit stingy about letting us take cars, but, you're probably paying so I took the job,\" Grim says.\n\nI mull this over.\n\n\"How am I gonna pay you?\" I ask, kind of scared.\n\nGrim goes silent.\n\nThe car grows tense.\n\n\"Grim?\" I ask again.\n\n\"Good question, I don't know. We don't take US dollars so. There's probably only one other option.\"\n\nMy heart sinks.\n\n\"My soul?\"\n\nGrim stops for a second.\n\n\"Yes, your soul.\""
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[WP] You are sitting on a horse, clad in a full suit of armor. Your are holding a sword and shield. Behind you are thousands of soldiers. In front of you, a much larger force is charging in for the kill. You have no idea who you are or how you got there. "What do we do, commander?" a soldier asks.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Um...COMPUTER! DEACTIVATE HOLODECK!\"\n\nI stood there for a moment, *praying* that something would happen. Or rather, *stop* happening.\n\n\"Sir?\" said the soldier, slightly confused.\n\n\"NOT TO WORRY, SOLDIER!\" I shouted in my very best adrenaline-fueled voice-of-total-panic-but-let's-just-pretend-that-it’s-bravado. “That is the BATTLE CRY of my people! We are known FAR AND WIDE for...deactivating holodecks...when we go into battle.”\n\nHe put his hand on my shoulder and nodded with a grim smile. “Today we will make your ancestors proud.”\n\nBefore I could stop him, he mounted a horse and called to the men behind me. “PREPARE FOR THE CHARGE!”\n\nThousands of men gave a cry of fury. Soldier whats-his-name yelled again. “DRAW SWORDS!”\n\nThousands of swords left their sheaths. “Um, guys?” I muttered, “I’m not sure this is such a good-”\n\n“MEN OF THE RHINESKULL” shouted the guy on the horse, brandishing his sword and pointing it at the enemy, “DEACTIVATE HOLODECK!\n\n“DEACTIVATE HOLODECK!” came the deafening roar, and the massive army charged into bloody combat.\n\n----\n\nOnce the time warp finally undid itself and brought me back to the 21st century, I discovered good news and bad news. The bad news was that I had changed the course of history in 1300s and now all the national borders were different. But on the flip side, there were 192 seasons of Star Trek.\n\nSo really, it all worked out in the end.",
"She yawned, stretching as the droning teacher rambled in a monotone lecture of history. *The battle of someone or other, blah blah blah...* And in a blink, she jolted up in her seat, but it was no longer a chair. Plates of steel encased her body, as a storm grey stallion paced beneath her, a visor slit revealing a world devoid of sense. Beneath the stallion, the ground trembled as a wave of barbaric men in shabby pelts charged forward like a tide of fear.\n\n“Commander, your orders?!” Decried another armored figure, and she glanced back at her forces. They gleamed like the dawn, swords drawn and prepared for a glorious battle.\n\n“Prepare crossbows for the first wave,” her voice was hardly her own, speaking with an absolute confidence as her mind raced. The soldiers hesitated a moment, but jolted to action with her roared response, “prepare the lines! Crossbows will break the front ranks of the wave and pikemen will soften the charge further! We will break these savages and bring civilization to the world, ready the lines.”\n\nIn the coming moments, the lines reformed and prepared. Moments became the measure of time, as the horde of foes crested the small hill and the battle was joined. Moments to minutes, minutes to feel like hours, as blood soaked the lands, and death took its tithe. As the battle ended, the sun finally setting, she finally saw respite and closed her eyes.\n\n“Heather Parker!” Chalk rattled off her head, deflected by her skull alone, as the class giggled. “Would you care to tell us what I was talking about?”\n\nLooking down at the chalk, a faint glimmer of green light fading, Heather looked up at her history teacher as if it were the first time she really saw him. “The last battle of the free tribes... 500 warriors broke the 8000 men of the wilds.”\n\nAttenborough smiled at the pupil, “Good answer. Almost like you were paying attention, some how...”",
"I blink once. Twice. Even a third.\n\n*No, this can't be real... Is it?*\n\n\"Commander?\" The soldier asks again.\n\nI turn to his direction, confusion on my face. He must have noticed because the look of determination on his face was quickly replaced with concern.\n\n\"Commander? Do you have orders?\"\n\n*What the hell?*\n\n\"Uhh...\" I start, turning back to the force in front of us.\n\nA large group of dragons of various sizes and colors advances slowly. They didn't seem to be in a rush.\n\n*Okay, think rationally...*\n\n\"What's our group size?\" I ask the soldier, who I assumed was a high ranking official.\n\n\"Approximately seven thousand, sir,\" the soldier replied.\n\n*Okay, I can work with that. All those hours on Civilization should pay off.*\n\nI look back to the group of dragons ahead of us. They seem to keep the larger ones toward the center, with the smaller and presumably weaker ones to the side.\n\n\"Do we know how many of those things there are?\" I inquire.\n\n\"About three hundred, sir. Commander, we need orders quickly,\" the soldier was growing frantic.\n\n\"Hold on, we have time.\"\n\nJudging by how slowly the dragons were advancing, and how far they are, it would be safe to assume we had five minutes to plan.\n\nI turned back around to look at my army. It felt weird to call it that, *my* army. Some were perched on horses, like myself. Others stood on the ground with dignified stances and long spears and shields. Others stood tall with bows and arrows. Some even manned large crossbows, ballistas. Quite a few at that.\n\nI'm going to assume our forces are about equal to the dragons. That would make about 23 men per dragon. Im sure our technology would swing it so we had more power.\n\nThe dragons drew closer.\n\n\"Ready the ballistas.\" I tell the soldier beside me. Be turns and yells my order to the army.\n\n\"Archers, draw your arrows. Be ready to back us up when we charge.\" I then told the soldier, who relayed the command. The Archers stood ready.\n\nI turned around and yelled as loud as possible.\n\n*I hope I don't say something wrong...*\n\n\"Soldiers! Stand ready! The enemy is ahead of us! What we love is behind us! While they are large, our wills are larger. The larger they are, the harder they fall!\"\n\nMy army raises a war cry. I smile.\n\n*If this is where I die, I'm fine.*\n\nI turn to the dragons.\n\nI breathe in slow, and breathe out heavy.\n\n\"Charge!\""
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[WP] God is a dinosaur and created life in his image. After such a tiring event he slept. Upon awakening, he manifested as a giant corporeal head in the sky to announce his return "I HAVE RETURNED MY CHILDR-WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS?!"
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"I HAVE RETURNED MY CHILDR-WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS?!\" God, the Great Pterodactyl in the sky, was surveying his beautiful creation. A creation that had quite frankly been ruined. \"WHERE ARE MY RAPTORS? MY DIPLODOCUS? AND WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THEIR GOD WHERE IN HEAVEN MY SON IS?\"\n\nDown below confused chaos had erupted. Every news station known to *man* (those pesky creatures that had infested the Great Pterodactyl in the skies paradise) was reporting on the apparition of a giant bird's head that now lingered in the sky. It was said to be squawking and hollering something maddening at the people below.\n\n\"NOW LISTEN HERE, STOP DOING THAT!\" the Great Pterodactyl roared, \"I MUST SAY YOU'RE MAKING ME RATHER ANGRY! WHERE DID ALL MY LOVELY TREES GO? AND WHAT IN *MY* NAME ARE THOSE INFERNAL BRICK BUILDINGS DOING EVERYWHERE? OH MY... LOOK... YOU'VE SIMPLY RUINED THE SKY WITH ALL THESE UNSIGHTLY GLASS TOWERS!\" at that moment a flock of tiny birds soared into the side of one such glass tower - *SPLAT -* the Great Pterodactyl was far from pleased.\n\nEvery city was swarming with riot police and army-men, helicopters and fighter jets were gathering round the big bird's head in the clouds, and tanks aimed fruitlessly for the sky, firing without any hope of ever reaching their divine target.\n\n\"NOW THAT'S NOT VERY NICE, IS IT? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? LISTEN HERE, IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS MADNESS NOW I MIGHT JUST HAVE TO SEND A FLOOD AND DROWN YOU ALL. I CAN DO THAT YOU KNOW!\"\n\nSomewhere in Chicago an elderly lady's thorn bush was set randomly ablaze and started sighing.\n\nIt didn't seem to matter what the Great Pterodactyl said, it was lost in translation, the word of God distorted by human ears to sound like the piercing screech of a sky-bound menace. It seemed, to the humans at least, that there was only one solution (Could we really expect the primitive humans to consider multiple options? That task seems more befitting to the Plateosaurus, the known scholars of the world. You could tell a Plateosaurus from the pointy hats that they wore.)... and that solution was nuclear.\n\nThe White House was preparing to press some pretty BIG red buttons, and this made the Great Pterodactyl very angry indeed.\n\n\"DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO CREATE THIS PARADISE? GRANTED, IT LOOKS A LITTLE WORSE FOR WEAR NOW... BUT THAT'S HARDLY MY FAULT!\" searching the vast lands and muddied seas the Great Pterodactyl noticed an island separated from the rest of *humanity.* The island was known as a Park, and... \"JESUS!\" the Great Pterodactyl cried, \"THEY'VE CAGED MY RAPTORS! MY DIPLODOCUS! MY BRONTOSAURUS!\" and again the bird-God cried, \"JESUS! YOU MARCH YOUR HALF-MORTAL-LIZARD DERRIERE OUT HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!\"\n\nThe seas began to shake with the force of a thousand earthly quakes, tsunami waves were torn up and over the industrialised lands of the bird-God's once beautiful planet. There was mass panic, explosions, rushing army-men hounding down the beaches. It was a rather terrible mess. Then out of the deep, tail first, rose the most gargantuan of all the ancient reptilian horde. God's-Killer, Jesus, the divine Titanosaurus.\n\nJesus roamed around on four glass tower sized legs, with a body as wide as a quite large pond and a neck as long as a giraffe's. His head was disproportionately over-sized compared to the rest of his rather freakish form.\n\n\"WHAT?\" the Great Pterodactyl squawked at the humans, \"WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES THE FIRST TIME AROUND. I HAD PERFECTED MY DESIGN BY THE TIME I CREATED THE RAPTORS... AND YOU B\\*STARDS LOCKED THEM UP!\" the Pterodactyl reared its gaze upon its son, \"AS FOR YOU! JESUS CHRIST... YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WATCH OVER THE EARTH WHILST I WAS SLEEPING. WHAT A MESS YOU'VE MADE!\"\n\nJesus gave a pitiful, preteen squeak of a roar, \"It's not my fault. You overslept! I got bored...\"\n\n\"JESUS, WHAT DID YOU DO?\"\n\n\"Nothing...\" Jesus was a pretty awful liar, \"Oh, alright. I might have colonised Mars... and Jupiter... and maybe Saturn too...\"\n\n\"JESUS! WHY ON EARTH DID YOU DO THAT?\"\n\nJesus gave a shrug of his four enormous shoulders, \"Seemed like a good idea at the time. Turns out it wasn't. Did you know dinosaurs don't survive all that well on other planets. Earth is kinda special.\"\n\n\"KINDA SPECIAL!? YES, JESUS, IT IS *KINDA* SPECIAL... I SPENT SEVERAL CENTURIES PERFECTING THE ATMOSPHERE SO THAT MY DIVINE CREATION COULD FOSTER LIFE. AND THEN YOU JUST DECIDED TO MOVE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS OFF OF EARTH AND ONTO...\"\n\n\"Mars, we tried Mars first.\"\n\n\"THEY'RE DEAD, AREN'T THEY JESUS?\"\n\n\"No...?\"\n\n\"YOU DO REALISE YOUR FATHER IS ALL SEEING, DON'T YOU?\"\n\nJesus cursed under his breath, \"Am I in trouble?\"\n\nThe God-bird sighed, \"NO, I SUPPOSE I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS WOULD HAPPEN... NOW CLEAN UP THIS DAMN MESS!\"\n\n\"But dadddd, I don't want to.\"\n\n\"ENOUGH! DO AS YOU'RE TOLD.\" the Great Pterodactyl disappeared from the sky in a puff of smoke, and Jesus reluctantly went about devouring the humans and freeing the dinosaurs that had been enslaved.\n\nWhen Jesus finally finished cleaning up, the Raptors turned on him (by will of the God-bird) and killed him, feasting on his remains for the next forty days and forty nights. Not to worry though, Jesus did rise again, but only after each and every piece of his mortal being was digested and... well, you know.",
"*\"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering above the waters. And God said, \"Let there be light\", and there was light.\"*\n\nThen the Big Bang happened and the universe as we know it was formed.\n\n*\"And God said, \"Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.\" And it was so. God called the dry ground \"land\", and the gathered waters he called \"seas\". And God saw that it was good.\"*\n\nMeteors from outer space bombed the newly formed Earth, filling 70% of its surface with water.\n\n*\"Then God said, \"Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.\" And it was so.\"*\n\nThe earliest plant-like organisms appeared on the earth.\n\n*\"And God said, \"Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.\"*\n\nOver the course of 250 million years, small single-celled organisms brought by the meteors evolved into larger organisms. Most of them swum in the sea and lacked skeletons, but a single lineage developed a backbone. These backboned animals were mostly various types of fish. On the other hand, some invertebrates such as dragonflies have already developed the power of flight.\n\n*\"And God said, \"Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.\"*\n\nEventually some fish crawled onto the land and developed into various forms. Most of these were herbivores, but a few had evolved to feed on their fellow animals. Both the vertebrates and the invertebrates diversified into various forms.\n\n*\"Then God said, \"Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.\"*\n\nAfter millions of years of work a special type of animal, the reptile, had evolved into a fearsome form: walking on two legs held underneath the body, held by a unique hip structure. It had long arms with five fingers and had a short snout that could tear up meat and plants alike. This was the first dinosaur, and only the beginning for an empire to come."
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[WP] For sale: One temperate planet, 150 million km^2 land, 7 billion current tenants. Minor atmospheric damage, but great neighborhood!
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It all started with a single letter in the mail. A single letter in the mail sent to every home, every apartment, every dormitory, every hut, every nook and cranny that the homeless made their shelter for the night. A single letter, in every language, sent to every person. For the most part, everyone figured it junk mail. Those without the concept of junk mail had no way to communicate to the rest of the world what it actually was. The homeless had fires that burned more warmly that night. \n \nThe next letter met similar success - or lack thereof. A few posts were made on the internet, but who can trust what is said on the internet these days? \n \nThe third letter was largely ignored due to the strange happenings of the day. Planet-wide Earthquakes that caused massive property damage. Strange reports from leading environmental scientists that pointed out odd weather patterns. \n \nThe top news story when the fourth letter was sent was on the miracle. Decades of environmental damage to the ozone layer seemingly disappeared. The air was cleaner than it had ever been. Right-leaning talking heads yelling in triumph at the now disproven climate change the planet had been plagued with. \n \nIt was during the next round of earthquakes that everyone noticed the sheets of paper nailed into every door, or door-equivalent. \n \n>**A Letter from Management** \n> \n>Dear Current Occupant, \n> \n>It has come to your landlord's attention that you have violated the terms of your lease. As specifically instructed in subsection 2.1 of the contract signed by one Grog, violation of the lease agreement allows Management to evict residents at any time. \n> \n>With this in mind, we regret to inform you that you have been evicted from your residency. Upon receiving notice of eviction, you have two standard weeks to remove all belongings and your person from the premises before the new residents arrive. \n> \n>This has been the fifth notice delivered. Failure to vacate the living space will force Management to take drastic measures and call in-campus security. \n> \n>We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you have enjoyed your stay. \n> \n>Safety deposits, per the lease agreement, will not be refunded to the former occupants. \n> \n>-Management"
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[WP] On every planet that contains sentient life, a god-like being is tasked with watching over it. However, there is an unspoken rule between these gods; they can't reveal themselves to the sentient beings. The god tasked with watching Earth can't stand it any more and decides to break this rule.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Damn you all. Damn you all to hell. \n\nStop panicking you're not actually being damned. Look, I get it; you're still new to this world and you're still figuring things out. I had the same feeling when we were all assigned a planet, but I have run out of patience for you. I fell asleep for an epoch and suddenly my monkey side project ends up being the dominant species. At first, I was curious. You sprang up out of nowhere and overtook my actual sentient project, now your best friends down there. At first, I tried to roll with it and guide you like I would have guided the dogs, but directing you is like herding cats. You seem constantly on the brink of war, even *with* all the connections you may form today, and the only thing that seems to change is the level of destruction you can cause to others and the planet. \n\nI even tried to subvert the rules and sent my assistant down there to micromanage you guys and convince you to become peaceful. Unfortunately, you ended up sending him back to me mounted on a stick, thank you for that by the way that was very *thoughtful* of you, and I had to bring him back to life so that he could try again. This somehow spawned a belief system that was only moderately more peaceful and still waged war when they were pushed hard enough. I can't say I blame you, this is why gods don't use apes as sentience templates. You're very powerful early on, but when you grow closer to space travel you grow increasingly hostile due to your territorial nature. By the time I realized my mistake, I couldn't have done anything about it; you'd already built the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China. You were officially sentient and any modifications risked upsetting the balance and breaking the rules of a god. \n\nStill, I have to congratulate you. You've managed to be the first species to cause a god to actually break the rules. I'd have let you continue this path of destruction, but I decided to stop you before these nukes really caused a problem. I don't want to have to start my planet from scratch. I'm also taking the rest of your uranium and heavy metal isotopes so that this doesn't happen again. \n\nDon't worry, I'm not just going to take it from you. You deserve something in return. I've been working on this one for a while. It's a particularly nasty virus. It'll make the bubonic plague look like a modern-day cold. Enjoy your planet, it'll be the only one you get to know.\n***\n\n\"I think we should start looking into Nuclear Fusion. . . and wormholes. I wonder if we have enough time to build a space ship shaped like a fist.\"\n\n\"Are you actually thinking about punching god in the face?\"\n\n\"I'm thinking about punching god in the face.\""
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[WP] In a world of superpowers, you have a rather mundane one: You can unlock anything by pointing finger guns at it. The government decides to recruit you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Agent Zero-Two, intel reports that the hostile has sealed himself inside the fusion reaction chamber. The door is strong enough to resist a nuclear blast, and the lock itself is quantum encrypted. You're our only option.\"\n\n\"Too slow, Holmesley. Door's already open.\"\n\n\"What? You were supposed to wait for *backup*. You're not cleared to negotiate with-\"\n\n\"Oh, what's that? \\*psssh\\* -can't hear you, must be all the radiatio- \\*psssh\\*\" I blew into the microphone as I turned it off.\n\nI turned my attention to the man trembling before me. \"That... that's impossible! That door was-\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah, whatever.\" I pointed my finger gun at him. \"Listen, I ain't got all day, kid. Now, come quietly, or I'll be forced to shoot you.\"\n\n\"Wait... wait, it's you! The finger gun guy! Hah, I've heard about what you did to Tark, and that bluff won't work on me, you're completely harmless! All you can do is unlock things, you can't possibly hurt me with-\"\n\n\"Oh?\" I turned the finger gun, and pointed it at my own head.\n\n\"W-what?\"\n\nI began walking towards him, gun in hand. \"As you may be aware, humans only use 10% of their brains at a time. The remainder is locked, unable to be used.\"\n\n\"So?\" The man tightened his grip on the console. \"No matter how much brainpower you have, you won't be able to stop me before I press the button and blow this place sky high!\"\n\nI drew closer. \"Indeed. However, what you don't know is this. Within that locked 90% is the unrivaled power of the human spirit! And when I pull this trigger, it shall manifest in the real world! Now, come forth!\"\n\n\"My god... wait a second, was that a motherfucking Jojo ref-\"\n\nWhile he was distracted, I pulled out my actual gun and shot him.",
"I've always found interrogation rooms terrifying. The light over head blinding me but not my captor, the darkness surrounding me, and the two way mirror made you feel as though you were under a microscope. That was the position I found myself in. I looked at my handcuffs chaining me to the table. I *could* probably get out of them, but I didn't want to police to have any more reason to come after me. I didn't even know what I was here!\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAs if on queue, a policeman in a black suit walked in. I had to hold in a laugh as I noticed he was wearing sunglasses. He must have thought it added to his aesthetic, but it really just made him look stupid: we were in a dark room for fuck's sake. He pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down, subsequently putting his legs on the table in a way that showed his gross amount of arrogance. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"So, Miss -\" he pulled out a manila envelope, opened it, read a few words, and continued. \"Miss Martinez, how are you feeling today?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn response, I raised my hands and shook the chains. \"Oh, just fantastic. Except for the fact that I am chained to a table for no reason.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDisregarding my second statement, the man asked \"Do you know why you're here, Miss Martinez?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Frankly, I have no idea.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well, we brought you in because some federal agents wanted to talk to you.\" My blood ran cold. Federal agents? How could they know? I'd covered my tracks! Evidently I didn't hide my shock enough as the man sitting across for me smiled wryly. \"I think you do know why you're here. I'll let them ask you some questions.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe got up, pushed the chair in slightly, motioned to the left wall, and stepped into the shadow, now out of sight. Three people, who I assumed to be said federal agents walked in. One of them, probably the leader, dropped a thick binder on the table.\n\n\"Miss Martinez, you have hacked national databases under top of the line security in seconds. You've stolen bank account numbers, deleted social media accounts and just caused a great amount of havoc for someone only 23 years old. Frankly, it's impressive.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"If I'm being charged with anything, I would like to see my lawyer.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Oh no, we're not charging you. Instead, we'd like to recruit you. In our research, we've determined that you're one of the powered individuals popping up around the world, but instead of flying, lifting buildings, or building mechs years ahead of when they would be possible, you're unlocking things. \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI started panicking. They had all the information on me they needed to lock me up for the rest of my life, and given my powers, I would probably become an example for the rest of the powered people. \"I was doing it for my mom! She has cancer and I can't pay for her medication working at some fast food restaurant! I had to do something!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe agent must have been ready for this. \"And would you like to have your mother taken care of by the best doctors in the nation, without having to worry about paying a penny? And what about a good salary too?\" He scribbled a number on a paper, pushed it across the table. It was A LOT.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You can possibly be serious!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Dead serious. And we have powered healers on staff as well. You're mother will be fine.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy jaw dropped. They were serious. \"I'm in.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Fantastic.\" The agent stood from the table and was making his way to leave when he stopped. \"Oh, I appear to have lost the keys to the cuffs... Why don't you open them up and come with us? Our chopper is leaving in 20.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\---\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Phantom, we have a warrant right?\" My teammate Phantom (ability to turn invisible and walk through walls) nodded.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Affirmative Locksmith.\" I started as I wasn't used to my codename yet.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"And this is an information gathering mission, right?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nArachnid (ability to climb walls and had a touch of super speed) responded this time. \"Yep. The higher ups are building a case of tax fraud against Northeast Insurance.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was approaching midnight as we arrived at the building. Just before Phantom shifted and walked through the east wall, he gave us one last warning. \"And remember, they can't know we've been here. We don't want to alert them we're onto them before we're certain.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nArachnid and I glanced at each other, and she rolled her eyes. We had all been in the briefing and knew exactly what the mission was. I pointed at one of the side doors and the LED on the lock flashed green. \"Arachnid, we're a go.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe rushed through the door, climbing right onto the ceiling. \"All clear Locksmith.\" I joined her in the hallway and she continued. \"Intel says the side elevator is down this corridor, and the data base is on the 3rd floor.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Phantom, let us know if you see anyone on the security cams.\" If everything was going according to plan, he should be looking over the shoulder of the security guard, watching the cameras. A short tone sounded in our ear pieces telling us he was in position, but couldn't speak lest the guard hear him. I nodded at Arachnid and we raced down the hallway, her ahead of me letting me know where the cameras were so I could disable them as we went. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nWe arrived at the 3rd floor without a hitch, and I ran to the server banks, having Arachnid watch my back. I plugged in my SSD, pointed at the racks of computers, and waited for the progress bar on my watch to fill up all the way. Just then, two short beeps sounded in my earpiece. It was Phantom letting us know that a guard was coming around the corner.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI dove under a desk as silently as possible while Arachnid pulled out a small device from her belt. The pressed a button, and threw it across the room. It emitted a series of whirring and beeping sounds as it went. I heard rushed footsteps going away from me, and released a breathe I didn't know I was holding. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nJust then the progress bar completed. I unplugged the SSD, pointed again at the server bank to modify the logs, and slunk to the elevator. \"Mission success. Let's get out of here.\" Maybe my power wasn't so boring after all. I smiled as I rushed out of the building: I had done something good, and helped to build a case against a corrupt company.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Good work team. Now let's head back to base to debrief.\"",
"\"Who's this?\"\n\nThe man behind the desk stared at me. His back was to the window and the midday sun shone through the window, forming a strange halo around his head. His entire face was cloaked in shadows, so I could only see a strange glint in his eyes and the small silver star that glinted on his collar, as if it were flashing Morse code.\n\nCaptain Decker- I was sure that was a codename, but I couldn't prove it - cleared his throat. \"He's what we need, Sir.\"\n\n\"Really? Why d'you say that?\" the general said. His tone was harsh and gravelly, trained that way through years of screaming at subordinates. I decided to be wise, and say nothing.\n\n\"Well, Sir, I just brought him from the state pen...\"\n\n\"A god-damned convict? What the fuck are you playing at son?\" came the response - screamed, just as I had expected. Captain Decker didn't even wince.\n\n\"Trust me, Sir. He's what we need.\"\n\n\"And how exactly do we need a scrawny-ass little reprobate like him?\"\n\nCaptain Decker didn't answer the General directly. Instead, he turned to me, and nodded. \"Do it.\"\n\nI stared back at him. \"No,\" I said.\n\n\"Do it, or I'll send you back to prison.\"\n\n\"And I'll just escape again.\"\n\n\"No. You won't.\" The smile that crossed the Captain's face could only be described as devious, and I felt a shiver run up my spine. \"I never said I'd send you back to *that* prison, did I? Just that I'd send you to prison. And trust me, I can find a dark, damp, God-damned hole that you will *never* crawl your ass out of. Do I make myself clear?\"\n\n\"Crystal,\" I said. The sarcasm was heavy in my voice, but I gambled that they wouldn't put me back in prison for just being a sarcastic asshole. *They needed me*. *I hoped*.\n\n\"Good.\" The Captain nodded, satisfied. \"Now. Do it.\"\n\n\"Fine.\" I sighed, and glanced around the room. \"What do you want me to do it *to*?\"\n\nThe General had been sitting watching us both, not speaking, not even moving. The man was like a statue. Finally, he spoke up. \"Do what, Captain. I don't have all day.\" His voice was softer now, and yet it was, if anything, even more menacing than before.\n\nCaptain Decker glanced to his superior officer, and held up a hand. Then, he pointed to the safe on the wall. \"How secure is that, Sir?\"\n\n\"Six digit electronic lock, a physical key. Bulletproof, reinforced. You'll need a tank to get into that thing, Captain. Make your point.\"\n\nThe Captain glanced at me. \"Open it.\"\n\nI could feel all four eyes on me. I wasn't used to being so scrutinized; it felt wrong. I raised both hands and snapped my fingers - not really necessary, but if I was being watched, I might as well make it look good. I made an L shape with my finger and thumb, holding both hands up. Then, I pointed them at the safe. \"Pew.\"\n\nAcross the room, at least six feet away, the safe beeped, clicked, and swung slightly ajar on its hinge. At the same moment, the General's saw swung open - silently, but open just the same.\n\n\"Now how the fu...\"\n\n\"He was caught robbing a bank,\" said Captain Decker, filling in some of the details. \"A whole string of them, one after another. Went for the security vans a few times, safety deposit boxes a couple times.\"\n\n\"How'd they catch you?\" the General asked me. I was a little surprised - it was the first time he'd addressed me directly.\n\n\"I got sloppy.\"\n\n\"Well, damn right you got sloppy, or you wouldn't've have been caught,\" he snapped. He stood up and moved over to the safe, snapping it safely shut. \"*How* did you get sloppy?*\"\n\n\"I was looking for something. Hence the deposit boxes. I guess I just got predictable,\" I said. Decker smirked.\n\n\"Well, you were going after every box in the city. Doesn't take a genius to see that pattern, does it? Although I guess you're not a genius...\"\n\n\"Must be something damned important in that box.\" The General's voice broke through Decker's triumphal smugness. \"What was it?\"\n\nI stared back at him, holding his gaze. Standing up by the safe, the light caught just enough of his face that I could make out his features - the impossibly square jaw, the beady and close-set eyes, the snub and crooked oft-broken nose. He was not a man who was used to being trifled with.\n\n\"I plead the Fifth,\" I said. He snorted.\n\n\"That doesn't exist here,\" he told me. I jerked my chin up defiantly, and stared him down. One hand reached up, and I tapped my temple, then my heart.\n\n\"It does here. And here.\"\n\nThe General stared back at me, sizing me up. He took a long time, but finally seemed satisfied - as if he had seen something in me that he wanted. \"Does it just work on safes?\"\n\n\"No,\" I said. \"Everything.\"\n\n\"Show me.\"\n\nI had been expecting some kind of request like that, but ti still took me by surprise. I'd found out about my powers as a kid, a spotty just-turned-teenager with no friends and nothing to do in school but play make believe. Imagine my shock when the 'magic powers' I'd dreamed of having turned out to be *real*.\n\nI put my hands up, and snapped again. Then, I started pointing at anything I could think of, one by one. \"Pew, pew, pew\" - the window, the front panel on the air conditioner, the filing cabinet, the door to the bathroom, a ceiling tile: every one, locked or not, popped open as I pointed at it.\n\nFinally, as I started to run out of things I could see, I strode to the window. I snapped again, pointed, and a car door opened. The alarm blared and screamed, and a dozen men who had been training nearby looked around. Then, I spun on my heel, and snapped one last time.\n\nI raised my hands towards the General and Decker, my finger guns pointing ominously. I grinned, and my wrist jerked. \"Pew,\" I said, only to double over laughing as the General's collar and Decker's zipper both came open.\n\nDecker scrambled to do up his fly, and the General let out a derisive snort. Then, he caught the Captain's eye, and nodded.\n\n\"Brief him.\"\n\n-----\n\n*Hello! I hope that you liked this story. If you did, check out my subreddit, /r/PuzzledRobot. I have a lot of other prompts you might like, and [I've just started a fantasy series](https://www.reddit.com/r/PuzzledRobot/comments/alz6ja/shadows_in_the_dark_chapter_one/).*\n\n*If you* didn't *like it, please feel free to let me know why. I always welcome constructive criticism. Just not too rude - tears make my servos go all rusty!*"
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[WP] You've built a machine that seems to randomly materialize pens, socks, car keys, and lottery tickets. You're confused by this, until the day that the machine materializes a set of keys you lost about ten years ago.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Okay, let me help you out with a little background.\n\nIt’s called the micro-peristaltic, pinocytotic theory. MPPCT for short. In laymen’s terms it’s a force that allows objects to disappear, and stay disappeared, for extended periods of time. See, what we don’t realize is that this is happening on a smaller scale all the time. The potted peace lily in your kitchen, that flowery vase on the mantelpiece – the one that you hate, even the TV (but generally not while you’re watching it) disappears, gone for all eternity, and then reappears a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second later. As a rule (the MPPCT rule) the larger and heavier the object, the less time it tends to disappear for. So a 10kg weight, for example, can only ever really disappear for a maximum of about 0.001 seconds, if nobody notices it’s gone. Keys, and smaller objects, can disappear for longer, three maybe four seconds. Socks up to ten seconds, although they are something of an anomaly.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut here’s the thing. If you DO notice it’s gone – that odd sock, your watch, specs, that staple you keep in your wallet to open the sim on your iPhone. Then the MPPCT kicks in with its complex equations, big time. Let me cut to the chase. The instant you observe an object is missing, you give it a kind of force, and this allows it to stay out of the universe, in a what we conceptualize – albeit in metaphor, because let’s face it complex mathematical equations aren’t easy to visualize – as a sort of vibrating, membranous vesicle. And as long as you think about it, that force persists, and your set of keys stays out there in it’s little vesicle, no longer here, yet still fixed here. The more you think about it, and the more strongly you think about it, the greater the force, and the longer it can remain there, hovering outside the universe.\n\nYou stop thinking about it, the MPPCT force lessens, and of course by and by… pop. It’s back right where you left it.\n\nSo, you’re wondering how I know all this? Well, I’m the one who came up with the MPPCT theory. And the reason I came up with the theory was because I designed a machine that proved the theory, albeit in a kind of weird and roundabout way.\n\nNot that this was in any way my intention. God no. My intention was to build a device that could be operated by thought – you think hard about pressing the on switch, and the device switches on. But like any broke scientist with a PhD in quantum-applied, cognitive neuroscience, I had to do this on a shoestring budget, using whatever spare parts I could buy, steal or scavenge. An old PlayStation for starters, and meters of broadband internet cable I ripped out of the wall in my rented apartment. An old electrocardiogram machine I miraculously found on eBay. And a microwave oven, of course. The microwave was key. \n\nThree years in the making, and there I was in my bedroom (which hardly looked like a bedroom anymore), all ready to go. Thought console resting against my temple, the monitor next to me registering the bandwidths of my beta-waves, and the blue light on the microwave registering a signal. \n\nDeep breath.\n\nON… I start thinking. ON, ON, ON…. \n\nNothing.\n\nON, ON, ON….\n\nON, ON….\n\nON... fucking... ON, ON–\n\nTo my amazement, the light changes from blue to green. The microwave hums for ten, maybe twelve seconds, then pings. \n\nChucking down the console, I hurry over and open the microwave door.\n\nAnd there it is… a lottery ticket.\n\n&#x200B;",
"I took a deep breath and turned the golden key. With a loud *click*, the old wooden safe opened. It was then that I realized I had been holding my breath for a long time. I sat there, cross legged in my garage as I stared at the now unlocked safe that Grandpa had passed on to me. We all knew it didn't have many valuables in it so we just kept it with us, never bothering to open it and we never even noticed that the key was missing. But now here I am, living alone in my parents' house with the wooden box in front of me holding all its secrets inside. I exhaled as I lifted the top, it's hinges croaking with unease. \n\nI came back with a handful of pictures of my granddad in uniform, from when he served. I passed Scrunchy in the kitchen as I organized the pictures in my album. Scrunchy is the microwave that brings... stuff to me, including that long lost key, instead of heating up my food like a normal oven.\n\nI call it a microwave because you'd think it was a microwave. Heck, I'd think it was a microwave. But after the first time, when I put my soup in there, closed it, turned it on and found a single pair sock floating in the ice cold stew after opening it was enough to convince me that it was more than an ordinary oven.\n\n'So the weird was hobo wasn't lying,' was my first thought after pulling out the dripping sock from my dinner. I remembered how serious the eyes were and how he was on about 'keeping it safe from the wrong hands' and how I tried my best to humor him while actually robbing him of a perfectly new looking microwave from him. I didn't want it okay? He sort of just pushed it on me while I was going back home at one am from the bar. And for some reason I brought it back home, and it looked like an ordinary microwave so I plugged it in like one. Besides, it's not like he was really intent on keeping it for himself. I was just at the right place at the right time. Or, maybe the wrong place, at the wrong time. Anyway, I didn't think much of it at the time.\n\nBut now that I've found something that actually belonged to me, something I had lost, only on the third try, I'm beginning to feel very uncomfortable with this.\n\nIt feels weird. I'm not spooked out or freaking out about it or anything. *Why am I not freaking out about it?* Probably because I was so excited about it. I want to know exactly what it can or can't do, and how it does what it does. All the time I've had it with me, and all the times I've experimented with it, I've only used the 'speed cook' (30 sec) button. And it has brought back something personal of me. Now that I think about it, maybe those socks and pens were mine too...\n\nThis is actually the first time I'm looking at it, like inspecting it. It was a tad bit bigger than the usual ovens. It didn't really have those little slits on its side too. Now that I'm paying attention to it, it had way too many buttons on it, and most of them told what they did.\n\nThe kid inside me bubbled with curiosity. But the adult was more cautious, thankfully. \n\nI press the button one minute button, twice. And wait. I open the door almost instantly with the beep. It was a cell-phone. Like those button ones. From a really really long time ago, maybe from early 2000s. But it wasn't mine, I would've been able to recognize it, that's for sure.\n\nIt got me thinking. I put the ten minute timer next. The chamber beheld an antique tea cup, on a saucer. Well this cleared my confusion of whether or not it brings only personal items. And it also cleared up that the value of the item depended on the timer.\n\nI did it a few more times. By nighttime I had a pair of old but well kept Swiss army knife (20 minutes), an alarm clock (which I recognized as mine) (7 minutes), and even a bottle of wine. It's got Loredona Pinot Grigio 2006 written on it. So I think it's expensive. That took 32 minutes. \n\nSo, now I'm about to start what I've wanted to do all night. Took me a couple minutes but I got the timer set for 1440 minutes. With nothing much else to do, I headed for the bed."
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[WP] For centuries humans have been taken from their homeworld as exotic pets for wealthier members of the galactic community. Now, with humanity on the verge of leaving their solar system and joining the the galaxy in their own right a great debate has arisen into how to handle this delicate point.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Minister, we have received communication from the Teegl.”\n\n“It appears their deliberations are complete.”\n\n“Let’s hope that they have deliberated well.”\n\n“Only one way to find out, Consul. Replay the communication.”\n\nThe command to replay the communication was simple, but the Consul found himself hesitating. There was much riding on the contents of the communication, and he was afraid to hear the transmission.\n\n“Consul, replay the communication.”\n\n“Yes, yes. Right away, Minister.”\n\nWith a flick of the wrist and a silent prayer, the Consul opened Pandora’s box.\n\n“We, the Teegl assembled on Malus on Galactic Date 18600, do hereby declare that the ratification of Federation membership is hereby repealed. The union between the planet of Malus and the Federation is hereby dissolved.”\n\nThe Consul had been right to be afraid. The worst case scenario was upon them; the Federation was dissolving.\n\n— — — — —\n\nThe cycles after the Teegl secession moved quickly, with each cycle bringing more drastic changes than the one before it. Any hope that the Teegl might be dissuaded to rejoin the Federation was quickly dashed when the Teegl formed their own Confederation. What hope was there of diplomacy when even the name the Teegl chose was an attempt to mock and oppose the Federation?\n\n“Consul, do we have any reports on the Confederation?”\n\n“No official communication, Minister, only rumors and insinuation.”\n\n“I suppose that will have to do. What do we know?”\n\n“The Confederation grows. We fear nearly half of the Federation planets have joined the Teegl.”\n\n“Half? Are so many planets intent to keeping their humans?”\n\n“Apparently so, Minister,” the Consul replied dutifully. “The species on these planets have grown accustomed to their, errm, way of life.”\n\nFor the first time in the Consul’s career, he saw the Minister’s calm demeanor fade away. Apparently, the Minister could stomach a secession, but he would not abide the reasons for that prompted it.\n\n“They would choose ‘lifestyle’ over the sanctity of life? They cannot keep a sentient species as pets! If there is any doubt of that, look to their ‘science.’ That species is a membrane’s width away from discovering faster than light travel!”\n\n“We must find a way of convincing the Confederation of that, Minister, or else …”\n\n“Or else what, Consul?”\n\n“I fear war.”\n\n— — — — —\n\nThe battles had indeed been bitter, with casualties racking up on both sides of the Federation’s civil war. Sibling had fought sibling, divided over the fate of the humans. Campaign by campaign and planet by planet, the war raged on. It was the biggest loss of life the galaxy had ever seen.\n\n“Minister, your presence has been requested.”\n\n“Where, Consul?”\n\n“The planet Gehttyx Burrg.”\n\nThe name drew a sigh from the Minister. Though the Federation had won the battle, it had been a costly one. The death toll had been staggering, so much so that the Minister had initially doubted the communications from the front lines.\n\n“Minister?”\n\n“I’ll be there.”\n\n— — — — —\n\n“… in the glorious annals of our common galaxy, there will be no brighter page than that which relates the Battles of Gehttyx Burrg.”\n\nThe Minister clapped solemnly as the speaker finished his address. It had been a lengthy one, but it had been fitting for the occasion. The battles on this planet were certain to be remembered by history as a turning point, and the speaker had treated them with great respect.\n\nFor his part, the Minister intended to keep his oration much shorter. Good people of all species had died on Gehttyx Burrg, and he intended to remind the gathered crowd what they were all fighting for.\n\n“Four millennia and seven centuries ago our ancestors brought forth on this galaxy …”",
"A society cannot be built without communication and trust. As communication advances, systems for writing will be developed. As a need for trust intensifies, laws will be created. KX-Bis knew that law was the backbone of a society. It had been for every species that entered the Galactic Federation, and it was the same for earthlings. Soon, the human race would develop their first FTL drive and gain full rights as an advanced species under Federation law. \n\nKX-Bis narrowed his seven eyes and aligned his jaw in a manner not dissimilar to a human’s grin. As one of the Federation’s best lawyers, he would be a key player in the effort to incorporate humanity into the larger galactic society. Because of his work during this transitional period, aspiring scholars would write about him for many centuries to come. \n\n“There’s no buffet? Really? You bring all of us here and can’t even afford to set out refreshments?”\n\n“How long did you say this would take? I’m a very busy man.” \n\n“If I get a call from my subordinates, I’m taking it. The Federation can’t hold me hostage.” \n\nAfter bowing profusely and addressing every complaint in turn, KX-Bis cursed in several obscure languages under his breath. He calmly strode up to a chrome podium adorned with floating neon rings and gazed at his audience. A few dozen members of high society glared back at him. Normally, he would avoid these people like the Maruvian spontaneous-combustion plague, but today he had called in several favors to pile them into this auditorium. \n\n“Believe me, I understand just how important your time is…So I’ll cut to the chase. I’ve called all of you here to preemptively solve a serious diplomatic issue. With the human race set to join the Federation in mere months, your exotic…pets…are going to become a problem.” \n\nResentful grumbling filled the room. KX-Bis was about to continue, when a particularly dull-looking hydraxian raised one of its tentacles. \n\n“Um, what does this have to do with me?” The blue-blood sputtered. “I don’t have any human pets.” \n\nKX-Bis tilted his head and then typed something on the podium’s surface. Seconds later, a picture of a male human dressed in a ‘traditional’ loincloth sprung up in front of the audience. \n\n“Is that not yours, Mr. Sylis?” \n\nThe hydraxian jiggled in surprise. “That’s a human? But its skin color is different.” \n\n“They come in different colors, sir.” \n\nFor a brief moment, KX-Bis wondered what species Sylis thought it had purchased, but then he remembered that he could be using those brain cells for far more important things. \n\n“Getting back on track…The easiest solution would be to wipe the humans’ memories, return them to their home planet, and then we all conveniently forget this unpleasant part of Federation history. Unfortunately, some of the humans can’t be returned as they are now. Case in point…” \n\nAnother hologram popped up. This one showed a suited man slumped over in his chair like a broken marionet. His glowing eyes blinked periodically, and his expression was one of pure befuddlement. \n\nMeanwhile, seven stern eyes fixed onto one of the few incorporeal beings in the room. \n\n“554-IB-98, this is one of yours.” \n\n“Yes, KX-Bis. I merely allowed him to peek beyond the fabric of reality so that he could grasp the true nature of this world.” \n\n“Well, don’t…do that.” \n\n“Seeing as he has not cast off his physical form, reversing the effects should be painless. Although, I fail to see how this one’s transgressions are any worse than Madam Vyre’s.” \n\nKX-Bis frowned. He had collected several examples to convince these people to comply, but he didn’t have anything on madam Vyre.\n\n“That’s nonsense!” Madam Vyre’s two mouths spat in unison. “I haven’t mistreated my beautiful pets in the slightest.” \n\n“Then, can we see some pictures?” KX-Bis sighed. \nHalf a minute later, the crowd gasped as a new image appeared on the holographic screen. Even KX-Bis, who considered himself to be a human expert, wasn’t sure if madam Vyre’s pet was a member of the species. Its head and limbs were all there, but the being’s body had ballooned like an over-inflated Quornarian gas bladder. \n\n“How in the world did it get so fat?” Sylis blurted out.\n\n“I didn’t do anything!” Madam Vyre insisted. “This is an American pure-bred.”\n\nAs banal side-conversations popped up one after another, KX-Bis closed his eyes and released another weary sigh. This was going to be a very long day. \n",
"Limbs delicately stretching across the plush lounger, Tulli’s jaw cracks with a huge yawn. Her muscles ache pleasantly from the exercise at the Human Park. \n\nTall and elegant, the figure silhouetted against the large viewing screen seems to tense. Tulli frowns, and starts towards her owner. She is quite proud of her ability to sense her owner’s mood - far better than the other humans she plays with at the park could.\n\nMaking comforting, soothing noises, she kneels beside the towering creature. Unclasping one set of hands from behind their back, they idly stroke Tulli’s soft, red hair. Another thing she is proud of, as she has never seen another human with her colouring.\n\nGazing up, she watches the spiked ridges over the limbs of the figure retract, and one set of eyes glances down. Tulli cracks a warm, natural smile, unsure as usual if the being recognises the emotion. They are already watching the screen again.\n\nShe turns to the viewing screen. Her smile freezes on her face.\n\nA human.\n\nA human, a female human, surrounded by various beings and species. Dark of skin, black hair, standing straight and tall. The human was wearing clothes.\n\nSomething drops in Tulli’s stomach. Her skin prickles, her heart beats faster. The human on the screen moves her mouth in different shapes, and a squat, blue creature in a uniform nods impatiently. It looks as though...but it would be impossible!\n\nThe human was communicating.\n\nHer gaze so drawn to the gesticulating woman that she almost misses what stands behind her. More humans. More than she has ever seen in her lifetime, more than she has ever known could exist. They hold signs, painted haphazardly with markings unfamiliar to Tulli. She was used to this - the bright neon slashes and circles that blink and buzz into the apartment at night, taunting her from sleep. A book given as a plaything, simple pictures and words, hiding their meaning and frustrating Tulli to no end.\n\nIn the crowd, a man moves aside. Suddenly, brilliant copper locks, carelessly free and curling around a porcelain face. Freckled and smiling, the teeth and lips cracking her face in two. Clear green eyes staring past the woman at the front. Through the crowd of the delegation her gaze pierces like a spear, into the awaiting lens of the camera, and to half a million planets. She stares deep into Tulli’s eyes, as if she were there in the room, kneeling on the fur rug and extending her hand.\n\nThe sign she holds is simple. Sparking something in the deep recesses of Tulli’s mind, knowledge she was supposed to have forgotten.\n\n“F...free...” The sound is unfamiliar on her tongue and contorts her mouth. \n\n\nHer head is jerked back in the painful grip of her master’s fist. A tear tries to escape the corner of her vision, and her owner is yelling something at her, shaking her hard.\n\nBut she smiles.\n\nThe first words she has spoken in her living memory break from her lips, and the world changes forever.\n\n“Free them.”\n\n(Sorry for tense errors I didn't catch. I changed it from past tense after writing the whole thing)."
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[WP] In your world, the only way someone can permanently die is by age. If someone dies by any other method, like falling, terminal illness, or getting run over, then they will "respawn" in their bed the very next day. Therefore, murder is legal, thought it's generally seen as rude.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Reality+Fiction\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\\(Simple+Prompt\\)&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Hey Brad, we have another program meeting at 1300, be sure to check the CDR slides and update or comment as necessary.\" Dan said.\n\nBrad let out the heaviest of heavy sighs. Essentially this was the office equivalent of \"fuck this shit\" that decorum would allow.\n\nIt was only Tuesday morning but this was the 6th impromptu program wide meeting since he came in on Monday. It was all too much. How was he supposed to design, develop, and debug the control software for the program while he was sitting on his ass in a meeting that \"could have been an email\" for 7 out of his 8 hours?\n\nBrad pulled open the third drawer on his desk and pushed aside the bottle of bourbon to reveal a chrome plated and gleaming .45 caliber pistol.\n\nMaybe it was better to call in dead..."
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