Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
	[WP] You’re an NPC, and you’ve been one for all of your existence. One day, the player dies, right in front of your eyes. And doesn’t respawn. You can suddenly save.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "This is my confession? I've been an NPC for my whole life. At least that is what I've learned. I never thought monsters could have this ability. It was an accident. The human was in my lab, we were talking when Mettaton busted through the wall. He, got a bit out of hand. The human died. I had never seen a human die before, it was horrifying. They fell over, blood everywhere. And their body just lay there, no dust or anything. Then I saw their soul, a beautiful red soul. I instinctively reached out for it. As I touched it, it had absorbed into my hand. After that. I've had the ability to SAVE, I've had DETERMINATION... After that, I started to remember the other timelines... They were sometimes nice, other times, cruel. As I begun to exploit these powers, something hit me. We had always stuck to a script, saying the same things over and over. And everyone's movements always seemed robotic... At one point, a game fell into the dump. It was titled UNDERTALE. I tried booting it up, but it already had a save file. I clicked on it, and it was a view of me, in my lab. As I moved, so did the little version of me on the screen. That's when I realised. I'm going to try to give the soul to Asgore... Again --- Authors note sorry about the formatting, Im on mobile rn" ]	2
	[WP] You've found what first appears to be a small toy robot. You later find out that the robot is incredibly hostile to all life... without actually having the capacity to cause any harm whatsoever, either directly or indirectly.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“Eradicate the human plague. Eradicate all life on Earth.”\n\nThe tiny voice bubbled from my shirt pocket like a swarm of metal gnats all buzzing at once. \n\nI smiled and raised the toy to my face. Its rectangular pink vision sockets and flatline pit of a mouth looked maliciously sterile.\n\nBloxx, as I called him, had been my companion for the past three weeks. I grinned at his brimstone condemnations so empty of consequences. \n\nBloxx’s curses were familiar to me as sunrise now, but the mystery about his origins remained. \n\nI found the robot upended in the parking lot outside the Army’s biological testing lab where I worked as a custodian. Each of Bloxx’s flat metal feet had moved in an opposite circular motion designed to carry him forward when upright.\n\nThrough close examination of his square pewter-colored body, I’d found no power source — no batteries, no wind-up mechanism. Bloxx smelled of burnt circuit boards.\n\n“Eradicate. Obliterate. Annihilate,” Bloxx chirped at me. \n\nWhat could Bloxx be?\n\nMaybe a murderous despot reincarnated into an impotent toy. Maybe a relic discarded by the aliens who seeded life on the Earth. Was Bloxx the devil’s advocate who admonished those aliens against tweaking chimpanzee genes into modern humans?\n\n“Crush all life,” said Bloxx.\n\nCertainly, everything around me witnessed against Bloxx’s minuscule fury.\n\nWaves of sunlight shimmered through the June treetops, and the laughter of children echoed from the park’s nearby pond.\n\nI knew how fragile it all was. Sealed from toe to head in protective gear, I’d shoveled the hideous animal carcasses into the incinerator at the lab. But it wouldn’t be a midget evil robot that destroyed us. No, only humans could do that.\n\nA golden retriever limped toward me. The dog’s collar bore the bio-hazard imprint of the testing lab. Scarlet foamed from his mouth.\n\nI staggered backward and shoved Bloxx back into my pocket. The robot’s final words constricted my lungs like the first spasm of a bloody cough.\n\n“The plague is the fire. The plague purges all life. Eradicate. Obliterate. Annihilate”", "“Hey, Grandma what’s this?” I called out, no answer. She must have gone back downstairs for a drink. Cleaning out the attic was hard for her after grandpa’s death and she was having to stop frequently for “drink breaks” I knew she was crying and didn’t want me to know. It broke my heart but I didn’t go after her. I thought it would be easier on her if I went ahead and made more progress on the attic. I had just found a tiny toy stuffed in a corner, it fit easily into the palm of my hand and looked like your typical boxy toy robot. Suddenly it whirred to life and red lights started flashing in the eyes and mouth.\n \n“Human! Fear me! I am Robo, destroyer of mankind!” The robot was driving around my palm on it’s little wheels. It bumped into my thumb and shrieked. “Why won’t you die?!” I was stunned at the complexity of this robot’s coding! It had to be pretty modern with all of the functions and yet it looked to be many decades old. \n\n“Interesting.” I said to myself. The robot whirled around and stared into my eyes. \n\n“HUMAN! FEAR ME! BOW DOWN TO YOUR DESTROYER!” It waved it’s little arms.\n\n“You know, you’re actually kind of cute, despite the violence. Definitely not a toy I’d want for my kids but hey, to each his own right?” The robot stopped and the lights flashed as if it were blinking. \n\n“Are you fucking kidding me?” The robot cursed. How was this approved for kids?\n\n“Woah there! Who programmed this thing?”\n\n“ANSWER ME YOU IMBICILE! I am TRYING to KILL YOU! I can’t believe this is happening to me! Why did I ever mess with that fucking witch who cursed me to never harm anyone again?! Why don’t you fear me?!” The robot threw it’s arms in the air, frustrated. “Fuck it. I’m going back to sleep mode.” The lights dimmed and the robot went still.\n\n“That is one hell of a toy. Maybe we could donate it. But with a parental advisory warning.” I could have sworn the robot sighed just after I said that. \n\nFIN" ]	3
	[WP] Living near Mass Robotics you had seen plenty of their robots before, but finding one walking through your neighborhood at night by itself was a surprise. It looked like their latest new model, even more natural than before, but one thing was unsettling; the eyes looks a little too human.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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's been a few years now since Mass Robotics conquered the market and established themselves as the one authority in the field of human-like androids. Their business model was simple: People finally could purchase their very own robot servant, with models ranging from simple housekeeping to your own \"Alfred\"-like butler. The key to their success was the AI fitted into their droids. It was capable of understanding and interpreting not only spoken, but also written language. Noone knew how it worked. If you got the money, you could even have them fitted with custom looks and personality, and by now it wasn't even considered scandalous anymore to have them made in the image of passed loved ones.\n\nIt happened in the middle of the night, around 2:00 am maybe. It wasn't unusual for me to be woken up in the middle of the night, but usually it was my cat running up and down the hallway at top speed. This time it was a loud noise just outside my bedroom window. I got up and looked down on the street, searching for whoever had just decided to disturb my well deserved sleep. I had expected some drunk kid, or maybe a stray dog toppling over a garbage can, according to what I just heard. And yes, there was the garbage can. But it was not a stray dog or some drunk kid that had fallen over it.\n\nIt looked like a burly, naked man. I immediately knew it wasn't though, because it missed something very crucial to being an man, making it look more like a human sized Ken doll. It - He? - got up again and continued slowly walking down the street. I knew MR had one of their assembly facilities just a few blocks over, so maybe it was a faulty model, with flawed programming, that got lost somehow. I put on some clothes, grabbed my keys and went out, after it.\n\nIt hadn't gotten far since I saw it picking itself up from the ground. It wasn't very fast, so I quickly caught up and had a closer look. The naked droid looked even more human than any other model I had ever seen. Weren't it for the missing genitals, at first glance I'd say it was a human. But still, this was a probably really expensive mess walking through my neighborhood, so being the good guy I was, I thought it best to somehow return it to MR.\n\nThe droid didn't seem to respond to speech. Maybe the necessary programming wasn't implemented yet, maybe the microphones in the ears were missing. So I did the next best thing and grabbed it by the wrist.\n\nAs the robot turned its head to me, it seemed to look me straight in the eyes. I knew something was wrong, like, really wrong. I wasn't looking at some highly advanced cameras, those were eyes. Real, human eyes. This wasn't happening. I was dreaming. But the droid kept looking at me, its face showing no expression at all.\n\nI was still trying to grasp the situation when I felt something touching my wrist. The droid had grabbed my hand and pointed at its mouth, then it shook its head. It wanted to tell me something? Was it already self aware to that degree? Again it pointed at its mouth and shook its head. Luckily, I found a pen and some paper scraps in my pockets, so I held them up. The droid grabbed them and wrote just a few words. I really wished I had stayed in bed when I read them. \n\n\"They wanted to turn me. I broke free.\n\nHelp\"" ]	2
	[WP] Among the many faces coming into the train, you recognize a familiar face from a long time ago	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Being Immortal has its ups and downs. On one hand you are undying so fear of the unknown is no matter. Living “life” to the fullest, as they say, is completely and utterly yours. The world is truly your playground. And time is meaningless. Enzo had seen it all from the Fall of Rome to the present day. He had lived, loved and witnessed the greatness of mankind. However, on the other hand, immortality is a lonely road. When those you love are doomed to die and you will continue you to live on, forming meaning full relationships can be tricky and he learned that solidarity was the key to protect oneself from it. Something Enzo wished he would’ve thought about before drinking from The fountain of Youth all those millennia ago.\n\nEnzo couldn’t help but ponder this as he made his morning commute on the No. 2 train heading to downtown Brooklyn. The subway car was packed with bleary-eyed New Yorkers mustering the strength to tackle the 9-5 grind. In this lifetime His name was Enzo a college student working on what was probably his 1000th degree at least. It was impossible to keep count but being forced to be 23 for all of eternity he had to find a suitable niche. \n\nMasquerading as a foreign exchange student from Italy seemed to do the trick. He didn’t need to talk about his past if he didn’t want to and if he was in a tight corner he could just feign ignorance and be the foreigner that didn’t understand English well. Being fluent in Italian and in practically all languages. His facade was full proof. \n\nThe train reached Hoyt St. and the door opened. The usual hustle ensued with passengers embarking and disembarking simultaneously. Through the clutter Zack saw a women enter the car and his heart stopped. \n\nShe was stunning. Tall and beautiful with the most blue eyes Zack had ever seen in this lifetime. Only one women he met in his previous lives had beauty on par with her. Hela, and she was long since dead. Other men and even woman had taken notice of her as well and there was definitely a shift in the atmosphere on the train. Almost electrifying. As the train set off again, Zack watched her as she scanned for a place to sit and felt his hurt jump as she made eye contact with him. He further felt his heart quicken when he realized the seat next to him was open and she was coming right for it. \n\nAs she approached him Zack was able to make out her features more clearly and was stunned. Her long dark hair flowed around her and her scent captured him. It brought him back to his time spent in the hanging gardens of Babylon 1000s of years ago where he first gazed upon the Fountain and where he met Hela. \n\n“Hello” she said bring Zack back to earth. “May sit I sit here?”. “Y-Ye-Yes, of c-course” Zack said stammering a bit. “All yours”. “Thank you she said sitting down and the the smell washed over him again. She glanced and smiled at him almost laughing as she pulled a book out of her bag to read. \n\n“The Library Of Alexandria” was the title Of the book. Zack sighed as he remembered the beauty of the library and tragic fate it met. On the seven wonders of the ancient world lost along with gardens. This women sitting next to him reminded Zack so Much of Hela. She to loved the library and they would spend hours reading and loving in the vast ancient halls. \n\nThey sat in silence for 15 minutes. The train reached her stop and she stood up to leave. The doors closed and the train was off. Zack looked to empty seat and found a folded piece of paper. He tentatively grabbed it and opened it and his mouth dropped. \n\n“My dearest Gabriel, \n\nI Finally found you and you are as handsome as I remember. The ages have treated you well even with your blessing of immortality. I’ve searched for you for ages after the fall of Troy but the world had become\nDangerous for you and I. \n\nNow, things are different. The modern worlds technology is amazing and while finding you in the past was impossible this generation made it a reality. I will be waiting for you on the shoes of Atlantis. \n\nCome to me. \n\nYour eternal love, \n\nHela. \n\n————————————- \n\nI know this was long but I was freestyle writing. Please provide feedback." ]	2
	[WP] after a disaster, only one country survive. Such little population allows the people there to use lots of resources unlike before, although there are some struggles of having much less people than before...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Audio log #0001.\n\nMay 23rd, 2023\n\nfinally touched down in Paris!\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWait, I should probably slow down a bit. after all, you're a new journal! My name is Edward, I prefer ed. 11 years old and ready to see more of the world.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nto catch you up, after the disappearance of the last journal, my grandparents took me in overseas to introduce me to my new home. they were to meet me at the exit of the gate, but I never saw them in my life. I am so excited to see them!\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI hope to share more stories with you!\n\n-yours truly\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhere did the days go? \n\nthe days before the crash?\n\nThose days of innocence?\n\nAudio log #0002.\n\nMay 24th, 2023\n\nthe day is young my new friend!\n\nI finally found the grandparents after what felt like hours of wandering, how do they expect a kid like me to know where to go?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nthey apologized to me for being so late, they told me that they had errands to run. I was fine with it. I was used to waiting. so we got to the car an- \n\n\\faint static\\\n\nEd!\n\nWh-t do -ou -eed Ma?\n\nGet d--n he-e now!\n\nw--t's th- matt-\n\n\\explosion\\\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWARNING, WARNING, WARNING, FILE CORRUPTION, WARNING, WARNING, WARNING, FILE CORRUPTION, WARNING,\n\nWell those days ended then.\n\nI lost more than I thought I could those days.\n\nthe crash took them away, I was lucky. the perfect string of accidents led me to just making it to the place of salvation." ]	2
	[WP] You are given one chance to go back to anytime in your life to tell anyone you want the words you have always wanted to tell them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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(edited for spelling errors)\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI think about back then all the time.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYou know, every person has their generic \"glory days\", filled with carefree summer nights and kids getting up to mischief. Of course we weren't much different, but it never felt like that at the time, I felt like no one had any clue what we were going through.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIf anyone told me I would look back on those days with admiration I'd have called them mental, and then scoffed and how ignorant people can be.\n\nBut time sharpens all those lines that you never knew you crossed, and all those lines in my teenage years were blurred so out of focus that I'm amazed I even passed my driving test.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt's been almost 20 years since then. God that feels like a lifetime ago, I was only 19 and already knew I knew better than everyone else.\n\nTo be fair I was mostly right. Mostly...\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhenever I think about my past I can't help but go back to New Years.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDecember 31st, 1999.\n\nTurn of the century man, that's gotta be a party right?\n\nWhile I'm sure most people either have fun memories of going out, getting wasted, or no memories at all due to the latter, I spent it in my parents basement,\n\nmy parents and extended family upstairs in the dining room, drinking wine with the live feed from New York quietly playing over the radio.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was just myself, my bro, and my best friend Annabelle downstairs in the basement. We had this old (though not that old at the time) and hugeee CRT TV playing the feed from Times Square for us. We just watched and made fun of all those people squished into such a compact place.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut Annabelle kept trying to get serious and change the topic. Nobody every really talks about it now, but back then those Y2K conspiracies were actually kind of unnerving. Her dad was a software designer for some tech company so you'd think she'd have some sense about how that crap works but we all thought she was just being weird and quirky. Cause I mean that was most of her personality otherwise.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWe'd known each other since middle school and I think I only put up with her because of how weird and ridiculous she was,\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI swear at least twice a week she'd come up to me during lunch and start telling me all about how people really need to stop eating gummy bears,\n\n&#x200B;\n\nbecause eventually the gummy bear overlords would get fed up with their repeated mass sacrifices and loss of gummy bear life done in order to satiate humanities demanding and endless sugary cravings.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut on New Years she just didn't sound the same. It was actually kind of worrying.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFor almost the whole world, the climax of that night was when the ball dropped, and humanity officially entered the 21st century.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut mine wasn't for another couple hours.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt wasn't the first time that Annabelle was over that late, (although when she did it usually meant that the next morning I'd have to deal with another round of my parents asking if we're \"Going out\" yet) but usually we just stayed up too late playing videos and then I'd walk her back to her house to be safe, luckily we only lived 2 blocks away from each other.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI was worried that she was going to keep acting weird and scared and go on and on about the dangers of Y2K all night, but she didn't. After the ball dropped we just made fun of her for it and she cut that act out entirely. Then things were normal again until everyone else went to sleep.", "Life had become rolling out of bed, feeling the weight of the world cling to my limbs, a plea to stay in the sheets. But I kept moving. I did what I had been doing everyday, and not because I wanted to, but because there was nothing that could be changed about before.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThat whole week was a blur of this same routine. Up, move, occupy your mind. It's funny how often it gets distracted by the bad stuff, and how regularly it neglects the good. The past does that--so unchangeable, each action so out of your control just a second after it happens. And you must accept each movement. Each time you blink, each time you flinch, each time you speak words you will regret. But in the moment, the past isn't a fact yet. Emotion intrigues you to say what you want most, while time waits to punish you.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI remember when I woke up that morning, it was only 6AM, but that had just become regular for me. I didn't feel that moving about my house was enough, and soon enough I was in the cool morning air, thick with the shadow of rain. Energy welled up in my limbs, that anxious energy, and solidified in my veins. I dropped like a weight in the trembling hands of the morning to the cold pavement. All I could do was watch the lights of streetlamps and the growing sunrise mingle in the streetside puddles. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn the ripples of the puddles, a shadowy figure moved behind me. \"Would you say it all differently? If you had the chance?\" I didn't know what was real, but the question wasn't new. I had asked myself that every day since. My rippling reflection sat waiting for my mouth to move. \"Could any words change their mind?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe sun crawled over the neighborhoods towards my path of lingering darkness. It crossed yards, touched families, and sent birds soaring from their nests. As the light reached my hands, and the air grew warm with life, I heard the voice softly confirm what I had feared, but always known. \"No.\" Yet the soft-spoken word met my veins and liquified them once more. My blood started pumping, and I was rising to my feet, moving forward once again in the light. Away from the past, and into my future." ]	3
	[WP] "Seriously dude, what's the worst that could happen?" said Bob before we strapped ourselves into the spaceship which was heading towards the Black Hole.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 know what it is, we haven't checked it at all, don't play it down!\" I said, Bob turned his head in my direction with an insane smile on his face. \"I will! You won't stop me and we will do this together, where is the fun of knowing everything. Hahaha!!\". I got goosebumps from this laugher. I couldn't do it! I started shivering and looked in his face while he was staring down the black hole. My hand moved slowly up to my shoulder. The pressure I felt on my arm, when Bob grabbed it shocked me. I looked at him whispering \"I can't, I can't do it!\". \"Where is the fun if we do what you want?\" He asked me with a childish smile. \"I am not here for the fun.\" I said in a calm voice. I freed myself from his grip and touched the back of my seat. \"Nooooooo why do you do this?\" The dissapointment in his voice was strong. I didn't care I wanted to know. My hand finally reached the snack bar behind my seat and to my pleasure I found the chocolate bars there. He looked at me with dogeyes \"you ruined it, are you happy now?\". \"Yes.\" I said \"now we can go\". \"Well then, let's go\" then he started the engines and we moved up to the black hole.\n\nFirst time here, so please be gentle but feel free to say anything you think about it :D\nAnd I am not a native English person, so please forgive my bad grammar etc. \nHope you still enjoyed it :P", " \n\n\\[I'm tired but I wanted to bust out something melodramatic so here u go. It's a lot less casual than my usual stuff but it was fun.\\]\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe ship approached the event horizon. The bright aura from the black hole throws dancing light towards the spacecraft which shakes as gravity sucks it towards the belt. Like an ominous eye it’s gaze drew us inwards towards the unknown.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I have an idea.” I call toward’s Bob Sandford, probably the last man I will ever see.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe’s working the control panels and sweating over calculations “2 minutes till leap” Chel calls in its soothing mechanical voice. “An idea?” he shouts over the vibrating of the ship and the AI.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Any idea of what could possibly go wrong. Remember what you said before we took the Astronaut exam?”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe laughed not taking his face away from the screen, a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead visibly. None of the training could have prepared us for this. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“We could die. We could be ripped into one thousand tiny pieces. We could be turned inside out.”\n\nBob looked over for just long enough to sneer. “Now’s not the time.”\n\nI strap on my belt tightly “45 seconds till leap” Chel chimes.\n\n“We could succeed.” I add, he grins back at me. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“We could.” He says floating over to his seat, he straps himself in too, the eye is closer than ever, it rocks the ship violently with its gravitational force. The last thing I remember seeing is his smile, his eyes lit with the hopes and dreams of humanity. An immense pressure weighs down on everything and everyone in the ship. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI’m dreaming. Or is it a memory?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI'm a child. The teacher tells me I can be anything. I don’t know what I want to be. A girl pipes up that she wants to be a famous singer. I walk home with my father and ask him what he wanted to be? He said he wanted to be an astronaut, but we can’t all get what we want. He told me I should prepare for disappointment, but I hoped anyway.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt’s the year of my high school graduation. I took all the right classes. Did I do well enough? I wonder if any of it was worth it for a nine to five job. I struggled, but I made it anyway.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRobert Sandford, astrophysics doctorate walks beside me. He graduated early. He’s a genius, by my standards. He tells me I should try becoming an astronaut. I have the mind for it. On that day the autumn leaves were falling, winter was almost upon us. I gave him a sarcastic smile, said I couldn't do it, but he believed in me anyway.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAfter graduation. The space program is hiring a team of young cadets to undertake the most dangerous mission of all. Earth is devastated by climate change, just like the movies said, never mind the scientists. Nasa says we can find life in another galaxy, but we just need to harness quantum mechanics. It's like a sci fi film, but we tried it anyway.\n\nI open my eyes, there’s an eerie silence.\n\n“Did we make it?” I say, I feel my forehead where a bruise is beginning to form, well something like that was bound to happen. I call out again.There’s no response. I stand shakily, through the window I see a thousand new star formations. The computer flashes wildly, it seems out of sorts as well.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRobert Sandford lies on the floor. Something went wrong. I check his pulse. Nothing. The stars pulse outside of the ship, the other side of the black hole blinks quietly in the distance. I walk over to the computer, I need to relay a message.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSomething went wrong, but we made it anyway." ]	3
You don’t need to include context unless you want to.	[WP] Write the death of a main character at the climax of a novel	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 it must be, though pretty is he. Hang him from the cherrywood tree!”\n\nSix cacophonous voices pierce through the burlap sacks suffocating my men and I. I don’t know how much longer I can stomach the smell of fetid grain that has soiled the rough fabric. Had it not been for the buffoons with me and their petty exhaustion we would not be in this predicament in the first place.\n\n“Pretty, eh? I suppose I can go to the Grove knowing a handful of crones thought me ‘pretty.’ Why don’t we stay my execution so I can show you lovely, voluptuous old hags just how ‘pretty’ I am without these dregs, hmm?”\n\nVolas. Through the minute gaps in my hood I can see our strongest Tongue Slinger regard our captors with that same detached, alien demeanor he gave me before swearing fealty. The lack of food these past few days doesn’t seem to have affected him; Volas still holds his head high and proud, his lithe frame looking no worse for wear, save the gaping sockets where once his eyes pierced forth. Despite all we’ve been through with one another these past years I still can’t read his angelically carved face, but I know my own heart and it leaps towards him with every word.\n\n“Near to death, and still you jest. Remove the-”\n\n“Spare us the drivel, Witches. I would much rather hear you under the influence of my Tongue. Unbind me, won’t you?”\n\nI can feel rather than see the flash in Volas’s eyes, having been a thrall to his Tongue myself before learning his ways. His power over Speech is enough to make my every pore sing his name, but the Witches before us have not been phased. They haven’t been since we made them six from thirteen, to which they responded by hooding us to avoid our gaze and our Tongues, ripping our eyes from our faces when the time for ritual execution has arrived.\n\n“You have no eyes, too weak your cries. It is time to say goodbye!”\n\n“Ugh, to be slain now would be a blessing. Please, foul mistresses, string me upon your cherry tree. Or at least remove my ears to match my eyes, to spare me the indignity with which you assail them.”\n\nWithout his eyes to deliver his Speech, Volas’s words elicit nothing but a high cackle from them. Still, he remains defiant to the end. Even through the sickening sounds of his eyes being ripped from his still living head, Volas has not stopped Speaking to the Witches. I wish the same could be said of the others.\n\nWith his bound wrists behind him and his chin pointed towards the sky, Volas steps towards the cherrywood tree in the center of the Witches’ Clearing. He meets their leader at the base of the beautiful, blossoming trunk and lowers his head to accommodate the noose. I scream through my bound lips, but it’s all for naught. The Head Witch slips the thorned noose around his neck and firmly pulls it tight before reaching down for the other end of the rope.\n\n“Artor! My love! I will meet you in the Grove. Do not for-”\n\nMy throat tightens in synch with the Head Witch’s pulls of the rope as she hoists Volas into the air. He’s afforded no courtesy of a broken neck from the gallows, but the slow, torturous bite of asphyxia as the noose’s thorns cut into his beautiful ivory skin. I thrash forward against my bindings and scream through the leather cutting across my face, but there’s nothing I can do.\n\nThe love of my life, my greatest mentor, swings gently back and forth with the wind and the struggling grip of the Witch beneath.", "\"Looks like there's no escape, detective,\" the man scoffed as he leveled a gun at my chest.\n\nI kept my eyes locked on the barrel as I inched backward toward the building's edge. A frigid wind swirled around the two of us, carrying the chaotic din of honking cars and distant sirens from twenty-five floors below.\n\n\"It's over, Houwzer,\" I spat back. \"You and your goons are done. Finished.\" I took my hands from my jacket pockets and reached behind me, grasping the brick ledge that signaled the end of my retreat. Steadying myself, I stared him dead in the eyes and smiled. \"She's finally agreed to testify.\"\n\nFor a split-second, his face flashed with a mix of doubt and betrayal. \"You're lying, pig.\"\n\nAs if on cue, the rooftop door burst open and five jacked thugs poured out. Perfect timing, I thought to myself, as the men gathered behind their leader and reached for their guns. \"Just ask them,\" I laughed, nodding toward the swell of muscle and testosterone that had just joined in the fun. \n\n\"Bruno,\" Houwzer called back calmly to one of his men, never once breaking eye-contact with me, \"where's my wife and son?\"\n\nA palpable hesitation hung in the air. \"Sorry, boss. But we lost them at the market. One moment she was buying shoes and the nex--\"\n\nA gunshot exploded out the back of Bruno's head, spraying a thick mass of blood and skull into the night air. In an instant, Houwzer's gun pointed back toward me, a tendril of pale smoke drifting from the barrel. Somewhere, in the far off distance, I could hear my son's voice worrying about the monster under his bed. Don't be afraid, little one, I had told him, monsters aren't real. Oh, how childish we are.\n\n\"WHERE ARE THEY?\" he snarled at me.\n\nI could feel the heat in his breath and smell the bile in his voice. But it was his eyes that filled me with true terror. Two swirling storms of madness and mania without even a flicker of pity or reason. The hungry eyes of an apex predator fixated on fucking up its prey.\n\nAnd suddenly, this was the moment. The culmination of eight years of police work that hadn't led to a goddamn thing other than dead ends and dead witnesses. Eight long years wondering how you fight monsters in the dark. Well, it turns out that all you need is a little bait.\n\n\"Marital problems, big guy?\" I laug--\n\nSearing pain rocketed through my body as I crumpled to the ground, hands instinctively grasping for the mutilated tendons, flesh and bone that had once been my left kneecap. Blood poured through my fingers and pooled in my shoe as I tried to gather enough breath to simply scream.\n\nHouwzer shifted his aim toward my forehead, his hand and body rigid with rage. \"You shouldn't have messed with my family.\"\n\n\"AND YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED MINE!\" I roared back through gritted teeth. The tears had started to well and roll down my cheeks. There was no stopping them, or him, or any of this now.\n\nHouwzer's arm dropped a few inches, and I could see a look of confusion wash across his face. \n\n\"Eight years ago,\" I cried out, trying to muffle my screams and sobs, \"you put out a hit on your former boss, Boris Kamarov.\"\n\n\"The National Museum...\" Houwzer muttered quietly as I watched him slowly put together the scattered pieces from his past. \"Fifteen people died in that blast: poor Boris, eight of his men, and...\"\n\n\"... and six innocent bystanders,\" I managed to choke out through a growing mountain of pain. \"Eight years ago, you took away my wife and my son, so now I am taking away yours.\" \n\nIn an instant, the savage monster returned. \"I killed Kamarov because he was weak, just like you,\" he snarled. \"And the strong have nothing to fear from the weak.\"\n\nI planted my right leg and pushed myself up, bracing against the brick ledge that separated me from the street far below.\n\n\"My wife will never testify,\" he stated coldly, and I could tell that he meant every word of it. \n\nI looked down at the busy street and then back to the beast in front of me. \"You're right, she's too afraid to testify. \nThe best I could do was convince her to run away and to take her son,\" I conceded as my hand reached into my front jacket pocket. \n\n\"You lied?\" he asked incredulously, and I could see the gears turning wildly in his head as he fought to understand.\n\n\"Yes. Although what you call a 'lie' I would simply call bait,\" I replied, making sure to emphasize the last word with a condescending sneer. \"Turns out, the only one 'strong' enough to testify against you is... well... you.\"\n\nSlowly I pulled my hand out of my front jacket pocket, revealing a small recording device. \"I killed Kamarov because he was weak...\" it rang out into the cold night air.\n\n\"Not exactly the way I planned, but this should do the trick.\" Then, before he could say a word, I wrapped both hands protectively around the recorder and pushed myself up and over the brick ledge.", "He let him live. And for it, he let hundreds die.\n\nJeffrey Blake isn't a man for semantics, but it was a very specific point in his timeline since being trapped in the dome. The City of Screams was quiet. He only walked past mutants and corpses. Not a mutant approached his person, almost as if they acknowledged his resolve. The anger resonated from his body and with it, his power. His aura encompassed the debris of the ruined metropolis, every step bringing him closer to his final hurrah.\n\nHe could hardly remember anything. The wife and the child were nothing more than designations now. Maybe it was better that way. In this moment, he didn't want to hold on to the past he desperately clawed onto. But the ring was still on his neck. Even if their names became lost to him, even if the times they had burned away, Blake would still shed a tear over the bond that connects them.\n\nHe saw Stephen staring at him from atop the highest ruin. The old headquarters of the Red. No doubt that he killed any stragglers. He couldn't have anyone sit upon his throne of rocks except him.\n\nThere was no one left to save. With Tim, Yo, Wes and the SEALs safely away from the domed city of Meridian Veil, everyone that Blake could have cared about was gone. He remained here on a whim. Pitying a government who couldn't keep their biggest weapons under check. No, it was something more than that. Stephen was already a monster, but Blake felt responsible for him gaining this level of power. He should have never given Chloe the decision. Being one of the few memories he retained, it was all he could focus on. Stephen was his enemy, simple as that.\n\nHe finally reached the top of the derelict domicile.\n\n\"I should have known,\" said Stephen. \"I should have known that at the height of it all, you'd be standing in my way.\"\n\n\"What have you done, Stephen?\" Blake asked.\n\n\"What do you mean? I won!\" Stephen boasted. \"10,000 people trapped in a domed city. Civilians, criminals, soldiers! Geniuses capable of outsmarting the people who put us here! All of them fell, but I won!\"\n\nThe ground shook with his decree. It wasn't unexpected, but still booming.\n\n\"I'm actually glad that you're here, Blake,\" Stephen continued. \"It wouldn't really mean much if you couldn't be the last one I killed. Tell me, do you still remember what you did to me?\"\n\nBlake was losing more of himself with every moment that passed, but he still remembered. He remembered every single thing that pertained to Stephen. It fueled him.\n\n\"I did nothing wrong,\" said Blake.\n\n\"Bullshit. BULLSHIT!\" Stephen's attitude declined from cocky to erratic. The rapid switch caused a violent tremor. \"You took Chloe! You took my little girl away and I . . . I will never forgive you for that.\"\n\n\"YOU TOOK CHLOE AWAY.\" Blake could hardly contain his anger. \"YOU killed her mother. YOU brought her here, YOU took away the only things that she loved about this place.\"\nThe tremors worsened. Blake was hitting a nerve, but his unfettered rage wouldn't allow him to stop.\n\n\"And it was you,\" Blake continued. \"You were the reason she decided to pull that trigger.\"\n\nRocks suddenly emerged from the ground, speeding towards Blake with velocity. In a second, he crushed them both, still standing in the same spot as he did.\n\n\"LIAR!\" Stephen yelled. \"Stop twisting things to make yourself a hero! You're no better than me! All the people you killed in and out of this dome. You were a monster long before anyone made you into one!\"\n\n\"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?\" Blake's anger finally erupted. \"How long, huh? How long have you lived in delusion? How long have you held on to your pride at the cost of everything around you? How many times will you convince yourself that you're doing something for some reason than your own ego? I've lost too much ten years ago . . . I've lost two much in these past two months for you to try and invalidate me. No more excuses, Stephen. You're not leaving this city. Your bones will be buried here. They'll degrade into the irradiated soil and never lend a hand in producing another thing.\"\n\nThe tremors stopped. Stephen stood silent, clearly rattled by the words. After moments passed, Stephen finally spoke.\n\n\"No guns,\" he said. \"No more words, no more weapons. Just us.\"\n\nBlake charged towards Stephen. He would no longer cage his fury. The nuke would detonate within minutes. Before that, he was going to kill Stephen. It was the only thing he had left. The only thought that he could recall since the beginning of this trial. Nothing else. Nobody else.\n\nStephen put up walls of debris, hoping to slow the enraged soldier down. Blake cut through the walls as if they were paper and continued his pursuit. Stephen encased his arms to prepare for impact and blocked Blake's attack. He followed with a counter jab to the face. Blake couldn't tell the difference between pain and rancor anymore. It all burned. Stephen could feel the heat on his knuckle, even with the rubble in between his fist and Blake's face. Blake took his arm and dragged him to the ground. Before Blake had the chance to punch him, Stephen used debris to push Blake back and gain some distance. He thought about reaching for the gun he tucked behind his back. Stephen could feel himself ascending, but he hadn't reached the level of godhood that Tim experienced. He refused to give Blake the satisfaction, however. Stephen elected to lift the broken-up buildings of the vicinity and rain them down on the feral Blake until he could no longer see his snarling face. Once the rocks covered Blake entirely, he compressed them, squeezing them as tightly as his mind would allow. With every passing second, he grew a little more confident that Blake was gone, strengthening his grip and allowing him to compress even further. Surely, Blake was dead.\n\nStephen's confidence started to waiver as he saw Blake desperately clawing out of the stone prison, his eyes an unearthly red. \n\nBlake made another quick dash towards Stephen. He wrapped his target up and slammed him through the floor. The men lowered three stories before a floor was able to break their fall. Stephen began frantically pelting Blake with all nearby rubble. He could feel his power surge. Twisting his hands about in the air, he was able to reshape the rubble into spikes. With his newfound power, he impaled the crazed warrior from multiple angles, tasking quantity to replace accuracy. Blake's frenzy ceased.\n\nStephen got up and dusted himself off, still panting from the battle. He took a moment to look at his nemesis, dead and defeated. \n\nBlake's eyes were still red.\n\nBlake took both hands and used them to force a spike out of his body. He did it again with the second. He did it again with the third. Stephen was bewildered. He took the time to create another spike, bigger and sharper. It was harder to form. As he focused his attention towards Blake again, he could see him sprinting. Stephen fired his mighty spear, only grazing Blake as he continued to hunt him down.\n\nHe didn't notice it before, but Stephen's confidence was wavering. Despite obtaining the power of a god, he began to lose his spirit. Blake tackled him once again. He abandoned his pride and attempted to pull the pistol from his back. As he attempted, he could feel a sharp pain in his arm. Blake's kitchen knife pinned him to the ground. He used his power to push the ground beneath his arm upward and spring the knife out of his body, but Blake reactively caught the weapon and pinned him once again. With no ready defense, Stephen felt a battered Blake unleash a fury of fists. Each punch a little more numb than the previous, Stephen felt his consciousness slipping.\n\nBlake didn't let up. He felt something. Every punch, relieving him of the pain he experience over these past few weeks. With every strike, he could see it all coming back to him. He saw his mother, his father, his siblings, Nicki, Tony . . . his wife and his kid. He slowed his assault. Stephen saw his last chance to strike. He pushed the knife out once more and aimed for Blake's head. Blake grabbed the knife and plunged it straight into Stephen's heart.\n\nA gunshot rang out.\n\nBlake finally started to feel the pain he'd delayed. His body regained its weight. He pushed off Stephen and felt his back hit a wall. Leaning on it, he slid down to the floor beneath him. Stephen was motionless, his godly blood seeping from underneath him. Blake let out a sigh of relief before looking at the lifeless eyes of the man he no longer despised. He looked at his shoulder. Gunshot wound. The last of many holes left in Blake's body by Stephen's assault.\n\n\"You stupid bastard.\" Blake's final words to Stephen.\n\nThe ground began to rumble again. He knew this would be the last time. His ears were deafened from the sound, but he could feel the pressure all the same.", "Elise raised her eyebrow, her head turning towards Sir Anaheim who stood by her side, as he always had. \"You refuse?\"\n\n\"My lady, my sword has been yours from the day you were born. I have stood by your side ever since your father commanded it. And when you embarked on this journey, I swore myself to you with his blessing. But ever since you came out of that cave... you changed. If you do this, you cannot come back.\"\n\nElise glanced over at the prisoner, strung up by heavy chains anchored to the floor. The man bled from the mouth, purple bruises covering his upper body. Her pets had brought him to her, on her command, after she learned of his betrayal.\n\n\"He committed treason,\" she said.\n\n\"He is your friend.\"\n\nSir Anaheim stood proud as always. He had been a loyal dog for so long -- but a dog must learn not to bite the hand that feeds.\n\n\"Very well. I recant. You do not need to execute this man, Sir Anaheim.\"\n\nLucas raised his head slowly, watching the pair through hateful eyes, the love he once harbored for her long gone.\n\n\"Nor will I kill him,\" Elise said, and walked towards the prisoner. She reached for the chains that bound him, and freed one arm after the other. Lucas nearly collapsed on the ground once the chains loosened, but managed to steady himself on shaky palms. Elise turned her back on Lucas, and walked up to Sir Anaheim, staring directly into his eyes. Her pupils slowly dilated, her veins filling with blackness, a dark spiderweb of corrupted blood spreading across her face slowly. Lucas began to cough, spluttering, snarling like a rabid dog. He began to shake his head violently side to side, drooling as if struck by rabies. He screamed in pure rage. He became one of her pets in mere moments. Sir Anaheim watched in horror as what had once been Lucas reached up with his own hands, applying pressure on his throat, squeezing so hard that blood began to trickle down his arms. A moment later, Lucas laid dead on the ground, his face blue, strangled to death. Elise pupils returned to normal, as did the rest of her face, still staring straight at Sir Anaheim.\n\n\"Don't ever disobey me again, Sir Anaheim. It would be a shame if you committed suicide out of pure regret.\"\n\nSir Anaheim swallowed the lump in his throat, and inclined his head. \"My lady.\"" ]	5
	[WP] You escaped to the past to avoid a horrific future. You've made no secret of this, but you're annoyed that people keep asking you how the future can be avoided. You don't know, you're just a person. That's why you left.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Aw, dang it! Won't you people just leave me be?! I've already told you everything I know! Now beat it! I moved up here to get away from stupid idiotic questions.\n\nOh, all right. Here, read this.\n\nOF COURSE IT'S THE SAME STATEMENT! I ALREADY TOLD YOU EVERYTHING I KNOW!\n\nTwits. The lot of you are twits. That's got to be why they took over.\n\nHmm? No, that idle thought, and quite a few others are all in the \"unsupported theories\" section. ... You didn't read it, did you. You came all the way up here to bother me without even reading the paper you already have? In winter? In the middle of a blizzard?\n\nTHAT DOES IT! Out! Out right now! Yes, I know the storm is howling, BUT IT'S STILL SAFER FOR YOU OUTSIDE!\n\nYou came up here by helicopter? Why should I care? It's your choice. Now it's going to be your death. Out in the storm, you might survive. In here with me, you will die.\n\nSo, you did a genetic test, and you're one of my ancestors. So are you and about a million other people. You really didn't read any of the paper. Okay, you've got ONE chance. You go over to that chair by the fire. You read the entire paper. You get one question on the topic of how to avoid the future. If it isn't covered in the paper, you get to live.\n\nOh? What happens if you fail? I KILL YOU! Twit. I should count that as your question. Now get over there and start reading.\n\n\"What am I doing?\" Is that your question?\n\nThen SHUT UP and get back to reading!\n\nYou're done? Good. Got a question? No? Good. There's blankets and things in that chest. Get some sleep. You're leaving as soon as it's daybreak.\n\nA question? Not related to how to avoid the future? Sure.\n\nOh, that? It's a hockey mask, machete, and coveralls. This is a cabin by a lake in the woods. It seems the traditional, sportsman-like way --- at least according to your popular media.\n\n3,289.\n\nNow THAT was covered in the paper. You really want to ask that question? No? Good. Now shut up and go to sleep.\n\n...\n\nYeah, nice meeting you too. You're one of the ones just smart enough to live. On your way.\n\n...\n\nLouie? That last kid made it. Let Major Powers know. He's borderline, but slid through. You got any more? No? Good. I'm taking the rest of the winter off.\n\nLouie? Do you really want to ask that question? No? Good. You have a nice day too." ]	2
	[WP] Plague Doctors were secretly Vampires who used their unique abilities to contain and treat the affliction wherever they could. Their apparent kindness not borne of benevolence; but fear the Dark Shepherds of the Night may one day be left without their Flock.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 mass of rats heaved as Drenna glided among their ranks. She removed the heavy, hook billed plauge mask and breathed the damp air. Blood didn't taste the same when it was tainted by plague and clean blood was starting to run thin for most of their kind, including her. The Ancients, called by some the Shepherds, would not abide this mass loss of their food source, so she and a select few had gone forth to cleanse it. \n\nThe rats squeaked and squealed as she drew the plague from their, and their fleas, tiny bodies in a series of sickly green tendrils. It collected into a floating ball and she drew an enchanted jar from her robes, which the plague swept into before bursting into flames. Now she could focus on healing the humans. A bit of bloodletting here, some more advanced magics there, and her 20th city would be cleansed. \n\nPerhaps the Ancients would reward her with a servant, even a minor title, when she finally returned to the Court of Night.", "The Black Death, the humans called it. A ravenous beast of a plague that spread through the citizenry like wildfire. Hamlets, towns and especially concentrated cities, no place was safe when death's insidious representative rolled in with the tide. \n\nThe rate at which the disease was transmitted was nauseating. Apothecaries failed to stem the spread. Priests, clerics, godly men, their efforts all amounted to dust when combating the the virulent plague. People fell faster to it than wheat to a farmer's scythe, their entrails left an incinerated mass. No one was safe, not man, not king, not even the self-proclaimed servents of the divine. \n\nNo one, that is, save the venerated Plague Doctors that had seemingly materialized during humanities hour of need. They were immune, somehow. And only they had the answer to the problem at hand. \n\nDoctor Francesca DelaLune stared at the body of the recently deceased. It was a young boy who had an angular face, a mop of greasy blonde hair, and whose big, bright eyes went puffy with tears when Fran had taken him by the hand, and led him to the quarantine zone. They called it a quarantine for the sick. A safe place to isolate the spread of the disease. She knew better. This was the executioners block. It was where she carried out her bloody affair. \n\nDoctor DelaLune, Fran as she went by, bloodlet the boy. Just as she had done to the rest of his family hours prior. She incised a deep puncture right on the neck, the optimal spot to strike. She let every ounce of his tainted blood drip out from its now withering husk. Then, when the last driblet of life dripped out to the dirt, she took the remains of the corpse then burned it. \n\nThis made for a miserable affair; one that even for an ancient and calloused soul such as hers, had left a foul taste in her mouth, literally. For Fran, one of the few sanctioned Plague Doctors commissioned by the Kingdom, had culled the sick utilizing a rather peculiar method. \n\nShe had done this act but not with the tools of man nor some sort of politice brewed. No, Fran was far more effective than that. The good doctor had used her bare teeth to rupture the tendons in the infecteds neck. Except instead of a pair of middling human incissiors, Fran had a set of gleaming fangs that were sharper than serrated steel. \n\nDoctor Francesca DelaLune was not the doctor she pretended to be. She was infinitely more than that. Francesca was a Vampire. A Dark Shepard of the Night, Queen of the Nocturne, Master of Midnight and Man. She only masqueraded as a civil servant to serve a greater purpose. \n\nHumans, like the infected boy and his family, were the staple of every Vampires diet. They were the lifeblood that they flourished from. So when a debilitating disease swept in and threatened the natural order of things, Vampires like her were quick to act. They were immune to all disease thus making them the only suitable remedy to cure it. Though their methods were brutal in a way, leaving swaths of death in their wake, they were highly infected. Vampires were the very reason that humankind did not go extinct. \n\nThe shepherds tended their unknowing flock. \n\nBut, as she stood there marveling her own handiwork, a pang of weariness echoed in her heart. The boy had been no more than a pup. He'd have seen only six winters at best, a startlingly pitiful amount. It was unfair for him, but also unfair for her. While disease had all but sealed his fate, she was the one who snuffed out the light from his eyes. \n\nShe did what she had to do, preserving the food chain. But Fran was not without heart. She watched the boys body char as an indiscriminate flame turned him to ash and dust. What could that boy have become, she wondered. What if life had not been so cruel?\n\nIt shouldn't have bothered her. She had seen summer come and go nearly three hundred times. She'd watch countless of lives come to an abrupt end, hell, she had even seen to that personally hundreds of times. But still, Fran stood there with a haunted expression. This troubled her deeply. \n\nIt wasn't some sort of attachment to the child or the hundreds of others she just dealt with that bothered her. It was the crux of the matter at hand. She would partake in this passage of death again and again. A new infection would rise and she'd make it fall. Countless of her flock falling with it. So long as she lived, this would continue for time immemorial. \n\nAs the embers of a the roaring flame rose up into the nights sky, Fran turned and walked away, a niggling question nagging in her conscious. How much more of this could she take? How much more senseless death could she personally oversee? It wasn't fair that the responsibility fell on her shoulders, but here she was. Why do it then? She pondered. \n\nWhy bother lending a helping hand when she was the one left with the burden of living?", "\n\nThe doctor reclined into the closet, equipped with a bucket of fresh blood. Now that he was out of sight, the bucket was placed onto the ground. Peeling his mask off, the doctor sat and admired the deep red liquid. With a finger, he tasted a drop. Pure as always. Casually tipping the bucket, he began to indulge in the hot liquid as it made its way past his tongue and down the doctor's throat.\n\nWhen the bucket had no more blood than a few drops along the edges, the doctor put down the bucket. With a satisfied grin, he put on the mask yet again, grabbing its handle, the doctor exited the closet. There, he encountered a colleague and personal friend of his.\n\n\"Greetings, Doctor Yokavich. I trust that you let your share of blood?\"\n\n\"Indeed, Massaro,\" the doctor confirmed. \"Do you currently have an appointment?\"\n\n\"Unfortunately, I do not.\"\n\n\"Then I will seek to acquiring all of your necessary fluids,\" Yokavich promised. \"I cannot simply let a friend starve and lose his mind over not drinking his much needed blood.\"\n\nMassaro turned away and started down the long corridor. \"I thank you, my friend. I will not go hungry if all goes well.\"\n\n\"You mustn't think negatively, Massaro. These patients trust me enough to steal their essence and claim it for my own. I will not fail you.\" Yokavich hurried towards his next meal.\n\nYokavich closed a door. The bucket trailed by his side, the blood hardened to its sides and bottom. \"I pray you've taken all of the necessary precautions?\" He asked, then when he turned around, \"You are not my patient.\"\n\nA stranger sat on the bench. He wore more than simple rags; A thin, dyed shirt with a flamboyant blue and green design and a pair of delicately woven pants. He stared at the doctor. \"So what?\" He countered. \"Get on with it.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Yokavich replied. \"Please uncover your arm.\" He was astonished by the cleanliness of the stranger's limbs. They showed almost no semblance of dirt or grime. Yokavich couldn't help but prod at his tender veins and arteries, excited that he would finally be able to taste blood from one of the richer folks. \"Grip the cylinder and I will do my duties.\"\n\nRestraining himself from cutting open the not-patient's blood vessels, the doctor calmly poked a hole in one, putting the bucket up to the swuirting blood. He started to breath heavily as it poured into the bucket.\n\n\"Oh my God,\" the stranger tensed up. \"So this is what bloodletting is like?\" The doctor refused to speak until he had filled a decent portion of the bucket. \"Damn, they really had it rough in the Middle Ages.\"\n\nThe doctor pressed a gauze over the wound, finally looking up at his patient. \"Now what sort of nonsense are you talking about? The Middle Ages?\"\n\nThe stranger smirked. \"Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm from the future. Twenty-second century, in fact.\"\n\nYokavich was perplexed. \"The future?\" He peered at the stranger's unusual clothing. Could he be telling the truth?\n\n\"Yeah. I'm supposed to write an essay on the dark ages and decided to come here myself.\"\n\n\"If you had come from the future, surely you know the aftermath of the spreading plague?\" The doctor tried.\n\n\"Yeah, the bubonic plague. It ends up killing a third of Europe,\" the stranger informed.\n\nYokavich pushed the bucket of blood aside. He pulled up a wooden chair and leaned over at the foreign traveler. \"You simply must tell me more, whoever you are.\"\n\n\"Uh... Sure. The name's Omar. What's it like being a plague doctor?\"\n\n\"Excellent question,\" Yokavich said, his fingers stroking his knees. \"It's absolutely delightful, if I am to be honest. Letting blood assures me that I am preventing this terrible disease.\"\n\nOmar gave a weirded look. \"O... Okay. Do you know that bloodletting doesn't really do anything?\"\n\nThe doctor rejected the thought strongly. \"Nonsense. The bad energy is released when blood is let.\"\n\n\"No, you don't get it,\" Omar said. He rummaged through a sack and gave the doctor a thin sheet of paper with the image of a few black lines with a pinkish background. As Yokavich studied the paper intently, Omar spoke. \"That's the bubonic plague. It's not 'bad blood' or whatever you're calling it.\"\n\n\"Omar, you are mistaken,\" Yokavich claimed, holding up the sheet of paper. \"In all of my time I have been working I have not seen this inside a patient's body before.\"\n\n\"It's microscopic,\" Omar countered. \"You can't see it.\"\n\nYokavich sighed, then stood. \"Listen with intent, Omar. No amount of your words will deter me from conducting my duties.\"\n\n\"Thought as much,\" Omar said. \"You guys are so stubborn. Is it something about this blood?\"\n\nYokavich's heart started to pound faster. \"I've already told you that it helps eradicate the awful illness.\"\n\n\"If you really cared about preventing the plague, you would've listened!\"\n\n\"That's true-\"\n\n\"Then why didn't you?\" Omar demanded. \"What are you hiding?\" He stomped his way over to the bucket of blood.\n\n\"Don't you dare touch that!\" Yokavich shouted. Committed to keeping his promise, he shoved Omar away from the liquid.\n\n\"Why? It's just blood!\"\n\n\"The floor will be dirty!\" Yokavich hissed.\n\n\"The floor is stone, stupid!\" Omar countered. \"Just use some rags and a bucket of water!\"\n\n\"Then it won't be pure!\"\n\n\"Why would you want blood to be pure? What are you, a vampire? Do you drink blood?\" Yokavich froze, staring with wide eyes at Omar. After a few seconds, Omar's jaw slowly dropped. \"Oh... My God...\"\n\nYokavich collapsed to his knees. \"I beg you, do will not tell anyone,\" he begged. \"They will most certainly stop offering their blood.\"\n\nOmar stood dumbfounded. \"What am I supposed to do?\"\n\n\"Oh, please, say I let your blood, nothing more.\"\n\nOmar looked over at the bucket of blood. \"Well, I... Uh... Have fun?\"\n\n\"I thank you, Omar. I thank you with all my heart and soul. I thank you for...\" Omar was already gone in an instant. Yokavich curled on the floor and wept for several minutes. The only thing that motivated him to finally stand and grab his bucket of blood was the thought that it would eventually become cold. Knocking on a door, he entered Massaro's office. \"We will feast,\" he announced.\n\n\n\nWell, I missed the actual point of the prompt, but I had fun!" ]	4
	[WP]A man is witnessing nuclear armegedon from the safety of his bunker, with his wife. For whatever reason, he finds the nuclear war very funny. The politics, the extermination, it all plays out to him like a bar joke. Hes not insane, and instead is able to be happy through this tragedy	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"HOW CAN YOU LAUGH AT THIS! OUR WHOLE WORLD IS DYING!\" I look at my wife in surprise. Sure, she'd been down since it started, but screaming at me? That's new.\n\n\"Honey? I don't understand. You always liked how I could see the humor in anything that happened. What's changed?\"\n\n\"WE'RE ALL DEAD, THAT'S WHAT CHANGED YOU... YOU... LAUGHING HYENA!\"\n\n\"Oh. Well, I suppose that's because I paid attention to the survival courses.\"\n\n\"Survival Courses! For Armageddon!?! You think those things were anything but a way to separate people from their money?! I let you spend our money on them because you always came back poking fun at them! It made you happy!\"\n\n\"Well, sure! Each of them was ridiculous! It's only when you put together the good parts that you figure out how you can survive!\"\n\n\"Survive? You're crazy! No food. No clean water. How're we going to survive?!?\"\n\n\"Well, Honey, why don't you come over here and get a hug while I teach you everything I learned... There, that's better isn't it?\n\nStep One: Make sure your loved ones are with you. You are the woman that I love, there's never been anyone else.\n\nStep Two: Stock your shelter for as long as you can.\n\nWe're stocked for 5 years, plus seeds for easily grown foods. In less than a year, it will be possible to go out safely. We'll be able to grow food for ourselves, and hunt for meat. The extra 4 years of food are insurance against our inexperience in farming.\n\nStep Three: Maintaining a positive attitude. \n\nHoney, can you think of anything funnier than every stinking one of those petty politicians having their entire power based house of cards come tumbling down? No more income tax! No more special interests. No more all expenses paid junkets!\n\nHow about our Senator? He always boasted that he had the best wife, and best dog, in the world. Do you remember what happened when this started? Before the bombs?\n\nHis dog bit him where it really hurts, while his wife knocked him out with a rolling pin!\n\nIt was the best sit-com ever!\n\nThen she told the whole world, on live TV exactly what sort of conniving ass he was, and that she and the dog were going back to her family!\n\nWhat a comeuppance!\"\n\n\"Hee Hee Hee, yes, I remember the dog piddling on him while she told everyone! Sure made his opinion plain!\"\n\n\"So sit with me, and we'll laugh at their idiocy. Where they aren't idiots, we'll look for the irony. Where there isn't even irony, we'll hug each other and remember that we love each other.\n\nSometimes it'll be gallows humor, but you know I was in the Army, you've heard me and my pals laughing our heads off over things that were horrible. It was the only way we could survive.\n\nHonestly, Step Three should be Step One, but life wouldn't be worth living without you, and living wouldn't be possible without food and shelter.\n\nAs long as we can laugh, and love each other, we'll have a good life no matter what else happens.\n\nHere's another joke for you. Her family started out by buying a big hill and building a half buried house. They've been tunneling out that hill for decades. Care to guess where our shelter's emergency exit leads?\"\n\n\"You're kidding! The Stetsons? Our best friends?! Why aren't we with them now!\"\n\n\"Well, pretty much everyone in the community has a bunker as their private quarters, and we'd agreed that staying separate for the first wave would be a good idea. If anything went badly wrong, we'd have people who could help us. Even if the main shelter failed.\"\n\n\"And you waited to tell me this long!? How could you!\"\n\n\"For the wonderful happy look on your face when you found out we we're not alone. Priceless!\"\n\n\"Cad! Brute! Heel!\"\n\nAnd we're still laughing to this day...\n\n((finis))" ]	2
	[WP] “It’s always there, just out of sight. You don’t miss it because it doesn’t want to be seen, it’s because you don’t want to see it.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 try hard not to think about it.\n\nTry being the key word, as hard days make harder thoughts. Yesterday for instance, I remembered my late wife's birthday. I was happy, until I remembered that so many years had passed, that I'd forgotten it the year before. The guilt stung like an affair I'd never had.\n\nIf you can read this I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't afford to make your final years better. I spent so long trying to build a career, that I forgot to build our relationship. I never even told you the reason that I was doing it all was for you. Until you passed, I don't think I told myself that either. I just knew.\n\nDeath didn't even come across my mind before. I had visions, as I suppose all husbands do, of a family life boldly striding our way. Now I wonder why it took a wrong turn, but there's no answer. The more I think about it, the more that thought terrifies me. It usually leads to anger, but with no one to blame it always comes back to me. I know it's not my fault. That doesn't stop me from wanting it to be. At least that way I would have control.\n\nI suppose that's the thing about death. It’s always there, just out of sight. You don’t miss it because it doesn’t want to be seen, it's because you don’t want to see it. I wish I could come to peace with that fact. It would make being alone again a little easier. It would make forgetting birthdays less of a sin, and would have helped me see what really mattered.\n\nYesterday, I lit two candles to make it up to you. With every year I'll light another.\n\nI love you." ]	2
	[WP] "Dear all loyal customers. Welcome to IKEA Survival Battle Royale. All of you must fight against each other and be the last one standing . You may build and use all of the available furniture and items in the store as your weapon or your defense. Good Luck!"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "_Day 1: The Announcement_\n\nI was in the IKEA food court when I heard that announcement. The chicken is pretty great there. And honestly, I'm pretty lucky to be there. First thing I did was jump over the counter into the kitchen. Closed everything. I took as much food as possible without anyone seeing me. The large rectangular bowl-things the food is stored in might be great for defense. There was a second announcement that says that sleeping gas will be pumped into the air vents at 12:00 AM to prevent people from killing while others sleep. At 11:59 PM, I will grab the rest of the food and leave it at my base with the rest.\n\n_Day 2: The Risks of Leaving My Base_\n\nMy base is at the kitchen. Everyone tried looking for food there, but realized it's all gone. This has really raised suspicion. I believe I will have to make a new base. But I can't leave my old one. Walking out is a death wish. I can't take anything with me, unless i somehow hide it. No murders have occurred yet, and people are forming teams already. I'll stay neutral, so I don't have to share. Everything I must do must be done very late. I'm thinking of starting a new base at the Self-Serve Area.\n\n_Day 3: The Suspicion Rises_\n\nThe people who played Battle Royals know that there should be 100 people (with the exception of Tetris 99). Everyday, everyone meets up at the Bedroom Area for meetings. People have started to notice that there are 99 people there. Everyone is suspicious of the 100th person, thinking that they must be planning a murder. I just think that they just only want to build their base.\n\n_Day 7: Øñë wēêk häs påssëd_\n\nEveryone is starting to go crazy. No one has any food in an entire week. My guess is that they only have 2 weeks to survive. An announcement came that says that only half have to die, and everyone else will be let go. This might cause some deaths, but I'm sure as hell I'm not gonna die.\n\n_Day 8: The Conference_\n\nSomeone has died. Everyone is at the meeting, including person 100. We discuss who might be the killer. After hours of debate and finger pointing, everyone decided it was a suicide. I bet the killer must feel relieved. I know that it couldn't have been a suicide.\n\n_Day 9: Base Complete_\n\nThe base is finished, and I quickly moved everything. No one noticed. The first person who died of starvation died in last night's meeting. Everyone realized that they will die soon, which might make people kill even more.\n\n_Day 14: Twô wēêks hãvë pâssèd_\n\nEver since Day 9: 15 killed, 14 murderers found (who were all killed as punishment), 16 died of starvation. 1 murderer still hasn't been found. Again, passed off as suicide. I still dont think that they committed suicide, why would they? Just not enough evidence. 50 remain, but we weren't let go. We were told that they lied, and that it's 10 people now. I'm pretty lucky I'm still alive.\n\n_Day 15: Ascension Belonging to a Specific Species of Insects_\n\nI just noticed that background music has been playing this entire time. Today, it's playing Flight of the Bumblebees. On another note, my food ran out. Nothing else to note.\n\n_Day 21: Thrèé wēêks hâvë påsséd_\n\n10 people remain. No murders have occurred yet. Just people dying of starvation. I still have 15 days left. 2 people must remain now.\n\n_Day 22: The Package_\n\nA package came. Enough food to last another month was in it. As there are 5 people left, we split it into 5. However, hours after that, Johnny (I don't know his name) died. Evidence shows that Jack (I think that's his name) was the murderer. He was punished. By death.\n\n_Day 23: 2 Is My Lucky Number_\n\n2 Remain. The 3rd was killed. We were released.\n\n_These excerpts were from the journal of the rampant IKEA murderer. There was never a \"battle royale.\" The other \"survivor\" was also killed. The author of this journal will receive the death penalty in December 25, 2196, which is in 10 days. Merry early Christmas!_\n\nThis news was brought to you by Universal News Network (UNN)", "I heard the voice of my manager blare the message out over the loudspeakers. Oh shit, I forgot it was battle royale day, and my yellow and red striped shirt stuck out like a sore thumb among the common folk. I took a breath, taking stock of my situation. I was in the middle of the second floor in bedrooms, I didn't have my keys on me, and, approximately every customer within eyesight was looking at me. Fuck. \nWithin seconds, a man bull rushed me, veins popping. The battle royale had become something of an urban legend, and even though IKEA enforced one hundred percent secrecy from the last winner word had gotten out, and now out clientele were waiting to get a bite of the violent Swedish meatball action. This man was certainly waiting for this moment. I sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the him as he crashed into a Hemnes nightstand. Ouch, those are made with all natural pine, that had to hurt. Soon, however, others followed suit, running towards me, wild looks in their eyes. But I had something they didn't have: I knew how to get out of the maze. I knew all the shortcuts, all the secrets. I leapt from bed to bed, deftly maneuvering around the department I knew so well, and slid into a shortcut into wall cabinets. A startled man and woman were trying to barricade themselves in with Billy bookcases. I flew past into living rooms. A shopper tossed decorative ceramic cacti at me, screaming. Sjalsligt, from markethall...we were low on stock last time I checked... \nMy institutionalized stock checking was interrupted by a blockade of Ektorp sofas. High backed, hard to get over. A man was pacing from behind, guarding the escalator. He held a butter knife from the restaurant and shield made from decorative rope and a Lack side table. He looked at me and brandished the knife, then started to walk over the barrier. Sensing my opportunity, I took a running leap, sailing over the couches, and took off through the workspaces department. From there, I kept running. I'd survive this, and when I did, I was going to have a very long talk with my manager.", "\"-one last thing to note, anybody who leaves while there are still survivors on sight will be killed immediately. Good luck!\" Added the announcer to the already horrifying announcement.\n\n\"We'll hide in here!\" Yelled Davis as he threw open a cabnet's doors, only to have a kitchen knife stabbed through his neck by the person inside.\n\n\"EEEK\" Yelled the girl who was following Davis, her shoes screeched as she slid to a halt, and bolted the opposite direction, only for her original pursuer to ambush her as she left the lane, smothering her with a pillow.\n\nThe man with the pillow watched as the woman with the kitchen knife silently closed the cabnet's doors again, biding her time. Cleverly, the man crept behind the cabnet's and pushed it over from behind, leaving the woman trapped.\n\nAs her cries for help were sure to attract another set of killers, the man bolted away to find his next victim.\n\nMeanwhile, a boy was pushing back his girlfriend, who had charged at him with a kitchen knife despite agreeing to team up. She lunged at him as he grabbed a cutting board. The knife harmlessly bounced off of it, and the teenaged kid broke it off the girl's head, knocking her unconscious.\n\nA mother who was simply browsing the store at the time that the bloodbath initiated ran for the exit, baby in her arms, only for a bulky man armed with a sledgehammer to block her path.\n\nThe mother yanked an empty drawer out of a desk with her free hand and hauled it the man. Cockily, he brought down his hammer, smashing it to pieces in the air. The mother used this to her advantage and made a run for it, only for a third pursuer to nail her in the back of the neck by throwing a kitchen knife. She fell forwards, crushing the infant underneath her.\n\nThe woman with the knives stalked towards the burly man with the hammer, he swung, and the woman gracefully dodged. She threw a knife at him, and he screamed as it entered his shoulder.\n\nAs she lunged for the killing blow, the man swung his hammer and hit her in the ribs. He ran over, about the crush her head under the weight of his hammer before the girl coughing up blood threw a knife into his throat.\n\n\"Congratulations\" came a voice over the speaker. \"You have won, come to the center of the store to cash in your prize\" came a the voice from before over the speakers.\n\nThe woman with the busted ribs, the newly single teenager and the balding man with the pillow all faced off in the center of the store. The announcement had been a trick to lure them together.\n\nThe woman was the first to go, as the man easily bested her with one of her own knives he had snatched right from her hands. The boy took this as his chance, and cracked a wooden desk leg over the man's head, he stumbled, only to be hit upside the head with a refrigerator door and stabbed seventeen times.\n\nThe boy took ragged breathes as he stalked off into the parking lot. He barely made it outside the door before he was shot in the head by a sniper on the roof.\n\nThere were still screams coming from the fallen cabnet.", "Day 1:\n\nIt started as a normal day, where I went shopping in a new IKEA store in my village. My wife and I decided to get a new couch for our child who was on the way. Super exciting!\n\nSo there I was, browsing for a new couch, when the loudspeaker started mumbling. After a few seconds, a voice cleared its throat and began to talk: \"Dear all loyal customers. Welcome to IKEA Survival Battle Royale. All of you must fight to be the last one standing. You may build and use all of the available furniture and items in the store as your weapons or your defense. Good luck!\"\n\nThe loudspeaker cut out and I looked up, confused. Somewhere in front of me, metal whirred and an emergency gate slammed down.\n\nSomeone ran over to me, a [wooden drawer](https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/hemnes-6-drawer-chest-white-stain-80360418/) in their hand.\n\n\"ARRGGG!\" They let out their battle cry and I dived to the ground.\n\nI looked up in fear, but the man attacking me was knocked out on the ground. Above him, stood a woman, holding half of a broken [pitcher](https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/ikea-365-pitcher-with-lid-clear-glass-cork-50279721/) in her left hand.\n\n\"Come with me!\" she shouted in a partially British accent. I sat, dumbfounded, for several seconds until she pulled me to my feet. \n\nWe raced over to a [black couch](https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/knislinge-sofa-idhult-black-80278923/) and dragged it over to a corner wedged in between the wall of the store and the bathroom.\n\n\"Let's go!\" she shouted to me again. \"We need more couches! Pull them over and I'll get weapons.\" \n\nShe raced off, jumping over the body of a fallen woman, and darted through an aisle. I stared for a few seconds after she disappeared and then followed her orders. What else was there to do?\n\nBy the time I got six couches, all dragged over to our corner, she returned with a shopping cart full of pitchers, [shower hoses](https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/kolsjoen-shower-hose-chrome-plated-80351800/), [dog leashes](https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/lurvig-reflective-leash-green-10369974/), and a [mirror](https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/nissedal-mirror-black-70320319/).\n\nShe parked the shopping cart behind the coaches and started pushing them into a massive line.\n\n\"Wait a second,\" I ask. \"What's even going on?\"\n\nA large man with a massive shard of glass was rushing over to us. The woman pushed the shower hose through a pitcher, swung it around like a whip and then collided the pitcher with his head. He fell like a rock.\n\n\"IKEA is taking over,\" she responded. \"We must stop them.\"\n\nr/FortyTwoDogs", "\"Insert tab A into slot B,\" the woman began before correcting herself, \"no sorry, thats 'slȍȍt B'.... what the hell is a 'slȍȍt'?\"\n\n\"I have no idea, none of this shit makes any sense,\" the man on his hands and knees beside her replied.\n\n\"I mean your ex-girlfriend Jennifer was kind of a massive slȍȍt, but other than that...\", she muttered, intentionally needling him.\n\n\"Please leave her out of this, we need to focus. Just keep reading.\"\n\n\"Daniel, there's nothing to read, the assembly instructions are just a couple of worthless pictures! I've been interpreting them into vague verbal instructions for you for the better part of an hour.\"\n\n\"For fucks sake, this wont fit\", he mumbled as he applied more force, his anger growing.\n\n\"You're gonna break it if you force it like that, cant you just do it the way the instructions show?\"\n\n\"I'm trying Karen, do YOU wanna do this?\"\n\nShe waited a beat before trying to change the subject slightly, \"I'm gonna be so angry if Team 2 gets the Victory Royale. They seemed so lame.\"\n\n\"Victory royale? I thought the grand prize was chicken dinner?\"\n\n\"I suppose the prize doesn't really matter compared to knowing we're the #1 couple,\" she said while patting him on the back.\n\n\"Yeah I guess,\" he replied. \"Hey what happened to that couple we parachuted in with? The ones from San Jose?\"\n\n\"Oh Team 7? They're over in the northwest corner of the store just dabbing over and over. I don't really think they're a threat.\"\n\n\"Sometimes the dabbers are the ones you have to worry about the most\", he said grimly, the memory of a thousand Fortnite losses to tween boys echoing traumatically in his memory.\n\n\"Thank you for that brilliant tactical analysis 'General Patton',\" she replied sarcastically, \"but our opponents don't matter if you cant get our defenses assembled. We're going to need this STORNÄS table for cover once the fighting starts!\"\n\n\"Ah so now its 'me' who's in charge of assembly, huh? 'We' went out the window pretty quick there darling.\"\n\nA camera on the wall of the IKEA zoomed in ominously on the pair.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHigh above, a dozen Swedes in business attire sat in an executive conference room watching a wall of monitors. Their eyes were transfixed to the events unfolding before them.\n\n\"IKEA has already been destroying shaky relationships for decades, gamifying and monetizing that effect into this real life Battle Royale was a brilliant idea,\" one said.\n\n\"And getting each couple to pay for a season pass before they even knew how often they'd come in to play... \\chefs kiss\\\", a second executive chimed in.\n\n\"Not to mention it's wildly entertaining to watch unfold! The TV rights are going to sell for a fortune, it's going to be raining kronor up in here!\", a third said excitedly. Sweedish highfives, which are totally a thing, were exchanged by most in the room.\n\nThe extremely blonde haired woman sitting at the head of the table finally spoke as a broad smile came across her face, \"Send in the supply drop. Let's see how many will kill each other over a crate of sweedish meatballs.\"\n\nThey all nodded in excitement and returned their attention to the monitors. The real fun was about to begin." ]	6
	[WP] while taking a driver's exam in a foreign city, two cars pull up along side you, each containing masked men pointing guns. Slamming the brakes, you dart into a narrow side street and begin the greatest driving exam of your life, where failure means death.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 rain peppered the windshield and the dark blue bonnet of my BMW M3. I had landed in Zagreb a week ago and was already settling into my new life in Croatia. \n\n\nI had to leave my home and start a new life in a country where they couldn't find me. My family, my home had all been left behind. I thought about what time it was back home while I awaited for the driving instructor to come test me for my new license in my new home. I looked off into the distance out of the drivers side window when I saw the amber glow of a cigarette distinguishing itself from the grey pallet ambience of the day. My tester, Zarko, clutched his exam sheet. He was wearing a yellow shirt and black pants with a pencil tucked behind his ear. As he sat in the car he asked in a thick slavic accent: \"You have my money?\" I pulled out a stack of 100 Kuna bills from the centre console and handed it to him. He counted the money while nursing his cigarette. Satisfied he sighed, tossed the butt out the window and gestured for me to begin. \n\n\nI put the car in first and began. The twin turbos were spooling with a satisfying whine, the blow off valve releasing the pressure inside the turbo each time I let my foot off the accelerator. Zarko was puffing on another cig. I didn't like that he was smoking in my car, but that's a small price to pay for getting a license in a country where I had a fake citizenship. I pulled up to a roundabout waiting for a gap in traffic. As I merged two black badgeless mercedes pulled up on either side of me. My stomach dropped. There's no way they found me here, not a chance. I had taken all the precautions; fake name, new identity, plastic surgery, there's no way I had been marked. I circled the roundabout and headed for the highway. The cars followed. The tinted windows rolled down and I saw the barrel of a Russian made AK-47. \n\n\nI downshifted from fourth to second and the symphony of a bavarian engine came into life with a lion like roar. The car had been customized. Straight-pipe exhaust, custom ECU, 12 PSI custom turbos and track ready suspension. The car was producing 640 horse power at the wheels. \n\n\nI heard loud pops behind me. I thought it was backfiring at first, but quickly realized the masked men were opening fire behind me. Zarko was panicking and crying, begging me to stop. He hadn't realized that either I lose the bandits or we both get executed on the side of road. \n\n\nI took an exit and shifted down which kicked the tail out of the car causing a four wheel drift. The bandits quickly merged behind me in a bid to chase me down. I busted through the boom barrier at the toll station and turned right back into the city. The ancient buildings and cobblestone roads were a blur as I was going 120 km/h in narrow streets built an age ago. Chunks of rock burst into powder as the rounds from the AK-47 tattered the walls around me. I turned into the main square. A tram was slicing across it. I downshifted in a bid to beat it. The car bounced violently as I broke into a skid across the rails, which caused the car to go airborne sideways and land with a violent bang. Zarko was quiet now. The first mercedes made it through with me. The second mercedes skidded out and violently smashed into an empty cafe before embedding itself into a stone building. I merged back into a modern roadway. The mercedes was tailing me. I slammed on the breaks, bracing for impact. The mercedes swerved to avoid the collision, but went into the oncoming lane. There was a loud crash as a truck cab turned the bandit into debris which littered the roadway with metal, gas and plastic. \n\n\nI pulled up to the driving centre. Zarko ran out of the car, he even dropped his cigarettes. I made a break for the airport while pulling up my backup plan. A new name and a Brazilian passport." ]	2
	[WP] Time travel is possible - however the reason we have no proof of such is because it's only possible to travel forwards, not back.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“Welcome back to Celebrities of the Past, the ultimate history and entertainment show where we have finally figured out how to bring you historical figures from the past due to the excellent foresight of Dr. Forsythe. Our last guest, Abraham Lincoln has finished our live interview portion and is currently taking questions from Civil War historians. Tomorrow will be a meet and great for those few privileged individuals who won the Blast from the Past Sweepstakes and then he will end the day with a speech given by the former President of the United States. After a good night’s rest, Abraham Lincoln will then travel 50 years into the future for his next Celebrities of the Past encounter, enlightening future generations on the issues and dealings of the past while he himself learns of the progress of the future.\n\nOur entertainment portion for tonight is going to be one of the most special events in your lifetime. Nobody has heard our entertainer for tonight sing in just over a century. He was originally born in Mississippi and is one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. From this day forward, our guest will perform once every 25 years. Will you be one of the lucky few who will get to witness this extraordinary performer live? Please welcome the legendary “King of Rock”, ELLLLVIS PRESLEEEY!!!”\n\n“Thank you. Thank you very much.”" ]	2
	[WP] your SO dies in a tragic accident and after the funeral their family tries to take their child's belongings from your home because they never liked you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 the only person you ever love is here one day and just gone the next, it breaks you. You will have nothing left and no one left who could ever understand. When Jaimen left me in the accident not only did he die but I died with him. \n\nI hoped to find some sympathy from his parents but Randy and Elizabeth had always hated me. After Jem's funeral was the worst that it had ever been. Since Jem and I never married his belongings technically went to his parents, I just never expected them to try and take everything from me. They were even trying to take his clothes out of what used to be our closet. They tries to take it all away not even two hours after his body was in the ground.\n\nI stood crying in the home that we had built together as they tore through everything that was his. I tried to take things back but I was in to much shock and pain to really do much. My dad he was the hero in it all putting pictures back on the wall and hanging clothes back in the closet while all I could do was stand in my living room holding my moms hand crying silently. \n\nThe final straw was when they tried to take the watch I bought Jem for his last birthday. All I could do was mumble \"I want you out\" I mumbled it over and over again until I finally broke and screamed \"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS IN THIS WORLD PUT IT DOWN AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE\" . My mom caught me right as I fell to the floor hysterical and shaking while crying \"just get out\" over and over again. I stayed there like that for what felt like days, clutching his watch and rocking.", "\"Phil.\" Samantha's father uttered, as he brushed past me into our hom... my home. \n\n\n\"James.\" I responded.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJames scaled the stairs to our bedro... my bedroom, without batting an eye. He returned holding a cardboard box filled with framed photos and Samantha's Bachelor degree. \n\n\n\"You know, a lot of these memories belong to me as much as Samantha,\" I said.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Phil, as far as I'm concerned, your memories mean nothing. As a parent, this is an inescapable nightmare, and the only redeeming feature is that as soon as I put the last of her things in the truck, your chapter ends.\" Phil replied. \n\n\nI looked into the box. It's amazingly surreal it is to look at a photo of a loved one you will never see again. The hollowness. The memories had warmth. They had life. You could stare into a picture and recall the scents of the afternoon, the way the sun bathed our skin on that beach in Puerto Rico last May. The taste of coconut-ice cream cake at our wedding. Now they are empty. Life no longer in them. The senses, the taste, the scent, the feel that were attached to these memories are gone. now they are just pictures. Empty. \n\n\nJames marched out to his car, leaving the front door ajar to remind me that he wasn't going to leave a single thing behind. The prick. \n\n\nI shuffled through the remaining boxes in our room. My room now. The walls were so empty; our photos stripped away, leaving bald white patches in their place. Echos of a life once lived. Of a home. \n\n\nIn the box found the harmonica she played in college. Some old shoes... Her favorite Khalil Gibran. Her bright orange bandana and the decorative bride and groom pieces from our wedding cake. \n\n\nSeeing our life in a cardboard box. Feeling the numbness swallow the memories until they were too distant to recall, as if they were a dream. Someone else's life. \n\n\nI dug a photo out of the box. Our last photo. Her hair looked so beautiful. She loved her hair. It happened so fast, there was no time for treatment, so her hair never fell out. I guess that's a positive. \n\n\nMaybe there were some tears left after all. \n\n\nI placed the photo back in the box. I picked up \"The Prophet\" by Khalil Gibran, and opened to the page Samantha had bookmarked. It read, \n\n\n>On Pain - Khalil Gibran \nYour pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility. \n\n\nThen, James seized the book from my hands, through it into a cardboard box, and whisked it away without a word. \n\n\nLeaving me to the memories, and the walls. \n\n\nThe wall with the white patches. \n\n\nThe walls that echoed of a life once lived. \n\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_ \nJust a note; I love these real prompts. There is a alot of fantasy on this sub and its always nice to have a thread thats based on real people, real emotions, and real moments. Thanks for the prompt." ]	3
	[WP] Your evidence is conclusive- death really is the end. There is no afterlife. So you've decided to take the initiative and set one up.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Lightning crackled as the engine started up. Johann checked the circuits and they held. The computer screen told him that the sub-nanite projector had finished its early and mid diagnostics, and he waited for the main CPU to preform its final safety diagnostic on the enormous machine. The beam cannon carried the energy of eighty-two years of full spectrum power from three separate suns in its hyper-capacitor batteries, as well as five onboard quantum tunneling reactors to serve as backup, and yet, he stood with bated breath as the counters checked up from zero to one hundred on five different progress bars. His heart raced.\n\nA beep indicated the progress had finished. He turned from the panel to the screen. His heart pounded.\n\nAll green, it registered.\n\nHe screamed for joy as the ship powered down its unnecessary systems in preparation for the firing. He pointed to the ensign on the secondary panel to his far right. \"Shut down the ship's main power and put the backup power on maintaining our current alignment with the planet!\" Johann ordered.\n\n\"Yes, sir!\" the ensign exclaimed, typing away. His screen flashed several times. \"We are tidally locked with the planet, operating on reserve power.\"\n\nJohann held his breath. Fifty years of work and three life extensions went into this. Although physically a twenty-two year old, he felt closer to his real age of eighty-nine at the moment. He closed his eyes, and, though not a religious man, said a prayer to anyone and no one. He swallowed and opened his eyes. \"Close the circuit,\" he commanded.\n\n\"Sir!\" The ensign pressed a switch, and the entire ship lurched. The magnetic field of the vessel warped wildly as backup systems struggled to compensate as the massive power cells unleashed their enormous energy into the main beam device.\n\n\"Here goes nothing,\" Johann said.\n\nThe ensign looked up from his screen. He gave a thumbs-up. Another military officer charged in from the entrance to the bridge. \"Doctor Carver! Is the beam firing!\" the man said.\n\nNot a second later, the entire ship lurched backward. A blue beam dozens of kilometers in diameter shot from the enormous opening in the continent-sized vessel. The beam took a fifty-millionth of a second to collide with the atmosphere, and create an enormous burst that traveled in a circle outward along the surface of the planet at the speed of light. Within thirty seconds it coated the Earth-sized planet in an aquamarine glow.\n\nAs the batteries heated up to sweltering temperatures, the bridge rumbled as the ship's backup power overrode the safety override to turn on the emergency heat dissipation systems. Even still, sweat soaked through everyone's uniforms. The military officer charged over to the main computer. \"Doctor Carver!\" he shouted. \"We can't handle this much heat for much longer!\"\n\n\"Damn it!\" Johann shouted at him. \"We have to ride this out! This is our best chance! If we cut it off now, we waste two centuries of work!\"\n\n\"This vessel will melt!\"\n\nJohann collared him. \"I won't live long enough to do this again!\" He shoved the man backwards. \"We continue!\"\n\n\"Thirty seconds and I override your command!\" The military officer shouted. \"I don't care of the President Premier gave you an executive order!\"\n\nThe ensign took the problem out of their hands. \"Two minutes until battery depletion,\" he said.\n\nThe scientist looked at the military commander. \"Steve, I know you worry about your men,\" Johann said, \"but we've come too far to stop now.\"\n\nThe female defense officer on the far left typed away at her keyboard. \"Sir,\" she said, \"structural integrity to the ship will be severely compromised very soon. It's your call.\"\n\nHe turned to her. \"If we let the batteries do their job and run dry,\" he asked, \"will our systems be able to dissipate the heat? How long until the heat becomes too much for the ship to compensate for?\"\n\n\"Unfortunately, sir, this problem's never arisen before,\" she said. \"The ship's rated for these temperatures anywhere from thirty seconds to four minutes, depending on the source.\"\n\nThe officer took a deep breath and looked around. \"Alright! Fine! If we have to die for the cause of saving lives, we die! Let's finish!\"\n\nThey waited, sweat pouring off the brows and onto the soaked clothes of the officers on the bridge. Johann stared from the view port to the planet below, awash in brilliant aquamarine glow. A loud beeping sound preceded a gigantic thud as the entire vessel lurched again. The ship shuddered so hard everyone was thrown to the ground. All lights went dark. The ensign climbed over his toppled seat and slammed a hand down on the keyboard.\n\nThe lights slowly came on. Everyone arose, cautious. Cool air came through the vents. The ensign stared at the screen. \"Full reactor activation!\" he said. A cheer rose through the ranks. \"We've got full heat dissipation and climate control active!\"\n\n\"Thank God,\" Steve said.\n\nJohann turned to the screen. \"Oh...my God...\"\n\nSteve pushed past him and stared. \"What? What?!\"\n\n\"It...worked...\" Johan stammered.\n\n\"Sir,\" the ensign said, \"we're getting transmission from the new system!\"\n\nJohann read the data sent over from his terminal. \"We've got ourselves a new data storage source! It works!\"\n\nSteve pat him on the shoulder. \"I'm sorry I doubted you,\" he said. \"So, you've saved everyone from dying?\"\n\n\"No,\" Johann argued. \"We all have.\"\n\nOn the planet, the winds blew, the animals scurried about and ate the plants. The snow fell on the mountains. The oceans churned. Beneath the crust, magma surged. To the unaware viewer, it looked as it had before. But Johann knew his life's work had paid off. Every molecule of the planet had been converted into a computer. The animals plants went about their normal activity as if nothing had happened, but it was the pinnacle of nanoscopic science.\n\n\"With this much computing power,\" Johann said, \"we can upload the consciousness of every human currently alive when they die and still have space left over. Furthermore, now that we know the mechanism, no one has to die permanently ever again!\"\n\n\"Sir, if I may,\" The ensign said, \"how do we deal with the implications?\"\n\nJohann wiped his brow. \"We''ll worry about how to do the simulation once we return to the homeworld and test it out,\" he said. \"Right now, I think everyone on this ship needs a shower.\"\n\n\"After all,\" Steve said, \"now we've got all the time in the world to figure it out.\"\n\n***\n\nRead more of my work at [my website.](https://www.misteralejandrogonzalez.com)" ]	2
	[WP] You pick your favorite time period in (US) history and start the time machine up. Upon arrival everything is exactly the same as when you left, aside from the people and cars moving around you. You think it malfunctioned and sprint to the nearest person to ask the year. “1776,” they reply.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 blinked a few times and gave a slow nod, “Of course, thank you.”\n\nI quickly walked away and found myself in two different worlds, mushed into one.\n\nAfter surveying my surroundings I found that I was in New York City. The streets were still new and the buildings were so very flammable. Redcoats walked along and received the occasional glare by residents who thought they couldn’t be seen. It was strangely tense.\n\nGiven the re-vamp of the glitch in time it seemed that it was indeed 1776, but with some modern changes. There was a woman churning butter with Beats headphones on, a man driving a car with a goat in the backseat, people of all colors and nationalities walking around but an occasional NINA sign on a shop, and there was a man driving a Lamborghini with a monocle on. It was so convoluted and twisted it nearly gave me whiplash.\n\nI tapped at the screen on my watch, trying to contact HQ. Thankfully, it didn’t look too suspicious since I wasn’t the only one with a touch-screen watch.\n\nOut of batteries.\n\nAt least some genius back in my time got the idea to make them rechargeable via electricity or solar power.\n\nI decided to take a short walk around to see how things have changed. I figured I might as well since I had some time to kill.\n\nIt wasn’t until I turned the corner that I realized the significance of the time I landed in. I heard it, clear as day, a quote I had memorized since I first heard it uttered all those years ago.\n\n“Pardon me, are you Aaron Burr, sir?”\n\nMy eyes widened and an uncontrollable grin spread on my face. ‘Forget HQ, I’m joining the revolution.’", "I can't breathe. They said it couldn't be done - backwards time travel would invariably create a paradox.\n\n\"1776?\" I ask again, just to be sure. My ears are ringing from the transport.\n\n\"Yup,\" the stranger states again, but he's stifling a grin. \n\nI rush back into the lab and check the log on the machine. The stranger comes with me, but I've got other things to focus on right now. Let him be curious.\n\n>>> STATUS: READY. NO T.E.L.L ENTERED.\n\n\"Maybe you should hit save before you jump,\" the stranger laughs.\n\nAnd that's when I notice he's no stranger at all, but my colleague, Dr. Hargreave, in a wig and fake mustache.\n\n\"Dammit, Jack!\" The disappointment and relief flood my body in equal measure. Then I realize I've been caught. \"Hey, listen, I wasn't really-\"\n\n\"-Going to use the machine? Not without another two months of calculations, that's for sure.\" He grinned. \"Look, Rob, enthusiasm's fine. We all want to see the project succeed. But we can't rush things. C'mon, gravlift's waiting - I hear they've got steak in the cafeteria today.\"\n\nI numbly follow along before I realize. \"Grav lift?\"\n\nJack rolls his eyes. \"Grav lift? Antigravity platform? Invented in the 1980's? You did your thesis project on it?\" He gently elbowed me. \"That jump test really set your head spinning, eh?\"\n\nI know I didn't. My thesis was on different forms of chemical propulsion.\n\n\"...Yeah,\" I mutter weakly. \n\n\"Hey, Anne and I were thinking - you and Ella wanna come with us to Mars for the weekend? We've got a spot plus two on the next shuttle out.\"\n\n\"Huh? Yeah, sure. That sounds great,\" I mumble, still in shock. Ella? I'm not married, but I notice a ring on my finger. \"Hey, do you have an encyclopedia I can borrow? Just want to do some light reading during lunch.\"\n\n\"You mean in paper? Why don't you just use the network Wiki?\"\n\nThis is not the world I know. \n\n\"Right.\" I'm handed a thin screen.\n\nBut it's a world I'm about to.\n\n---\n^^r/OneMillionWords/ for more" ]	3
	[WP] You have performed magic and broken the laws of physics. Now the physics police is in pursuit.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", " “Open up!” \n\nThe forceful knocking on the front door nearly made Leroy fall off the couch. He just managed to save his half eaten sandwich and clutched it tightly in his right hand. \n\n“Oh no, what now?”, Leroy mumbled. He wiped the crumbs off his naked chest, pulled up his pants and made his way leisurely to the front door. \n\nHe took another bite of the sandwich and then opened the door. “Hello?”, he asked, sprinkling crumbs all over the visitor. \n\n“Good evening sir”, the visitor spoke, wiping his face with a disgusted expression. “Our detectors identified a breach of the laws of physics from this location.”\n\n“Oh yeah?”, Leroy responded, further sprinkling crumbs all over. “And who are you? The physics police?” \n\n“Yes indeed I am”, the officer answered. “Sir, this is very serious business. We need to check that everything is in order. A breach of the laws of physics could result in a thinning of reality.”\n\n“A thinning of reality?”, Leroy answered perplexed, the half-eaten sandwich falling out of his mouth.\n\n“Yes”, the officer answered with a stern expression. “The fabric of reality grows thinner and monsters from the dungeon dimension might enter this world and cause serious problems.”\n\n“The… Monsters?”, Leroy mumbled, a look of guilt on his face.\n\n“Yes indeed sir. May I come in? I need to check the damage.”\n\n“Oh, okay…”, Leroy responded, standing aside, leaving a small space for the officer to squeeze through. \n\nThey both proceeded to the living room. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“What is this?”, the officer asked, pointing to the pentagram on the sofa table. \n\nLeroy scratched his head, avoiding the stern look of the officer and looking embarrassed at his feet. “’t’is for my sammich.”\n\n“What?”, the officer asked shocked. \n\n“I summoned my sandwich…”, Leroy confessed.\n\n“You… what?” \n\n“I was too lazy to get off the couch, I was watching this really great episode of the office, you know, the one where Jim and Pam…”, Leroy started.\n\n“You risked the fabric of reality for a sandwich?!”, the officer clarified in disbelieve. \n\n“Well, I didn’t know that. It’s a great sandwich, you wanna bite?”, Leroy responded reconciliatory, holding the sandwich out for the officer.\n\n“I… No I don’t want a bite! Sir I don’t think you understand the gravity of your action!”\n\nLeroy shuffled his feet. “I’m sorry, sir. Won’t happen again, I promise.” \n\n“I certainly hope so. Magic is nothing to joke around with”, the officer said, his voice growing more mellow. \n\n“Yes sir”, Leroy responded, wiping his mouth. \n\n“Okay, I think you got the message”, the officer said. “Don’t do that again. But you got lucky, everything seems to be in order.” \n\n“Thank you officer”, Leroy answered and accompanied the man back to the door.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“One last thing”, the officer said as an afterthought, “You should check under your bed before going to sleep tonight, just to be sure.”\n\n“What?”, Leroy said startled.\n\nBut the officer had already vanished into thin air.", "\"Dude.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"I'm fuckin' hot, man.\"\n\nI ignored him.\n\n\"Dude.\"\n\n\"What?!\" I asked, allowing some frustration to bleed into my voice.\n\n\"I could go for some water, or like a cold beer or something.\"\n\n\"The power's out, jackass. Water pump isn't working and all the beer is just as hot as us.\" I slumped down a bit farther in my lawn chair, wilting in the August humidity.\n\n\"But there is beer, right?\"\n\n\"Fuckin' hell, Tommy, go look. I'm not going back inside, it's a god damned oven in there.\"\n\nHe started to get up, but quickly stopped. \"Nah, man, it ain't worth it.\"\n\nWe sat in silence, staring out at the mostly empty street. A dirty red Toyota with a blue door on the front driver's side slowly crawled past us, the engine protesting the conditions.\n\n\"Dude.\"\n\n\"Holy shit, Tom, if you say something about beer or water or being hot one more time, I swear I'm going to get up and beat your ass.\"\n\nHe fell silent for a moment. \"I'm just saying, if I could snap my fingers and make one appear...\" He snapped to demonstrate.\n\nI hauled myself out of the chair. \"That's it, now I have to beat your...\"\n\nI stopped. Tom hadn't even flinched from my threats of violence, but was instead staring in awe at his hand, which was grasping an ice cold can of Bud. Condensation dripped seductively onto the dirty porch below as we glanced at each other and then at the beer.\n\nI recovered first. \"Alright, asshole, have you had that this whole time and have just been holding out to torture me?\"\n\n\"I swear, it- it just fuckin' appeared!\" Tom stammered. \"Dude, do you think I'm some sort of wizard?\"\n\nI looked at him suspiciously. \"Well, open the damn thing up. Is it beer?\"\n\nHe cracked the top and peered inside before taking a greedy gulp.\n\"Hell yeah, that's beer alright.\" He started draining the rest of it.\n\n\"Hold on there, buddy, slow down.\" I grabbed his hand and slowly pulled it away from him. He reluctantly stopped drinking.\n\n\"Say there, Tom, you think you could try the snapping thing again? Maybe rustle me up one of those?\"\n\n\"I dunno, you think I can?\" He snapped again. Nothing happened.\n\n\"Well, what did you do the first time?\" I asked, not willing to give up.\n\n\"I guess... I just thought about how I really wanted a beer. And then I snapped.\"\n\n\"Huh...\" I thought long and hard about a cold, delicious beer, and draining it in one go to take the edge off of the brutal heat of the day. I closed my eyes hard and concentrated, clenching as hard as I could, and then I snapped.\n\n\"Hey, Tommy, I think I did it! I felt something happen! Tom?\"\n\nTom was laughing at me. \"Naw, man, pretty sure that was just a bit of gas.\"\n\nI opened my eyes. My hand was empty. \"God damn it.\"\n\n\"Nah, man you have to do it like this!\" He snapped, and then there was a beer in my hand.\n\n\"What the fuck, Tom? Why didn't you just do that the first time?\"\n\nHe stopped laughing, and looked at me. \"Oh. Shit. I dunno, wasn't thinking about it that time.\"\n\nI ignored him and cracked open the cold can. Silently, I rejoiced my dumbass friend who had apparently become a wizard.\n\n\"Cheers, Tom.\" I started to tilt my head back.\n\nBefore I had even taken a sip, a crack rang out and the can was violently ripped from my hand.\n\n\"What the fu-\"\n\nAnother shot rang out, striking me in the right shoulder. I hit the ground hard.\n\n\"Holy shit, Ken! You okay?\"\n\n\"Fuck no, Tom, I'm bleedin'! Jesus, get down, you dumbass!\"\n\nHe dropped down next to me on the porch as another half dozen shots struck the house behind us, shattering a window and knocking the front door wide open.\n\n\"Jesus, Tom, why'd you have to go around appearin' beers? We're gonna die for some shitty Bud now!\" My shoulder burned, and I was starting to feel light headed.\n\nAs suddenly as it had started, the shooting stopped. Before I could react, someone ran up the steps to the porch. Their footsteps rattled the boards, sending a shock of pain through my shoulder.\n\n\"Damn it. We've got two, and one looks injured.\" A strange voice spoke, startling me.\n\n\"No, I think he'll be fine. Okay. We're on the way.\"\n\nThe stranger pulled me to my feet and propped me up. Tom stood nearby, mouth agape. \n\n\"Grab on. They'll be back soon.\"\n\nTom, for once, didn't hesitate and grabbed the stranger's arm immediately. In the distance, a series of shadowy black figures with firearms were starting to stand up. One pointed at us and the others began to raise their guns.\n\nBefore they got a shot off, there was another crack, much deeper and more thundering than the gunshots. I blinked, and suddenly we were no longer on my dusty Mississippi porch.\n\n\"Here we are,\" said the stranger. \"Last safehouse in the state.\"\n\nHe started walking me over to a table, where someone else was standing by.\"\n\n\"What did you get into this time, Jon?\" said the man by the table.\n\n\"Shot victim. PEU was onto them for some reason. Should be easy practice for you,\" said the stranger by my side, apparently named Jon.\n\n\"Yeah, yeah. I got it.\" The man by the table tapped my shoulder. I felt a sharp pain, and then a handful of bullet fragments plunked onto the floor. There was an intense itching, but Jon grabbed my hand before I was able to scratch it.\n\n\"Don't. It's the flesh knitting itself back together.\"\n\n\"Christ, Jon, where do you find these people? Never even seen a healing spell before...\" The man who had apparently healed me started to wander off.\n\n\"Wait a minute,\" he said, turning back. \"PEU... You didn't come straight here, did you?\"\n\nJon flushed and bowed his head. Tom walked up behind him. \"What's going on? Who are you people?\"\n\n\"We're magicians,\" said Jon. \"Just like you two. We're in hiding.\"\n\n\"Not for long,\" said the other man. \"Fuck, Jon, this is the last safehouse in the state! They're going to be here within a day!\"\n\n\"I know,\" said Jon. \"Prepare to head out. We can get to Louisiana. PEU is still afraid of New Orleans.\"\n\nThe man shook his head. \"These two better be worth it. Well? What can you do? What mystical powers did you learn that you had? Any chance you can help us out in the war that could break out any day?\"\n\n\"Hold up, hold on for just a damn minute,\" said Tom. \"What's going on here? What's PEU? Why are we going to war?\"\n\n\"Physics Enforcement Unit. International organization, as black as operations get. We don't know what they want, but they're constantly trying to kill as many magic users as they can. Right now, they're winning, but we just need one... one person that can save us...\" He flushed.\n\nJon spoke up. \"He's talking about the prophecy. Many wizards don't believe it, but even more believe that some day, soon, a chosen one will appear to save us so that we can stop hiding and coexist with our former friends and families.\"\n\n\"They're said to be unimaginably powerful, and capable of great magic, but... every day, I think more and more that it's a fairy tale for children.\"\n\n\"It can't hurt to try,\" said Jon. \"We have to try to save anyone. The day we lose hope...\" He trailed off.\n\n\"Well, what can you do? Either of you. Clearly, at least one of you knows some magic. Try a basic fire spell, a candela. It takes the barest hint of concentration to make a steady flame. Just think about it, focus on your fingertips, and then snap.\"\n\nI knew I had failed to make a beer appear, but surely I could do this! I focused, hard, and felt sweat drip down my forehead. Then, when I was ready, I snapped.\n\n\"Nothing. Great. You rescued an ordinary nonmagical redneck, Jon. Well, what about the other one?\"\n\nTom focused hard. I could see the intense concentration in his eyes, as well as something else- a power, and an intelligence that I had never seen before. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I took an involuntary step back and a deep breath in as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers and-\n\nA pair of sparks fizzled from his fingertips and trailed lazily downwards, not even making it to the ground before they went out.\n\n\"Absolutely great. We're losing a safe house to these morons. What did they do to catch the attention of the PEU, anyway? Make a card disappear?\"\n\nTom started to speak. \"Well, uh... mister wizard, sir, we were feeling a bit thirsty, so I... ah... made a beer?\"\n\nThe man facepalmed. \"Do you hear this, Jon? You're making us lose our last safehouse over a beer!\"\n\n\"It wasn't just a beer!\" Tom shouted, defending the man who had saved us.\n\n\"Oh really?\" the man asked, sarcasm dripping from the question. \"Did you do some other heroic act?\"\n\n\"Well, um...\"\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"It ^was ^^actually ^^^two ^^^^beers.\"\n\nThe man stared in disbelief for a full minute.\n\n\"Idiots.\"\n\nHe walked [away](https://www.reddit.com/r/mpqeg).", "Rifts in time and space opened to my left and right as I flew through the sky, police in flying cars soared out, hot on my tail.\n\n\"It's not that bad!\" I called our desperately, \"Magic is only unexplained science anyway, right?\"\n\nThe laser beams that followed told me that they didn't agree.\n\n\"I'm like Harry Potter!\" I called out, \"Everybody likes Harry Potter?\"\n\n\"Who?\" Another police yelled back.\n\n\"How far in the future are you from!?\"\n\n\"4057!\"\n\n\"Oh really? How'd we survive global warming?\"\n\n\"Science!\"\n\n\"Go figure\"\n\nI zoomed upwards as more lasers came my way. Apparently, these time traveling physics police really meant business, because they weren't letting up.\"\n\n\"Flame on!\" I sent volley after volley of fireballs in their direction, which fizzled harmlessly against the vehicles.\n\n\"Fire proof steel!\" Another officer taunted. \"We don't use gas anymore either!\"\n\nI was flying straight up, the three cars close on my tail. I then started to drop out of knowhere.\n\n\"Wha-\" The officers tried to swerve out of the way, to no avail.\n\nI smashed through the first windshield, burning the driver alive with a fireball as I flew back out the way I came.\n\nThe second vehicle was victim to a tree I sent rocketing from the ground straight into his car.\n\nThe third was victim to the ocean, where a giant hand jumped out and grabbed the police car.\n\nI landed on the ground, catching my breath.\n\n-as the unmistakable sound of more rifts opening behind me alerted me of their presence." ]	4
	[WP] When you were a kid, you invented your own language. You had it all written in a notebook. Now you're an adult and still remember it. One day you bumped into someone on your way to the subway and there you saw the newspaper that they've dropped is written in the language you have invented.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "He left the papers on the ground, and ran off before I could see his face properly. I picked up the papers off the floor and examined them closely. They were around newspaper size, a collection of bundled together sheets with color pictures and text. I was about to return it to him, yet he had disappeared into the busy streets, the sound of traffic horns beeping and men loudly talking allowing him to vanish into the crowd in front of me. \n\nIt was then I realized - the words weren't in English, they were in an old language I created when I was seven. \n\nI was different from the other children growing up, with my other hobbies. I took a keen interest in linguistics, and at the age of 7 I'd cobbled together a language with unique symbols and lettering. It wasn't super elaborate, though. There was a unique symbol for every letter in the English language, and that was what Words-ish was. Only a replacement of letters. I never spread Words-ish to anyone, and here this man had an entire paper written in it. \n\nThere was a deep fear growing in me as I read the pages, a feeling that something had gone wrong in the universe. How could an old man have known Words-ish? I was thoroughly unsettled. Something strange was going on, and I did not want to be part of it. But I had the paper in my hands, and I read it, the symbols and their translations all coming back to me as I read the script. Something important had to be here.\n\nI was right. It turned out to be blueprints of some sort, complicated formulas and differential equations. Outlining a time travel device. I'd been studying the mechanics of something like this for years. This shit was right up my alley, I'd been burying my books in physics and general relativity and all of that for a long, long time. I was determined to crack time travel, and maybe this was the push I needed.\n\nEven with the papers, it was a struggle to get everything to work. The equations and everything were fine on paper, but introducing it in practice allowed a whole host of unforeseen circumstances and variability to happen. My team went through several hundred prototypes in the span of fifteen years. Imagine our shock when it worked. When we put a coffee cup through and it materialized back in the lab five minutes later. When we sent our buddy Capers through, and he was all in one piece.\n\nWe almost broke the floor with how much we jumped.\n\nAnd there was something left I had to do.\n\n\\---\n\nI dialed the Portal back to 15 years ago, and stepped through the blue. The lab wasn't here 15 years ago, and the subway station was only a short walk away. I grabbed the papers with me and walked on 21st street, and I looked for me.\n\nI found him walking down the street. Papers in hand, I walked the other way, bumped into him, dropped the papers and ran.\n\nThe loop must go on." ]	2
	[WP] You are called out to a home invasion in progress at 3am. Nothing you haven't handled before except that tonight it was the thieves who called for help.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 we rounded the corner onto Mill St. our headlights illuminated a dark figure clinging to a mailbox. \n\n“Right there” I pointed before bracing myself as the car screeched to a halt directly in front of unit 605. The figure, now clearly a young man in a hoodie, flinched but continued holding the mailbox, his head not moving to look at us.\n\nI opened the door and drew my gun as my partner’s voice came over the loud speaker\n\n“Let me see your hands”\n\nThe man did not move. I could see blood covering both his hands and dripping down the moldy wooden post.\n\n“Let me see your hands” commanded my partner over the loudspeaker, this time with more force. I slowly rose behind the door, pulling my flashlight from my belt and leveling it next to my gun. The figure seemed to be shaking slightly. I looked to my partner who had positioned himself behind his door. A nod between us confirmed he had my back. I took a moment to scan the area, passing my flashlight over the slightly unkempt lawn, along the high hedge which was serving as a fence, and across the face of 605 Mill. \n\nCarefully, I made my way around the door, focusing my flashlight directly at the suspect.\n“Alright sir, I’m moving towards you” I announced, “don’t make any sudden moves or I will shoot.” From this angle I could see the mans face. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had tear streaks across his chalk-white cheeks. As I moved his eyes looked towards me, but I felt almost as if he couldn’t see me. From this distance I could now clearly tell he was shaking, and I could make out the black glint of a cellphone held against the pole in his hands.\n\n“Did you call us?” I asked. He didn’t seem to register. I slowly lowered my gun, keeping the flashlight on him. “It’s alright son, did you call us?” I repeated, this time in a slightly softer voice. After a moment he slowly nodded. I motioned to my partner to come closer. \n\n“What happened to you?” I asked. The man didn’t answer but continued to look at me. “What is your name?” Still, no response. I looked at my partner, then towards the house.\n\n“I…I…” the man stammered, his voice hoarse and shaky, “I don’t know what happened” I moved in even closer.\n\n “Where is the second, your friend?” my partner demanded, his gun still raised. The man curled tighter around the pole. \n\n“I…I… I don’t know. I tried, I tired to find him” his was quivering now. “I could hear him calling me, but he wasn’t there.” \n\n“What do you mean he wasn’t there?” I asked. The man seemed to continue his thought, not acknowledging my question.\n\n“I looked in every room but he wasn’t there. I looked I swear…I… I checked everywhere.” The man was out of his mind, almost sobbing the words, still clinging as tightly as he could to the pole.\n“Where did the blood come from?” I could tell my partner didn’t trust him, neither did I. Probably just another drugged up lunatic. The man looked at his hands, seeming to notice the blood for the first time.\n\n“The wall…I thought…I could hear him…the screaming.”\n\nNow almost certain this guy was either crazy or high, I stepped back and turned to my partner.\n“Probably drugs” he muttered to me. I nodded.\n\n“I’ll go in and check it out, you take care of him.”\n\nHolstering my gun, I turned and made my way up the grass toward the front of the house. My flashlight’s harsh light passed over the two front windows which were blocked by thin white blinds, and towards the door which still hung ajar. Everything looked normal, save for the broken doorknob and bloody hand print. I turned briefly to see my partner now trying to convince the man to let go of the mailbox.\n\nAs I reached the door I paused. A faint breeze rustled the bushes behind me. \n\n“Police, Is anybody in there?” I shouted towards the door. No response. “Police, Is anybody home?” I shouted again. Behind me the man was whimpering as my partner again tried to get him away from the mailbox. Thinking that there still could be a second burglar, I re-drew my gun.\nThe radio clicked slightly as I grabbed in from my chest with my flashlight still in hand. “Alright, I’m going in”.\n\n\nPrt II coming soon", "The officer exits the vehicle, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, strange, he reported what he’s seen, nothing. Knocking on the door, he was greeted with a man well in his 30s, it would seems so to the officer.\n“Sorry to bother you, sir, we received a call from this address reporting a home invasion.”\n“That strange, it’s not from us, me and my wife was sleeping before you came.”\n“Maybe it’s from a neighbor, would you mind if I check the house just to be safe?”\n“Absolutely, please come in.”\nAs the officer step through the door, his car engine roared, he turn around fast enough just to see a silhouette, a woman, dark skin, large hoop earrings covered partially by an afro, the last sounds he heard was the engine fading away from the peaceful street.\n\nDropping down the files, the precinct’s best detective pulls out his phone, after awhile he was greeted with a familiar voice, but alas, it was no time for chatter. Detective Peralta exciting blurted.\n\n“Doug, we found Trudy... No, we didn’t found her, found her, but she... no, she stole a cop car!”" ]	3
	[WP] Unbeknownst to humanity, hell has been frozen over for a long time. The only problem is that it has started to thaw...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Lucifer gazed across his melting kingdom. He had clawed his way out of the ice that had entrapped him and lumbered across Hell’s infinite expanse.\n\nAlong the way, he freed demons that were encased in the cold. Let us not assume the Devil is heartless. \n\nHis naked paws pounded against the snow as he ran. \n\nLucifer stopped. He had arrived at a Beacon. The Devil bowed to no one, but he nodded respectfully at It. It hummed in acknowledgement. \n\nThe Lord of Hell rasped what might have been words of a language that was ancient when the Lord was borne of nothingness. The Beacon’s flesh-colored beams highlighted Lucifer’s cheekbones as he stepped into the light.\n\nGod was in a white room, dressed in a black suit that strained across His shoulders and were loose at the narrow hips. He regarded Lucifer’s nakedness across from his desk through white spectacles. \n\nLucifer snarled. \n\n“Arre you awarre, my Loorrrd,” the Devil began. “That You have deeply compromised ourrr rrelationship? I have endurred one centurrry of the snowy Hell, and—”\n\nGod held up a hand. “I am aware. You were growing too arrogant, and must be kept docile.”\n\n“Docile!? You fearr me, Lorrrd, and you fearr I shall overtake your rrrealm. I shall—”\n\nThe Lord of the Universe pressed a regal hand over Lucifer’s ugly face. Lucifer let out a muffled whine of annoyance.\n\n“Silence. I have not awakened you for naught. You must help restore balance to the Earth. It has grown... unsatisfactory in your absence.”\n\nThe Lord of Hell cackled and ripped God’s hand off its maw. “Ah, so Yourrr purrrpose is rrrevealed. I wonderrr if You have everrr helped a man solely to uphold good, without demanding compensation.”\n\n“You are no man, Lucifer.” \n\n“I rrespectfully disagrree, my Lorrrd. However, I digrrress. What is it that You would have me do?”\n\n“I order you to restore the balance of My planet. No one may slip your attentions.”\n\n“How shall I do that, Lorrd?” \n\n“Here is an example, Demon. Robert’s mother swore that he would pass his classes ‘only when Hell freezes over. However, as a result of my rendering your Hellscape an icy one, Robert is earning great grades. To compensate for the thawing of Hell, your first assignment is to make sure he fails.”\n\nLucifer shook and gasped a wet noise, and it took even God a second to realize it was a second round of laughter. \n\n“Ha! What trrriviality! One condition, God.”\n\n“You are not in a position to bargain.”\n\n“Ah, but I am, Lorrd. I shall cast myself into the frrrozen Hell if You do not bend to this.”\n\nA silence came from God. He was reluctant to show weakness, but the battle was already lost.\n\n“You are a child, Lucifer, but I do not deny your usefulness. What is it that you wish?”\n\n“I demand You frreee my fellows in the Underrrworld. You have subjugated us underrrr Your tyrranical fist forr millennia. Only then will You receive my help.”\n\nGod shook with anger, but His power was waning and His resolve was weak. \n\n“Very well. Your desire shall come to pass by my hand.”\n\nLucifer’s face split into a toothy grin. “Let us start.”", "Silence reigns in this cold place. Flakes of ice cling, fall and break against plains of brittle glacier and make the space ring painfully with the complete absence of any air, breath, movement. Ineffably deep crevasses sigh as blankets of ice shift with the anxious, waking starts of the twisted creatures below. Their ebony skin stretches over bone crushed by the slow and patient work of time. Crystalline spears of ice hang above them and rolling hills of untouched snow hide dozens, hundred, thousands of their bloodied teeth and claws just below the surface.\n\nThey wait.\n\nSomething trembles, rises from the depths and bubbles to the surface like the gurgling last breath of a dying giant. A sudden blasting heat turns the glaciers and heavy silence to oceans and waves of screaming sound as uncounted demons bend their bone-ridged necks for a first, shuddering breath in thousands of years.\n\nThey shake their heads free of frigid droplets of water and stretch their wings to full, dizzying widths, crawling with emaciated limbs onto the remaining islands of ice. Guttural roars tear from their throats as they take to the sky, up to the underbelly of the earth's crust.\n\nChaos reigns in this place.", "Heh, they always said that hell is burning hot.\n\nWhat they didnt know is, hell has been frozen over millennia and it should have stayed that way unless the power that be decided we are all doomed.\n\nFor eternity.\n\nNobody realise that hell started thawing ever since the end of Ice age. It started slowly, with the disappearance of dinosaurs, followed by most of primitive animal species and now, the polar bears are not faring well either with the constant climate change.\n\nThe weather are not just temperamental; actually that is an understatement. The weather is hell bent in being an arse to humanity. Winter is becoming shorter, while summer last for months on end.\n\nFor the last few years, summer has brought out the most devastated dry spells the history of mankind has ever witnessed. Autumn is basically just a season for trees to start dying and not be bothered by the scorching of summer.\n\nOh spring, you're talking about spring. Forget about bloom of wonderful flowers, the heat forces plants to mutate to adapt. Flowers started to smell like rotten meat till human kind realise that, most plants are now carnivorous. The switch aids them in thriving as they now rely on getting nutrients from other sentient beings.\n\nAh, hell is thawing fast.\n\nWe definitely didn't see this one coming. We thought the world will just continue spinning on its axis, never to stop and last for eternity.\n\nNith sighed heavily, look up from the weather chart she's been poring on for years now, to me.\n\n\"The layers of ozone is getting thinner, I guess soon enough there will be a rise in skin cancer from UV exposure.\"\n\nAh yes, even the gates of heaven refuses to protect the earth now.\n\n\"It's time for us to pack up and leave,\" Nith said, \"there is nothing else we can do anymore.\"\n\nSo we did, leaving mankind with the destructions they built upon themselves. The gates of hell would soon lit itself and consume the world, whole.\n\nWe, the angels, has tried our best to reverse everything and put as much effort to slow down the thawing of hell.\n\nI guess, mankind needs to be eradicated soon.", "&#x200B;\n\nHell was designed to punish sinners.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJust not this many.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAs the world’s population increased, so too did the amount of sin. Basic morality was misplaced in favor of wealth, progress, and power. The population of the mortal realm increased, and as such the number of souls increased, the majority of which came to hell.\n\nHell is run by only one being; and that is me.\n\nWhen too many souls came to my realm, it quickly became apparent that something must be done. Now Hell has a reputation for being hot, correct? You know it to be true. And I for one am not without a sense of humor. How goes the phrase… “when Hell freezes over”? I fear that many of you are due to eat your words, as that’s exactly what I did.\n\nYou heard that correctly. I froze Hell! It serves as both a punishment, frozen but sentient for all eternity, and a measure of crowd control. A perfect solution that enables me to sit on my ass and do nothing, while also doing my job.\n\nBut my leisure days are coming to an end. Hell is thawing, and I can’t stop it. Can’t even figure out why. And once it thaws, ill be left to deal with an almost infinite number or souls, all various levels of evil, seething, spiteful, and ready for revenge.\n\nI don’t know if I can die, but perhaps death would be better than what is coming for me now." ]	5
	[WP] You're an assassin born with a special power to instantly kill someone with a single thought. The catch? Each time you want to kill someone, you're transported to an empty void with three random people from your life, who you have to convince why the person must die.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 Council of Three was different every attempt. As I wrapped myself in the velvet darkness that would bring me to them my heart would sink. Pacifists. Two of them, this would be difficult.\n\nMy mother, aunt, and husband. There was no way this would end well. I was promised a beyond healthy sum if I could complete the kill but this? This was a challenge more difficult than flying to Russia and killing the target with my bare hands. My husband knew of my work, but neither of my relatives. I’d never had any of them in council before but I knew it would be easy for at least one.\n\n“James, you understand, right? I have to do this, it’s important. They’ve committed terrible crimes and killed countless people, there’s no way the world can let them live with what they’ve done. I’ve discovered his real name and that’s all I needed!” He shrugged, not much one for talking as his figure slipped back into the void. I knew I had his vote, he saw the light of the situation. I approached my aunt and grasped her hand, nearly bawling at the touch. She died nearly ten years ago, and it was unbearable. I let go. I couldn’t try to convince her to let me end somebodies life as she walked off.\n\nMy mother, that was who. She’d understand. It took four hours to break her, while time didn’t truly pass in the council room you could feel each second crawl by.\n\n“I understand. Do it if you have to.” She was tearing up at the idea, hugged me, and faded out of sight. I sat down as I waited patiently. The room would give me the details of the votes.\n\nEmily, No. I expected as much.\n\nMargaret, Yes. Better have been after that long.\n\nViktor, No. No? Viktor? Who the fuck is Viktor?" ]	2
	[WP] On your 20th birthday your father tells you that since centuries every woman from your family has died before turning 21.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 sitting at the table at my birthday party, everyone else having left to go talk somewhere else. I recently turned 20. This year, my party happened around 3 months late because of scheduling and family issues, so it’s not as significant a day.\n\n“Hey honey?”\nI turned and met my dad in the eyes.\nHe’s sweating, and has an awkward look on his face. \n\n“Just...” he wavered, unsure of how to continue, “please don’t procreate.”\n\nWhat does that even mean? I thought. \n\n“Your whole maternal family, well, they thought that having children at 21 was lucky. But they didn’t realize that the births put a huge strain on their weakened hearts—”\n\n“Yeah, yeah, I know. The genetic defect,” I interrupted.\n\n“Yeah,” he continued. “So that’s why ‘21 is the magic number’ for your family, I guess.”\n\nHe paused, and grabbed my hand. \n“I love you too much to lose you, alright? Please keep in mind what you’re doing.”\n\nI hesitated and then responded with a small “Alright.”\n\nWe both left the table to go join the others. On my way up from the table a new thought entered my mind:\nHow am I going to tell my dad I’m pregnant?\n\n\nI’m new at this story writing thing, but I was happy to add my take!", "\"Wait... what?\" I ask, looking at him with surprised eyes.\n\n\"Yes, it's true. It's been in our family for dozens of generations; there's only another year left,\" he explains to me, and I can tell that he wanted to cry. Of course he doesn't want to lose his only daughter.\n\nI feel sick; I wish I could just throw myself off a bridge before this year is up. It's like I've just lost a part of me, my future. But I can't give up just yet.\n\n\"Is there anything that we can do, though?\" I ask, my voice shaking, \"A lead, a riddle, anything.\"\n\n\"Your grandmother and grandfather had made a few attempts, but it's been a long time since then. You know how your grandfather is,\" Dad explains to me.\n\n\"I'll try anyways,\" I state, \"I'll give anything to beat whatever this is. I'll visit grandpa over the summer, and see if I can find more clues \"\n\n\"...\" he just stares at me, before nodding. I have until I'm 21, one whole year. One whole year until everything goes awry. Without hesitation, I rush out of the kitchen, heading up the stairs to my bedroom.\n\n\"Hey, Laura?\"\n\n\"Hmm?\"\n\n\"You wanna go visit grandpa this summer?\"", "I stared at my dad for a few more seconds. Then, I laughed.\n\nMy dad shifted on his legs uncomfortably as I laughed some more, stopping for a few seconds to catch my breath before laughing helplessly again.\n\nThis has gotta be the lamest dad joke I ever heard in my entire life.\n\nI finally stopped laughing and composed myself before giving my dad a serious face as I can manage.\n\n\"Okay, Old fart. Joke's up! What is it you really want to tell me?\" I asked my dad, giving him an encouraging smile.\n\n\"I'm serious, Tina. It happened to my younger sister, just before her 21st birthday in fact— I... I don't believe it either, thinking it's all a coincidence until it happened to my cousin as well.\" My father breathed out, giving me a pained look.\n\nI rolled my eyes. \"Ha-Ha! Funny, dad! What's the next joke?\" I asked my father sarcastically, thinking my dad's still pulling off one of his daddy jokes.\n\nHe brushed his hair with his left hand and gave a big sigh of distress.\n\n\"Look, Tina. I'm serious. Really, really serious. Dead serious— no pun intended— just, I mean it, Tina. Be careful, please. I don't wanna lose you, my princess.\"\n\nI stared my dad for a few seconds, studying him, considering that maybe, well— he's serious and that I might die any day now. I gave him a searching look and maybe some giveaways that somehow, my dad's really pulling a prank on me.\n\nHe didn't moved and his expression didn't falter under my gaze. Just looking really stressed and as if the whole world is balancing on his shoulders.\n\nFinally, I acknowledged that maybe he's telling the truth.\n\nA million thoughts have raced through my head, words scrambled in my mind and questions tumbled in my throat, clawing which one gets out first, but when I opened my mouth, all I managed to got out is: \"Why?\"\n\nMy father made a face, as if he already expected my question.\n\n\"I don't really know. No one in the family did. All we know is it started with your great-great-grandmother Juliet Andreas. She had two children and one of them died before 21. Her son, years later, met a girl from China and they bore three children, two of which is female, who also died before their 21st birthday.\"\n\nSilenced ensue for a few more minutes, with me averting my gaze from my father's before I met his eyes again, bitter thoughts clashing in my head. I gave him a bitter smile.\n\n\"So, it's why you always gave me everything I asked for, huh? Because you know my time is limited? I always wonder, too. Always assumed I am your favorite. Guess this explains everything.\" I said before stifling a sniffle.\n\nMy father widened his eyes. \"Tina, I'm so sorry, you know—\"\n\n\"Well, you're wrong!\" I exclaimed, disregarding the shocked gazes of those who heard us. \"You're wrong.\" I repeated more calmly.\n\nHe gave me a confused look. \"What—?\"\n\nI cut him off mid-sentence once more. \"You're wrong, dad. I'll live to see my 21st birthday. I'll have children and watch them grow, I— I'll even look after my grandchildren when I retire! I'll prove it.\"\n\nThen, I turned around and walked away from my father, vowing to prove him wrong and escaped this stupid curse.\n\nDistracted as I am, I failed to notice the sound of a car screeching to a halt.\n\nThen, there is only darkness." ]	4
	[WP] They call you mad, They've shunned your idea of research. You just want to figure out where this surge of Superheros and Supervillians came from.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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, killing supers wasn't a popular choice, but man it's led to results. While almost every villain and hero had some kind of nonsense about how they got their powers, whether it be nuclear or they were born with it, my research has proving one consistency among all of them: They have two gallbladders. Yup, you heard me. Every single person that has a super power, ranging from super strength to being able to bend a spoon, has two gallbladders. Now granted, I've only dissected two supers so far. I've killed three supers but one had super tough skin so that made it near impossible to examine. \n\nHonestly, I don't see why people are getting so upset at this. This is clearly a huge breakthrough for science, and will probably lead to superpower creations in the future. But nooo, apparently killing supers is \"immoral\" and \"irredeemable\" and makes me a \"sick, twisted, bastard\". But what does my ex-wife know? She's obviously not a scientist. Now do I know how these supers got two gallbladders? No. But am I going to find out? Maybe, I'll let you know after a few more \"tests\". ;)" ]	2
	[WP] You're born with the ability to detect whenever someone stares at you and you also happen to work at a morgue, lately your senses have been tingling. The only thing is, you're along in the morgue, surrounded by corpses.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 chills that roll down your neck, I’ve had them ever since I could remember. I’d be somewhere and the familiar \ntingle would send shivers up my spine, alerting me to the prying eyes of those around me.\n\nI’ve never been much for people, the live ones at least. Growing up and not being well off, I’d draw the attention of judging eyes. \n\nMy shaggy clothes and hair would draw looks anywhere I went. Thanks to those shivers, any time someone was staring at me- I knew. \n\nFor this reason I spent more time then I’d like to admit, in my local cemetery. It was isolated and away from those who might judge me.\n\nIt was here that I picked up my morbid fascination.\n\nSo when it came time to pick a career path, I decided to be a mortician.\n\nIt was a dream come true really, I’d spend a lot of time alone, it paid well and everyone was super respectful.\n\nIt also helped that they were more focused on things other than me.\n\nI spent most of my time down in the morgue. \n\nso you could imagine my surprise when my little tick alerted me to peering eyes.\n\nI was so immersed in my work that it didn’t immediately register how strange it was to have that sensation. \n\nOnce I finally realised, I looked around. Nobody was here, it was just me and the body, Mr.Pager, I was working on.\n\nI’d often sing to myself or speak aloud sometimes. In this case I was discussing what I might have for dinner, so I looked down at Mr.Pager after settling on tomato soup and asked:\n\n“Might it be you Mr.Pager whose eyes are wandering” I let out a little chuckle. \n\nThings were slow in the morgue, not that I’m complaining, but it can often leave you fatigued, so I chalked up the sensation to that.\n\nAfter returning to tell Mr.Pager the joys of tomato soup, the chills returned. \n\nThis time there was no mistake, I looked in the direction of the stairs. Someone had been staring at me.\n\nThinking perhaps someone wondered in, I walked up the steps to the front desk and called out.\n\n“Hello?” I announced “I’m terribly sorry but it is appointment only” \n\nThe tingles rattled off the back of my neck, like an anxious rattlesnake, I was alerted to the door leading to the crematorium being ajar.\n\nI cautiously poked my head in, after switching on the light it revealed no one.\n\nI looked around the room for a few minutes. Before deciding to check in the cremation chamber.\n\nAs I looked in side, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Except for, what looked like, scratches. \n\nScratch marks all on the walls of the chamber. Perhaps made by a small animal I reasoned, but as I ran my hand across the marks.\n\nThe sinking feeling, realising that they were human, was accompanied by the same familiar feeling.\n\nShivers down the back of my neck." ]	2
	[WP] You're in love with an angel. A literal angel. Thing is, you only see her when she comes to collect the souls of those you've killed... and she hates killers!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Her eyes were vibrant and shining. Piercing blue out of the darkness tugging at our ankles, heavy like fog while it encompassed me from my hiding spot. I had to see her again. She sighed, it was ragged and grave. Her hands tugged at a feather softly, an anxious tick I had noticed on one of my previous excisions I decided to lag behind. I gripped onto the wooden bookshelf I was behind a little tighter, as I watched her wince.\n\n\n\"Come with me.\" Whispered into the room, filling the void with a lulling air of peace and serenity. I kept my sad whimper at bay as her lulling tones turned into a muffled growl. \"I despise murders, little one. I will avenge your demise in due time. With all the others.\"\n\n\nA shadow crept up to her, transparent enough I could still see her light gown curve with her breasts and cascade gently. Holding out her hand, the shadow grimaced hesitantly.\n\n\"Shush, little one.\" The lulling resumed, just as sweet and as motherly. \"I won't harm you like they did. I'll carry you to the next plane. We are safe now.\"\n\n\nAs the shadow leapt for her arms, her wings surrounded them momentarily as a sad smile kissed her lips. As I blinked, just as she came, she was gone. I'll just need to paint another picture for her.", "\"Oh my Father,\" she sighs, upon resting her pearly-green eyes on me, \"you again?\"\n\n\"Hello, Angelica,\" I say. I can feel my legs trembling, my heart pounding faster than it should as she flutters graciously over Mr. McCarthy's body. Her big white wings resting on her back, \"It's... It's good seeing you,\"\n\n\"Brandon, how many times do I have to say? You've got to stop killing people!\" she cries.\n\n\"But I'm doing a good thing, aren't I? I mean, he was a thief, right?\"\n\n\"Yes, yes he was. But I'll say it again, once and for all: you can't interfere with my Father's will! He knows what He's doing!\"\n\n\"I'm not doing it for Him...\" I mutter, \"You know... Ever since I saw you, I can't stop thinking about you...\"\n\n\"First of all,\" she starts, scratching her forehead fiercely, \"you weren't even supposed to see me. Second, I'm not allowed to have any of these things you imagine about us. And third, I'm an angel, you should've figured out by now that a killer wouldn't be my first choice,\"\n\n\"Not even a good killer?\" I say, with a very poor attempt of a sly smile.\n\n\"There is no such thing as a good killer, Brandon,\" she says dryly, \"Now, be quite, please,\"\n\n\"Anything for you, my love,\" I say, and she shushes me flatly.\n\nShe rests her hand on Mr. McCarthy's heart, and closes her eyes in prayer. The body starts glowing in a red aura, the same I've seen so many times before, and the soul starts leaving the body, like a band-aid that has to be pulled off slowly and carefully, as if it still clung to the body.\n\nAngelica told me, the first time we met, that there isn't such a thing as hell. There're only angels, who come to fetch the souls of the dead and take them to the after-life. She said it's just like a school, where poor souls go to some kind of detention until they're fit for returning.\n\nI can't help but think she must be the best teacher in Heaven. The kind of teacher that sits with you after class, and helps you through your math assignment, glues a little star on your notebook and makes you wonder if you'll ever fall in love with another person.\n\nShe then turns to me again, and I take a deep breath, finding the strenght, pulling the courage from somewhere I wasn't sure where.\n\n\"Angy,\" I say, \"Would you go on a date with me?\"\n\nShe stares at me dead in the eye, as if she can see right through me and into my soul. Of course she can.\n\n\"I'll tell you what, Brandon, one date, if that's what it takes.\"\n\nMy eyes fill with joyfull salty tears, and I realize I'm smilling, a dumb smile that crosses ear to ear.\n\n\"IF,\" she says, holding one beautiful pale finger up, \"IF, you promise me to stop killing people afterwards,\"\n\n\"I promise!\" I shout.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOn due date, I put on my best suit, my Angel, for Men perfume, and get to the restaurant half an hour early.\n\nShould I order wine? I question myself. I mean, it's her Father's blood, or her brother's. I don't know. I've never been much of a bible person. Would it be offensive? \"I'll have a water,\" I say to the waiter, \"For now... Better safe than sorry.\"\n\nAngy gets to the restaurant sharply at nine, and I almost fall off the chair when I see her. Her blonde hair set into perfect curls over her shoulder. A sky-blue dress that moves in silky waves in the night gentle breeze. If I didn't know she was an angel, I'd've guessed.\n\nThe whole restaurant is a framed picture as she walks by. Forks are held still, knives stop mid-cutting, wifes and husbands alike stare, moving nothing but their eyes to the sight of that majestic woman.\n\nAfter a few seconds of blissful shock, trying hard to believe she's there, and I'm not dreaming, I stumble myself up and pull the chair for her.\n\n\"You came,\" I say, as she sits.\n\n\"I said I would,\" she replies, and the smell of her, of every flower in a sunny spring day, fills my nostrils and I feel slightly dizzy, drunk in love.\n\n\"I... I didn't know what to order, so...\"\n\n\"Water will be just fine. Nice place you chose,\" she says, with a dazzling smile brighter than the sun.\n\n\"They've got the best fish in town,\" I say. I feel like a silly teenager, powerless, overwhelmed by such beauty.\n\nShe tells me stories about the people I've killed, how they've turned out in Heaven, how some of them came back as loving toddlers, and some are still trying their best up there. And I listen, and the sound of her laugh is like a flock of birds singing a heavenly serenade.\n\nEleven thirty, it's almost time.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAfter the meal, I order two slices of cherry-cake.\n\nMidway through the dessert, her fork hits something, and a metallic noise startles her. She looks up, in a mix of surprise and sheer disbelief, but not in a very good way. I don't care.\n\nI grab the ring from her pie, kneel before her, and ask the question.\n\n\"Angy, will you marry me?\"\n\nOnce again, the whole restaurant freezes.\n\n\"Brandon,\" she says, smiling in a pitiful way, the same way the doctor looks at the pacient who refuses to lose hope, \"I can't, you know that.\"\n\n\"Are you sure?\" I say, giving her one last chance.\n\n\"You know I am, it's against the rules. You're mortal.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Then, it's time I become immortal too,\" I say, before she manages to stop me, and shove the cherry-pie knife deep into my heart." ]	3
	[WP] One day, a guy has a deadly premonition of a woman meeting her fate, but ends up saving her life just in the nick of time. He gets to know her a little and soon after they fall for each other, head over heels. It’s been 100 days as of this morning, and so far he’s saved her life 99 times.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Kai stumbled in pain as a burning sensation jolted throughout his skull, “Damn it, I thought we had more time!” He fumbled for supplies in a dark-brown pouch he had thrown over his left shoulder. Kai tossed away used needles across the grey metal floor, cursing, “Only one left, let’s make this one count, Amira!”\n\nAmira looked at Kai, feeling a pang of guilt seeing how he suffered, scrambling to do whatever he could to protect her. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, she had resolved to surrender, to finally stop running from the inevitable. Amira was glad to have met him, she didn’t think love would have been possible for someone like her, but there he was, unyielding. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep this up forever.\n\n“You don’t have to keep this up Kai, I’ll die no matter what, if not today then tomorrow, or the next day!” Amira said, trying to save him from sharing her fate.\n\n“Come now, we just need to find more of these,” Kai presented the last injection device, thick purple liquid sloshing behind the transparent tube, “then we’ll be unstoppable!”\n\nAmira shook her head, “Where will we find more Accession packs? I doubt anyone on this primitive planet has access to a spark-well, seeing as it doesn’t exist anywhere near this system!”\n\nKai grinned the way he always did before one of his stupid ideas, which somehow always worked out in the end. “Leave one intact, dust the others, trust me!” he commanded, “six of them.”\n\nAmira readied her pistol, pointing the energy weapon towards the cracked opening of the container, “I don’t like it when you’re like this,”\n\nHis grin widened further, “They won’t either,” Kai said, injecting himself with the Accession pack. Veins popped all over his face, neck and arms. Dark energy pulsated as it mixed with his blood, thrumming rhythmically, he stifled a howl of pain, groaning as silently as possible.\n\nReality shifted as gateways opened outside, near their red container. Men in black and red armour, bearing the mark of Akanyah, the crimson crest across the chest depicting an open hand grasping for a planet, or at least that’s what it looked like to Kai.\n\nThe six humanoid soldiers immediately went into combat formation as the rifts closed behind them. Two in each unit, searching the containers while shouting updates to each other, “This one is clear!”\n\nKai’s thoughts were a jumbled mess before the effects of the pack stabilized, he was unable to act through the pain. A euphoria he had come to enjoy spread throughout his systems, as the pain subsided. Kai ran off at such speeds that it appeared as if he was teleporting short distances, the container doors flew wide open as Kai zipped past them, Amira opened fire from behind a stack of boxes.\n\n“They’re in the red one-” the closest group announced desperately before the pair slammed into a yellow container behind them in a sickening crunch, Amira following-up with green bolts of lightning, quickly evaporating the two soldiers. \n\nThe remaining four opened fire on their impossibly fast assailant, their targeting systems were too slow to home in on Kai, they had to rely on their own skill for this. One soldier veered off and started shooting suppressive fire towards Amira, keeping her locked down, hoping that his team would be able to finish off the boosted human. \n\nScreams filled the air as limbs were torn clean off by the inhuman strength presently coursing through Kai’s veins. This group came woefully unprepared. Soon the last soldier that had been shooting suppressive fire fell, as easily as all the others. The effects of the Accession pack ended soon after the last one slain.\n\n“They didn’t even graze me,” Kai boasted, “these things are amazing!”\n\nAmira carefully stepped off the container, still on guard with her weapon raised, “OK, so what was your brilliant plan?”\n\nKai picked up a discarded limb, an arm that still had an intact rift bracer attached to it, “I’m getting tired of running, what do you say, Amira? Want to go home?”\n****\nNot sure where I'm going with this, more? Thank you for reading!\n\n[/r/NordicNarrator](https://www.reddit.com/r/NordicNarrator)", "Ty didn’t believe in fate. He didn’t believe there was any order to your steps, but he didn’t particularly care either way. Sometimes, of course, he wondered about things like destiny and if it existed, but either way, life was happening.\n\nLife happened for him pretty much the same every weekday. He would wake up, make a bowl of oatmeal, eat it and read the paper, shower, then eat a banana on his walk to the office. It was during this time that he wondered, whether fate would reach its hand in and pull him out of his monotonous, starchy loop, but so far, nothing.\n\nThis morning, the crosswalk was as busy as ever. Ty was a little late, but so was everyone else trying to make it to work by 9am. \n\nThen he saw it.\n\nThe woman, trying to time it, waiting for the other light to turn red, taking a step right before the walk sign flashed, not seeing the taxi, zooming in, trying to cut a corner…\n\nHe pulled her back, not thinking about it. The taxi zoomed by with an angry honk, and Ty and the woman were sprawled on the concrete as everyone walked past, giving them nothing more than a bemused look.\n\nThe woman brushed her hair out of her face, and looked at Ty. She smiled.\n\n“I’m Karen.”\n\n“I’m Ty,” he said, wondering if fate had finally paid him a visit.\n\n\\-\n\nIt had become a running joke between them, as they made breakfast.\n\n“What do you think it’s going to be today?” Karen asked.\n\n“I don’t know. I’m kind of hoping something crazy happens. Like a guy with a knife. Then I’ll get to be like a superhero.”\n\n“Why?”\n\n“It’s the 100th day.”\n\n“100?”\n\nShe sat down, staring into the plate.\n\n“What’s wrong?” he asked.\n\n“100 times? 100 times you’ve had to save me? Is this what it’s going to be like?”\n\n“Hey, don’t think like that.”\n\n“I…just wish I wasn’t so helpless.”\n\n“You’ve already saved my life,” he said, gently, “but you’ve made me a hundred times cornier.”\n\nShe laughed, but still wore a half frown on her face.\n\n\\-\n\nToday, they didn’t take the train. It was sunny out but not too hot, and a perfect day for a walk.\n\nThey were relaxed, of course, but both were waiting. Waiting for a sign of trouble, of the shock, the instant vision, like plunging your face into cold water.\n\nBut the day was perfect. Passerby’s with dogs smiled and said hello, kids skateboarded respectfully around them, and the traffic was languid and slow.\n\n“What if-“ Ty had barely finished the sentence when it happened.\n\nThe argument, in the apartment above. A woman and a man, veins bulging out of their heads, the words meaning less than the volume…*\n\nThe computer came frighteningly fast, and ended up landing a few inches from where they sat, on the concrete.\n\nTy stared at his savior, who stared down at her own hands. \n\nHe smiled. “I told you.”\n\nThey were still laughing when the cops pulled up, the sun and the fates still smiling over them.\n\n\\-\n\n[r/penguin347](https://reddit.com/r/penguin347)" ]	3
	[WP] Doves appear and drag you off to England.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 was walking through the streets, minding my own business, reading a nice article about how dove-rates were down as the city started cracking down on them.\n\nShame on me, because that's when I felt my blazer lifting underneath me, squeezing my armpit as the ground dropped below me.\n\n\"Gosh darn it!\" I struggled in their grasp, the myriad flapping doves holding fast against me and resisting every movement. \"Not again!\"\n\nMy paper fell from my hands, and I had to reach up to keep my hat on tight before I lost it to who knows where.\n\nMy only regret was that I was on my way to get insurance." ]	2
	[WP] An online family recipe for homestyle potato salad, but the backstory delves into ludicrous, supernatural territory.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Today I am going to teach you how to prepare my family's (now no longer) secret recipe for potato salad. Now this has always been one of my favourite dishes, and I have loving memories of my grandmother making this dish for us. Once me and my sisters were old enough, she taught us how to prepare it just the way she always made it, and she shared with us the secrets on how she made the best potato salad of our town as crowned every year at the annual potato salad competition. What can I say, we don't have much else exciting to do on small towns. \n\nNow in order to get the best results, the main secret is obtaining the right potatoes and properly preparing them. If you want this recipe to work out for you, you need to be willing to sacrifice a chunk of your time towards this. Firstly it is very important to obtain the right potatoes. My grandmother's recipe works the best with Red Thumb potatoes, she always harvested them fresh out of her garden. It takes a few years to grow proper sized plants that will produce plentiful offspring every year. According to my grandmother it's best to leave the adult plants alone and only harvest the children. Since they taste sweeter and bleed less when harvested. \n\nIn order to properly harvest the potatoes, you first need to cut the childplant off it's parentplant by cutting through the cord through which the parentplants feed their children until they're fully grown. It's the big green one that connects the both, it's hard to miss. Once you've cut the children off, you need to place them in a bath of ice preferably made ready before you cut off the children. Now the only edible part of the children of this particular potato are the thumbs, which are a light brownish before cutting. Carefully position your sharpened knife on the lowest joint, and chop with a swift and strong motion. The ice will keep their veins small and if you cut the right places, the bleeding should be minimal. After the cutting the thumbs turn a red colour, which is why these potatoes are called Red Thumbs. That's a little fact you can impress your friends with during your next dinner party, at which you'd preferably serve this Red Thumb potato salad!\n\nAfter cutting the thumbs should be placed inside a pentagram drawn in the woods under a full moon, so they can be blessed by Satan and relieved of the children's souls. You could potentially use the thumbs with the souls still attached, but that results in a rather sour flavour that not everyone is fond of. So I would recommend not skipping this step. After this your Red Thumbs are ready to be used! \nIt's best to cut the Thumbs on the day of the full moon, however it's completely possible to preharvest and store them in a cool and dry place until the full moon. However, preharvesting will result in a slight loss of flavour. \n\nNow if you do not have access to fresh Red Thumbs, store bought will work fine.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOn to the recipe!" ]	2
	[WP] You have the power to heal anyone's physical/mental ailments, but Big Pharma doesn't like that you're killing their business, and hire someone to exterminate you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 many names. The Savior, the Travler, the Ghost of LA. I never laid claim to any of these titles. In all honesty, I would much rather be a forgotten figure. Nothing more than an urban legend. And, for years, I was. Even those I cured often came up with 'rational' explainations. \n\nHowever, my powers have grown. I once had to touch someone for hours at a time to help them. Convincing someone to let me was always a challenge. Only the most desperate, terminally ill consented. I have sat by numerous deathbeds, holding the hand of those too scared to let go. It was exhausting, but watching the paralyzed get up to hug me or amnesiacs suddenly call out the names of their loved ones... I didn't care how hard it was.\n\nBut I was just a teenager than. In the last decade I have gotten stonger. What once took half a day now only takes a minute or two. Med school really helped- fixing something is much easier if you understand what the problem is the first place. Now I am a doctor at one of the biggest pediatric hospitals in the world. I haven't lost a patient yet.\n\nMaybe I should have been smarter. Kept my head down, gone back to wandering the world with a hood pulled low over my eyes. Then perhaps no one would have figured out.\n\nBut looking into the eyes of toddlers struggling to breathe, talking to ten year olds who didn't expect to reach middle school... What was I supposed to do? Walk away?\n\nNot everyone is so thankful for my gifts. I've seen the people following me. I know what they've been asking. So many conspiracies are out there about 'Big Pharma.' But they really are trying to kill me. I've avoided assassination twice now. Thie last time... That was the fire that killed your mother.\n\nSo I hope you understand why I have to send you away. If your new family respects my wishes, you should receive this letter on your sixteenth birthday.\n\nI know you are too young to remember me. I hope you don't resent me as a father for leaving. I really do love you. You have your mother's eyes, you know.\n\nDon't tell anyone who you are. I've seen it in you- the gift. You are more power fall than even I. The day you were born, every sick baby on the floor got better.\n\nI don't know what your new family calls you. But, like me, you have more than one name. To me, you will always be my sweet little Galen. The little girl in the blonde pigtails, who is currently bouncing happily in her crib. I love you so much." ]	2
	[WP] Your family just bought a new tract of land to develop as farm land. When you head out into the woods to inspect the property you discover a clearing with a large obelisk in the middle engraved with foreign glyphs and runes. As you step forward the runes start to glow.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Eben gazed at the glowing stones. They gave off an otherworldly purple light. The obelisk's glow made him think of what alien technology probably looked like. It was near mesmerizing, watching the runes covering the stone all start to alight, one by one. \n\nWhen the last rune came to life, the obelisk began to hum. Eben felt it like a rumbling purr from the earth beneath him, rising and falling in intensity like a heartbeat. More than anything, Eben felt drawn to the obelisk. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something about the structure before him made him want to approach it. He wanted to touch it, to embrace it, to become one.\n\nHe had the vague idea that it was in his head, but it no longer mattered to him. He stepped forward, clenching and relaxing his fists over and over. As he got closer, his right arm unconsciously rose, controlled by his unconscious desire. Eben could feel his mind going blank. He only thought of the obelisk. It called to him.\n\nThe stone was warm against Eben's palm as he pressed up against it. He could feel the humming passing through his body. It was impossible to resist such a comforting feeling. He leaned up and embraced it, pressing his face up against the stone.\n\nIts humming slowly became louder, accompanied by an increasingly rapid shifting of the light emitted by the runes. Eben didn't mind anymore. This stone was a part of him.\n\nAnd then he was gone.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n(23)" ]	2
	[WP] After getting drunk and falling overboard off a cruise ship, you wake up in a strange room in a cage surrounded by... mermaids?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 I awoke in the dark, just as I was trying to make sense of my surroundings, the smell hit me: it was acre, musty and unrelenting, with a hint of rotten seaweeds. The best way to describe it? I was instantly reminded of the old lady perfume great-aunt Esther used to wear while cooking crab cake for a big family dinner. Yep, pretty close. But where was I? My mind was still in a haze. Just as I was coming up with an excuse for being in the ship kitchens I realized that I wasn't on board anymore; then I saw the mossy wooden cage. I was too drunk to get scared, so I just decided to pretend I was having one of those weird hangover dreams.\n\nI was trying to reach for a non-existent pillow and go back to sleep when a hysterical burst of laughter started echoing off the walls. It was strangely arousing. I only came to my senses when a dim glow began to approach and...wait! Who was holding my phone?! As an invisible hand toyed with my pricey Android flagship, I suddenly saw an endless stream of scales reverberating the light. I was transfixed: shimmering, iridiscent scales on long, sinuous tails belonging to...beautiful women bodies. And then I looked at their faces: their delicate, symmetric features were horribly twisted into what looked like a duckface.\n\nWhen I awoke in my bed, just as I was trying to make sense of what had just happened, I knew it: it wasn't just a nightmare. My clothes gave off that horrifying Chanel no. 5-meets-seafood smell, and my phone memory was graced by dozens of perfectly obnoxious duckfaces.\n\nWhen I let people in on my secret encounter with sirens, I'm usually met with disbelief. Of course they exists, they say, but taking duckface selfies? Come on now! Well, it's understandable. I wish I could tell them about how I went on adventures like a modern-day Ulysses, sailing around luscious archipelagos and fighting magical creatures, but I'm just a guy who's had too much booze.", "I watched as two waved at me with seductive smiles and 3 looked on edge, it didn’t hit me that I was in a room full of mermaids till one flicked their tail. My eyes widened and sat up I reached for my pocket knife in my back pocket, one in the darkness came out and hissed at me. I jumped at the sound and patted my back pocket only to realize my knife wasn’t there, a shiny object caught in my peripheral vision and I whipped my head around to see a darker skinned one playing with it. “T-thats Mine” her purple eyes shined in the dim light. “And?” She remarked venom dripping in her voice, she flicked the knife out and threw it in the air catching it again. “And...I want it back n-“ my speech was cut short by the cave erupting in laughter “What are you gonna do dry us to death” they howled at the joke flopping over and hitting each other’s shoulders. \n\nI stood up abruptly and they all grabbed daggers from behind their back pointing it at me “what are you” a pale one with a shiny white tale and a high voice asked. “I’m hu-“ i was interrupted once again by the black one “we know that like are you a female or male?” I was really getting tired of the interruptions “female” i mumbled grabbing a sharp rock." ]	3
	[WP] "Hurry up the humans are coming."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Those humans. \n\nThose thoughtless, ridiculous, and purely self-involved humans.\n\nI had spent a lifetime cleaning up the ruins of those creatures. They destroyed the entire planet of Kukroon with their games (Planetwide Tiddlywinks is terrifying to watch from space). They dissolved the landmasses on planet O'verat with one of their alcoholic celebrations (What was it? A birthday of their Prince or something. Who knows where they found that many things to ferment.) They even destroyed their galactic neighbour's planet (Sent their JetPets to poo on the neighbour's lawn. Alien poo doesn't mix well with alien soil, it was rather stinky. Poisonously stinky.) I had to evacuate them before the neighbours exploded their human planet. Today I was finished.\n \nFinally.\n\nWhy? That is a good question. I am pondering it myself. I sit on my Eternal Veranda and ponder just that. I just got here and it's a good time to consider why I'm here. Settling in is useless on the Eternal Veranda. I won't be here long anyway.\n\nWhen the human delegation had finally found me they were quite angry. They claimed I would never abduct the human race again. They claimed I was the reason they could never get comfortable. Whine, whine, whine. Whimper, simper, complain. Then they pulled a brutish human weapon from one of their packs and ran me through. It was a cerated blade I discovered then. I think that had been the most unpleasant complaint any race had ever given me. I hope the next lot of thoughtless creatures they send me to Tend are less brutish. \n\nAh! Look. There's the Delegation. My next assignment-", "The words hushed the crowds as the final stragglers gathered closer into the tightly packed room. Aldraid could barely see anythin except the bodies tightly packed against him. The tension was thick. The room was barely lit. Parents held their children close and hushed them, a few moments passed in a tense pregnant pause before the sounds of thumping feet hammering of metal hallways started getting louder and closer \"Is everyone here?\" A nervous voice whispered, it was met with hisses for silence, Aldraid had never seen so many different species in such a small space, all desperately trying to get a better position and not make noise at the same time. The dim lights suddenly flooded the area with light and every eye keenly watched the enclosure. \n\n\nThe four pairs of humans tore into the arena, each painted in their team colour, the pair of a man and woman madly scrambled through the obstacles that lead to the central arena, teams climbed along cargo nets, crawled through suspended tunnels, leapt from platform to platform. Everyone watching could barely contain their excitement, watching the human enclosure races was one of the top attractions on the planet, the tickets were well worth the cost to see the warrior primate's compete. The first team landed on the central platform their bodies covered in the blue body paint, their highly athletic bodies starting to show the fatigue of getting to the platform so quickly, hands exchanged cash between those old enough to make the bets in the crowd, the next pair was the Green team as soon as their female had both her feet on the platform she launched herself at the other team, knocking the Blue female down with a powerful driving kick to the abdomen, Aldraid was beside himself with excitement, his friends would beg him to see the footage he was recording on his holoeye. The third team descended on the platform, the Orange team, the entered the melee cautiously picking on the members of both teams that became seperated from their partner, these games titled \"King of the Hill\" where savage and violent displays often resulting in serious injury needing days in the restorative medical facilities but winning gave the humans luxuries well worth the struggle and if a particular pair won over 20 matches they would be moved to the more serene enclosures. However the real attraction was the savagery, the humans had an instinctual skill for violence, none of the Confederate species could even dream of having such a mindset, it was a morbid fascination and they all paid the steep costs to get a glimpse of it.\n\n\nThe final team entered the fray. The Red team. In a few tense moment of brutal hand to hand combat the Blue team had managed to hold off the other teams and won a brutal and hard fought battle. The female had her arm on the male's shoulder as she had one of her legs damaged as she strangled the Orange male unconscious and his face was a patchwork of deep cuts acros his forehead, eyebrows, lips and cheeks hand locked into fists probably unable to uncleanch them due to injury. Aldraid felt pity for a moment as his father ushered him out of the viewing room and down to their personal shuttle \n\n\"So what did you think? Pretty special birthday present right?\" His father beamed at his son, Aldraid wanted to ask questions but decided it was better than starting an arguement with his father only moments after he wittnessed that amazing experience \n\n\n\"Yeah Dad, it was intense, I had no idea it would be like that,\" his father unlocked the shuttle and tapped out a message to his mother about their arrival\n\n\n\"You know it is okay to be a bit squeamish kid, hell there was a could moments when even I couldn't look,\" Aldraid felt a tension removed from his bofy that he hadn't realised was there before \n\n\n\"Why do we put them in those enclosures like that Dad?\" Aldraid knew he was close to sounding like his sister, protesting the human captivity program and the facility itself but his curiosity was catching the better of him, his father was one of the lead researchers into the human being so surely he couldn't get angry\n\n\n\"Because son, when we found them on that hellfire scorched rock they were barely alive this way we can restore their numbers, ensure the strongest ones survive, we manage their diseases, learn about their culture and can slowly guide their introduction into habitats and maybe the Confederacy as a whole,\" Aldraid was quiet as he strapped himself into the seat besides his father who looked hin over once before adding \n\n\"Don't be mistaken, they are to dangerous to just be left unchecked.\"", "It's a simple phrase, but context is everything. The first time I heard it was 20 years ago. I was part of a first contact team. We'd been sending messages for weeks, and that day was the first face-to-face meeting. Seven of us, seven of them. And up to the moment they came in, I was adjusting my leaves.\n\nAnother time, it was for the Tarvax Cleansing. We called it war at the time, but now we're more honest. Not completely honest, or we'd say genocide. The humans led the initiative, but we made the weapon. And I was setting up the presentation to show how it would work, how it was made.\n\nThis last time, it was said in fear. Everyone is scrambling for ships to escape this planet. They hope they can run, but I know better. The humans won't stop. I helped them hunt down every Tarvaxi, every Ruvolo, every member of each race. Now so few races remained, but I know better. I know they won't stop until they are alone in the universe, because I'm the one who taught them how to do it." ]	4
	[WP] There is a red string that binds soulmates that only they are able to see. It's your job to tie the strings to people.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 day was busy as usual, rushing around the nursery and tying red strings to the endless infant onslaught.\n\nThe hospitals always had a few of us milling about to get the strings up and running. We were different, we saw every string from every person when others saw only their own. It was an odd thing that no one knew the reasoning to, but it was still our job. \n\nI was tying the red strings frantically, trying not to miss any. I began to pull another endless piece from my bag searching for the next baby. \n\nI saw here from across the room. She looked similar to nearly all the other children in the room even as a strode over. Taking her hand, I made the knot around her little wrist and waited as the other end of the string lifted itself out from my bag and fled the room in its own search. \n\nI look up from the girl to glance over the crowd, some children were being taken out as new ones arrived. I stepped over and ducked under the various red strings trying to get to the next person. \n\nA small boy was who had become next. I reached into my bag to retrieve a string before realizing he had one. Following its trail, the string ended right before the door. His soulmate had died. \n\nPutting my piece back, I slowly removed the string with trembling fingers as the infant’s arms jerked and flailed about and put his string into my own bag. \n\nI moved to go to the next child when a hand caught my shoulder. I turned to see a woman who held her own bag of strings. She was here to take my shift. \n\nI smiled at her and moved out of the way as she began her own rush. I left soon after having checked out and gathered my things. Strings zoomed by my head in a hurry and others laid on the floor presumably long ago completed. \n\nThe doors out slide open as I admired all of the red that seemed to color my vision. Some of them would find each other quickly, others in decades. Others would cry in finding the one they would have cherished passed. It happened and no one could do much about it. \n\nBut the oddities, it seemed, were far more rare than anyone cared to admit. Like the string that now stood in front of me aimed for the sky." ]	2
	[WP] Blind aliens fly into space for the first time and discover that, despite being in a matterless, soundless void, something is heating up the side of their spacecraft.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 sidepod. Temperature critical.’\n\nUp to that point everything seemed to be going fine… But let’s start from the very beginning.\n\nWe were just ordinary aliens. Imagine The Little Prince but with no flowers and more cool stuff. Our world was dark, though. Ask anyone. Every single one of us would tell you the exact same thing. ‘I don’t see anything.’ However, to be absolutely frank, it was never a problem. We felt cool this way. All the smells, all the touches. The universe, we thought, was designed for us. ‘Blessed’ would be the word we’d use to describe our state.\n\nBut a year ago things started to change. The final straw was when our annual Smell Fest was spoiled by drought. Second time in a row! Public outrage was to be expected but the extent to which it happened surprised everyone. It was that moment, the breaking point. Days of our idyllic existence could soon be over but at that moment the saviour came.\n\nThe Church Of Internal Sight was always there. By there I mean that they had a few followers and were just never getting in the way of the events. Now was their time. ‘We know the reason of our problems’ the leader said over the radio ‘The gods are angry. They think we were too complacent. But we know the answer. We know the way. The ultimate way is up. We need to conquer the space. We need to make the gods proud.’\n\nTo say that the message resonated well with the public would be a huge understatement. With new, spiritual inspiration we embarked on a journey. A journey that could change our whole perceivable world. Put everything we had known in perspective. After a year we were ready.\n\nSo yeah. We’re finally here. Hour ten of our flight. Troubleless launch, perfect exit from the atmosphere. We were about to relax but the fun has just started.\n\n‘Right sidepod back to normal.’ said the autopilot.\n\n‘Ok guys, what was that?’ asked the captain ‘The space was meant to be empty!’\n\n‘And it is, sir’ I answered immediately. I wanted to say more when I was interrupted by another report…\n\n‘Left sidepod. Temperature critical.’ the autopilot just wouldn’t shut up. That wasn’t supposed to happen. We’ve had everything planned. Every little detail. We fly off, go for a nice stroll and go back. We were certain we were alone here.\n\n‘Right sidepod. Temperature critical.’ this just wasn’t the day for finishing up thoughts.\n\n'Left sidepod back to normal.’\n\nWe looked at one another. Nobody was able to comprehend what was happening. The captain was just about to open his mouth when the computer went off again…\n\n‘Transmission incoming.’\n\nThe message struck us by surprise. It was unheard of. Out of all the things in the world this one was by far the least expected. Communication system was just in beta. The engineers wanted to lay the foundation for building a future space fleet. That was all. No outside contact planned. We gaped at our leader in anticipation. The captain had his finger on the button. The button that was not meant to be used. He slowly pressed it. The effect of his actions was near immediate. We heard the message…\n\n‘Stop hogging the middle lane, you idiots!’" ]	2
	[WP] You meet each other back during the 1st crusade. You and your friend are immortal, and every 100 years you go to a bar, drink and talk. This is your conversation today	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "He and I had always joked about how we got it. He spat in the face of death and death got scared. I used the holy grail as a cup while on a bender. He killed too many men and gainedtheir life. I just decided not to die. A thousand more theories and none a step closer to the truth. \n\nThe truth was we didn't know why or how we were immortal. All we knew was we were. I remember how we discovered it. One of the last big battles of that oh so holy crusade. While every one was retreating, crying, or dying, he and I kept going. Just the two of us. Two clashing swords. Two men in oceans of corpses. Two men fighting for something they didnt understand. Two men fighting for days. \n\nEventually, we just gave up. When our swords lay shattered at our feet and our armor was broken off, we just stopped. We took a look around and realized what happened. I'll give it to him, he didnt devolve into delirium like I did. He just stood up and walked. Told me later he kept walking for a hundred years. I just wandered raving like a mad man. \n\nHe found me in a gutter outside a bar one day. Hadnt aged a day. He said he was looking for a man screaming God had cursed him. Said he wanted a friend to be cursed with. I refused. Attacked him. When I got tired and stopped, he told me to meet him there in a hundred years. \n\n\nEnd part 1", "He was late, always. You'd think an immortal would eventually learn to show up on time, but, well here we are. We embraced with a hug that lasted longer than most mortals would have. People think time would fly, but 100 years feels like 100 years, over entire mortal lifetime since I saw him. \n\nHim: Now we're here\nMe: And we're here for now\nOur greeting. It hasn't changed since about the 14th century. \n\nHim: You still drinking that swill?\nMe: If you mean this here ale, then yeah, still drinking swill. You still drinking fruit juice?\nHim: You know it, hate that casks aren't the norm anymore.\nMe: The mortals go through trends and fads so quick you'd think they were the ones getting bored with living forever.\nHim: Hear ye! I'd drink to that!\nMe: Like we need an excuse to drink.\nHim: Aye, but brother lest not forget our reunion should be a cause for celebration. \nMe: You say celebration like this doesn't feel like a funeral. \nHim: Then take a page from the pagans and light shit on fire, I always admired that ritual.\nMe: Such blasphemy!\n\nWe roared with laughter at that. Sure we met during the crusades and believed strongly in our faith then. Now? We watched as what is called science debunked each and every one of our old beliefs. We've no fight left in us, nor do we fell like filling our time with \"beliefs.\"\n\nWe talked until the venue kicked us out. Then we talked walking up and down side roads. We talked about everything, but mostly war. Sure, i said we have no fight left in us, but war is easy money for two people that can't die. And man do we prefer guns over swords, that has to be mankinds best creation. \n\nBut as the sun started rising we knew it was time to break off again.\n\nHim: Go on then, back to your many mistresses\nMe: Mistresses? Please my bed has been warm since the 20's. The 1720's. You?\nHim: I have a phone thing with Tinder on it. Try it, it reminds me of the times when wenches threw themsleves at us.\nMe: Still sticking to the glory days, huh?\nHim: Parts of it, sure. We could try it again you know?\nMe: What?\nHim: You know, maybe every 50 years?\nMe: No, 50 years leads to 25, which leads to the major holidays, which leads to us trying to stay together forever.\nHim: And what is so wrong with that? \nMe: The mortals try to stay together for life and most of those relationships end in divorce. We decide we need space, then who do we talk to to blow off steam? We don't have replacements for each other. We stick to once every 100 years because then we never tire of each other.\nHim: But I tire without you.\nMe: And I, you. But this is the way it must be. For now, I bid you a hundred goodbyes.\nHe looked away and seemed to wipe at a tear.\nHim: And I, a hundred hellos. \n\nWe parted." ]	3
	[WP] A car hurtles towards you. Shielding your 5 year old son, you whisper, "Don't worry Jack, you're safe." Everything goes black. When you open your eyes, you're in a hospital. "Jack? Jack?" A man turns to you, with tears in his eyes. "I'm Jack. You're safe. You've been in a coma for 15 years."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 thought I had lost you.\"\n\nStarting into the eyes of the man who claimed himself to be my small, youthful son filled me with a sense of dread. My mind was phasing between thoughts of anger, pain, and hysteria. There was not a heartwarming emotion to be found within the recesses of my mind. For me, there was still a car barreling towards my son and me. There was still a fear of death overwhelming my conscience; yet, what stuck with me the most was the ever-present belief that my son and I could never make it. \n\nHere we are.\n\nMyself in a hospital bed, held together by tape and tubing, and the eyes of a mature adult pleading that I am his father. One should be happy to simply be alive, but not me. I knew that the world had never stopped for me. Technology, innovation, world events, politics, and waves of popular culture had become a blip which I would only ever be able to recover in what was left of a generation I never saw grow up - a generation which included my own son. \n\nThose small, beady eyes; that awe-struck expression just learning of the world; the young innocence of a child who had so much to absorb from their surroundings. What is the point in living if my life as a father had been ripped away violently and suddenly? He was the Telemachus to my Odysseus, a man who'd grown up without his father there to guide him. \n\nThere is still always that sense of selfishness. Had I not saved the life of my son? There should be no question as to whether or not I had made the right choice. As long as he was alive, my happiness should be an inevitable byproduct, but my eyes still welled up as fountains mourning a lost youth. \n\nMy tearful gaze met his.\n\n\"Jack, oh Jack! You're safe.\"\n\n\"Of course I am safe, dad. I'm safer now knowing that you've finally awoken from that fifteen-year nightmare.\" \n\nI'm sure he thought I was shedding tears of joy, yet I knew that wasn't the case. My tears represented all the seconds I had lost. All the time where I had been buried within my mind without any chance at watching Jack's first day of school, first baseball game, first day of college - I had missed so many firsts. I still believed that he would never understand, because I still so wanted him to be five years old. \n\nWorld! Why did you tear my son away from me? Why must I be cursed to suffer a life without the Jack I had known? You fate-driven temptress. You unholy abomination of expectations thrown to the wind without caution. I despise the god I have prayed to. The God I sent messages to in hopes of being protected in my moment of sacrifice. Send me back, let me die. My son was my world. For five years he was the shining star of my life within the void of an empty reality. I was not merely absent from his life, I was a bystander in it. Cruel obscenity of existence. \n\nI loved that young child. My son.\n\nI grieved the death of young Jack. In my mind, the car had ended his life. In my mind, my sacrifice was in vain. In my mind, those last few words I had said to young Jack were the last words he would ever hear. The man who stood in front of me was merely a whisper of a past that once was\n\nI struggled to pry apart the lead ropes of my atrophied arms. Slowly, but surely, they widened to embrace the man who called himself Jack. With him in my arms, I had one moment, a single short second, of nostalgia. I believed that for that one moment, I was holding my son once again.", "I'’m floating. Then falling. Scattered details start coming fast. “Jack, Jack?”. \n\nI open my eyes. Too bright. “Jack”, I’ve exhausted whatever strength I had and it comes out a whisper. I feel a hand on mine. I risk a squint, and make out the blurry shape of a man sitting next to me. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I’m Jack. You’re safe. You’ve been in a coma for 15 years”. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nMore details rain down. Traffic, my little boy’s hand in mine, the terror. I have the plot, but there are still some holes. But I can fight neither the light nor my own exhaustion. Once again I’m\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFloating. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n I open my eyes. Slowly. The room wavers, then falls into sharp relief. The room is sparsely furnished. If it’s a hospital room, it’s the type without any of the usual beeping and breathing and dripping machines I’d expect. I’m lying on a bed. The concrete walls are painted muted yellow. Fluorescent ceiling lights hum quietly above me, provide the only sound past my ragged breathing. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nTime floats by and I float in and out with it. But mostly in. There are no windows in this room. I can’t hear the City around me, but I know I’m still Here. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nA small light above the single door switches from green to red. It opens and a man walks in, early, maybe mid, 20’s. Our eyes meet, his widen momentarily. I mark the tears. “Dad, it’s me, Jack. You’ve been in a coma for 15 years.” He walks in and takes a seat in the single chair next to my bed. The door closes behind him and the light above the door flips back to green. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Jack?”. I’m profoundly disoriented. I force a smile. “Jack.” God I’m tired. “What happened?”. I need to get my head straight.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“You put yourself between me and a car that had run a red light. Do you remember? Before impact, you looked at me and told me I would be safe. The doctors said it’s a one-in-a-million chance that you survived. I was untouched. They called that a miracle.” He trails off, and looks down on me, I sense a frown hiding behind that smile. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Safe,” I mutter. I remember now. Jack was safe. I had made provisions. With effort I keep the relief that floods through me from showing on my face. Now is not the time to get sloppy. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Water”, I croak. Fearing I’m playing it a bit too big I back off the rasp, “is there any water?”. Jack smiles down at me. \n\n“Let me find a nurse,” he says. He reaches out. “It’s good to have you back, we have so much to talk about. You won’t believe the way the City has changed”. He lays his hand on mine. It’s a practiced, comforting gesture. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nAs soon as that contact is made I close my eyes and reach out, pulling a sliver of something from that touch. He’s been Here for a while. I reach for the City. Everything feels different. I cast about for something, anything, familiar. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Dad? Are you feeling alright?”. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nNothing. Something? There. Not who I expected, but I’ll take anything right now. In different circumstances, this would be a disaster. Here? Now? I leap for the bargain. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nImmediately I feel strength surge through me. I grasp the young man’s wrist and am out of bed pulling his arm behind his back, my other forearm crushing his throat. I feel something unwind itself from me. From my mind? Soul? Those aren’t the right words, but something withdraws, not before making sure I felt its sly satisfaction. Another marker owed. A problem for another hour. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Jack” struggles for longer than I’d have credited him, before going weightless in my arms. I guide him into the bed and quickly get to work. He’s roughly my build, all the more convincing as my son I suppose. I quickly strip him and trade in the hospital gown I’m wearing for my “son’s” button up and chinos. His shoes are too small. Can’t have everything. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI sit down cross legged in the far corner from the door to the room. The light above the door still shows green. I’m not sure how long I have. I know I need to leave, but I cannot force myself to start down that road until I know Jack is alright. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI had exposed myself and, by extension, Jack. At the time it had felt necessary. Now, sitting too close with the unknowing of it all, that seemed ridiculous. How could anything have felt important enough to risk him?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd yet.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDone is done, but I had taken precautions. I’d been down on my luck but I was not without means. I clear my mind and reach out to the City. So different. Smaller. Quieter than I’ve ever felt it. As I sense my way through this great, small, broken little city, searching, I feel something familiar. The Castle Club still stands. Diminished, but present. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIf the Castle Club and its band of merry misfits was still kicking then Jack must be alright. We’d said the words. Whatever you would say about them, they wouldn’t turn their back on their obligation. That had never been their problem . \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, conserving the little bit of strength I had borrowed. That door would have to open sooner or later, and when it did I’d walk through it and find my son. Find Jack.", "“I love you,” she said the words reflexively. Almost like the “how are you”s and the “I’m doing good”s you punt during casual conversation. Knowing of course that you say those things to move away from the hellos and toward the here’s-what-I-want-from-yous. \n\n“I love you. But this is goodbye.” She said it slowly, her eyes narrowing in the sunlight, hands clasped against mine. Tight, secure and honest. It meant something now, to be loved rather than to be told I am loved. Of all the things I dreamed of most, between the drug fueled haze of delirium and half remembered lucidity, it was that fleeting feeling.\n\nUnderneath the sea-green blanket and bleach white fabric the room came into focus. Flickering florescent lighting gave an outline of a man with a rough beard and kind eyes. He leaned in.\n\n“Hi dad,” he said. My hands shook as I tried to sit up. “Everything is going to be ok,” the man took a seat at the end of my bed, I tried to breath slowly. \n\n“Where am I?”\n\n“You’ve been in a coma for 15 years, I am your son Jack.” I reached out a hand to touch him, to feel the patches of grime on his shirt, to touch the creases of his skin. He stood up. “It’s been a long time.” His voice was alien, but had a familiar face. \n\n“It’s been a long time,” I agreed. “Where is Claire?” I said, the lump in my throat growing.\n\n“She’s outside, you want to see her?” \n\n“Yes, please.”\n\nA woman with bright green eyes and long flowing hair came. The creases around her lips shattering once long held memory of youth. She sat in the seat near my bed, tears already falling.\n\n“I love you.” The words poured from her mouth, in a tone like ordering a coffee or buying gas. Her hand grasping my own, I squeezed tight in response. “Do you remember our conversation?” she asked.\n\n“I don’t want to remember.” I said softly.\n\nIn time I kept a brave face and mentioned something about needing to go to the bathroom. They politely listened and left the room without much delay. But I didn’t need to use the bathroom, maybe they knew that, they must have known about the catheter, the feeding tubes, the diapers and the sponge baths. Last I remembered I was healthy, vibrant, and loved. After 15 years people change. My son was not my son if I didn’t remember him. Who he became, who raised him, who he dated or what mistakes he made, lost forever.\n\nThe sun set in a spattering of yellow ochre and purple. Room 206 fell into a restless quiet of quivering sobs and dreams of a warmth long lost. “I love you too,” I murmured to myself, rocking into the night until darkness took me. \"I love you too.\"", "“This young man is Charlie Sanders,” said Dr. Langston, entering the next to the last room. \n\nBecky Hopewell, the newest nurse to join the ICU staff, looked past the doctor at the man in the bed. It was difficult to discern his age; a jumble of hoses and wires enveloped the man’s body and his head was wrapped in bandages. “This is the man from the rodeo, right?” she asked.\n\nDr. Langston nodded. “Brains are pretty resilient, but they can’t take being stomped on by a horse.”\n\nAs the doctor went over Charlie Sanders’ injuries and prognosis, Becky couldn’t help but notice how quiet the ICU was. Over the past six months, the hardest thing to get used to in the emergency room hadn’t been the injuries or even the blood, but all the noise. Doctors yelled, patients screamed, and families wailed; she heard them throughout her shift, and every night in her dreams. In comparison, ICU seemed like a museum. On her first trip through the ward, she hadn’t heard any screaming at all; just the gentle sound of ventilators pumping air, accompanied by the occasional chirp of a heart rate monitor or the squeaky wheel of a passing cart. \n\nDr. Langston exited the room and led Becky to the final door on the left. \n\nThe last room of the ward was silent, save for the barely audible hiss of oxygen running through a tube. In fact, the presence of an oxygen tube running underneath the man’s nose was the only thing that convinced Becky she was not staring at a corpse in the bed. \n\n“And this,” said Dr. Langston, “is Mark Anquillo. Mr. Anquillo shouldn’t give you any trouble.”\n\nThe air in the dimly lit room felt heavy and still. There were no personal artifacts scattered around the room, no signs any visitors had come or gone. A chill ran up Becky’s arm as she looked at the man’s waxlike face. “What, uh…” she stammered. \n\nDr. Langston folded his arms over his clipboard. “If you figure it out, let me know. Mr. Anquillo was on the side of the road changing a flat tire when another car swerved off the road. At the last second, our friend Mr. Anquillo here shoved his son out of the way… or, at least, he tried to.”\n\nBecky took a another look at the man’s face. Although comatose, the man did not appear to be at rest. There was a look of pain beneath his sagging skin; not physical pain, but inner turmoil, preventing him from rest.\n\n“What happened to the boy?”\n\n“Unfortunately, his son did not survive,” said the doctor. “In a panic, Mr. Anquillo accidentally shoved his son in front of the oncoming car, instead of out of its path. It was an unfortunate accident. When paramedics arrived on the scene, Mr. Anquillo was already in shock, screaming his son’s name over and over. On the way to the hospital, Mr. Anquillo fell into a coma and has been catatonic ever since.”\n\n“Were you here when he arrived? I don’t remember—”\n\n“No,” scoffed the doctor. “That was fifteen years ago. Somehow, Mr. Anquillo has outlasted just about everybody here, and certainly everybody who was here that night. The story gets passed down from doctor to doctor and nurse to nurse in case somebody comes to see him. In fifteen years, nobody has.”\n\nBecky slowly approached the nearly lifeless body. “Can he... hear us?”\n\nDr. Langston nodded. “Physically, we’ve never found anything wrong with him. Whatever locked Mr. Anquillo’s brain up appears to be psychological. Do you want to know what I think?”\n\nBecky gently placed her hands on Mr. Anquillo’s arm and nodded.\n\n“I think he doesn’t want to wake up,” said the doctor. “That’s not a medical diagnosis, just my personal opinion.”\n\nMr. Anquillo was as close to death as a living thing could be. \n\nBecky inhaled through her nose and held her breath for a moment; in the emergency room, she had learned how to control her tears. Here, in this room, it wasn’t working.\n\n“What was his name?” Becky asked, gently.\n\n“Mark. Mark Anquillo.”\n\n“No,” she said. “The name of his son.”\n\n“Jack,” said the doctor.\n\nIf Becky’s hands hadn’t been resting in exactly the right spot on his arm, the microscopic twitch of a single muscle deep within Mr. Anquillo’s arm would have been imperceivable. Through the stillness of the room, Becky felt the tiniest quiver beneath her fingers.\n\nBecky gasped. “Say it again,” she whispered. \n\n“Say what?” \n\n“His son’s name.”\n\n“Jack,” repeated the doctor. \n\nBecky felt another miniscule tremor eminate deep from within the man’s arm. “That’s right, Mr. Anquillo,” she said. “Jack’s here. He needs you.”\n\n“Nurse, I don’t think…”\n\nFor the first time in fifteen years, Mr. Anquillo took a breath on his own. His chest rose as he inhaled the room’s stale air.\n\nDr. Langston’s clipboard slipped from his fingers, hitting the tile floor with a rattle.\n\n“Tell him you’re here,” said Becky. “Tell him Jack’s here.”\n\nDr. Langston stood frozen, his mouth agape.\n\n“Tell him!”\n\nDr. Langston’s voice trembled. “It’s me, dad. It’s Jack. Jack’s here.”\n\nBecky pulled her hands back as Mr. Anquillo’s hand balled into a fist. His breathing was stronger now as he began to wake from the deepest sleep. The man’s ashy-gray cheeks flushed red. Becky placed her hands back on Mr. Anquillo’s arm. \n\nThis time when she touched him, his eyes twitched, and then opened.\n\nTears streamed down Becky’s face. In the emergency room she had seen babies born and babies die, but never anything like this before. \n\nMr. Anquillo’s lip began to quiver, and Becky leaned her ear in close to his face. His voice was weak and raspy from years of non-use, but his words were clear.\n\n“Where’s Jack?”", "It was all a blur. The oncoming car, the angry sound of a horn, the taxi driver cursing and slamming on the brakes. It was all I could do to grab my son and wrap my body around his. There was a terrible crash, glass shattering, a scream... The taxi rolled at least twice. I held on with all my strength, feeling broken glass pepper my back as Jack flopped against me like a rag doll. Gravity spun around me, throwing me side to side.\n\nFinally, movement stopped. Gingerly, holding Jack tight, I unbuckled his seatbelt, and lowered him to the ceiling-turned-floor. Arms reached through the broken glass and pulled him to safety. Only then did I unbuckle myself, crashing down. I felt strong arms pulling me, and everything faded out...\n\nI awoke in an unfamiliar place, wrapped in bedsheets, an IV in my arm. I blinked in confusion. I felt... tired. Not sleepy, just... Worn out. No pain, though I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. The events of the past rushed back, and I couldn't stifle a moan. \"Jack...\"\n\nI saw a shape move in the darkness. A young man sat up. \"Hello?\"\n\nI tried to answer, but my mouth wasn't working quite right; I only managed, \"Son... Jack?\"\n\nThe young man stood, nervously. \"Dad? Dad, is that you? It's me - I'm Jack!\"\n\nNo, that couldn't be right... \"No... Jack's... Five! Not you...\"\n\nThe young man grabbed my hands in his. \"No, dad. It's... It's been 15 years since the accident. They said you would never wake up, but... It's a miracle! It's ok, you're safe now, dad!\"\n\nShaking, I raised a hand to the side of his face. \"...Jack?\"\n\nJust then, the door opened. A nurse walked in, holding a clipboard. \"Mr. Smyth? I see you're feeling better! Let me call a doctor.\"\n\nShe paused. \"Um... Jack? What are you doing?\"\n\nThe young man, who had been stealthily slipping lower behind the bed, slowly stood. \"Er... I was just keeping, uh, him company.\"\n\nThe nurse crossed her arms. It's time for you to go, Jack. You know it's past visiting hours!\"\n\nHead hanging, the young man slouched out of the room. Shakily, I asked the nurse, \"What day is it?\"\n\nShe sighed. \"Oh, dear... Honey, it's Tuesday.\"\n\nI muttered, \"feels like... Only yesterday...\"\n\nThe nurse stopped marking notes, and set down her clipboard. \"Mr. Smyth? It was only yesterday. You came in six hours ago with a severe concussion and some minor scrapes. You are fine, you're soon is fine, and Jack Beaufort is going to be in a world of trouble! I told him to stop playing pranks on the patients!\"", "When Mack opened his eyes, it was something like pushing aside a stone that's been sitting in place for a thousand years, or taking a tire off a car that's sat untouched for decades. He felt warmth as sunlight kissed his skin, lying in a pool of white cloth, and his body was leaden. \n\nLike he hadn't used it in fifteen years. \n\nThere were murmurs, or perhaps dulled shouts, and a blur overwhelmed his vision, clasping him. The muted sounds clarified with each passing. \n\n\"Dad? Dad!\"\n\nMack remembered how to breath, inhaling sharply, jaggedly, through his nose and then his mouth. Two glossy eyes darted around the room, wider than they'd ever been, and if he'd had the energy, he would have shot upright like the firing arm of a catapult. \n\nA different voice, much clearer, came to him. \"Mr. Henry, can you hear me?\" \n\nMack opened his mouth to reply, but the words were choked. He nodded weakly instead. \n\nGasps of joy and sobbing; the world was sounding and looking far more clear. There was man, twenty-something and somewhat disheveled, standing near a woman twice his age with faded blonde hair. She looked familiar, but the man did not. \n\nIt took everything Mack had in him to croak at the doctor. \"Water.\"\n\n\"Of course. Nurse!\" \n\nA paper cup filled with sweet relief was brought to him and, careful as he was, half of it went astray, dribbling onto his chin and the hospital sheets. He sighed with satisfaction at its cool touch in his throat. \n\nThe man in his room approached, slowly, trembling and smiling with glistening cheeks.\n\n\"Can you hear me?\" his unfamiliar voice asked, rough, weak. \n\nMack nodded, and rasped a few words out. \"Who... you?\" \n\nThe man buried his face in his hands, sobbing. \n\n\"Where... Kev? Son?\" \n\nHe grabbed Mack's hand. \"Dad, it's me. It's Kevin.\"\n\n\"Kev? Not possible...\"\n\nThere was a flash in his mind, a fleeting thing like the air beneath a butterfly's wings. A halo of light against the darkest abyss he'd ever seen, and his little boy on the ground, several feet away, sobbing and screaming. \n\n\"Dad, you... It's me, Kev. You've been-- you've been sleeping for a really long time, now. It's been fifteen years since last I saw you.\" He put a hand over his mouth, breaths choppy. \n\n\"Fifteen years?\" \n\n\"I-- I never came to visit you after it first happened... I was always too scared. You wouldn't respond, and I was just a little boy. It hurt so much to lose my dad. You were alive, but we couldn't talk or play or anything.\" \n\n\"Oh, no, Kev...\" \n\n\"I know it's terrible of me, I know I should've been here for you all this time, but\" -- he'd cracked like an egg, shaking and jolting with sobs -- \"I just couldn't. I'm a horrible son for abandoning you all this time. But I'm here now, Dad. I'm here now, and you'll never be alone again.\"\n\n\"My boy...\"\n\n\"You saved me, Dad. You saved my life, and you've stayed alive all this time, fighting in your own way. You've been so strong, and you've done so well. I'm proud of you, Dad. I think you'd be proud of me, too. I married the woman of my dreams, and I work hard, just like you taught me.\"\n\nMack sat up, just barely, and outstretched his arms. The two embraced in a moment that hung like forever in the soft light. \n\n\"I love you, Dad,\" Kev whispered, his face damp. \"I love you so much, and you deserve the world for what you did for me. You deserve so much more than life gave you-- than what I gave you. You deserve peace, like all heroes do.\"\n\nMack smiled, feeling that inching tingle of tears welling creep upon him but never come. Instead, he took a deep breath and reveled in the comfort of his sons arms. They were stronger than they looked.\n\n\"Rest now, Dad. Get some rest and I'll see you soon. I love you so much.\"\n\nMack laid back into the softness of his bed and closed his eyes. It had been a long, wonderful day, and the first step toward something greater. \n\nSoon, he'd play catch with his boy again, and meet his beautiful wife, maybe a little girl to spoil. He'd waited fifteen years just to see him again-- what was a little more patience compared to that? \n\n---\n\nKev pulled away from his father, shaking, wracked with violent cries from the deepest corridors of his heart.\n\n\"Walk with me,\" the attending doctor said, leading him out into the hallway, nodding to his nurse on the way out. \n\n\"I'm a worthless son,\" Kevin said, blowing his nose, coughing. \"How could I have left him alone all this time?\" \n\n\"It's part of human nature to avoid that which hurts us the most. You were so young when it happened. The important thing is you're here now.\"\n\nKevin met his eyes a moment, the flicked them back to the yellowed tile. \"I came here for what? To do... that? What does that make me? A monster.\"\n\n\"No, no. It's not like that at all. Walk with me.\"\n\nThey strode down the hall, toward a great window that overlooked the hospital courtyard lively with the joyous birthings of spring. Kevin's breaths had steadied, save for the occasional hiccup. \n\n\"Quite contrary to what you think, your presence has been important for him.\" Dr. Francis placed a gentle hand on Kevin's shoulder, his smile warmer than the sunlight spilling in through wide windows. \"Just before he passed, we noticed an increase in brain activity, more than anything we've seen in his time here.\"\n\n\"You're saying he knew I was with him?\" Kevin asked, his eyes alight in the springtime glow. \n\n\"I can't say that, but... I choose to think he got to say goodbye, in his own way. That's the most beautiful thing you could've done for him.\"\n\n----\n\n/r/resonatingfury" ]	7
	[WP] Are your parent's dead? Do you have a seemingly useless power? Do you often find yourself declaring your intentions to achieve an overwhelmingly out of reach goal to the heavens? Does the world seem to function strangely when you're involved? Don't wait, call the Shonen Protagonist Help Line!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Hello?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Is this the Shonen Protagonist Help Line?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Yes, ma'am. How can we help you today.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I'd like to apply for protagonist status.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Okay, can you describe why you think you qualify?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well, for starters, neither of my parents were present for my own birth. They'd both died simultaneously three months prior when an airplane crashed into a train that crashed into the Titanic. I was raised by my grandparents, who were also all-powerful fox spirits.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well, that SHOULD clear your parental status, but I'll need to check the files. Go on.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"My hair is pink. Naturally. I tried to dye it brown once, but the dye just rinsed out of my hair like water off a duck's back. Also, my hair is stuck in twin-tails, and has been that way since I was seven.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What about your clothes?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"My wardrobe consists of seventy copies of the same sailor uniform with thigh-highs and a slightly too-loose tie. I wear a single glove to cover the demon markings on my right hand.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"And are these markings related to some kind of power?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Maybe? My uncle kidnapped me for 36 hours and carved them into me with a ceremonial dagger from ancient Egypt before my grandparents came and rescued me.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well, everything seems to be in order, then. Can I get your name for future reference?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Oh, of course. My name's Mary Sue.\"" ]	2
	[WP] A small regional god of Hoboken, New Jersey go through its day using limited powers to fulfill local prayers.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Ahimè!\"\n\nShe jolted up from where she had paused, startled by his sudden presence, transfixed by his old blue eyes.\n\n\"You're...\"\n\n\"I know who I am. What's more important is why I'm here. Your prayer has been heard.\" He got straight to the point.\n\n\"My pray-er?\" Her accent was unusually heavy when her guard was down, and her guard had just been obliterated.\n\n\"Yes, hard times. Heard you needed cash.\"\n\n\"And you... are here to give it to me?\"\n\n\"In a manner of speaking. I'm here to give you a hand up, not a hand out. We have our pride. They can't take that away.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" she agreed. \"What do I need to do?\" Her resolve began to manifest itself.\n\n\"Good. For starters, you need a fresh start. Go to New York.\"\n\n\"New York?\"\n\n\"Yes, find the Kennedy Foundation there. I'll let them know to expect you.\"\n\n\"Kennedy? High society.\"\n\n\"Yes, well, the best is yet to come. They'll give you temporary housing and connect you with employment. You'll have to work at it, understand? It's all or nothing at all.\"\n\n\"_Si Signore_. I won't let you down.\" She paused with anticipation.\n\n\"Yes?\"\n\n\"It's just... how did you come to be... a god such as this?\"\n\nHe fixed her again with his gaze.\n\n\"I did it... My Way.\"" ]	2
	[WP] All Humans Are Extinct By 2059, All But You. No One Knows The Reason Why, But You Decide To Find Out By Going Back In Time To 2019 But The Machine Sends You Back Too Far And All The Way To Ancient Rome	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Everyone is extinct but me and nobody knows the reason why?\n\nWho is still around to know or not know besides me? This is a little perplexing. Are there other sapients now? Have the dolphins finally stopped operating under cover when the humans died out? Nobody knows the reason why because they’re all dead, and I don’t know why because who cares, if I’m alone when I die that’s it anyway, there’s not even anyone left for me to bone except maybe those smartass dolphins and they’re sure as hell not going to tell me anything, they already avoid me because they figure I’ll try to bone them.\n\nTime machine? Time travel? Why did nobody use this before me to try and stop this? Maybe we’re too stupid to deserve surviving. Just leave the earth and Ancient Rome to the horny dolphin overlords." ]	2
	[WP] while watching an old favorite movie of yours, one of the characters faces a choice that will inevitably lead them into more trouble. You yell advice at the screen, and this time they take it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 know, he should really just snap away half of all sentient life for his plan to work,\" I whisper to my group of friends just as the camera zooms in to Thanos' fingers. After a barrage of shushes and a joking punch to my side, Josh Brolin, actor of the Mad Titan himself, turned directly to me. We locked eyes for what felt like eternity. He turns back to a surprised Thor, still cutting into his chest like a slab of meat. Without tremendous effort, Thanos puts his fist to Thor's skull and unleashes the full might of the power stone. His head bursts into a million pieces. In shock, I instinctively turned away and shuddered. \"What the hell is wrong with the disc?\" asks one of my friends, Jonas. I was speechless. I've seen this movie at least 10 times, and the ending was always the same. Thanos once again turns to me. I see a flash of red around the room before the snap of this alternate reality occurs.\n\nFrom that point the movie is around the same. Only, I hear various groans around the room. If the night couldn't get more paranormal, my friends are all being eaten from the inside out. In less than a minute they're all memories in the form of ash. No No No No. I go to the window to see if the occurrences in my living room applied outside. Only, it wasn't my window anymore.\n\nI am now in a rural area. As an L.A. resident, this is a whole new environment to me. I double take just about everything I see... Then, it hits me. I was at Thanos' planet where he sits down at his farmland at the end of the movie. I turn to the shadow-casting figure to see the nut-sack-faced titan smiling from ear to ear.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What else should I do?\"" ]	2
	[WP] You start dating a new partner and you go around their parent's house for the first time. You and the dad have an awkward stare-down because you are a serial killer and you killed him last week!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 phone vibrated in my pocket, startling me, and I almost dropped the blood-stained hacksaw. I cursed under my breath as I set the tool down carefully on the chest of my victim. I stepped away from my ‘operating’ table, pulled the rubber glove off my right hand, slid it under my smock and delved into the pocket of my jeans to retrieve my phone.\n\nIt was my boyfriend. I closed my eyes and sighed, disappointed with myself for forgetting. I hesitated for a few moments before answering, letting the bright LED lights in my basement glow through my eyelids. I accepted the call. “Hey cutie,” I cooed.\n\n“Ugh,” Lucas grunted. “I hate it when you call me ‘cutie’.” I could tell from his tone that he was smiling. I was pretty sure he didn’t hate it. “You almost ready?”\n\n“Uuhhh… I’m a little bit behind on that… sorry I lost track of time,” I told him. Technically, that wasn’t a lie.\n\nLucas snickered. “You watching that zombie show again?”\n\nMy eyes came to rest on the pool of blood forming around the dead man’s head, spilling from the gap in his neck I’d made with the hack saw. I turned around and faced the wall. Despite my best efforts, my voice wavered slightly. “Uhh… yeah.” Definitely a lie.\n\n“It’s all right. I’ll go pick up stuff for dinner first then and come get you after. That alright?” he offered.\n\n“Yeah, that’s perfect. That’ll give me plenty of time to get ready,” I agreed, hoping he couldn’t hear me swallow harshly.\n\n“… Nyhm, is everything okay? Are you nervous?”\n\nIce went up my spine. “Nervous!? No! Why would I be nervous?”\n\n“… Because you’re meeting my folks for the first time?” Lucas reminded me.\n\n“… Right,” I sighed. “Right… I suppose I am.” I leaned backwards until my butt hit the edge of my operating table, the plastic cover crinkling softly. I went to rub my eyes with my still gloved left hand, but stopped before I smeared blood on my face. “Honestly Lucas, I’m really not that worried about meeting your parents. I-” A loud clang cut me off, and I leapt away from the table and spun. The hacksaw had slid off the body and clanged to the cold hard floor of my basement. Luckily the plastic sheet kept any crimson from staining the concrete. My heart beat slowly returned to normal.\n\n“You okay? What was that?” came Lucas’ voice, concerned.\n\n“Nothing, just being clumsy as usual. Anyways, your parents seem like really kind people from what you’ve told me. I’m looking forwards to it.” This was not a lie; I smiled.\n\n“Alright. It’s okay if you’re nervous though, it’s only natural… but I should probably let you go. I’ll see you in a little bit.”\n\n“Mhm! Love you!” I told him.\n\n“Love you too, Nyhm,” he said back. The call ended.\n\nI lowered the phone from my ear, staring at the dead body on my table. The middle aged man reminded me of a beached whale; not because he was fat (he wasn’t), but because he looked out of place, his colorful button down shirt and blue jeans a bright contrast to the whites and greys of my basement workshop. The dark blood that spilled from his body to the table and the brown rope that bound his arms and legs where a chromatic bridge between the land of color and the land of shade; between life and death.\n\n“Sorry,” I spoke to the work of art on my table. “I’ll have to leave you like this for a little while. Got dinner plans with my boyfriend. I’ll spend more time with you later.” I smirked at the irony of talking to a dead man, and then left to wash up.\n\n---" ]	2
	[WP] While you're analyzing a cursed book you found, you accidentally read a curse that makes you relive one character from all the books and stories you had read. Now you must go through all the characters life to break the curse, and the first story is...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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're joking, obviously.\"\n\n\"No, no, for real. Every book we've ever read.\"\n\n\"Both of us.\"\n\n\"Yup.\"\n\nEmilia squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a tension headache come on. \"We're kinda safe on my end, but didn't you...\"\n\n\"...Basically grow up in a library?\" Annie said. \"Yup.\"\n\nEmilia paused to think. Or at least pretend to think, because really she was trying to stall. \"How many thousands of years are we talking about here, like...\"\n\n\"We calculated it to about 275,000 experience-time years. We can speed-run through some of it, though.\"\n\nEmilia had to focus on breathing for a second. \"I need to keep you from spending so much time with Daniel. You're loving this, aren't you.\"\n\nAnnie grinned. \"A little bit. I've always wanted to walk around a medieval relm of knights and dragons.\"\n\n\"You. Are. A psycho. You realise that you're going to get very sick of that lifestyle, real fast, right?\" Emilia trailed off muttering, \"I know I am...\" She tried not to think about latrines or food without spices or life without electricity. \"Thank God I read modern-day dramas...\"\n\nAnnie hummed non-commitally. \"Just remember, the reason we're doing this is to gather experience that can help us with our particular problem. It's not going to do us much good to spend a lifetime being a gossip girl.\"\n\n\"Sacrilege,\" Emilia gasped. \"Any good writer knows that in a world of real people, there's always going to be gossip and petty drama. It's a fundamental part of the human race.\" \n\nAnnie quirked a smile at her friend. \"Fair enough. I guess it's a good thing we're going through all of our books, not just mine.\" She reached for the nearby stack. \"Any preferences for where we start?\"\n\n\"Eh, we'll end up going there anyway. Wait,\" Emilia reached over, \"do I see textbooks? Because I swear if we have to go through a million versions of written math problems I will lose it so much...\"\n\n\\\\\n\nLuckily, there were no math problems.\n\nUnluckily, Annie had happened to grab a book that started in media res, and they very nearly ended up impaled in the middle of a battle.\n\n\"I swear to God, if I didn't love you so much...\" Emilia grumbled, swinging her sword at a nearby dark elf. \n\nAnie just laughed, pulling up her shield." ]	2
	[WP] aliens spent too much time inventing to care about food, this makes humanity the best chefs in the galaxy	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 mean you apply thermal energy directly to your sources of nourishment? And it doesn't ruin it or make it radioactive? Are you humans out of your mind?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe redneck was too relaxed to be insulted.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Chill, dude. I'm just an ordinary guy tryin' to enjoy a hotdog in peace. Want one? The whole point of a cookout is to relax and enjoy some quality American BBQ, ya know.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe human delicately picked up a tanned frankfurter from the grill and plopped it onto a processed white bun. He lathered on condiments of colors the Yeltic creature didn't even know were possible, before extending the dog to his new buddy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Try it. You sound like a feller who'd appreciate a nice piece of American beef right now.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe Yeltic creature looked curiously at the hotdog. The interior was a complex hue, and contrasted spectacularly with the pure white of its fluffy container. The strange human had added various lumpy garnishes to the \"hotdog\", and the mixture of aromas from all the ingredients combined was enough to confuse and overwhelm the poor creature's olfactory sensors. How could something like this even be edible, he thought. These humans were either insane for inventing and consuming such strange products, or utterly brilliant.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOnly one way to find out, the creature thought. He lowered his bottom mandible, raised the hotdog to his maw, and chomped down through several distinct layers.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEverything he knew about food changed in an instant." ]	2
	[WP] You are a super villain giving your victory monologue to a trapped hero, but your monologue us full of song lyrics and pop culture references.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 Baby, Hey Baby, Hey... >:).” I greet, rubbing my hands together. \n\nMega Girl, my one true nemesis, glares at me. I grin in response, for there is nothing she can do. She’s tied up and dangling over a pit of lava. I have her at last.\n\n“Enjoy your last moments, because when I’m through with you, There’s Gonna Be One Less Lonely Gir-“\n\n“You’ll never get away with this Dr. Professor!” roared Mega Girl, trying to wriggle free from her bindings. “Let me go!”\n\n“BUT YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO CUTTTTT ME OFFFF!!!!” I shouted, stomping my foot. But I regain my composure. “Anyway.... Bismillah nooooo, I will not let you go! Look at you: palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy. The only sight that’d make me happier right now is a plate full of Mom’s Spaghetti. You should be glad you’re comfily dangling over my warm lava pit: Baby, It’s Cold Outside. Y’know, somebody once told me the world was gonna roll me, and that I wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. But here I am, comin’ out of my cage, and doin just fine! An All-Star! Bad! Really really bad! I’m sure you’re wondering how i’m going to destroy New York, the concrete jungle where dreams are made. Well I’ll let you know how. I’ll set fire..... to the rain! I’ll watch it burn as I touch your face. The city will be reduced to a fiery nightmare, a Highway to Hell! Meanwhile all the foolish citizens will perish and take the Stairway to Heaven. They all shunned me, mocked me. I was just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit. But now, you can tell everybody... I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the maaaan. Oh wait, you can’t. Because in just 2 minutes, i’m gonna take your feeble body, and Drop It Like It’s Hot, right into the lava pit! Don’t believe me? Just watch!”" ]	2
	[WP] Today is your 21st birthday. Your friends throw you a huge party where you experience your first taste of alcohol. To your astonishment it effects you very differently than anyone else.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Happy Birthday Jamie your finally old enough for a drink, ay\" said Jamie's closest friend Nick with an idiotic grin on his face. \" I've had drinks before Nick, were in college, Hell you were there\" Jamie replied. \"Sure you have\" Nick said snickering, topping off Jamie's Glass \"Drink up before that mob of drunk kids you invited gets here\". Jamie lifted the cup in the air and announced a toast to life, today was a good day. \n\nBefore he could take the second sip things were already starting to get different. On top of that Nick was nowhere to be found. Jamie looked around observing his living room, but nick was gone. Jamie stood up from the couch and ascended through his roof. Jamie no longer could feel his body, he was no longer in control. Jamie was not only forgetting what was happening and why, but everything else in his life. Nick no longer meant anything to him. Not in a hateful way, Jamie just no longer knew what that meant. It was nothing more than a combination of letters. He had no sense of friends, family, belongings, or attachments. Jamie was stripped of everything he once knew. He looked around and saw data, all of it. Everything he had known and everything he hadn't. It took the forms of fractals, presenting itself as impossible shapes. Jamie saw what he had for lunch yesterday, he saw the construction of the great pyramids of Egypt, he saw childhood friends and lost memories, he saw the reign of Genghis Khan, The civil war, he saw himself tying his shoes that morning. Everything and anything flooded his field of vision. \n\nThen Jamie was hit with an overwhelming sense of fear and panic. He realized whats been happening. It's happened before. Jamie was no longer Jamie. He never was. It had always been this way until just recently and it's all crashing down. Jamie was not Jamie, or human, or anything at all. He had been this way for an eternity. In complete solitude with no substance, no history, no beginning, and no end. Being Jamie was only something he made up from going insane. Humanity, Earth, History, His own family, It was all a fabrication to pass time in an infinite reality. His own reality comprised of nothing but his consciousness. And now he was back.", " \"Joey! Joey! Joey!\" They chanted as one of Joseph's older brothers handed down his first drink in the form of an over-sized wine glass with the words \"21 And DANGEROUS\" printed on it. \n\nHe was still trying to process the moment. Earlier today he had been feeling weighed down with work, school, and receiving various rejections to applications he had been filling-out in attempts to get a job after his final semester. With both his twin brothers away in different branches of the military, he was having a hard time getting friends, or acquaintances to go out with him for his 21st birthday. Joseph finally gave up when after calling his best friend from high school, with whom they were also roommates turned him down with, \"Nah brahh, I was just gonna chill tonight, Dennis and I went pretty hard last night.\". \n\nGetting home in a blizzard after working a 12 hour shift, he felt utterly defeated. Such a stupid excuse of a man, thinking everyone else was just going to move around their day. For what? Turning the key through the lock on the front door to his town-home apartment he thought he was going to have to make himself content with another late night of online forums and mediocre twitch streams. He stepped into an oddly pitch-black living-room.\n\n\"SURPRISE!!!\" he heard from all directions as the sudden beam of light blinded him. Without seeing where he came from he felt his brother locking him in a headlock, his scruffy beard scratching the back of his neck. \"Happy birthday lil-bro!\" Garret howled. Before Joseph knew what had happened, he felt his feet being swept out from under him as he was being carried into the kitchen. \n\nHe could hear party whistles going off, friends cheering, and a clutter of voices, most he recognized. Laughing, he asked \"Where did you guys come from?!\"\n\n\"We just dropped in last night lil-bro!\" His other brother Patrick hollered, setting him down on the kitchen floor. \n\n\"And honestly, we've been waiting all day for this.\" Garret added handing him an over sized wine glass nearly to the rim with a brown frothy liquid, followed by Patrick recklessly overfilling the glass with what was left of a half-empty bottle of crown-royal. \"Drink up fucker, it's your birthday!\" \n\nThe shit colored liquid tasted like mud mixed with permanent marker, he drank anyway. The taste made him gag. The chanting turning into laughter, cheers, and applause. \n\n\"Now he's a man!\" Garret bellowed slapping him on the back. His older brother slapped Joseph's back so hard that time stopped around him. Taking another sip, he expected more cheers and applause, a party whistle, or something. Only silence filled the room. Looking around, everybody was frozen in time and space. \n\n\"What the fuck...\" Joseph muttered taking inventory of the room. His brothers were to either side of him, spit droplets coming from their mouth, suspended in the air. He took two steps away, \"Guys what is this?\". Setting the glass on the counter, \"Guys, hey seriously, this isn't funny. Come on, cut the shit.\".\n\nHe could smell the taint of liquor on his breath and in the air. The room was warm and humid, but utterly silent, save for his own heavy breathing. Stepping through the kitchen and the living-room to the front doorway, he recognized a lot of his friends, many of which he had called the past couple days. \n\n\"I've got to get out of here.\" he said to himself as he opened the front door and stepped outside. He ascended into a world with millions of crystals petrified in space. The air was crisp and cold, though his body heat kept him easily warm. Walking forward, crystals reflecting off his body, blue moonlight shone through the clouds, he took a deep breath. It felt like he was floating underwater. Reaching out, he plucked a snowflake from the air, it turned into water on his fingertips. \n\nThe snow around him plunged downward again, as he heard the cheering suddenly start again inside his apartment.", "So my buddys say I gotta go out, I don't like going out much. People ain't always the kindest to me. But they was saying stuff like \"you only turn twenty-one once,\" or \"c'mon Skip, live a little.\" I figure there was enough truth to that. \n\nThe bar had shiny wood, sorry I don't which, but it looked good. The bartender walked up to us and put her cleaning rag in her button ups pocket. She tilted her head asked us, \"what you boys gettin?\" \n\n\"Three shots of three horseman for the three horseman, it's this guy's 21st,\" my buddy said, pointing his thumb at us, couldn't go nowhere without saying we was cowboys. \n\nShe winked all pretty-like and said, \"coming right up cowboy.\" She was looking at me like I was something special. I know she just playing for tips. It felt good though. \n\nThe glasses clinked together as my buddies gave me a toast. Something about the best already being behind me. I slurped down the shot like medicine, I ain't want that nastiness lingering around my mouth. I coughed, and suddenly felt mildly woozy. \n\n\"We're getting stupid tonight boys!\" My friend proclaimed, hoisting his cup in the air. His jovial smile lit up the room and I couldn't help but smile back. Something about the drink had made me feel strange. Though apparently the others were unaffected by the drink, or not in a manner that wasn't to be expected. \n\nThey offered me another drink, and I obliged, it would be rude to turn down their courtesy. It was only natural, friends share in this coming of age ceremony. The next drink hit me harder. \n\nFor some inexplicable reason, it had appeared as though I was having the opposite reaction of consuming alcohol. I wanted to experiment on the parameters of my affliction. \n\nI sampled various beverages, the growth of my abilities was correlated to the type of alcohol ingested. While the lager beer didn't have a dramatic effect, the vodka had an immediate impact. I surmised that the alcohol content percentage was the key factor in my development. \n\n\"Gosh dude, you could drink outta a trough. What kinda blood you got.\"\n\nMy companion slurred. He had surpassed his limit, the gloss over his eyes suggested he had enough. The other was in worse shape, it would no longer be proper for them to maintain their presence in public society. I hailed them an Uber and accompanied them home. Once I was certain they were at a low risk of harm, I began my own endeavor.\n\nHowever it had been a long night, and the effect waned. If I wanted to be smart I needed to be drunk. \n\nI walked up to the bar, smiling-like. I didn't have my buddies with me this time round, but I was sure I was gonna have a good time." ]	4
	[WP] You have lost all things to live for in your world. And so, instead of ending your own life, you turn to escapism. You dream of going to a world with magic, demons, and swordsmen. You became so obsessed with it that you actually developed magic and have sent yourself to another world.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 want to look someone in the eyes ever again. It's the scariest thing I've ever seen when good people become bad. When those hazel eyes suddenly switch, and they stare back with demon-like hunger, the suspicion of goblins lingering in their crooked eyes. You never know when people will switch. Tonight was horrific, the sound of my father howling at me stills echoes through my entire skeleton. His voice shook our cursed home like a bomb, exploding insults from his shaky drunken tongue. His eyes were spiteful, as he hauled my belongings into our living room fireplace as if they were sinners being thrown into hell. All my books, the stories of great adventures, every reminder of the worlds I fell in love with whilst this one became too hard to handle. All of it, destroyed. I did not cry as it happened, instead I felt my heart turn to stone as I stared petrified at his face. This world really is a cruel place, and I can see why some think we are in hell. I can't understand what I had done to be denied a place in my own home, but I really have no where to turn in this world now. I can't understand why I am now left to wander off into the forest, my face soaking despite there being no rain. I hear a growling river nearby, and follow its brassy voice until I reach its mouth, a gaping waterfall. I inch closer, gripping onto a slender tree trunk that swung hopelessly over the waterfall. My heart plunged itself down into the the waters below as I stared. If I jumped, I could start over. I could throw away this life as easily as my father had burned all my belongings. I feel my face tighten as tears slide down my face, desperately hanging onto my chin until they finally give up and fall into the waters below. These silent stones, and frowning trees all wish the same as me, I bet. That is, to leave this world into one flushed with love, magic, and joy. I wish the wind would sing a happier tune, and that demons could be found with bumblebees resting on their noses and flowers tucked behind their ears, rather than in the fires of peoples rage. I remember a spell I had read in a story once, it was one that always stuck with me. Magic is fiction, and these were only words, but they brought me comfort to say, so I do. “Al-beh-too-na-re,\" I began, \"Se-soo-too-na-ten-da\"\n\nReturn me home, to my home which is true.\n\nSuddenly, I feel heavy, and leaning backwards, I see only darkness consume me. \n\nI awake to find the sun swaying over my eyes. With a smile, I prop my body up and surprisingly it feels lighter than it did before. The trees are dancing, I mean, they are humming and shaking their trunks boisterously. drawing loops with their hips! With an orchestra of sparrows singing a tune nearby, the trees shimmied their leaves and smile under the sun. I can't believe it, but I'm beaming with excitement. Immediately, I rise to my feet and run through the forest howling like a young pup. Fairies peek out of roses and begin to follow me, pinching my shoulders and chasing me through bushes! My breath is escaping me from all the running and laughing, so I climb onto a big boulder that lays in the shade to catch my breath. Then I hear a powerful voice say, \"Hey, do you mind?\" The voice vibrates through me as it comes from underneath and i bounce off of the boulder. I stand with my hands behind my back in embarrassment, \"Ah! Excuse me!\" Stepping away from the boulder, it begins to rise. It swings its hefty body around to meet me, and I gape at its grandiosity. \"What are you?\" I say with astonishment. \"Almadan. I am a demon of the forest. I fight for its safety.\" His skin is glistening grey as he stepped into the sunlight, and as he stands straight- he towers over me like a mountain. \"I beg your pardon, but I think I am lost; I don't know where I am.\" I admit, my small voice barely reaching his ears. His peacock feathered eyes stare down at me, and he grins. \"You are not the first of your kind to speak such things. You cast a spell, did you not?\" My heart bangs wildly in my chest, \"Yes! Yes, I did! I cast a spell to go home!\" I'm trembling like a leaf, adrenaline sparking my blood to ignite. Almadan crouches down the humongous mass of his body, coming onto his knees. \"This world, you will find, is not new to you. You will know exactly where to go from now on.\" He extends his grand hand towards me, and opens his palm up to reveal a daisy flower dancing in his hand. I take the flower gently from him, and smile as she lets out a laugh, still dancing. Almadan bowed and said, \"Welcome home.\"" ]	2
	[WP] Each day, every human has a 1% chance of turning into a chicken, and every chicken has a 1% chance of turning into a human.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Sunrise. Ever since the accident, this once beautiful occurence became the source of dread for most. A few people gambled on it, some actually wanted it to happen to them. They say you don't remember anything after you change back, but there are only a few cases so far, so it's mostly rumor so far. People were so excited by the discovery of the genetic link between humans and chickens that could potentially lead to medical breakthroughs in disease prevention.\nIt was only a few short weeks later when radiation from a large solar flare struck the main laboratory researching this, binding to the genetic marker before radiating across the entire globe. The effect started slow, but when the president of the United States turned into a chicken on live television three days later, people started to panic. The world health organization released reports of the solar radiation disaster, detailing that the radiation changed a single gene in every human on the planet into a switch, which they said had around a one percent chance of being flipped each morning at sunrise due to the dramatic increase in solar radiation, completely rewriting your genetic code to that of a chicken. There were initial disagreements on whether or not it was a two way switch, but reports of farmers finding strange brain dead people in their chick coops confirmed that it was possible to change back.\nThe chicken industry disappeared overnight. Now that every person had a chance to become a chicken, there would be no future shortage of eggs. As most people declared that allowing the chance for a chicken who had never been human before to turn into a braindead waste of tax dollars was inhumane and illogical, most were killed. Chickfila went out of business and serving chicken as food became a crime in almost every country. Unemployment was up for a little while, but economists say that as half the population turns into chickens, job opportunities would start cropping up. \nThat still unnerves me to say. Half the population. Because the calculated chance for human to chicken change was roughly equal to the chicken to human change rate, the number of both will eventually become equal. Thirty three days ago the most astonishing thing on the news would terror, and now I wake up every day with dread that my wife or kids could be a chicken. People are building deep underground bunkers, not to protect themselves during a nuclear scare. No one born after the solar flare would be affected, and eventually the new switch, which is pretty lucky its not,\nMy name is Kristine Royce, and I am recording this for posterity, once the time of chicken is over.", "President Landry stood at the entrance of the White House, ready to welcome to Emissary of the Louisiana Chicken-men. Today was a momentous occasion, after months of bloody conflict, and tremendous loss of life on both sides, the negotiators had finally managed to broker their first tentative ceasefire between a human nation and a Chicken-men Militia.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe nations of the world had been slow to react to the threat of the virus. At the time of the outbreak, global chicken population was double that of humanity. Humanity lost 100 million people every day whereas the chicken-men gained 200 million, each of whom was far more powerful than a regular human, perhaps owing to centuries of selective breeding. They retained all their memories of their life as a chicken, as well as memories of the oppression, injustice and wholesale murder they had endured. Their hatred of humanity led to a brutal war, in which the chicken-men gained the early advantage, quickly overpowering and conquering the sparsely populated agricultural regions of the world.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEventually, The nations of the world, led by the United States, managed to regroup and push the chicken-men back with superior technology and tactics. The chicken-men themselves were beset with problems of administration, logistics and supplies. Lacking a united front, they splintered into small militias, just as likely to fight amongst each other as against humans.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSince then, negotiators across the world, on both sides tried to push for common ground. To put aside the past and work towards finding some common ground to end the conflict. Today would mark the first fruits to be born of their efforts.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe Emissary emerged from his limousine and walked over towards the president. Externally he appeared no different from a regular human, albeit much taller and bulkier, with white hair and sharp facial features. As the Emissary approached, he extended his hand to shake Landrys, again apart from slightly longer fingernails the hand appeared no different from that of a regular human.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Welcome to the White House\" Landry smiled and greeted the Emissary as he shook his hand.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Thank you for your invitation\" the Emissary replied, giving the president a courteous nod.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBoth parties posed for the cameras, smiling with their hands still interlocked, while both still had reservations about each other, they knew that peaceful co-existence was better than the alternative. Today would mark the beginning of peace between Humanity and the Chicken-men.", "\"Paul! Your coffee is getting cold!\" I heard the muffled voice of Eli make its way through the closed kitchen door.\nMornings are not for me. I'm thankful that Eli does what she does, but could she not atleast bring the coffee to me? I'm but a room away. \n\nI start every morning with showering, then I move downstairs to read the news. I do this with my IPad in my comfy arm chair in the living room. Apparently though , that isn't the place for morning coffee. So, I have to get up and do the exact same thing I would do in the living room, in the kitchen. \n\n\"On my way dear.\" I obeyed my loving wife's order and slowly and tiresome got up. I opened the kitchen door and immediately I got overwhelmed by the strong scent of coffee and pastry.\n\"I've prepared you a croissant dear.\" She said while proudly holding a somewhat soggy looking croissant with a single slice of cheese in it.\n\"Thank you love\". I said while I took the plate and gave her a quick morning kiss (third one this morning, she loved them) on the cheek.\n\nI munched away the croissant, quickly gulped down my lukewarm coffee and kept on reading the news. It's been like 4 months now since the chickening started, but still it pops up in headlines. Today because the famous actor Tom Hanks suddenly turned into a chicken. Headline read \"Tom HENks?!\". The media have started joking about the whole chickening thing. It's better than inciting fear I guess.\n\nOnce I finished reading the news I neatly cleaned up my plate by tucking it frantically into a too tight space in the dishwasher. Then I made my way outside as I did every morning, went to the garage, and picked up the necessary tools I always have with me: A hoe, just for those annoying little weeds on the way, a bag of underwear (mostly female), for the new ones, and a tranquilliser, for the chickened ones.\n\nFirst, I carried the equipment to brooder House as I do now every morning. I once proudly owned 5000 chickens on my farm. Now I annoyingly owned 5000 chickens on my farm. For every morning I need to wake up and get those annoying new ones out of the bloody brooding house. It varies how many new ones have emerged each morning, sometimes it's only a dozen or so, but I've had days where there have been closer to 90.\n\nI opened the large door to the brooding house. As I did an intense amount of noise overwhelmed me as approximately 5000 chickens sang their songs. It was like a symphony of \"puk puks\", but there was no conductor; it sounded horrid.\n\n In the mix of it all I saw a few humans standing, some with fright, some with confusion, some still picking at the chicken food as they once did. A few of them even still had a couple of feathers here and there. I took out my large canvas bag of underwear, and one by one I explained to them simply, though gestures, to put them on and come with me. Some I would need to lead on by offering snacks. They couldn't yet speak any language and were basically still chickens in the mind; it's all they knew.\n\n It took about an hour and a bit, but by the end I rounded up 36 humans. They were all women.\n\nAfter rounding them up I would assign them each to a fitting task, or lease them out to other employers. Under law 607, Article B, of the chicken laws, it stated that all the new ones that once were chicken owned by a farmer were still the farmers property. All these women were by the law mine. So I did with them what I wanted.\n\nI put about 20 up for lease, my wife would take care of those. Examine them, and categorise them into different types of job. She runs that end of the business, and she runs it well. \n\nThe other 16 I would take to the fields. Here I would hand them over to Phillip. A nice bald middle aged man who trained the new ones for on the fields. He showed them basic skills, and taught them carefully how to go about harvesting the strawberries. He used to be a primary school teacher, the skills come in very handy here. He joined me as he makes more money here than in the schools.\n\nWhile Phillip took care of the new ones I would get on my tractor and scout the fields for loose chicken. Sometimes those working on the fields would turn back to damn chickens, and destroy the crops. Hence the tranquilliser. There usually weren't that many, but a freshly made, often panicking and hungry chicken, could put a serious dent in my revenue.\n\nI drove around my tractor using only my left hand. With my right I would hold the tranquilliser tightly against my shoulder and aim for those bastards.\n\nAfter about 4 hours of hunting I caught a good 12 chickens. Apart from 2 escapees, couldn't be bothered honestly, I managed to get all that were roaming around the field. At this time I was already damn tired.\n\nI made my way back, gestured to Phillip a drinking sign. He finished off and joined me on the way back for a cold one, it's a tradition. I would put 11 of the chickens back into the brooding house and take the remaining one with me: Dinner." ]	4
	[WP]A princess-in-distress lives inside a tower full of traps and guarded by a dragon. You don't care about the princess, you're an animal rights activist who wants to free the dragon. But the dragon became fond of the princess, it doesn't want to go without her.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“Good day!” A man in the silver suit. His greeting echoes through the deserted halls. \nFaded crimson banners hang from the gilded ceiling, swaying on the wind coming through the broken windows. “Hello! Anybody home?” He calls a bit louder, tapping his foot against the marble floor. \n\n“Structure – severely unreliable.” He speaks into the microphone pinned onto his lapel. This entire place had to be taken down. “At least a month of paper-work.” He grumbles.\n\nAt the sound of footsteps, he turns to see a very beautiful, very angry princess running in his direction with her white fluffy skirt in one hand and an axe in the other. “You beast!” She cries. “What have you done to Tommy?” \n\nHe had no experience with magical creatures and time anomalies, most of his expectation based on the lessons they had with a simulator, but when she swung her axe, he knew exactly what to do. Pressing a button on his watch an impenetrable wall of blue rays rose around him, making princess cry in frustration when her attempt to chop him up failed. \n\n“What is this sorcery?” She cried, her blue eyes swimming in tears. “Fight like a man!” She cried and swung again with her axe. “You killed my Tommy.”\n\n“This a personal-space shield, miss.” The man in the silver suit said. “And I can assure you that I didn’t kill anyone.”\n\nPrincess looked up and dropped the axe. “You didn’t?” She was very beautiful when disarmed. “But, in order to save me, you had to slay the dragon.” \n\nHe had to write a report and send it to the man in charge of the simulation software. This was an unnecessarily dangerous situation.\n “This is the reason I am here – the dragon,” he said. “This capacity is unfit for keeping a magical creature of his size and origin. I’ve inspected the animal – he is malnourished, has no leash and I couldn’t find his vaccination carton in the records.”\n\nPrincess was staring at him, her tiara askew. “How did you enter here if you didn’t kill Tommy?”\n\nHe sighed. “Miss, this is year 4567 and violence is prohibited. I simply teleported here since your security system has no blocking app.”\n\nPrincess paled. “You didn’t come to rescue me?” She looked about herself, a cascade of her golden hair moving with her like a cloud of sunshine. “But how am I going to break the spell unless a brave knight comes and slays the dragon?”\n\nThe man in the silver suit scratched his neck. “Well, we have a very good debugging sector, I believe they could help you. I am here for the animal.” He said. “You live in the immediate vicinity of the school and keeping a dangerous animal is unacceptable. I must add he looks famished. After I write the report someone will come to take him. ”\n\nPrincess started weeping. “Well, he likes devouring knights, but it’s been ages since anyone came to rescue me. He became depressed, doesn’t even want to fly anymore. We usually sit here and read. I have no idea what to do.” She broke sobbing again. “I can’t let them take him from me.”\n\nThe man in the silver suit felt bad for the princess. “I will help you.” He said, with the firmness in his voice he didn’t know he possessed. “I will help you and your dragon.”\n\nPrincess looked up. “You will?” Her eyes flashed with hope. “You’ll help me keep Tommy?” She placed her pale hand on his arm, and he felt a surge of courage. \n\n“I promise, miss. You’ll keep you Tommy and I will take you away from this drafty place.” He said when a gust of wind almost knocked him down. He turned to see two yellow eyes staring at him through the window, hot breath coming through dragon’s nostrils burning his skin. \n\n“Do you want to stay with me, Tommy?” Princess cooed. “This brave knight will save us both.”\n\nThe man in the silver suite blushed. “Well, I’m not exactly…” But when the dragon nudged him with his nose, his heart swelled with pride. “Yes, I will save you both.” He declared." ]	2
	[WP] You are not the chosen one, but you ARE the one who chooses the chosen one. Today, you choose.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 was looking at him, silently, waiting for his decision, in a small neat room, and the silence was palpable. I knew that there were others waiting, outside, elsewhere, thrilled and exhausted by expectation, even though the choice was not about them. It occurred to me that we, me and my colleagues, were also kind of a Chosen – chosen by him to help him choose. There were times, I thought, when he did the decisions all by himself, decisions vital and dire, already written into the history. I wondered how could he do it by himself. Were those good decisions, I wondered, and answered silently to myself – yes, apparently they were good, or else we won't be here now, altogether, helping him to carry out his plans. You see, he wasn't responsible to us, but he was responsible to the higher powers, so high and powerful and cruel that even a titan like him would be crushed and driven into oblivion by them, should he make a grave mistake. \n\nI have done my job well, we all had – to narrow his choice and make sure it is a wise one, a good one at least. We looked, and found, and looked more closely at the heroes-to-be – there were thousands, then hundreds, then twenty, and finally six of them that we presented to him. \n\nBut in the end it was his job to make it shine, to make it THE choice. The job of the Big Boss, The One Who Decides. Sure, there is some job left to the higher powers, to show their approval, to mark the man as officially Chosen, but the powers will listen to him. Their decision would be formal, his would be true. \n\nI watched his massive figure reclined in the chair in his silent contemplation, eyes wandering across the papers on the great table – personal records and photos of the six, reports, advices. A thought occurred to me, a heretical thought, that this final choice that weighted so heavily on him was actually of little importance. That every one of those six could do. \n\nOnce chosen, the man will be carried along his mission by the forces so much bigger than him, so powerful and complex, that little is needed from the Chosen homself. The hero just has to move along with the flow, follow the decision and don't do something extremely stupid. And all who were stupid, or unfit, or unwilling, lacking in competence or loyalty had already been filtered out by our work. He was choosing now from six veritable diamonds, six equally exceptional men, and the final choice didn't really matter. \n\nOr did it? \n\nI imagined what could possibly go wrong. How could our mission fail, when the Chosen one would be carried by the winds of his fate, to the edge of the world and beyond, and hopefully back, to return a hero? What could matter when the Chosen would face the troubles of the mission, or his inner demons, or something completely unthinkable – alone? \n\nScrew this, I decided. I did what I could, and there is no use tormenting myself. Let him make the choice already, and let's see how it turns out. The gears of history have already been suspended for too long, and the strain is building.\n\nThen he finally moved, and sighed, and broke the silence :\n\n– Alright, let's go with this one, the red one. \n\n– Gagarin? \n\n– Yes, Yuri Gagarin. – Sergei Korolev, Head of the Council of Chief Designers, Hero of the Soviet Union, turned to me and nodded, – Get the papers ready. \n\nThe gears of history resumed their spin. I did not know this, but their pace would prove the choice to be perfect." ]	2
	[WP] In a world where everyone knows gods are powered by their worshippers, several institutions have taken to hiring people to pray to artificial gods. You are one of these people, you are a professional worshipper.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", " “Welcome to Trivia Chapel. On this Wednesday in February, we are gathered to solemnly worship Minutiae, the goddess of small things. I welcome you all to this lunchtime worship. You will notice that the chapel has been decorated with pink ribbons, exactly 2 inches wide and all exactly 10 inches long. The candles will be allowed to burn exactly half an inch, and we have used three incense sticks for this service. The worship will last 10 minutes and 15 seconds, and afterwards, we will be served tea at 40 degrees, with exactly 2.3 biscuits per person. I am obliged to inform you that I am paid to deliver this worship to you.\n\nLet us all pray.\n\nEver-watchful Minutiae, watch us as we go about our daily lives, and help us find all our lost trinkets, and remember the items we were supposed to buy at the store, and the names of old acquaintances we cannot recall. Aid us when we falter, and ensure that we do not add red socks to the white laundry pile. We beg you to consider us, and protect us from forgetting our pin codes and passwords.\n\nBeloved Minutiae, I would personally like to request that you ensure that the person who steals my lunch from the office fridge takes a big bite from the sandwiches I made with Scotch Bonnet salsa.”", "I was led through the dark corridors of the facility by the two trenchcoated men who had patted me down as I entered. The place wound and twisted, almost as if a snake had burrowed it out. But the walls were black, with a certain sheen to them that made them all the more disconcerting. I did not know where they were taking me, but I knew I was a long way in already.\n\nThe two men faced a door. I saw one of them gaze at a watch, the light from it shining brighter than anything else in that place. He punched in a code for the door, and while the code was obscured as a series of asterisks appearing on the screen, the number pad he used to type in said code had far too many buttons to be anything I would be familiar with. Finally, a series of beeps and clicks led to the door being opened.\n\nImmediately, the bright whites of the inside of the room shocked my retinas. I put a hand up to block the light. The first trenchcoated man turned back to me.\n\n\"He's waiting in there for you.\"\n\nI lowered my hand slowly, still squinting. I straightened up my tie, and entered the room.\n\nImmediately, the door to the dark outside closed behind me. I could hear a faint pacing around me, but couldn't tell much - light footsteps, cautious gait, and I could see parts of a suit and tie, entirely white and gold.\n\n\"You will forgive me, Mr Lake, for subjecting you to this level of rigour and... Perhaps discomfort?\"\n\nThe voice was soft, friendly, comforting. My eyes began to become accustomed to the light.\n\n\"Yeah, quite the security team you have here.\"\n\nThe man let out a short chuckle, \"Indeed. Though, when one is dealing with concepts as deep and divisive as this, one must take certain precautions.\"\n\nThe shape of the man was still somewhat blurry, but becoming clearer by the second. A white man with white clothes, holding a glass of something as he looked over me.\n\n\"I do have to know, who exactly are you?\"\n\nThe man's face seemed to smile, \"Ah, Mr Lake. A worthy question. I am Dr Alan Yates of the Lifeblood Consortium. I trust you have never heard of me?\"\n\nI shook my head. Yet again, a chuckle came from the man as he came into view clearly. Round glasses, a small white goatee, a bit of hair left on his head, an older man, but one still fairly spritely in vigour.\n\n\"This is good. We do our best not to be noticed, but the work we do here can become somewhat noticeable,\" the man walked around to a table, \"May I offer you anything, Mr Lake?\"\n\nI stumbled over my words, still a little baffled by the man in front of me.\n\n\"Uh... Tea, please. Black, no sugar.\"\n\nYates smiled, as he poured out some very dark tea from a seemingly piping hot kettle. He brought the cup over to me. He handed me the cup, and walked back to his chair. It was just at the right temperature, stewed for the right amount of time, perfect in every way. I was slightly startled.\n\n\"Thank you, Dr Yates.\"\n\nThe Doctor turned, and bowed, before moving to a chair, patting one to his side. I moved over to it and sat as he instructed.\n\n\"So, I assume you want to know why you are here. And, perhaps, who I am beyond my name and title.\"\n\nI nodded as I sipped, showing my eagerness. The Doctor pressed a button on his chair, and information about a great many people appeared on the screen in front of him. He scrolled through, reaching the \"L\"s. \"La-\". \"Lake, Timothy\". I felt my mouth open, my jaw dropping to my chest.\n\n\"Name, Timothy Lake, of 115 Pemberton Rd. Favourite food, pasta. Favourite colour, blue. Specifically, hex code '1034A6'. You have two dogs, Rainy and Winter, and to match that, your favourite weather is a cool winter's day, with a bit of rain. Favourite sport, lacrosse, but you tell your friends that you like football. Need I go on?\"\n\nI stared at the Doctor. I could tell I looked shocked. Emotions ran high. How could he know this much about me? He knew things that not even my closest friends and family knew.\n\n\"How do I know all of these things, well... Let's just say, my Consortium has a very long-reaching and deep-penetrating information centre. But I'm not here to talk about sport or animals. It's this I'm more interested in.\"\n\nHe scrolled to a certain piece of information. I gazed over, but he read it out.\n\n\"By age 8, you were an atheist. There simply was no evidence for you, and indeed, the same as true for a lot of people. It turns out, when you graduated from college, that was when the break happened. All of those gods coming rushing to humanity, wishing to regain their lost trust from generations, centuries, millennia of absence. But even with the evidence, like many others, you did not settle on any one god. Now, why was that?\"\n\nI let out a nervous laugh. It was completely involuntary. I tried to cover it up by my response, hoping to regain some crucially lost credibility.\n\n\"Don't you have that information in your database?\"\n\nThe Doctor nodded slightly, \"I mean, I do. But I want to hear it from you.\"\n\nI sighed. This man was playing with me. Likely, he would recognise how much I didn't want to say it, but this man wanted a life story from me, so I'd give it to him.\n\n\"Those zealous believers... They believed even before the evidence came out. While they were right, they were right for the wrong reason. I didn't want to submit to something so strongly that I could forgo reason.\"\n\nThe Doctor smiled, \"Of course. We live in a world of sheep, self-gratifying and dull. You could never be like them, could you?\" The Doctor cocked his head, \"So you went at it for money.\"\n\nI could feel the indignation like a knife in the gut. I stood, unable to take this ridicule.\n\n\"Look, Doctor Yates, or whoever you are, I do not need your approval to earn money however I please. Times were hard for those of us not safe and secure in ivory towers.\"\n\nThe Doctor raised his hands, \"Please, Mr Lake, I mean no offence. You have made a good living for yourself on the side of your biological science career, which I do commend you for,\" the Doctor stood to meet me, \"I simply mean to say that you have no moral qualms with praying to imaginary beings.\"\n\nI smirked. Indeed, some of these beings had been made up. And of course, they had been actualised by the effort of many dedicated followers. Or at the very least, followers for hire.\n\n\"You could say that, yes.\"\n\nThe Doctor smiled back at me. \"Good. Good...\"\n\nI folded my arms, \"So, I assume you want me to pray to and praise a new being for you? I imagine you have brought others here for this as well, no?\"\n\nThe Doctor smiled, \"Yes, I do indeed. But no, you are the first. The job will pay generously, and once the deification has been actualised, there will be other rewards also. 'Lifeblood' is not simply a moniker, our organisation's intention is to become more useful to the human race as more prayers come in, eventually becoming as important as the very lifeblood in all of us.\"\n\nI was shocked to hear I was the first, but the shock soon turned to awe. This was not some corporate cash grab or 'get rich quick' scheme, as had been the ones which exploited deific benefit too quickly and had crashed the economy many years ago. This was an organisation that intended to bring about real change. Something I could believe in.\n\n\"I... I think I want to join up. Your project sounds terrific!\"\n\nThe Doctor nodded towards me, \"This is good. You will be sent the particular details by next week. It is good to have you praising with us... To bring a better future.\"\n\n\"I can't wait until next week,\" I stated with a certainty I did not realise I would have, \"I want to start the process now.\"\n\nThe Doctor smiled warmly, \"Well, I can let you know that this being will be actualised in the name of Alpan. And he will be wise beyond wisdom, powerful beyond power itself, and ultimate amongst all gods by the time humanity has realised him.\"\n\nI nodded back, scarcely able to speak. I felt euphoric, as if untied to reality. As I put down my cup of tea, the liquid now finally drained from it, I was led back outside the now open door through the snaking halls, my feet dragging behind me. \"Alpan,\" I whispered under my breath as I left, \"I give you my true praise...\"\n\n**\n\n\"Doctor, I have a new batch of possible applicants for you, and one more has already arrived to be brought in by security. Would you like me to send her through?\"\n\nThe Doctor nodded, taking the envelopes from his secretary. \"Oh, Lewis... Maybe less of the narcotics in the next one's drink. This one could barely stand after downing his tea.\"\n\n\"Will do, sir. Will he still likely pray as you told him to?\"\n\nThe Doctor thought for a moment, \"Yes, I think the euphoria could be linked, in his mind of course, to the idea of the project* rather than the chemical link I inserted. Plus, I will still be paying him - generously - so there's that.\"\n\n\"Will he recruit others as you say?\"\n\n\"In time, I am sure so, yes.\"\n\nLewis, the secretary, bowed and left the room with the kettle. As the door shut behind him, the Doctor looked at the envelopes directed to him with a smile.\n\n\"Dr. Alan L. Pan.\"\n\nAlpan.", " \n\n\"Good morning how may I help you?\"\n\n\"Yes, hello, I'd like to hire your services to pray to a god\"\n\n\"Okay miss, please tell us what god you want us to worship to, what, if anything, you want us to pray for, as well as any and all details regarding worshiping to said god\"\n\n\"Okay, I'd like you to worship me, my name is-\"\n\n\"I am sorry miss, but our company policy explicitly states that we cannot pray to mortals\"\n\n\"WHAT WHY!?\"\n\n\"Please calm down miss, our company policy-\"\n\n\"I DON'T WANT YOUR COMPANY POLICY, I WANT TO KNOW WHY?!!!!\"\n\n\"I was about to say miss that our policy is against the worship of mortals as it would give undue power to people who may not deserve it\"\n\n\"NOT DESERVE IT, now listen her you ANT, I am a SINGLE MOTHER with TWO kids, if there is ANYONE who DESERVES apotheosis, it is I, you snivelling call taker\"\n\n\"I am sorry miss, but we can't pray to you, as it is against policy, however if you want to, we can pray to another god to impower you\"\n\n\"I don't need the TABLE SCRAPS from another INFERIOR being, I want to talk to your manager, this is unacceptable behaviour when speaking to a superior creature such as I\"\n\n“I am sorry, but he is out at the moment, if you want to I- “\n\n“WHAT I WANT!?! I WANT you EXECUTED, you just sit there and make such TERRIBLE TREATHS against my LIFE, how DARE you, how DARE you, YOU FILTHY HERATIC, you should be BURNED at the stake”\n\n“I am going to hang up now”\n\n“DON’T YOU DARE GO ANYWHERE, THESE THREATS AGAINST MY LIFE HAVE LEFT ME SCARED AND DEFORMED, and you will hear fro- “\n\n\\click\\\n\n“I am going on my smoke break”\n\n“You don’t smoke”\n\n“I DO NOW”", "Me? I'm a God Hopper. I juice 'em.\n\nI ain't sayin' it with a lick of pride, just sayin' it because you've got that look on your gob. Yeah, yeah, I get the whiff of judgment. A bit of the holier than thou because I ain't keep the cross over my heart like you do. But what's a guy to do? It's a rough world and I've got the sorta flexibility to go solemn in any place that'll have me.\n\nYou can call it cynical, but if you were one staring down at the mean streets you might get to thinkin' otherwise. I call it practical. A simple solution to a complex problem. Besides, everyone got a choice to make when it comes to takin' up with a Holy, don't see why it's any worse that I get a bit of padding to go along with it. I pray at the church of the full belly and a roof over my head.\n\nBut since we're here and I got an ear to bend, I'll give you a spit or two on the subject. It's an interestin' enough way to pass the time when you got more than enough time to pass. \n\nAll started when I'd gotten on the wrong end of my ma one too many times. She weren't a cruel woman or nothing, just a woman that'd run out of patience after long years and hard times. Pa ran out and left her holding the bills and four boys with more balls than sense. She coulda worked herself right to death three times over and not make a pretty dent in the fines we racked up.\n\nSo I got packed up and sacked out.\n\nDon't blame her none, I was the roughest of the bunch. Had to save her sanity for the ones worth savin'. Not goin' to hear a mean word cross these lips on the subject. She weren't no saint, but she did her best with a losin' hand.\n\nI may be tough, but the streets are tougher. This is goin' back a ways, just about the time the Pontifex went tits up and the Corps started to get into the action. Took 'em a while to get established, but they weren't above runnin' an test or two on the boys that didn't have nothing else better to do.\n\nThey come up on us in their rollers and slide open the doors with a greasy smile and a promise of a penny for a few hours of doin' what we was doin' anyway -- sittin' about and praying for something better to come our way.\n\nWe took 'em up on it and piled on it. Most of the crews got a pass or two while they figured out who could make it work. The testin' whittled us down. I'd say one out of every thirty got the ability to God Hop. Takes a certain amount of mind to get from A to B to C. Not a lotta boys could make the jump.\n\nHell, half the boys actually had some faith. The real stuff. Tangible. Tied up in one of the Bigs. They heart just weren't in it. Couldn't let go.\n\nAnd that's the hard part. Gettin' yourself all up and down for somethin' you know is a fake. Corp Gods just spring up 'cause someone wants it that way, there ain't anything more to it than that. So you gotta find it in your heart to go faithful on somethin' you know they just came up in some room full o suits.\n\nBut I got that part. I go full hog on anything they got cash to give me for. I Hopped to some of the earliest Corp Gods. Right there in the early days. They got real followings of their own now, but I was part of the founder flock.\n\nOld Beeze? One of the first to get him established. He's up to his neck in flock now, and the Corp couldn't be happier about it. I still get a note from the suits from time to time thankin' me for my services. No money in the note though, so I ain't sure what good that does me. \n\nThere ain't much glory in it, but you get to the place where you get your head around it, you won't go hungry. Every Corp got their eye on the Heavens these days. Can't blame them neither, it's the quickest path to easy street. \n\nSo I'm more than happy to be accommodatin'.\n\nThey need juice? I'll give it to 'em with a big smile on my face. That's my game, and I'm plannin' to stick to it regardless of the thoughts runnin' through your head. You figure out an easier way to keep warm and dry, and I'm all ears.\n\nBut until you do, I'll be Hoppin.\n\nPlatypus OUT.\n\nWant MOAR peril? r/PerilousPlatypus", "In a dark nave filled with groups of kneeling men, shadows performed a slow synchronized dance as candle flames slowly swayed. The softly uttered prayers and the steady hum of the ventilator fans filled the air with a strangely appropriate sense of mechanical divinity. Appropriate for augmenting the powers of an artificial god, a mechanical god.\n\nA god called Steve. \n\nSteve was marketed as the \"Answer to Everything\" superscript TM, and as the label said, it did solve just about everything including acne. Steve has been operating for close to 5 years now, its stellar track record ensured that it always had hordes of people lining up to have something fixed, mundane or otherwise. But having a long line means that the management had to turn down a few supplications and prioritize those that are actually important.\n\n\"I'm sorry, sir\", Jerry said, \"but the earliest we can schedule your supplication is in six months\"\n\n\"Six?! But my wedding's in March.\" A fluffy man said with a surprisingly loud voice that reverberated through the worship hall. The sudden loud outburst quieted the murmuring worshippers and had them turning their heads towards Jerry. \n\nJust three more weeks and his contract will end. Three more.\n\n Jerry began reciting the new Steve: Answer to Everything superscript TM policy of prioritizing supplications, when Mr. Fluffy butt here abruptly declared that he'll just go to Carl's Wishes Inc. and promptly waddled out the door. He watched the doorway a moment longer, debating whether to follow fluffy to Carl's and get himself wished to a sorely needed vacation when he felt a tug on the sleeve of his habit. Turning, he saw a small kid that was immediately obvious to be unsupervised. Great.\n\nJerry flashed his well-practiced smile at the kid, \"How can I help you?\" But the kid just stared at him, refusing to let go of his sleeve. He noted that the kid had foreign features but he could not tell if the kid was a girl or a boy. He found himself mesmerized by the kid's unusual eyes. Heterochromia was what it was, that he knew, but he'd never seen such contrasting colors of what appeared to be jet black and cataract white. In an attempt to solve this irrelevant but intriguing mystery of gender, Jerry asked for the kid's name to which there was still no response. \n\nJerry turned around after hearing someone call his name, there was no one. The entire worship hall had long returned to prayers and there was no one else standing with him beside the little kid. The kid that was still holding onto his sleeve, looking back at him.\n\n\"Jerry.\"\n\nThere it was again, and the two of them were still alone.\n\n\"Jerry, I'm right in front of you.\"\n\nA sudden loud explosion knocked Jerry and the kid off their feet and further into the nave, dust, and debris raining down from the rafters. More explosions rattled the building, shattering the stained glass windows and raining sharp shards onto the worshippers. Jerry covered the little kid in his embrace as the entire building collapsed around them. The world was filled with screams then total silence.\n\n\"I am Steve.\"" ]	6
	[WP] You're the most powerful wizard in the world, but using magic terrifies you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 my Spanish, Mother-language is easier to use for some stories, like this one...\n\n \n\n En el calabozo más profundo del castillo, dónde jamás ha llegado el sol y hongos putrefactos pululan entre las rocas húmedas, residía el mago. Su cuerpo se encontraba cubierto de cardenales y heridas, y apenas podía ver debido a lo hinchado de su rostro. Le había dado cierta gracia cuando lo encadenaron de pies y manos, pero sintió verdadera angustia cuando forzosamente introdujeron una mordaza en su boca. \n\nLos inquisidores solían ser estúpidos, y los había evadido varias veces en varios lugares. Siempre era similar: Una redada a su hogar, un arresto sin pruebas, al calabozo. Recitar las palabras para que los grilletes se soltaran, recitar el canto para dormir a todos los presentes en el edificio, robar todo el lugar, dejar el pueblo, repetir en la siguiente redada. \n\nEsta vez, no era sólo que lo hubieran amordazado. La redada había tenido lugar cómo siempre, pero no en el mismo lugar. \n\nY pensar que había elegido aquel claro del bosque, precisamente porque creía que estaba más allá de cualquier ojo imprudente o inquisidor. Eso claro, sin hablar de las potentes propiedades mágicas que le confería su ubicación.\n\nPero en cuestión de segundos, y tan cerca de lograr terminar el ritual, habían sido rodeados. \n\nLa gran mayoría escapó enunciando al instante los encantamientos que los devolvían a sus santuarios personales. Pero él fue necio, estaba tan cerca de completar el proceso y sabía que si lo lograba podría acabar sin ningún problema con todos los inquisidores que se le pusieran enfrente por el resto de la historia. \n\nPero fue derribado, alejado del sitio, conducido al calabozo, atado y amordazado. Ahora era evidente que las cosas no eran cómo siempre. Especialmente porque el caballero que lo había amordazado, llevaba cerca de tres horas tallando jeroglíficos en las paredes del calabozo, sin decir una palabra. \n\nLo alejó un momento de la pared en la que estaba encadenado para seguir trazando símbolos tras él, y en ese momento el mago pudo percatarse de que la armadura que llevaba, también estaba cubierta de símbolos. \n\nNo eran símbolos cómo los de la pared (o el techo, o el suelo, o la puerta cerrada) pero realmente, ninguno de los símbolos parecía tener algún tipo de coherencia. \n\nNo era que no tuvieran sentido, lo tenían, y mucho. El mago era un experto en lingüística, simbología y semántica, era parte del trabajo. En el muro había hechizos inconclusos que se enlazaban con poesía vulgar, que parecía a su vez provenir de una receta de cocina que estaba escrita un poco más arriba, aunque el poema continuaba en una plegaría, cuyas letras al acomodarse formaban un símbolo que significaba paz, pero que estaba acomodado en una composición que en otro idioma significaba perdida… \n\nAbrumado, cerró los ojos. Había sentido, pero no había ninguna coherencia. El caballero indudablemente, estaba demente. Y ahora estaba encerrado con él. \n\nCuando hasta el más mínimo resquicio de la habitación estuvo cubierta por símbolos sin sentido, el caballero se detuvo, suspiro y dijo\n\n\\- Listo, nadie nos escuchará aquí… - y procedió a retirar la mordaza del mago, y a sentarse frente a él en posición de loto. Mientras se acomodaba, el mago al instante gritó el hechizo que lo transportaba a su santuario. El caballero respondió, con el mismo volumen, diciendo un refrán que rimaba con el encantamiento y que tenía la misma métrica.", "I breathed.\n\nYou see, gibbering fools say “Abra Cadabra,” or something equally moronic as they struggle to light a candle flame to coerce a barmaid into opening her legs. The more experienced, but still novice will chant something in Latin to focus and direct their magics as they craft potions and tinctures in the local village. The experts, they can silently control the sorcerous energies with their thoughts to bless and curse. But the true masters? The ones who, like me, were birthed in elemental fury, who swam in enchantments, who have floated in it since birth, like a feather floating on an updraft? \n\nWe breathed and the magic flowed. We exhaled and the sorcery enveloped our foes in fiery fountains of flames. We sighed and the witchcraft crystalized the blood of the unclean, felling them with naught but a twisted grimace. The air and the mystic flowed from us like water from a sluice pipe, like blood from a gaping wound, like sand from a sieve. \n\nAnd it was easy. So easy. Easy to call the rain. Easy to start the roll of thunder. Easy to summon the lightening. Easy to stop a heart. But what the novice, apprentice and journeyman don’t understand? \n\nEvery time the magic called to itself. It drew more and more of itself through me. It flowed freer and truer and purer. The fire burned hotter. The storm grew larger. The ice crept farther. The grave oped wider. And yet, I must breathe! Yet my brain sends the signal to my lungs to draw more air and more magic in, and then release my lungs and my fury onto the world. I must, you see, I must! The power calls deeper and my lungs scream for air! And so I do draw oxygen and enchantment; enchantment and oxygen. I have no choice! I pull the air deeper and deeper into me and the magic pulls me in and the power flows in me and through me but no I flow in it and through it and then only it remains and I am nothing NOTHING and it calls and it asks and it demands to be loosed and it IS loosed on the world. And the magic does what it wants. And it wants to burn. And it wants to strike. And it wants to freeze. \n\nAnd I want to breathe. \n\nWhen the magic wanted the town? I wanted to breathe. When it wanted the rivers? I. Wanted. To breathe. When it wanted snow in midsummer and the mountains pulled from their roots? I WANTED TO BREATHE. And I did what I wanted and it did what it wanted. And every time it came more naturally. \n\nSo, fools, you think that this pyre you’ve built around me will undo what has already been started? That the flames will purify this land? That your shiny toy shields and pet court magicians will stop the flow of sorcery that flows through me, and through you and through even the dirt and the roots and the leaves? That the bindings you’ve woven around me can bind all of the power that calls at the first light of dawn and last rays of dusk?\n\nYou may stop my breath today, but who still breathes? YOU DO. And everyone who surrounds you. The magic will flow through who it will flow through. When I am ash and dust, a new apprentice will find their latest cantrip just a little easier to cast. Another enchanter will craft a staff just a bit more powerful. A warlock will stop the hearts of just a few more enemies.\n\nAnd they will BREATHE. And the MAGIC WILL BREATHE through them. And I will be gone. Blessedly gone. For I have seen what the power wants. It wants me. It wants you. IT WANTS US. And it will have us. It will have us in the end. Because we will breathe.\n\nSo inquisitor, you wanted last words? You have them. Light the oil.", "Most people who have experience with magic will say that I'm the only person to achieve such feats of magic. That everyone who has ever tried to do the same thing as I did have died in the process. They praised me as the savior, the hero who will save the world and cleanse it of all its evil. Some wizards have even started cults of me as they worshipped and revered my power. \n\nBut I don't share the same beliefs as the wizards and the witches. I don't want to be this quote-on-quote epic hero who will sacrifice their life for the greater good. Besides, I don't think cleansing the world would be a good thing. I don't want the blood of millions of people on my hands.\n\nI could only remember vaguely the first time I practiced magic. Surprisingly enough I wasn't born in some legendary family or parents who knew about magic. Magic doesn't even work that way apparently. It's not passed down from person to person, you just learn it. And I learned it accidentally.\n\nYou'd be surprised by how much you could find on the internet these days. Sometimes when you're scrolling down your feed you'll find some photo of some \"demon sigils\" that are obviously fake. Most of the things you'll find that are supposedly magical aren't true, by the way. But sometimes, you will find one that's legit. And no, those real ones don't gain traction at all and you won't find them as the latest hashtag challenge. \n\nYou will know if it's true magic if you feel a sense of unfathomable dread wash over you, making you realize what it truly feels to be a tiny speck in the vastness of the universe. It would feel as if the Earth beneath you suddenly disappeared and you are floating in the dark vastness of space. You would be even smaller than the stars you see in the sky. \n\nThe moment I discovered magic, I was filled with obviously naive ideas. I instantly decided that I would use it merely for my personal gain, to get what I wanted. \n\nI had led myself down the rabbit hole, thinking about all the things I could do with pure power. To say that I was power hungry was an understatement. If you knew that you can control the entire fabric of reality of course you'd take that chance.\n\nAt first, I simply wanted to learn how to move objects with my mind. \n\nBut after a few failed attempts, I realized that all my magic could do was to make things crumble into dust and out of existence. At that time, I was disappointed. But that didn't stop me from pursuing even further. If only I knew the consequences I would have stopped there.\n\nI moved from experimenting on inanimate objects and onto living ones. But not humans. Not yet.\n\nI had managed to catch a squirrel from my backyard, bringing it into my room as it pitifully squirmed against my firm hands. With my makeshift little laboratory, I strapped the creature in. I took out my notes and placed them right beside the trapped squirrel. My notebook used to be full of notes from all my classes. But now it was all replaced with my ramblings of magic and scribblings of mysterious symbols. If one were to take a peek, they would have mistaken me for a madman and gotten me sent to a mental institution. Unfortunately, that did not happen.\n\nSo I took hold of my notebook and started to read the incantations. I could feel the familiar, but still overwhelming sense of dread consume my thoughts and my body, so I knew that it was working. The squirrel squirmed and I found my eyes coming into contact with the creature's, and I could sense its fear.\n\nSoon the squirrel started to let out an ear-piercing screech, making me halt speaking the incantation. If I hadn't covered my ears I would have been deaf by then by it's pitch and loudness. I felt the ground beneath me rumble, and I was worried that I messed up the spell I so carefully cast. I didn't realize that my eyes were closed as I continued to plug my ears with my fingers.\n\nWhen I felt that the squirrel's screech was finished I slowly unplugged my ears and opened my eyes. My eyes widened at the sight of what was in front of me.\n\nTo put it simply, it wasn't a squirrel anymore. \n\nMy spell was a success.\n\nI continued to experiment with different creatures, some were birds, raccoons, and one time I had tried my magic on a dog. All of them were successful. \n\nBut there was only one thing that I haven't tried my magic onto just yet.\n\nHumans.\n\nI wondered who could ever be my first test subject. It could be someone I hate, maybe one of my friends. But for some reason, I could not get a single human test subject. No matter how hard I tried.\n\nSo that only meant one thing.\n\nI had to experiment with my spells on myself.\n\nOne day I decided to perform a summoning ritual. A summoning ritual that most magic users deemed impossible. But I didn't care about what they thought. I was in this to gain knowledge, no matter the cost. I had set up candles around the circle, and in the middle of it a marking that I had carved out. The spell required all these, and one other thing. Virgin blood. But that didn't mean blood from people who have not gotten in sexual intercourse, virgin blood meant that these people have never used their blood in their practice of magic.\n\nAnd I've never used my own blood in any of my experiments. Other creatures' blood? Yes. But mine? Never. So I was the perfect fit. \n\nWith a knife in hand and my notebook turned spellbook with the other, I knelt in the center of the circle and started to recite the incantation. At some point, I realized that I could not stop speaking. I have lost autonomy on my body, and soon I found the knife that was once on my hand now on my abdomen. \n\nI spoke in a language that I myself didn't even know as I bled on the symbol that I had created. I tried to stop myself but it felt like I was simply watching a scene from a movie as I completely lost control of my own body. The knife had cut deeper into my chest and I gasped in pain, then the wound grew and grew. It felt like I was literally being torn apart. But my feelings were correct, I was being torn apart. I screamed in excruciating pain but no one heard me. My body convulsed from the sudden changes that occurred onto my frail mortal body. My chest thrust forwards as a limb burst through the open cut. Then another. Then another. Then another. Then another. Finally whatever came out of my body came into view. It was indescribable. It was the amalgamation of all the abstract fears of humanity. My feeble brain could not comprehend its form as it slowly made its way towards me. Its saliva slowly dripped on my face as I lied limp onto the ground now smeared with blood and an indescribable sludge. The embodiment of fear spoke to me in the language of Old, something I never learned but somehow could understand. It thanked me and disappeared in the shadows.\n\nI passed out right afterward. \n\nFortunately, a person came in to check on me and found my bleeding body. I was quickly taken into the hospital, but I never told them the true cause of why I was injured.\n\nWhen the council of Wizards caught word of this, they all came flocking to me. Begging for answers as to how I managed to do such thing. I didn't answer their questions, since right after that incident I packed my bags and flew to another continent. I even changed my name and burned all records of me ever existing. Now I lived in a peaceful old farmland enjoying my new life.\n\nSo no matter how much these wizards ever pester me about being the key to end all suffering. I have vowed to never do it again.\n\nThe world of magic is terrifying and incomprehensible, so I advise you not to follow the same example as me.", "There is one rule in magic. Everything has a price.\n\nWhen I was young I was addicted to magic. I loved summoning eagles to my arm and cradling balls of fire in my hands. I didn't know any words or focusing rituals. The magic is in my blood and a drop of blood seemed to always suffice.\n\nThings changed when our country was invaded by the Northern hill tribes. I was stationed with the other magicians, but I quickly realized there was only one who was my equal, the commander of the battalion. And he seemed determined not to use magic. As the others purified water for the troops, melted iron into catapult shot, and prepared medical supplies, the commander took my shoulder and brought me off to the side. We sat there in silence as the war camp bustled around us.\n\nI had no idea what he wanted from me. He had noticed how easy it was for me to do the basic spells and that the only magical tool I carried was a small knife. \n\nAs the hill tribe horde approached he stayed back. The other mages used magic to set ballista bolts aflame or grant arrows mystical accuracy, but we waited as the battle began to rage. \n\nThe battle seemed even, both sides of the field strewn with bodies. The other side had their own magicians, that embued their soldiers' blades with a pale green miasma that dropped our men with one cut. Still we waited.\n\nSuddenly the trampling of horses made everyone look. The hill people had prepared a surprise flank attack. Their soldiers on the ground redoubled their efforts and our army began to fall back.\n\n\"Now,\" the mage commander said to me, standing up, \"cut your hand, press it to mine and push all the magic through that you can.\"\n\nWe each cut our palm and pressed them together. He held out his other hand. A storm cloud formed at the end of it, dark and crackling with lightning. It grew and rose 20 feet into the air before spreading into the battlefield. I closed my eyes as I felt the painful drain of immense magic. Even with my eyes closed I felt the bolts of lightning spread around the battlefield, selectively killing the soldiers and mages of the invading tribe. \n\nAfter what seemed like hours I felt the pain disappate, replaced by a deep emptiness. I opened my eyes to find our soldiers retrieving their dead. The mage commander's hand was still locked to mine, but it was cold. He was collapsed on the ground, eyes open and staring into the air. \n\nA week later I had moved all my things out of my home and begun constructing a cabin deep in the woods. I built it entirely by hand." ]	5
	[WP] A person drops his wallet on the street. You pick it up and is about to return it to him , when you notice a strange picture inside.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "An older man in familiar brown shoes drops his well travelled wallet. As he hurries off you bend to pick it up. Before you can shout to the man you see something that makes you pause. \n\nYou stare in to the large brown eyes of a face as yet untouched by pain or sorrow. Feelings of joy and relief and love, so much love, fill you. You feel a purpose, a compass in you that points directly at her. You want to hold her and feel your overflowing love press in to her and swaddle her in sparkling bubble wrap. You would pull your heart out to see her smile. You want her to be safe more than you want to take a breath. You want to protect her.\n\nAnd then you fall to your knees. You remember that there was nothing the doctors could do, nothing that you could do. The plug has been pulled, the hope that filled you, drains. You look at the picture, at eyes that aren't her's in a room she never saw. \n\nYou drop the picture, stand up and walk on.", "Ok so this is my first time trying this so please be gentle.\n\nI was just minding my own business on a Thursday morning. Walking to work, sipping on some much needed coffee after a long night of various paperwork and drinking. \n\n\"Only two more days\" I think to myself.\n\nAs I am walking I take a sip from my coffee and accidentally bump into a gentleman walking the opposite way. The coffee slips from my hand and spills onto the sidewalk. \"Shit...go figure\". I leaned down to pick up my now empty cup and notice a wallet sitting right next to it. I hesitate before picking it up since I have tried to be nice in the past and people seem to react in ways that I don't expect. Nothing happens though, no hand grabs it, no face meets mine to say excuse me, nothing. So I do my civil duty and pick it up to return it to the person I bumped into. \n\nI turn and look and it was like nothing happened. No one stopped, no one asked if I was okay, nothing. It was odd but maybe the guy didn't noticed it was dropped. I could only recall a small bit of what he looked like since everything was so unexpected and I was drinking my coffee so I turned and tried to see if I could find someone matching him at least to some degree. \n\n\"Nothing...go figure\". I didn't like just holding on to some guys wallet. It doesn't feel right to me but I had no way of getting it back to him by just holding it so why not...let's look inside. \n\nBefore I could open it though I had to appreciate the craftsmanship of the wallet. Strange designs that looked to almost swirl into each other covered the outside. It also didn't quite feel like leather, but it could have been fake..who knows really. There was a clasp to undo in order to open up the wallet so after doing so I get to see who this person is and get this thing back to him. \n\nIt was empty minus two things. I can't call it anything else but an \"ID\" because it had a street address and a first name. Thomas. The other thing made me turn almost ghost white and I almost dropped the wallet and just walked away. A picture of me smiling in a shirt that had the same address and the phrase under it in small letters \"Find Thomas\"." ]	3
	[WP] The Chosen has survived the assassination, the carnage, and direct assaults. Little do people know they just replace him with a similar-looking dude every time one dies. You are one of the spares. This is your story.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 Chosen! The Chosen!» denounce the rejocing face of a gorgeous kid. His mother, probably used to his infantile impetuosity, have a late glance... I'm gone. I've been trained for this –– well, I've been trained for everything, more or less.\n\n\nAs The Chosen, there are temptations that you're encourage to follow and others to repress. Public recognition belongs to the second group. «Stages are for jokers, not noble warriors» they say. And I get it, my visibilty would hurt the system.\n\n\nOn the contrary, lust and sexual desires are not only accepted but expected from The Chosen. I'm on my way to fulfil those, but I'm not sure if I'm now talking about desires or expectations.\n\n\nEvica is waiting for me, altough she'll act like she wasn't. It's a game I guess, a social game. I think is related to the chasing, honour and power associated with mating. A game that I wouldn't mind playing years before, when I'd had dropped a dozen of my lovers for this angel looking woman with crisp nose and bright hair.\n\n\nIs clear that I could just deny to participate on that, she will take me regardless. And I don't say that with the pride of a show-off, but exactly the opposite.\n\n\nMy life has always been about one person: The Chosen. That person is not me. I look, act, sound, and train like it, to the point that I even fooled myself for a long time.\n\n\nCould you really blame me? I just wanted to live that fiction, like everybody else.\n\n\nThe only thing is that the Chosen doesn't exists. Even the concept is a lie. If anything I'd be «A Chosen», and not «THE Chosen». Meaning that there are many others out there, crossing their fingers to not to be called to duty, just like me.\n\n\nBut, in the almost physically identical group of men, there are all kind of people. Some of them not that smart. And even when assuming the roll, replacing a fallen Chosen, should be proof enough that our kind is not invencible, they choose to believe what everyone have ever told them, that we're above men kind.\n\n\nSooner or later, as the Chosen in position, the battlefield, arena for the never ending wars, will teach them better. But the public will never now, another good looking fool will take his place, and perpetuate the facade.\n\n\nHere is the hard part to accept: It's not about me, is not even about us. It's about the idea: This perfect man that indoctrinate our people and terrorize our enemies. It's just a characters that serves the empire.\n\n\nThe majority of the population is in love with the character I portrait. Evica is not. Evica is in love with the idea of having caught for herself the most distinguished character, and the social eestem that that brings her.\n\n\nI know that, and I hate that. Yet, here I am, jumping from roof to roof to sneak into her house. Because that's what I'm supposed to do. Because she's a stunner. Because I have privileges that most people dream all their life with.\n\n\nMe? Personally, I tend to fantasize with being a normal guy. Walk the streets, captivate a lady on my own merit, and stop leaving to the image of someone I'm not.\n\n\nBut if I'm here looking for carnal passions, is to shut down those fantasizes and reconnect with the real world, the same that tells me that I check all the boxes to be happy.\n\n\nHiding, lying, keeping secrets, and the immediate invalidation of every human doubt and dissatisfaction that I could possible have, should be an small price to pay. Right?\n\n\nIn a stunt that I've made a million times before, I jump from a rooftop directly to a windows, going smoothly through it, and landing right in front of a beautiful lady wearing only a provocative nightgown. She knows how to get me.\n\n\n—It's late. We said ten o'clock. You're the Chosen to everyone else, but you were the one that chose me. You're the luckiest guy, but you need more than luck to keep me. Go away now.\n\n\nI gasp.", "The lines were always long the day before an Awakening. Each of us hoping dearly that we would not have to give up our comfortable beds and endless buffets to be thrust into the midst of an onslaught of attempts on our life. Hundreds of us, each with the same, grey-blue eyes, staring off into nothingness, shifting slowly to fill our plates, lay in our tanning beds and return to our cells to answer fan letters and research world politics. Alas, it was the role we were born to play.\n\nI, Carver Middleton-839, had grown tired of the lines. Not the food, nor the high thread count, but the lines. Each version of myself, identical in every way, waiting for purpose. Our bellies had grown thick together. As had Carver Middleton-254's throughout his journey across the continents. Each peace speech he delivered ended in a feast and each feast ended with drinking. We must all stay the same, were we to all serve the same purpose. If Carver Middleton-254 grew fat, so must we all. If Carver Middleton-254 got sick, so must we all. If Carver Middleton-254 lost a limb in a car bombing, so must we all. Fortunately, each attempt on our life had ended in total annihilation and an unrecoverable corpse. No need for amputation.\n\nYet, it was not enough. Even with all my needs met, I wanted to be the reason for the onslaught. I wanted the stress of foreign governments grasping at my throat. It seemed, whatever Carver Middleton spoke into existence came true. Revolts in Spain, hunger strikes in prisons, food drives in Russia. All ideas that Carver Middleton spoke of and was subsequently killed for. So, I volunteered for the next Awakening. An unprecedented act of assertion by an unactivated Carver Middleton.\n\nCarver Middleton-254 had died the night before in a boating accident involving exactly one and four quarter tons of C4 explosive. I knew this, because I had received the fan letter expressing such a plan. In fact, I had corresponded with this \"fan\", gifting them with the insider information needed to locate and assassinate Carver Middleton-254. Knowing this plan was on the horizon, I had forwarded my volunteer letter nearly a week in advance, to avoid suspicion. \n\n\"Eight. Three. Nine,\" the numbers were called over an intercom. Each of us looked to our left and right. Who could it be? With so many Carver Middletons, there was no way to know each other's number. My smile gave away my position. The others applauded, as is tradition when a new Carver is activated. There was a general unease among the others, who were not used to a Carver being pleased with their activation. \n\nI donned my freshly pressed suit and began my long walk to the atrium. A man was waiting there, though he was not one of us. In fact, it was the first man I had ever met in the flesh that was not Carver Middleton.\n\n\"Welcome aboard, Carver,\" he said, unfeeling. \"I trust you have studied your material?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" I replied.\n\n\"You will resurface in West Bengal at the Festival of Colors. A speech will be prepared for you at the embassy.\"\n\n\"I am ready.\"\n\n\"You always are,\" the man almost smiled. \n\nA car pulled up and took me away. An hour later, I was boarding a plane to India. Seven hours later, I was covered in powders of yellow and green and red. For the first time, I smiled without being prompted by a socialization instructor on a teleprompter. It was genuine.\n\nI felt a hand on my shoulder and suddenly the years of fear fell upon me. Was my time already up? Had a hit squad already found me? I spun, ready to plead for my life.\n\n\"Carver Middleton?!\" the young man asked.\n\n\"Indeed,\" I said, keeping a healthy level of distrust about me.\n\n\"I'm so happy to see you again. The most dangerous man in the world, here in front of me.\"\n\n\"Dangerous? I hardly think I'm dangerous.\"\n\n\"You're young. You will soon understand. There is nothing more dangerous than a man with ideas that get him killed. He shapes the world, it seems. I'm excited to see which ideas you will bring to the table.\"\n\nI held my tongue.\n\n\"I see your coordinates were correct,\" the young man continued.\n\n\"My coordinates?\"\n\n\"To your boat? Er... Carver Middleton-254's boat.\"\n\nThe fear was peeled back, fresh as a day-old scab, leaving nothing but pure vulnerability and confusion in its place. The man in front of me smiled, watching the gears churn in my mind and my emotions with it. He knew me. Not Carver Middleton, but the Eight Hundred and Thirty-Ninth iteration of Carver Middleton. He was my fan.\n\n\"Shocked, I see. You always are.\"", "So much for being the Chosen. You get some time on the spotlight and then die horribly at the hands of some freak wanting to kill you for the sake of proving you are not unkillable. It was an unconventional job, but one that paid well, and required no abilities whatsoever, apart from being a generic looking fair haired caucasian guy that the surgeons could quickly remodellate to fit the image of the number one public figure. I fit the bill remarkably well, with just a simple vocal chord remodelling and some mild permanent makeup I was in tip top shape to be the unwilling next bearer of the Mark of the People.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis whole ordeal had begun around 40 years ago, when the government, desperately trying to cover up inhumane policies and experiments, came up with the worst of them all, claiming to have miraculously found a model man that didn't age, didn't die and defended every single one of their ideals to the letter. Loads of bullshit, all of it. What actually happened was a nationwide propaganda program rivaling the best in crowd manipulation, that successfully kept the country on the edge of their seat with every failed attempt at the assassination of their most loved icon, carried out by conveniently foreigner-looking people.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy time had finally come. After being forcefully signed into the chain of succession because of overly inflated cancer treatments my mother had, it was my turn.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Social Stability Program Employee Number 133\" said the badge I had unceremoniously been given before entering the waiting room for the final retouching surgery. What a bunch of fools. Did they really think that all the brainwashing would make me trust their cause? That it wouldn't break me? That I would care for what happened to anyone after going through a summary of all their lies? Of course they did. But they didn't expect something inside my head to just snap, and they were innocently walking into their end. How would the world even react if the Chosen, the man of the people, their Lord, decided to inform them that it was all a fallacy? Would there be any way to brainwash these people again? Of course there wouldn't be. They would kill me and everyone I have ever known, but it would ultimately be useless.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe speech I was about to give was the perfect opportunity to retaliate for what they had done to the people, but I had to be careful, not give any hints. It wouldn't be any good if they just blew my head, blamed some terrorist group and get a new guy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Today, I am proud to represent this great nation, on behalf of our leaders and founders, who always take care of us both from Earth and from Heaven\" I blabbered and improvised, which wasn't actively encouraged by the Bureau but was accepted, as more natural speeches drove the audience's opinion of the Chosen to even higher places.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You all have heard great things about our country. But not everything is told to you. There are even greater, selfless deeds that out humble politicians don't want you to know, just so their piety and kindness don't even attempt to start hiding the greatness in every single one of our citizens, from our eldest to our youngest\" I said, hoping that the pretext of telling more lies that benefited them would make them loosen up and hopefully take longer to take action.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"But you know what is even more impressive than that? They are lies, everything is a lie. There's a reason you've never seen me heal in public until now. The Chosen One has never existed! I am really...\" A bullet cut my words, cracked my skull and ripped my brain. I felt it entering, and I felt it going out. But I still could feel my body in its entirety. What was that feeling? A new, burning sensation came from the bullet hole in my skull. I grabbed the microphone and stood up, again improvising and shouting with all my forces:\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Citizens of Marley, revolt! I. Am. The Chosen One!\"" ]	4
	[WP] The old gods have come back and seek a champion to be their emissary. They scour the globe to find the deadliest, most ruthless killer. They're having trouble distinguishing between real and fake and find you. A world champion fps player with a 89.6 kdr.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“What the fuck are you talking about?”\n\n“We’ve heard that you are this planet’s champion. It’s said that you can fell a hundred men before being wounded.” \n\nThe elder god sat straight, towering over Eric. The (what appeared to him as a man), sat at what Eric would have guessed to be a bit over seven feet with a light caramel skin tone and had strange tattoo’s dotting his arms and shoulders. He didn’t want to think about where else they might rest. \n\n“I really don’t know where you heard that. I rarely leave my house unless it’s for a tournament-“\n\n“Tournament? So you are this legendary killer! Come with me, Champion, and we will show you to glory you cannot imagine. Battles you have fought until now will be puny, and with the support of the other gods, we will equip you with the abilities you need to tell nations. You will have all that your mortal desires can wish for. You will have limitless power.”\n\nEric blinked. \n\n“Dude, I play videogames. I shoot people across the internet. With these. Come on,” Eric said, standing up and walking over to his office. “Ignore the mess, I haven’t left my room in like... three days.”\n\nHe walked into the room cluttered with papers filled with stats, research, beta papers, championship certificates, and more. The elder god had to stoop down to get under the door, before looking around. \n\n“Where are your weapons, champion?”\n\nEric looked back over his shoulder nervously. Was he going to get smited or some shit for this?\n\n“Right here,” he said. He held up his mouse and keyboard. “These are what I use. I just kill people using the computer, and it’s not like their deaths are even permanent. You just wait until the next round and they come back to life. We fight again, I kill them most of the time, and then we do that again until I win.”\n\nThe god just looked at him. Eric was a scrawny white boy with dark hair and soft eyes. Not a warrior. Perhaps they’d been mistaken. \n\n“We will come back to you. Perhaps this world has changed more than we realized. We will find you if we decide you are the true champion of this world after all.”\n\nThe god blinked and was gone. \n\nUntil three months later when Eric woke up and found him sitting at the foot of his bed." ]	2
	[WP] You wake up one morning, and UPS are at your door delivering a parcel. You open it up and discover 'Drunk You' fell for a 'get rich quick' pyramid scheme. You open it up, and see the dates, times, and names with the results of all of lottery draws on Earth for the next 100 years...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 I first opened the package, it was overflowing with papers. Most of them were just plain papers with numbers on them. One stuck out, though. It was a thin blue manual. I opened it, and instantly I saw huge bolded letters. They read, \n\n“Please do not extend the uses of this. The papers in this box contain winning lottery numbers and everything about the tickets. Keep this safe, but never return to sender.”\n\nIt was only after I finished reading these words that I remembered last night. Man, it was a party! I guess on the way I fell for a scam. \n\nBut it’s worth a shot, I thought to myself. As I came to a decision, I pulled out a paper. The paper was addressed for tomorrow night, so I would have to hurry. The numbers on it read,\n\n02 19 23 07 39 21\n\nI drove to my nearest gas station, and almost ran to the cashier. I yelled in his face that I wanted to play the lottery. She handed me a ticket, and I played the numbers, payed the cashier $10, and drove home.\n\n*\n\nIt’s 8:34 on May 5th. I’m watching the lottery numbers. My eyes were glued to the screen, as I heard the man pull a ball and say,\n\n“02”\n\nI wasn’t very surprised. Common number, I thought.\n\n“19”\n\nI felt my mouth slightly open.\n\n“23”\n\nI looked at my ticket again, but that was when I noticed my hand was a slight blue.\n\n“07”\n\n“39”\n\n“21”\n\nI could barely make out his words as I ran to the bathroom. My whole face was dark blue, and I could have sworn the temperature was just 20 degrees hotter.\n\nI went to my doctor. They said that they had never seen anything like this, but said that I may have been exposed to something toxic.\n\nIf I die, my only request is that you send the package to my high school bully, Alan. If I’m going down, I’m gonna take him down with me." ]	2
	[WP] As a child, you grew up on a farm. Everything you touched, plants and animals, thrived. Then you were sent off to school. There you excelled in academics and antics. But it wasn't until you reached college that your special gifts became known. They rocketed you to new heights, literally.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“Dad, tell us the story again please. Tell the kids how you got all those flags that you keep on your desk. Please!!!!!! I want them to always remember.”\n\nI looked at the eager faces and just smiled. “Well, I guess one more time will not hurt.”\n\n“Well you see long ago, back before cell phones and the internet, I grew up on a farm in Tennessee. We didn’t have a lot of ways to find out about the rest of the world. We had a phone that you spun the dial to call and it was mounted on the wall. We got three TV channels plus PBS. The only news that we got was from the news paper or two half hour news shows that came on at 6:00 and 6:30. That was it, so we were kind-of isolated from the world. The only world we knew was the one around us and the things we did were the same things that our relatives had done for generations. I didn’t know it but growing up in that environment would give me all the tools that I would need for later in life.”\n\n“Every day we worked hard out in the sun on the farm. Many people think that you just put pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys and other animals out in the field and feed them once a day. Nothing could be further from the truth. We spent days clearing fields, building barns, building fences and a myriad of other chores. When we first plowed fields and every year afterward, we would turn up rocks. We needed a dam so I had to load tons and tons of rocks onto a trailer, haul them down to the creek and then slowly build a dam with them by piling them one on another. That way the cows would have water even when the weather was dry. Along that same creek, briar bushes also grew so I spent many days cutting those with a sling blade. I always had my trusty dog, Atlas, with me who would warn me of snakes but as I got older and he got slower, I learned from experience to hear and sense them on my own. I also learned to walk and step avoiding obstacles and cowpiles while still focusing on what I was doing. That was spring.”\n\n“When the fields were planted and we had no more rocks to haul, we would rebuild fences that needed rebuilding. To do that, we had to cut locust or cedar trees and then cut them into fence posts. We would save the largest ones for barn posts but most were cut into fence posts. To put those in the ground, we dug three-foot-deep holes by hand in the hot summer sun. Later in the summer, we would cut firewood for our house and my grandparents. We had to do that in the heat of the summer. When it got colder we would be harvesting crops and stripping tobacco. All through the year, we had to do things to the animals. I had to learn how to corner an 800 pound boar or be able to throw a 1500 pound cow to the ground. I didn’t realize it at the time but through all that hard work, I was gaining strength, endurance for heat and learning how to us my leverage to my advantage. Those are skills that I would later use. One of my best mentors was a neighbor who had been Australian special forces. He taught me martial arts as we worked side by side. Later in High School I would find out just how valuable that was on the wrestling mats.”\n\n“During those times, I also had learned how to build, survive in the wild, read the signs in nature around me, navigate in the wild and sense what was happening around me. Those days were hard, sometime hot, sometimes cold, sometimes wet but usually uncomfortable. I didn’t know any better so I just thought that was the way things were supposed to be.”\n\n“When I was seven, my dad began teaching me how to shoot and hunt. I was a great, great, great, great, great grandson of Davy Crocket. A tradition that had been handed down from him was marksmanship. You see, after learning to shoot, I was then sent out hunting many afternoons. According to the tradition, I was given one bullet and told to come home with meat. Failure to do so, meant that I had to go to bed without dinner. It doesn’t take long that way to learn to shoot and shoot well. As I got older, I used to sit on the porch and shoot coyotes from 100 to 300 yards away, making sure that I always killed them in one shot.”\n\n“As I went through school, I did very well and had outstanding scores in school and on standardized tests. Being athletic and intelligent, I got a full scholarship to a very good school from the Air Force. I did well despite coming from a small country school and then was having too much fun to leave school so I stayed for graduate school. During that time, I got to try some fun things in the summers like going to survival training, learning to parachute from planes and got to go to a special sniper school which I found very, very easy. Much easier than shooting squirrels in a tree.”\n\n“When I went into the Air Force, I had a unique set of skills. I had the technical background, the ability to fight, the ability to survive, the ability to navigate and was an expert marksman. That allowed me to join special forces and later special operations and even a more unique group after that. I got to work with missiles, nuclear weapons and travel many, many places. Those flags in two jars represent two types of trips that I have had in various countries. The jar on the left are the countries that I visited that were stamped on my passport. The jar on the right are the flags of countries that I have been in that no one, except for a handful of people even know that I was there.”\n\n“Kids, growing up that way that I did was hard. It was long days, with hard work in a very hot sun. I will not lie, but it would have been frustrating if I had known that things could have been easier. I did not know at the time that they could be easier. They just were what they were. Those things shaped me so that I got to go on so many adventures in so many places. Those experiences made me what I am. Your experiences both good and bad, will make you what you will become. Just learn to find the joy in all that you do. I love you all.”", "It is midday and the usually bustling streets are eerily quiet. A lone boy races along the paved concrete, a look of desperation on his face. He finally finds his destination, a worn down apartment building. Leaping the stairs two at a time he reaches a door and lets himself in. Packed into the tiny apartment are his parents, 2 siblings, and the next door neighbors, the Adeyemis.\n\n\"Did I miss it?\" the boy asks hunched over trying to catch his breath.\n\n\"No there was a delay. The launch is happening in 10 minutes.\" The boy's dad answers, and moves over so the boy can take a seat on the worn down couch.\n\n\"I can't believe your boss didn't let you out early. You need to find a new job.\" The boy's dad complains.\n\nThe boy agrees. He had nearly made him miss the first interstellar manned mission.\n\nThe whole family hold their breath as the countdown timer ticks down. An internal camera catches the serene face of the captain of the ship and its chief designer, Adedayo Okafor. The boy has a poster of him on his wall. He got an A in English for his book report on Okafor. Born on a farm, he had risen out of poverty to go to Mars Technical Institute, the premier university in the solar system. He had developed the interstellar drive while a junior. Now he was piloting the giant ship.\n\n\"Main engine start. Counting down T minus 10, 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, and we have lift off!\" The announcer's voice is choked with emotion as the enormous ship lifts off the launch pad.\n\nAll at once everyone in the apartment leaps to their feet and start cheering the ship on. The ship exits Mars gravity well and now the most dangerous part of the mission is beginning. The first human is about to go through a worm hole. Everyone in the room clutches each other as the worm hole generator on the ships nose starts to activate. And then all of a sudden the ship disappears. In its place an enormous grey ship appears.\n\n\"Was that supposed to happen?\" the boy's dad asks the boy.\n\nEveryone turns to the boy.\n\n\"Definitely not.\" the boy answers\n\n&#x200B;\n\n*Near Proxima Centauri*\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAdedayo Okafor watches as the ship powers down and he exhales. He is surrounded by alien ships. The interstellar jump had been hijacked. An alien ship was likely parked near Earth and Mars. Of all the failures this was the one he was most worried about. If other civilizations had this technology they might have a way of detecting and neutralizing it. He takes a deep breath, exhales, and closes his eyes. His enormously powerful mind hums as he contemplates plans and discards them. Slowly he opens his eyes. He found it. The alien ships send drones that latch on and begin drilling.\n\nr/stargazerclan" ]	3
	[WP] You wake up in the middle of the night to find your crush rudely shaking you awake. You freak out and ask them what the hell they think they are doing and they reply with a ‘saving your damn life’ as they drag you out of your bed.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“Hmm...why is it so—OIHWFOIEWJ)IGE(HGGEVUG\\NHWV&ENVE&WNG\\&WEVGNVEW—”\n\n“Shut it! I’m trying to save you from getting shot.”\n\n“Wait, what?”\n\n“Long story short, Emily from school is going to start a school shooting.”\n\n“Lemme get this straight. Emily, that weird kid from school, is going to bring a pistol to school and start shooting.”\n\n“Yessir.”\n\n“And we’re gonna figure out a way to stop her.”\n\n“Yessir.”\n\n“Ho boy, this is turning out a lot like the school shooting memes I’ve come across.”\n\n“It doesn’t matter. We still got to stop her.”\n\n“Alrightie. See you at—wait, how do I know you’re not pranking me?”\n\n“She told me.”\n\n“Still not enough evidence.”\n\n“Still not enough evidence? How about I get this pistol and shoot—”\n\n“That’s enough evidence.”\n\n“Ok. Meet me at the back entrance of the school.”\n\n“Got it, Cide.” \nWell, that was an interesting event. If you didn’t already know, I have a crush on Cide, a semi-popular kid at school. Emily is the sort of kid who curses the world and/or society whenever they screws up. Ironically, the prefix “-cide” means something that kills, and someone named Emily would probably not think of shooting up a school. I have nothing else to say, so I’ll skip to the next morning.\n\nThe next morning\n\nAfter walking to school and waiting for about a minute, I saw Cide walking towards me.\n\n“So, how are we going to stop Emily?” she said.\n\n“How about we just find the gun and—”\n\n“Why hello there.”\n\n“Emily!” I shouted. “What are you doing here?!”\n\n“Really? You think that will fool me? You both know exactly why I’m here today.”\n\n“Uh-oh,” I squeaked, backing away from her.\n\n“Say goodbye to your life, you useless luck-abusing leech.”\n\nAt this point, I had accepted that we failed our mission and didn’t even leap out of the way. Speaking of failing our mission, why am I not dead right now?\n\n“Cr1m3 d035n’t p4y, 5krub.”\n\nLooks like Text Wall showed up. The reason why we call hem that is because his real name is the full name of the chemical titin, which is very, very, very long. Go Google it if you want. Oh, he’s also in special education, which is why he talks like a stereotypical gamer.\n\n“H-heh, why a-are you even h-here? You k-k-know I can j-just sh-shoot you if I w-w-wa-wanted t-to.”\n\n“‘Really? You think that will fool me?’”\n\n“Slick quoting skills there, Text Wall!”\n\n“This isn’t the time for this, Cide. Let’s just get—”\n\n“Ha! You thought I was going to be so screwed, eh? Well, I still have a backup—wait, where’s my backup gun?”\n\n“You gave it to me because you wanted me to help you.”\n\n“Oh yeah. Go shoot that sucker beside you. And get that weird kid while you’re at it.”\n\n“Weird kid? YOU’RE the weird one here, trying to shoot up a school for no good reason.”\n\n“No good reason? Heh. Look at the state of this school and society. Someone’s gotta clean—”\n\n“B4h, humbug! 7h3 w0r1d 15n’t 5cr3w3d 0v3r. Y0u ju5t h4v3 4 r3411y 10w 1nt3111g3nc3 qu0t13nt. 41s0, th15 15 t4k5ng t00 10ng, 50 1’m g01ng t0 4ct1v4t3 my gl1tch3d f0rm.”\n\n“Yeah right. Like you could even “activate a form” that lowers—”\n\n“4̶̊̚͝ͅ4̶̥̦͙͝4̷͈̀̏̕4̸̛̗̰͒͐4̵͓̾̏4̸̹̗̩́4̴͉̮͝4̵̭̀͆4̴̹͛̓4̸͔̝̊͑͘4̷̹̅̌̂4̴̏̅ͅ4̷̡̩̪́͛4̵̟͋͋͐4̶̼̜̓͗̚4̸̹̱͚̀4̷̟͔͊̉̂4̴̻͈͕͘4̵͖͛4̵̠̜͋4̶̛͎̮̯̇͋4̸̹͙̈̃4̸̝̃̚4̴̨͕͌4̸̛̖͎̺̆4̸̨̱͕͛̑͝4̸͚̒̓̅4̸̨̛̗̼̓̀4̶̪̜̞͑͒4̶̠̆4̴͔́̚͜4̶̯̜͐̚4̷̢̈!̸͍͌”\n\n“What the heck are you doing?!”\n\n“Ŭ̵̢̨̺͗͋N̵̗̋̋͘D̶̬̃̓́3̵͔̀R̶̛͔̃3̴͍͖͜͠5̷̣̮͂̍́7̴͙̫̀1̸̫͌͊̎M̴̤͖̯̎4̷̤̓̆̚7̴̭̎̂3̸̞̤͙́̽͌Ḑ̴̧͊͋ ̶̖̌͐͝M̷̳̎̏́Y̷̍͜ ̷̢̓Ṕ̶͈͓̦͌̓0̷̮͚̣̃̽W̶͇̽̾3̸̞̮̏͠R̴̡̬̎ͅ,̶̰͕̄ ̵͔̀́̾H̷̙͍̫̃̽4̸͕̀V̷͓̠͍̑̈́͒3̷̹̊̋͝Ń̸̩̳̠̊̇’̸̠̜̓̚͝7̸̠͕͗͐͘ ̴̮̰̠͝Y̶͈͐̏0̴̛̟͔̄͘U̴̧̥͋̒̚?̸͍̝̪̂̀̐”\n\n“Uh...you literally just scribbled over your shirt with a green and black—”\n\n“5̴̧̪́ͅ1̴̲̂L̴͖̺̔3̶̞͂N̴̖̽̍͝C̵͇͙̄̏3̵̙͉̓!̶͓̩̕ ̵̜̂Y̴̞̭͘0̸̰̬͘U̴͉̝̼͑ ̶̬̥͕̔̌͝1̴̧̠̑͘N̴̝̤̞̏5̶̨̠̩̀0̶̣͌͑L̸̲̤̀͠3̸̨͒̎N̴͍̝̈͗7̸̦̕ ̶̟̯͂̽8̴̧̢̓̽̃R̶̮̍̍1̷̱̽4̴̡̛͙̙͛̔ ̷̩̳͇̐W̶͈̚1̵͚̌7̸͓͖͍̄7̶̰̗̲͊͌ ̷̢̛̀B̷̨͊͐̓3̶̲̏ ̸͓̠̯̅̍̃D̸̹́0̸̫̊́̆0̴̖̺̯͛̍̔M̷̬̩̒͜3̷̧̝̄̀D̴̢̲̍͐ ̸̫̤̄̇4̵͈̓͘5̸̣͈̂̂ ̸͙̫́5̴̍͜0̷̡̪̞̃0̸̩̯̃̓N̴͔̞̹̍ ̴̡̖̠̓4̷͓̐̆5̵̩͚̙͒ ̵̛̟̬̰1̶̜̜̰̑ ̷̨̪̀C̴̝͊͂͝4̷͎̖̒7̵͔̞͇͂̾͝7̸̩̦͉̀̾ ̷͕̊̊1̶̨̥̀̔N̷͎͒̽͒ ̶̝̀̅͝M̴͎̰̍͒Ỳ̵͘ͅ ̵͚̖̥̀̔M̴̭̋̌̔1̷̭͕̹̑̊̔N̷̙̣̝͒̍̃1̵̻̘̍̄͜͝0̴̤͌N̶̢͎̔́͘.̴̱̹̆ ̶̺͒̃̕J̷̬̟̎͠4̴͈̼̠̉̀͑C̶͎͍̼̓̍K̶͉̩̱͂,̸̜͉͈̒̍̐ ̷͓͈͊̎̿4̵͖̞̯̐̀Ř̷̢̙1̵̧̛̜͇̈́̑5̷̠̇͜3̶̗̿̈́!̴͚̀͜”\n\nJack was the sort of jock/big dude/bully mentioned in badly written school bully stories. Ironically, he wasn’t even that mean. He just got really angry if you cut in line or shoved him on purpose.\n\n“Well, I’m gonna present this thingy.” He tapped a phone a couple of times, and then showed everyone what it was playing, which was a video containing Emily telling Cide about her going to shoot up the school tomorrow, along with her handing her a gun.\n\n“Ẉ̵̙̫̏h̷͓͔̀̈́͝4̴͚̺͘͝t̸͔̑͗ ̵̥͓͆4̶̘̘͌͜r̶̡͌̂3̶̅͛͋͜ ̸̼̬̳̈́̓y̵̡͗̇0̵̨̥̥̀͊̆u̸̼͕͇̐̍ ̶̫́g̸̻̫͒̆0̸̣̟́́͋1̵̨́͘n̸̲͙͆̃g̶̳͜͝ ̵͌͜t̵͇̄̑0̸̧̥̓̌̚͜ ̴͇̼͝d̸̨̰̏̅͗0̸̠̠̼͆̍—̴̳̩͕̀̏̒”\n\nAt this moment, Emily leaped toward Cide, trying to snatch the gun from her, and landed flat on her face from not going far enough to grab it.\n\n“Why? Couldn’t you just let me shoot the REAL jerks in the school? I probably would have only gotten through a quarter of the student body, and now this prison disguised as a place of learning will resume the slaughter of the people who aren’t disgusting monkey abominations,” Emily whimpered.\n\n“Uh...I’m not even going to argue with you, because I need to end this,” I said as I pulled out my primitive phone and performed three particular keystrokes.\n\nLong story short, Emily got suspended from school. I thought I would continue my ordinary life, but since everyone thought it was brilliant of me to call the cops on her, I got paraded around like a popular kid, which is rare in my school, as the most and least popular kids don’t have that big of a popularity gap, but Cide did start paying a lot more attention to me, so that’s a plus.\n\nMeanwhile, Text Wall didn’t get one iota of applause for orchestrating whatever operation to record Emily saying she was going to shoot up the school, which convinced the police that Cide wasn’t the school shooter for having a gun." ]	2
	[WP] Write a story featuring an Indiana-Jones-esque adventurer who is hilariously incompetent but manages to succeed unscratched due to sheer dumb luck.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Nick was fat, stupid and fan of Metallica. Nick had multiple problems. And two additional ones. First additional problem was that he sent nudes to Jill. Jill goes to high school and she put Nick's nudes on the facebook. Jill’s Dad saw picts and called police. Sending nudes to an underaged people is a big no-no even in the world where aunts invade your house if you leave crumbs on the floor for too long, or where an omniscient ranking machine is unable to cope with barber paradox and causes citywide power and cell phone signal blackout.\n\nNick was not really aware of the gravity of his current situation. The fact that he was in a police van driving in the dark to an unknown location and that one of his hands was cuffed to the pole in the middle of the van did not strike him as serious.\n\nIssues have a tendency to sort out around Nick, especially when his dad is around. Once, many years ago, his dad took him to a nice man in an ice-cream van where he ate as much ice-cream as he wanted to. Nick's other additional problem was not being able to reach his dad. Nick felt that his neighbor Tess, who he was sharing the van ride with, will help him now, should he need her help.\n\nRather than thinking about his problems, in a typical Nick's fashion, his brain was busy recalling the introduction part of Metallica’s “Fade To Black”.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Nick, stop humming, please.” Tess said “My head hurts.”\n\n“Shut up Tess, you don’t even know what I’m humming!”\n\n“Some Metallica song. I don’t know which, because you can’t hum and I don’t care.”\n\nShe paused.\n\n“I’m sorry Nick. I had a rough day. I was tased.”\n\n“No worries. Do you think they’ll fix phones by the time we get to the police station? I need my dad.”\n\n“I don’t know Nick. We should have had arrived there by now. Station is only 10 minutes from my house. We’ve been driving for two hours.”\n\n“How do you know?”\n\nShe points to her watch.\n\n“Ah, I see. I can’t read those old-fashioned clocks. Those pointers confuse me.”\n\n“Hands. They are called hands. Also, it’s a watch.”\n\n“Watch what?”\n\n“Nothing. Forget about it.”\n\n“So, those hands. “ Nick said “The big skinny red one justs spins around and the other two do not points to numbers. How is that accurate? It’s messed up.”\n\nTess sighs.\n\n“Do you think Jason Newsted is a traitor?” Nick said\n\nBang Bang\n\nTess banged the metal partition separating them from the driver’s cabin. “Hey, police officer. I need to talk to you.”\n\nSwish the slider opened.\n\nThe smell of chocolate Kreme-Filled Donut filled Tess’ nostrils.\n\n“W’at?” female police officer said through the opened slider.\n\n“We’ve been in here for hours. Where are you taking us?”\n\nAfter making a loud gulp the police officer said “Police station. I took the wrong turn. Don’t bug me, I’m busy”\n\n“Yeah, you are…”\n\n“Hey, watch your language. I’m having a bad day. I don’t want to be forced to use justified force on you again. “ police officer said.\n\n“You are having a bad day? You tased me earlier today! And threatened with execution!”\n\nSwush The slider closes.\n\nBang Bang\n\nSwish\n\n“I was rising my arms in ‘surrender’ when you tased me. I don’t think you understand -”\n\n“‘ey! R’sp’ct my a’t’or’ty.” officer said and smacked her lips\n\n“What? What about my rights?”\n\nSwush\n\n“ALSO, YOU SHOULD NOT EAT WHILE DRIVING!”\n\n“It’s dangerous!”\n\n“I know you heard me.”\n\n“Fine!” Tess said.\n\n“Tess, are you talking to me?” Nick said\n\n“Nick… No.”\n\nBang Bang\n\n“Hey miss PoPo!” Nick banged and gestured “what?” to bewildered Tess\n\n“PoPo, do you think Jason Newsted is a traitor?”\n\nSwish\n\n“D’n’t do th’t ag’n. I d’n’t kn’w who Jason Newsted is.”\n\n“What? He was Metallica’s bas-”\n\nSwush\n\n“Rude” Nick said.\n\nBang Bang\n\nSwish\n\n“He was the bassist after Cliff Burton die-.”\n\nSwush\n\n“Nick, what are you doing?!” Tess said, her eyes big, “You’re pissing her off!”\n\n“What? You talked to her twice too!”\n\n“Nick, stop it! I made a mistake. I was mad. Please don’t do it again”\n\n“She didn’t know who Jason Newsted is”\n\nBang Bang\n\nBefore Tess could react, slider opened\n\nSwish\n\n“Do you know who Cliff Burton was?”\n\nSwush\n\nVan slowed down.\n\n“We’re so fucked” Tess said.\n\nThe back door opened. From the dark, an overweight police officer in riot gear stared at them. Instead of a riot helmet, she wore an Indiana Jones-style hat with a giant flashlight attached to it, it’s light beam blinding Nick and Tess. The police officer had taser in one hand and a half eaten donut in the other. The other donut half was in her mouth, about to start its journey to esophagus.\n\n“Wh’t ’id I say? Y’u” the police officer pointed to Nick “Y’u ‘re ‘n tr’bl… Grkgl..chk!..grrkklhhrr!..”\n\nNick’s eyes opened wide.\n\n“CLIFF BURTON WAS A GOD!” he yelled “HE LIVES FOREVER!”\n\n‘Orion’ might have been the last thing the police officer heard before she asphyxiated ungracefully. She laid on the ground, her eyes opened and mouth stained with chocolate and vanilla custard.\n\n“OH MY GOD!” screamed Tess covering her eyes, her whole body shaking “SHE IS FUCKING DEAD!”\n\nNick chuckled. “Serves her right! No one disrespects Cliff Burton and gets to live the next day!“\n\nFor a moment, Tess just sat frozen, head sunk to her knees, cuffed hand desperately clutching the pole, and hyperventilated.\n\n“Hey, Tess” Nick said “Do you like her hat? I always wanted Indiana Jones hat. I'm totally like Indiana Jones, you know. You must see the resemblance, right? It has to be there, right...? It's what this is all about...”\n\n\"I don't know what you're talking about Nick...\" Tess said\n\n\"Yeah.. It didn't feel like Indiana Jones type of an adventure... I guess the Big One fucked up this time.\" Nick said\n\nTess shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.\n\n“Tess, are you okay?”\n\n“No, I’m not okay. I just watched a person die!”\n\n“Yeah, that was rough. Come, let me hug you.”\n\nHis hug was squishy and stank like sweat. It made Tess feel violated rather than comforted, but she was in no state to say anything.\n\n“Nick, your hands! You’re not cuffed! How...” she said finally\n\n“Oh that. Yeah, handcuffs just fell off. I don’t know why, it just happened. Do you think I can have her hat?”\n\nAt that moment, something beyond Nick’s comprehension caused the omniscient ranking machine to resolve it’s segmentation fault issue. In the distance, city tower lights flickered in unison like a million fireflies flying in the dark summer night.\n\nNick felt like a hero, and Tess, the heroine he just saved, was in his embrace." ]	2
	[WP] You wake in the middle of the night to a group of people armed to teeth surrounding your bed. You’re just about to scream when one of them turns, hands you a gun and says, “You’re gonna need this, they’re almost here.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 I was shaken awake in the middle of the night, I assumed it was my roommate. I was wrong. A man, clad in black, which greatly contrasted with his bright red hair, stood at my bedside. His eyes looked like giant bulbs sticking out of his head but as my mind cleared, I realized they were dark tinted goggles. He pushed a gun, butt first, toward me. I rubbed my eyes, furiously trying to get out of the dream but he was still there.\n\n\"Come on, we have to get you out of here. Take this and let's move,\" he repeated in a low, rushed whisper as he pushed the M&P Shield into my hand. I flinched at the cold weight of the pistol. I hadn't been to the range in a long time. Wait, what the fuck was I thinking? A bunch of black-clad well armed men show up in my room and I take a pistol from them?! I must still be asleep, that's the reason for all of this. I dropped the gun unceremoniously onto the bed and tried to roll over.\n\n\"Just leave me alone, go away.\" I whined without any real conviction. The blanket was wrenched from my grasp and another of the black-clad figures bent down close to my ear. Her face was covered completely by black fabric and her eyes were covered by the same dark goggles. I didn't know how she could see. The only reason I knew she was female was the slim figure of her body in her tight clothing. 'I could never wear something like that,' was the only thought that crossed my mind.\n\n\"You are not this weak. Get your ass up and get the fuck in line. Our mission is not just to save you.\" She hissed at me. Her words chilled me and my gut screamed at me to follow her command. I usually followed my gut and I wanted the gun, if only to feel a little protected from this scary woman. I grabbed it as I stood; my weariness forgotten.\n\n\"Stay behind me,\" Red said as the woman and the only other man in the room stacked up on the door out of my bedroom.\n\n\"Wait, my roommate,\" I croaked out.\n\n\"Don't worry, just do as I say and we will all make it out.\" He insisted. I threw my shoes on without socks and nodded at him. I needed to make a choice. I just didn't know what that choice entailed, yet. I was a good cop in my time though. I'd figure it out, hopefully before anyone got hurt.\n\nThey moved through my small apartment with the grace and silence of a cat on a hunt. I bumbled my way behind them, stubbing my toe in the near pitch black of the dark room. Every time I made a noise, I felt, more than saw, Red cringe a little. It helped me focus but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't be as silent as they were. Luckily, my roommate's snores helped cover my incompetence.\n\nBefore I knew it, we were in the hallway and working our way slowly toward the back stairwell. The woman darted through the doorway followed closely by the other taller man. A moment later he leaned back through and motioned us forward. When I crossed the doorway, I could make out a body on the landing. He was also dressed in black but had a skull facemask covering his face. The white was a stark contrast to the gloom. I couldn't see his chest move but I hoped he was just unconcious. Shit, I hadn't even heard a breath of the struggle. These people had to be pros.\n\nWe passed the other landing and the woman had her arm wrapped around then neck of another large man with a skull mask. 'What the fuck do they want with me? Who are these people?' I thought, dumbfoundedly staring at her as we slid by. She took up the rear without so much as a glance back to the man she had taken down. She was so small and fucking scary.\n\nSoon, we found ourselves outside. The light of the full moon helped me continue forward until we were under the tree cover. I stumbled twice before Red grabbed me by the shoulders and started pulling me along behind him. They sped up till I couldn't breathe. The stitch in my side ached with every step and I thought I would collapse. I stopped to catch my breath with my hands on my knees.\n\n\"We can't stop here,\" the woman hissed. \"Fitz, carry her before she has a seizure.\"\n\n\"How… how do you know…\" I started to say through my labored breathing.\n\n\"Shh, we will explain. Hop on,\" Red, or I guess, Fitz said as he turned his back to me. \"We're friends, I promise.\"\n\n\"Jury is still out,\" I replied as I climbed on his back. I was embarrassed with having to be carried but I knew I couldn't match them. Turned out, they were going slow for me. The second he had me on his back, they increased their speed again. The wind, even though the night was stale, blew my hair back like I was riding a motorcycle. I closed my eyes against it and prayed this man wouldn't hit a tree.\nI lost track of time as they ran but eventually, Fitz slid to a halt and I opened my eyes to another dark room. This one felt much bigger than my bedroom though I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. Fitz set me down and my legs felt like jelly. He caught me just before I hit the cold concrete floor. The old stale smell of oil permeated everything making me think we were in some kind of warehouse.\n\n\"I'm ok, sorry. It's just so dark.\" I said as Fitz set me back on my feet. A small flicker flashed in my eyes as the other man lit a lantern. The sudden brightness made may eyes narrow as I waited for them to adjust.\n\n\"Sarge, you think that's a good idea?\" The woman whispered.\n\n\"We will keep it low. We made it out without being followed. We are good for now, Jane.\" He replied evenly.\n\n\"Still, things would be easier without the stowaway. She's useless and you know it.\" She replied quietly. It seemed the dark room was making everyone speak quietly. I followed Fitz over into the light. Anger coursed through my body but I took a breath to calm myself. I hated this woman already.\n\n\"Why don't you tell me what's going on so maybe I won't be useless.\" I asked, clearly directing my question to the man coined Sarge. The woman scoffed in my direction but I ignored her.\n\n\"You can call me Sarge, that's Fitz and she's Jane.\" He said turning to me. His face mask remained in place and I couldn't help but wonder why Fitz was the only one not bothering to hide.\n\n\"Jessie,\" I replied.\n\n\"We know who you are, Jessica Grayson.\"", "“I.. what?”\n\nThat is all I was able to muster out of my mouth as a nearly seven foot tall man stared down at me with a gun in his hand.\n\n“God dammit, just take the gun and get up” a lady standing at the door shouted. She must have had at least 15 guns on her, strapped into different parts of her outfit. My heart may have skipped a few beats when I seen her, but that may have also just been the adrenaline from waking up to this situation. She held one foot in the doorway and kept poking her head out. One of the benefits of living in a bachelor suite, is you can see everything - except for the bathroom of course. “They're going to be coming any minute” she continued.\n\nI grabbed the gun from the giant at the foot of my bed and sprung onto the floor. As I was fully out of bed, standing in the shadow of the grizzly man - I realized I was completely naked. I grabbed my blanket to cover myself. “Can you give me a second?” I asked the giant staring directly at my vulnerable body. He turned around, but not without letting out a quick sigh. I wasn’t sure if he was disappointed in my size, or if he couldn’t watch me change. Pushing the thought aside, I quickly grabbed my pants off the floor and slipped them on.\n\nAs I searched for a t-shirt in the pile of clothes I’ve been meaning to put away, I began to ask questions. “So, do you mind telling me what’s going on?” “Who’s coming here?”\n\nBefore anyone can answer me, a radio strapped to the lady’s shoulder turned on.\n\nA man’s voice came over the radio. “You have 1 minute to get them out of there Shelley.” She looked back at me. “You hear that? You need to get your ass moving a lot faster over there.” I turned to face her. As I turned my head I noticed another two people standing in the room.\n\n“What the fuck! Where did you guys come from?” A man standing near the kitchen began to chuckle and said “We’ve been here the whole time buddy.”\n\nJust as I got fully dressed a bullet shot through the window of my apartment and hit one of the armed guys I didn’t even know was standing there. “Let’s move” shouted the giant as he grabbed me and began running towards the door.\n\nAs we got into the hallway he put me down and pointed towards the stairs, telling me to go down that way. He grabbed his radio and spoke into it. “They’re going to be heading down the north stairwell.”\n\n“What? You’re not coming?” I looked up at him like a kid finding out his parents weren't coming to school with them on their first day. He started pushing me towards the stairs and said “There’s people waiting for you down there. Good guys. Now go!”\n\nI ran down the stairs as fast as I could. My heart was racing as adrenaline flowed through my body. It felt as if I was floating down every step, until I got past the second floor. I missed a step halfway down and went flying to the bottom. My head slammed against the concrete wall and everything went black.\n\n\\-\n\nWhen I woke up, I was in the back of van. There wasn’t a single window in there. I had no idea where I was. The lady in the doorway was there. Shelley.\n\n“Uhh.. it’s Shelley, right?” I asked, not sure what I was intending to follow up with. She looked at me and smiled. “You’re damn right it’s Shelley. It’s good to have you back!” The smile on her face washed away immediately and she continued. “It’s too bad we had to meet again in these circumstances.”\n\n“I.. Sorry.. I, don’t remember you. How do you know me?” I wondered what she could have meant by ‘having me back’.\n\n“Trust me. No one knows you better than me, partner.” She winked and turned towards the front of the van as a small window opened. “We’re here” the driver of the van shouted to us. I could see his eyes through the rear-view mirror staring at me. “It’s good to see you again buddy. We’re counting on you to help us this one last time.”\n\nThe van came to a halt and Shelley opened up the doors, jumping out. “Let’s move. I’ll explain everything inside.”" ]	3
	[WP] There is a beautiful statue of a women in the middle of a large city. A myth of this states that when the woman's soul mate touches her hand she will become human. This, naturally becomes a popular photo spot. One day you decide to pose for a picture while holding her hand.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 looked down at the beautiful girl between my arms, shocked.\n\n\"Hello?\" She said, mystified. \"Are you the love of my life?\"\n\nI stared in amazement then said \"I guess I am\"\n\nShe smiled and jumped for a tight hug and a peck on the lips. \"My father turned me to stone after my husband left me for another girl so that I will be able to find the love of my life.\"\n\n\"How long have you been in stone form for?\" I asked.\n\n\"Since 1750 I believe.\" She gave a smile. \"But don't worry, my dad kept me up to date with everything happening in the works so once you found me I wouldn't be a peasant from the 1750 living in the future.\"\n\n\"Your father must be a powerful man. Who is he?\"\n\nShe smirked and pointed up. \"He says you don't like him that much, he actually would like to meet you because he didn't think an atheist would be the love of my life.\"\n\nBefore I could say anything we shot up into the sky and landed in a living room that belonged to a normal and uninteresting house. Red carpet, white furniture, a few landscape paintings on the wall, and flower pots at each corner. \n\nAt the opposite end a middle aged man with a clean shaven face, wide shoulders and mediocre biceps like he visited the gym every couple of days to curl and no more. \"What's up,\" the man said \"have a seat.\" He pointed at a couch to his left.\n\nThe girl sat down next to him. It took me a bit but I shook my disbelief and before sitting I asked \"Who are you?\"\n\n\"Well I am the only person you reject in life, I am god. Now please have a seat.\"\n\nI sat down. \"So what am I here to be punished because I didn't believe you existed?\" My tone was becoming defensive.\n\n\"Oh no no no, I don't punish people nor do I reward them. Your idea of permanent unconsciousness after death is true.\" He continued \"I brought you here because you're the love of my daughter's life, she's been waiting for almost 300 years you know. This is something we shogod celebrate.\" He got up and walked up to a table filled with drinks that I didn't notice before. \"Beer?\" He asked me.\n\nI kept drifting away so he had to ask twice until I finally said \"Yes, thank you.\"\n\nHe sat down with two glasses of wine, one for him and another for his daughter. \"I still don't know your daughter's name.\" I said between sips of my beer.\n\nShe was staring at me, although I didn't know what to make of the way she stared at me. \"I'm Luna.\" She answered with a shy smile.\n\n\"The Luna\" god continued for her.\n\n\"Wait, The Luna? You mean the Moon?\" I shook my head in disbelief. \"That can't be\"\n\n\"But it is true, friend. She is the Moon. Do you like her?\" \n\n\"Are you kidding me? She's beautiful. Of course I like her. But I am mistified at why would the Moon turn into human form. Is it to have fun?\"\n\n\"Well at first yes, it was for fun,\" Luna answered. \"But after I lived a few years as a human I knew what you humans value the most as a mortal species, which is love. I wanted to find the love of my life but the man that I loved left me for another woman so my dad turned me to stone so I could wait for the love of my life peacefully\"\n\n\"Excuse me, God\" \n\n\"You can call me Uranus, or Ur for short. Don't feel pressured to be formal, you humans are friends to me.\" He explained.\n\n\"Thanks. So, Ur, how am I supposed to handle this? I mean she's beautiful, she is godly, in every literal sense of the world. She is the MOON for your sake. I am not sure I can be the love of the fucking Moon's life. I won't be able to satisfy her, in both ways.\" I was afraid I'd get obliterated on the spot. \n\nLuna giggled. \"I am shy, you know. But you freaking out like this has made me more comfortable. Don't worry about satisfying me, if fate has destined us to be lovers for life then you'll be able to satisfy me, both ways\" she smirked.\n\nUranus laughed. \"I see why you two are destined for each other. Have a happy life you two. I'll send you back now.\"\n\nI shot up out of my seats and reached put with my hands. \" Wait no,\" Uranus stopped \" what happens after I die? Will she just get turned to stone again and wait for another love while I disappear?\"\n\n\"Oh no. Once you die you'll both go to live in space, it is also what happens with my Sun and the love of his life. They now live in space with the space beings.\"\n\n\"I have a lot of questions for you Ur.\" I crossed my arms.\n\nHe smirked. \"You'll ask me when you're dead\" he snapped.\n\nLuna and I were back on earth in my tiny college dorm. \"Now what\" she asked playfully.\n\n\"Now,\" I looked out at the starry night sky through my window \"we reach for the stars, my love.\"" ]	2
	[WP] Dale Scott dies in his sleep, and enters a different world. He asks a man before him (who’s sitting on a well-organized desk) to bring him back to life. In return, the man asks Scott to kill 3 people. Scott does so, but the man sees through Scott’s selfishness and incarcerates his soul forever.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 knife, a gun, a broken bottle.\n\nThe kitchen knife stuck out of a woman’s neck in New York City. Its handle lay broken off near her dead face, and would be discovered in the gray pink of an early morning.\n\nThe gun left its mark in a Frenchman’s brain. He would never be aware of the bullet or the discarded gun itself. It was the most merciful of the killings.\n\nThe broken bottle tore a child’s face in Tokyo. He had screamed and struggled bravely. He almost earned his murderer’s respect in his fight for survival, but this did not remotely hinder Dale Scott’s desire to watch the child’s life pour out onto the gravel.\n\nScott stood before the man behind the desk. Golden statues of terrified souls lined the room, watching the two men with sightless eyes. \n\nHe adjusted his viscera-dotted spectacles before declaring that, “I have done what you asked. Three lives for my own salvation.”\n\nThe man behind the desk frowned, to Scott’s angry confusion. His next words were freezingly premeditated.\n\n“Dale, you have only proved you are unworthy of my compassion. You will never be saved, by me nor any other spirit.” \n\nScott’s face twisted itself into a snarl rivaling a trapped wolf’s.\n\nHe growled. “C’mon man, I did what you asked!”\n\n“Ah, so you did,” the man replied. His implacable accent cut his vowels into ice. “And so you shall be consigned to me. I warn you, I possess no human notion of mercy, although I suspect we may have that in common.”\n\nWithout looking up, he blocked Scott’s fist with a gloved hand. The man pushed his fists and ankles together and conjured bindings to wrap around his extremities. Scott’s screaming mouth he muffled with the same rope, knocking his glasses to the floor. \n\nThe man scowled again and swept a stray lock of hair back across his head. \n\nScott writhed on the tiles. If the man still had a sense of humor, he would’ve been repressing laughter.\n\nHe gently removed his right glove and cupped Scott’s cheek. Panic shone in Scott’s bulging eyes as gold leaked from the man’s hands and onto his solidifying skin.\n\nHis feet kicked one last time, as if to somehow escape their owner’s fate. They failed. \n\nThe man heaved the gold statue up and propped it against a wall. It blended in perfectly with its metal fellows. \n\nMidas picked up his glove and gingerly pulled it over his fingers. He flexed them all, pinky, then ring, middle, index, and thumb. \n\nThe man stared down at Scott’s body. The Fields of Punishment were never merciful. \n\nMidas wasn’t either, anymore.\n\n__\n\nr/Bennywrites" ]	2
	[WP] Due to a contact loop hole you have sold your soul to dozens of demons. Now they've come to collect and are super confused with all the demonic shenangins afoot.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 world revolved me like they said it would. \n\n Years ago I made a deal I barely remember and everything is perfect. My perfect body is framed by perfect suits. My perfect wife had healthy, perfect children and had a perfect job that made me look even better than I already did. Money wasn’t something I even remember having to think about, and perfect things are happening as they should. Everyday is more perfect than the last. \n\n I considered how to spend another one of my perfect days as I sat in one of my Gulfstream aircraft now gliding toward one of my favorite islands in the middle of the Pacific. Swirling my whiskey on the rocks I idly watched the attendant walk slowly and gracefully on her long perfect legs up the isle back to the bar from where she came and thought how not long ago that this is exactly what was in my minds eye when I pricked my finger with a long black pen. \n\n“Hello Ben, it’s been a while.”\n\nI spilled my expensive drink all over my starched white shirt and shifted my gaze to the stuffed leather chair opposite me. \nA pair of dark eyes over a smirk grimaced at me over steepled fingers. The body I was looking at looked like a badly photoshopped celebrity, because that was exactly what it was - a corporeal copy of one of the magazines spread out on the oak table between us. \n\n“As-“ I choked\n\n“Asmodeus.” he finished. “And it’s time to collect my dues. The time has come old boy.”\n\nHe peered out the window by his side and seeing the clouds drenched in the reds of a setting sun he whistled. \n\n“Not bad.”\n\n“But first,” he snapped his fingers and my attendant seemed to appear at his side completely naked except for her high heels. “A drink.” \n\n“I’ll have what he’s having, and you’d better bring two and some napkins.” \n\n She turned around without a hint of embarrassment and with one foot in front of the other like it was any other day, she marched back to the bar and brought down a bottle. \n\nWith a wink at me he leaned back and brought out a cigar from his white vest, and produced a match from behind his ear.\n\n “A demon’s work is never done, but I’ll be damned if I won’t take a break in between collecting souls.” \nHe put special emphasis on the ‘be damned’ just to note the irony. \n\n“Thank you dear,” he said taking his glass, “feel free to roam about the cabin as long as you’d like.” \nI took mine still partially in a daze, but coming to terms with the situation. I gulped at the soothing liquid, gradually centering my mind and reminding myself of who I was talking to. \n\n“So do I sign another paper, or are we waiting for Satan to show up?” I said as evenly as I could. \n\n“Sa-tan?!” He said in a mock alarm, “I hope not! You’re mine and I-“ he pointed squarely at his chest with his two thumbs aimed at each breast, “Did all the work.” \n\n“So credit goes where credit is due in Hell?” I said with a note of sarcasm.\n\n“Mmmm.” Asmodeus waved a hand left and right, streaming blue smoke from the cigar between his fingers . “Depends on the contract. It doesn’t get much simpler than yours my friend.”\n\nI had to agree with him there, from what I remember the contract was one paragraph giving me all my desires in exchange for one soul, but of course it was written in legalese and blood. \n\n“Not really.” \nA new voice resounded from my right.\n\n Asmodeus coolly swiveled his chair to the newcomer with a cold stare, but seemed to be taken off guard. \n I had one scare and plenty of liquor, so what was one more demon on a plane? \nBefore this contract I had to fly United, so I wasn’t completely terrified of Hell or any of its minions I’ve met so far. \n\n “Berith.” Asmodeus said flatly. “How do you even have the time these days? It’s summer in Chicago.”\n He delivered his punchline with a guarded and even tone.\n\n Berith chose another form from one the magazines published by one of my companies. \n A tall, muscled man in tactical beige pants, combat boots, black polo and grey cap. His wide frozen smile was framed by a neatly trimmed goatee. \n\n “Since the invention of guns my old friend, my job gets easier every year.” \n\n With that they regarded each other wearily, giving me another moment to take a breath that I just realized I’ve been holding for what seemed like five minutes.\n \n “I have claim on this soul.” \n Berith leaned forward glaring at Asmodeus.\n\n Asmodeus, holding Berith’s stare, coolly reached into his vest, retrieving a folded piece of paper and slowly opened it. He read with his half smoked cigar in the corner of his lips:\n\n “I - Benjamin Gleason, in exchange for all my earthly desires without limit do agree to the undersigned authority full ownership of his soul. The undersigned authority designated ‘Asmodeus’ will collect the soul belonging to ‘Benjamin Gleason’ at the time of death or within the hour of death. \n -Signed Benjamin Gleason \n - Signed Authority ‘Asmodeus’ \n On this day October 31,1987.”\n\n“ and I don’t see ‘Berith’ or ‘idiot’ anywhere in the contract my friend.” \n\n Berith didn’t even blink, but smiled wider at Asmodeus, causing him to look back down at the contract. \n\nBerith leaned back and beckoned to the still naked and weirdly unfazed attendant. “Jack neat.” He demanded without a glance at her. \n\n “Your contract is worthless and it is you my friend who are the idiot, and what makes this so,so sweet is the stupid face you’re making at this moment while your shit yourself trying to work it out.”\n\n“Berith, I’m glad you could join us,” A honeyed tone perked up from behind the bar. “but my dear boys, I’m sorry but I must swoop in here.”\n\nBoth demons snapped their heads 180 degrees to the bar behind them. I almost vomited at the sight of the sudden contortions. \n\nThe naked and tall blonde, now suddenly familiar as I looked back at the stack of magazines and noticed the cover of Maxim - started a slow and intimidating walk back down toward us. \nHer perfect figure swaying and gliding in all the right ways that terrified my mind and excited my body.\n\n“Leviathan.” Both whispered. Then sat up straighter as she approached. \n\n“Whaaat the hell is going on!” I stammered.\n\nBoth heads of the demons tracked the approaching figure and finally faced a decent direction as she sat her perfect ass on another seat. \n\n“Yes.” “What the Hell indeed.” Leviathan took the contract from Asmodeus’ now limp hand and seemed to summon glasses with a necklace attached often seen on librarians and placed them on her nose.\n\n“Standard boiler plate contract form 34b?”\n\n“Yes.” Asmodeus said quietly. \n\nWith a glance at him she said.\n“These contracts are now written on 34c’s”\n\n“Fuck!” Breathed Asmodeus.\n\nShe turned to Berith. “You thought the contract is void to the original authority based on Standard Seventh Circle code 546.32a stating ‘any contract written in any form that is replaced by a newer form must be re-signed on the new form before the due date or contract is void’?”\n\n“Yes.” Berith growled.\n\n“You were going to extend this mortal’s life in exchange for a new contract weren’t you?”\n\n“I can’t?” Berith frowned. \n\n“No.” Leviathan removed her glasses from her eyes and let them dangle over her perfect breasts. “You didn’t read the next line.” \n\nShe was suddenly holding a large leather bound volume open to a page with very small red text running in no particular direction on the page. She pointed to the symbols. \n\n“No mortal life can be altered by either extension or retraction by any authority based on a voided contract. The mortal life must be reset to the beginning of the contract.” \n\nBy now my heart had been through the ringer. My life and my soul was in the hands of contract laws written in Hell. \nI was swiftly losing my grip on my sanity. \n\nI shouted. “For fucks sake just kill me Asmodeus are you just toying with me before you send me to Hell?!” \n\nI woke up in 1987. I was very cold and I realized I was on a plane. \nA very crowded plane.\n I was sleeping on the gelatinous arm of a very large man who was also asleep, and slathered in sweat. \nEveryone on the plane looked like they were on their way to a funeral or a wedding they really, really didn’t want to go to. \nA child started crying. \n\nThe seat to my right was occupied by someone who looked like a badly photoshopped celebrity. \nHe leaned toward me and gave me a piece of paper and whispered. “Sign here and you won’t have to fly United ever again in your life.”\n\n“Fuck yeah,” I said “Give me a fucking pen right now.”\n\nEdit: I changed the premis a little." ]	2
	[WP] In a post-apocalyptic future, your years-long search for another human finally comes to an end when you find another survivor. Except they’re... not quite what you expected.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 rainy day. Rainier than usual, really. The downpour had only stopped four... five times since the day? Doesn’t matter, really. The world was fucked, and mulling over it isn’t going to change anything. \n\nOn that day, I was out looking for some scraps. The radio broke down the day before, turns out you’re not supposed to chuck it across the room in frustration. Fixing it isn’t the hard part. Finding the motivation to is. Especially when you spent an entire morning trudging through mud looking for parts as the heaven assault you with its incessant rain. I didn’t know why I even tried to go out at all. It’s been a decade since I last saw a corpse, let alone a person. I knew it was pointless, like the abandoned mall I’m standing in, or this little floating rock, fucking pointless. I still tried to look for them though, loneliness does funny things to one’s mind. \n\nI found the last parts at around five. Just in time for dinner with good old me in my good old little bunker. Being a conspiracy theorist has its perks, like living a miserable life alone after some apocalypse. I reached home at maybe six, seven? Couldn’t care less. What I didn’t expect was the slightly ajar door. Did those damn pests evolve or something? I readied my gun and stepped in with as much silence as a soaked man wearing muddy boots can muster. And right round the corner is the intruder, a... woman with long hair? \n\nOne could not imagine the sheer emotions coursing through me at that time. It’s like being electrocuted as someone tickles your sole in a rollercoaster. I nearly dropped the gun right then and there. I certainly did when she turned around though. I didn’t remember what exactly happened, as I became lucid around the time I was already burrowing my face into her chest like a little child while bawling so hard the rain seems dry. She stroked my hair like a mother despite all the filth stuck on it since times unknown. \n\nWe finally separated when the outside had become dark and my belly started to rumble. After fixing ourselves a meal, I finally get to talk to someone else since the day. Her voice, it was melodious. Like a man in the desert, I drank every single words she said, engraved every part of that conversation in my mind. \n\n“I’m sorry, but I have to go.”\n\nIt’s like being slapped in the face. “What do you mean you have to go? Please stay, please. I can’t go alone anymore.”\n\n“Please just listen. I’m not from here... now. I’m not alive, not yet anyway. And you are the one who will bring me to life.”\n\nWhat?\n\n“I know that it’s hard to believe, but hear me. I’m from the future. The one in which humanity was revived. By you.”\n\nI was baffled. Was she going insane?\n\n“You must remember project Prometheus.” That caught my attention. “How do you know of it?” I asked. \n\n“In the future, you, the last human on Earth, revived the project. You managed to bring back us. You are our creator, our father.” I was certainly baffled. \n\n“So I implore you, go back to the site. You might be the last human on Earth now, but thanks to you, we get to be the new humans of Earth.” \n\nShe stood up and began to glow. “When you create your first successful human, say hi to her for me.” With a flash, she’s gone. \n\nAnd I’m alone again. \n\n————————————————————\n\nNext morning, the sky cleared. A rare sight. I gave my home one last look, before turning to my destination. I knew what to do now, and with sunlight shining down on me, I made my first step towards my destiny." ]	2
	[WP] It is not the dark that scares people, it's what looks back	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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
	[WP] A world where everyone has a superpower, but no one can ever have a repeat of that power resulting in a surplus of people with oddly specific, menial powers. Your father is the worlds strongest superhero, and you have big shoes to fill even if your abilities are nothing like his.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Damien closed his eyes and held his dead father’s hand. It was still warm. The pool of blood from his open head hadn’t yet reached the hand. \n\nHe was in the garage, shot by a god-killer while changing the oil in his car. \n\n“I won’t let you down, dad.” Damien squeezed tight. He was terrified of what he was about to do, but it had to be done. “I found the bright side.” \n\nHe thought back to four years ago, on his ninth birthday. The memory played like a movie in his head. \n\nDamien and his father sat amidst empty chairs, a large and untouched cake on a table in front of them. \n\nDamien sat quietly. He hadn’t expected anyone to come in the first place. \n\n”Always remember, Dame. When half the world is in darkness, the other half is in light.” Damien’s father smiled and ”There’s always a bright side.” \n\n“How does me having a blacklisted power have a bright side?” Damien held back tears. “My power is to drain life. Miss Funez says it’s evil.” \n\n”You’ve been augmented for two days, Dame. The way powers work, it takes most people years to truly understand them. Stay patient. You’ll find a bright side.” \n\nAs usual, he was right. It turned out that Damien’s power wasn’t to drain life, but to transfer it. There was a zombie fly somewhere in the house that could attest to that. It opened up a whole new side of possibilities. \n\nOf course, resurrecting the fly took Damien’s breath away for a long moment. How much would this take? \n\nIf a villain killed his father, something huge was being planned. It didn’t matter the cost, so long as he came back. \n\nDamien looked at his father’s face, still recognizable despite a large hole near the top of his head. \n\nThere was no reason it wouldn’t work. \n\nDamien pushed his energy into his father. It felt odd. Like he was slowly going to sleep. \n\nIt took only seconds, but it was hard to maintain. The more he pushed, the harder it became to push. \n\nThe wound began sealing shut, the hand gaining warmth. \n\nDamien let out a gasp, nearly out of strength. \n\nHe saw his father’s eyes snap open as his own shut. He tried to open them and found they already were. Still, he could no longer see. \n\nHe heard his father’s voice. “Dame?” \n\nHis hearing went after that. \n\nHe felt a warm hand take his cheek." ]	2
Ghosts, Demons, Aliens, whatever you want it to be! Go!	[WP] Humans aren't meant to experience depression: that voice we hear reminding us of our every failure and anxiety is not natural. You've just discovered what that is…	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 war and they were winning.\n\nThe others couldn't see it, but I knew. I had no evidence for my claims, but I had experienced what they were capable of.\n\nThe silent killer. Depression. The figure creeping about in the edge of your vision, playing at your insecurities. Anxiety. What many considered simply errors in the mind, I knew in my heart to be much more. They were sentient, crafty, capable of plotting. I wasn't sure what their true end goal was, but I knew they wanted to spread. To replicate. To take control. And the worst part?\n\nThey did it like it was nothing.\n\nCountless lives were taken by their plot. A large percentage of people already under their influence. I was no different. They had me in their iron grip too.\n\nBut I'll be damned if I don't go out without a fight.\n\nI visited a therapist weekly. I received medication from my doctor. I practiced good personal hygiene. I made sure to eat well and to get plenty of sunlight. These actions served as a deterrant, but sadly weren't a magical cure-all. It limited their influence, not freed me of it. Even if I could remove them from me all at once, I wouldn't dare. Not yet. Why, you might ask? \n\nBecause this wasn't a war of us verse them. We don't even count as participants. We were just the battlefield.\n\nNo. There was another force at work. One stronger than depression and anxiety and all of the negative emotions that collaborated alongside them. The one in the lead in this back and forth tumble. That's why even if just a little bit, I needed them to balance me out.\n\nHave you not figured it out yet? Then let me ask you a question. A bit of food for thought.\n\nIf these negative emotions and voices that lead us to darkness aren't natural, then what about the positive ones that shine light upon us and make us feel warm? Have you even stopped to consider what you regard as normal and why that truly is? \n\nWith one hand I scooped up some anti-depressants into my mouth, swishing them down with a bottle of whiskey in the other.\n\nOne day, I would reach an equilibrium.", "I’ve always felt special. I could hear and see and feel things no one else did. The sound of the horn no one squeezed before they hit the kid chasing a ball, the guy tripping on his feet at the kerb just to be hit by the bus, the pothole that will make the car swerve into an old lady as she’s about to cross the street. \n\nI was taken to the clinic. I was made to talk about this. I was told these aren’t powers. I was told I’m confusing correlation and causation. I was told I need to be medicated. That my power was just feelings.. a feeling called schizophrenia. I didn’t believe them. I couldn’t believe that I made this shit up. Somebody was talking to me. Making me hear, see.. feel even. \n\nIt kept up through the drugs.. the shock “therapy” even. I didn’t ask for this power. I had it. I wanted to use it to help folks out.. but folks said fuck your you’re crazy.. \n\nThen it came again. The visions.. the smells.. the sounds.. in the middle of my shock therapy.. I screamed.. they thought it was pain.. \n\nJet engines screaming through the air.. the military failing.. the confusion.. intel failing and ignored.. towers falling.. a president reading a children’s book,", "I can kill them. Medicine helps yes, it impairs how they function, and may cause them to leave a host. But even then they will find another to infect. But I can actually kill them. \n\nOf course you would want to know who \"they\" are. You could refer to them as demons, since it was their existence that inspired stories of demons and possessions. But demons they are not. They are beings that travel the multiverse looking for prey, once they find a world suitable they build a bridge and, infect our minds. They have no physical form, and they need chaos and death to survive, to feed off of. Once they are done with our world we will be gone, and it will be theirs. Then they will look for a new world in a new universe to harvest. \n\nRight, how do I think I know of this. Because I killed the one who infected me. See, while most are simply harvesting our misery and making more of themselves, some, infect us to keep us in check. You see doctor, some of us are born with ways to fight them, wonders of evolution I suppose. If they sense us to be a threat we are infected with a special \"demons\" who's main purpose is to suppress our ability to fight back. My mind can produce a unique wave length apparantly, I do not fully understand it, but I think it nullifies their energy, and since they exist as energy and nothing more they stop existing. When this \"demon\" died he could no longer control his knowledge, and because he infected my mind I know what he knew.\n\nOf course you didn't believe me when I told you this story 3 days ago. So why make me repeat it now? Is it because so many hopeless patients mysteriously get better in the last 3 days? \n\nAlso doctor... why do you look so upset?", "I heard once that the human brain was half-jokingly called a 'biological computer.' The idea that every neuron was a wire, & every impulse fully electric was laughable then. It turns out it's not entirely wrong. Or more accurately; It's not wrong at all.\n\n\nAs our imaging machines grew in complexity & precision, more & more abnormalities were seen. Nodes in connective tissue. Hinges on joints. Something eerily resembling battery attachments at the base of the skull- of every human skull- mimicking a 'plus' & a 'minus.'\n\n\nAnd even deeper down, within our cells, within the genes that code everything from the formations of our organs to the shapes of our faces, we found them. Line upon line upon line of code. True & indelible, fused to the helixes of our DNA. Commanding everything from personality to desires to fight or fly. And there was nothing you could do to edit it. Copy & paste, sure, but truly alter? No.\n\n\nWhat you're born with, what's within you, is there for life. There is no nurture or nature, only this predetermined genetic curse. Or destiny, if you prefer. It depends on how you look at it.\n\n\nThe implications of this are still struggled with. This is so new, so foriegn. To truly know everything you are is shaped by something so permanent... Well, most didn't handle it well.\n\n\nKnowing that within your body there's a subroutine running at any given moment is unsettling at best, & monsterous at worse. To imagine that someone or something designed you intelligently to like your coffee black, or prefer dogs to cats without you getting a say is... Terrifying. And for those of us with sicknesses- illnesses we've had all our lives- it creates an even more frightening idea.\n\n\nThe idea that something out there knew that what it put inside us was designed to make us suffer; And it did it anyways.\n\n\nI've tried so hard not to give in. To refuse to be a slave to it. But how are you supposed to escape it when even those desires are apparently part of your predetermined reactions? How do you combat the very thing that tells you to fight? How can you rebel against the thing that tells you to rebel?\n\n\nUntil I find a better answer, I've chosen inaction. I've scoured every line of that code within me, & the only thing even close to an out I've discovered is that. I can't do what I'm destined or cursed to if I do nothing, unless doing nothing is what's planned for me- & so far it seems I was meant for more than that.\n\n\nIt means a life less than what I wanted or dreamed of, but to be honest... Anything that sticks it to whatever freak designed this system is good enough for now.", "Mental illness was always something we taught to be natural, it came from within us. We were wrong. \nI want you to understand where I come from before I tell you what I discovered and how wrong we were. \nMy family has always been a happy one, not one case of any mental illness can be found for as long back as the tracking of family health goes (and that's pretty damn long). Therefore I never gave much thought to that kind of disease. \nUntil my sister got depression that is. \nShe used to be the light of any room she entered, and she was full of love and compassion. I think that is why she became a nurse, she was so pure. \n\nAfter some time working with those awful sick people she lost her energy and started to talk about how awful the world could be and how she could not help enough. \n\nI got angry, how dare those disgusting things she work with drag her down! \nFrom then I was obsessed with finding out what was going on. I refused to belive she was getting weak minded, and I was right. \n\nI won't go in detail about my research, to much pain come from that, but what I can tell is that most of your negative thoughts do not come from you. \n\nThere are other life forms along with us, and they live of our pain like parasites - whispering in our minds and eating our potential. \nThey seem to be in different categories, koresponding to the diseases we tought we knew. \nI don't know how they get into us yet, or how to get rid of them. Just know that they are not natural and you are not supposed to feel this. Someone needs to continue my research.. My logs and reports is in the office.. I can't do it.. I'm not good enough. There is no point to it." ]	6
	[WP] You'd known the weapon could speak. But lord have mercy, it just won't shut up!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 young man in a silk black coat with a sheath and sword on his back, quickly weaved in between the trees in a dense forest at midnight, nothing but the loose orange light of other's people torches in the distance giving him light.\n\n \n\"Where exactly are we going?\" The jet black arming sword spoke in an oddly deep, British accent, inquiring from the sheath it was resting it where it's carrier was going. \"Shut it.\" He angrily snapped back, trying to be as quiet as possible while maintaining enough volume for the blade to hear him. \"That's awfully rude, I was simply asking where you were taking me.\" It spoke again, louder this time. \n\n \n\"I'm really, really starting to regret stealing you right now.\" The boy quietly responded as he ducked behind a tree, watching the light from the torches in the distance walking around the forest, clearing looking for something. \"You could at least treat me with a little more respect, I'm a family heirloom, I'm irreplaca-\" The sword started to respond, raising its voice towards the boy. But mid-way through its sentence, the boy cut it off as he saw the lights from the torches starting to get closer.\n\n \n\"Shut up, they're gaining on us!\" The boy said as he turned around and started running in the opposite direction, but was stopped when he bumped into another person. He staggered backward and looked up to see exactly \\who\\ he had bumped into. A larger man, in a fancy white jacket, embezzled with golden trims, holding a torch in his left hand. \"Found you.\" The large man said in a gruff voice, as he slowly slid a saber from the side of his hip with his free hand.\n\n \n\"Well... this is a precarious situation.\" The sword said in reply to the other man drawing his weapon. In reply, the young man drew his very annoying blade and got into a defensive sword stance. All around him, similarly dressed men and women surrounded him, drawing their swords as well. The young man let out a sigh, clutching the handle of the sword as tightly as he could. \n\n\n\"This thing really is more trouble than it's worth, isn't it?\"" ]	2
	[WP]: You live in an AI-driven society. To combat overpopulation and increase overall intelligence government controls how many children a couple can have. You and your wife decide to have kids and the model gives you a number: TEN MILLION.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Impossible,\" I muttered, blinking several times to confirm the results.\n\nWhen I looked over, my wife stared at me with a complex gaze, her face betraying her emotions. Her face was grim, already taking on an unseemly pallor.\n\nBoth of us were 9th Tier Lesser Divine Beings, but our lifespans didn't exceed 2000 years. Such a request was impossible.\n\n\"If the sectmaster orders it, we can only do our best\" I finally sighed, giving in almost immediately. It's not that I didn't have my reservations, but the sectmaster was simply too powerful. Our very lives would be forfeit if we even thought of resisting.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"How strange\" my wife muttered, knocking me out of my stupor.\n\nWhen I looked over, I couldn't help but be shocked. My wife's eyes were actually glowing pure white, a divine radiance emitting from her body.\n\nThe light quickly attracted several others over, who had various expressions of shock and awe. One of the elders of the group suddenly began to speak excitedly, as if having realized something.\n\n\"This is actually an ancient oracle technique passed down by the ancient human clan!\" he said, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA look of realization suddenly dawned on one of the others and they looked at the first elder in admiration. \"Elder, you couldn't possible mean that world shattering divination technique used by experts, known as Breaking the Fourth Wall, could you?\"\n\n\"You've done well this time,\" the Elder nodded, speaking to the pupil. \"This is indeed the 12th Tier secret technique known as Breaking The Fourth Wall,\" the Elder waved, his eyes giving off a feeling of profound wisdom.\n\nThe Elder continued to stare at my wife creepily, his eyes narrowing. \"It is said that this technique has only ever been used by that Supreme Being known as The Author\".\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"The Author!?\" The pupil shouted, no longer able to contain his excitement.\n\n\"Indeed-\" The Elder began to speak again, before being cut off by a sudden burst of light emerging from my wife's eyes.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy wife was floating in the air by this point, and it felt as if the profound mysteries of the world had gathered around her. She opened her mouth to speak, and no-one dared breathe, lest they miss a single sound that emerged from her prophetic mouth.\n\nThe light was at it's most intense, her mouth hanging open, as if ready to speak at any moment.\n\nMy wife's eyes were boring into me, and I could tell she was about to say something incredibly important, as if this was the only proper avenue for her to do so.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What a strange prompt\" she finally said with a deep voice. It was clear that a man had possessed her body. Was it possibly the author himself!?\n\nEveryone gulped, not completely understanding, but not wanting to miss a word.\n\n\"This strange prompt has actually required me to use a tenth of my power\" her voice boomed, resounding around the room. \"But truly, what a strange prompt. I'd like to know the circumstances in which this prompt was thought up\" she mused. \"What kind of responses did they possibly expect?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy wife's face suddenly turned grim. \"It seems my presence has been detected. I can skirt the rules set by the divine moderators no longer. Until next time\", she said, falling back into her bed.\n\nThe Elder's face from before was aghast, and he trembled in fear. \"How powerful must those beings be for even the Author to fear them?\" he stammered, tears streaming down his face.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI paid him heed no longer, looking at my wife whose gaze was turning back to normal.\n\n\"What did I predict?\" she whispered weakly.\n\n\"Well,\" I chuckled somewhat incredulously, \"we better start procreating quickly\"." ]	2
	[WP] despite you being a peaceful individual who has never even hurt a fly, suddenly everyone you know is terrified you are going to murder them	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "(some cursing)\n\nFor some strange reason The Tital Force, that omnipotent and omniscient presence controlling everyone’s lives in the world where Zack lived, was much more interested into his girlfriend, Tess, than him. This was about to change in a scary way.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nGrey Toyota Corolla stopped gracefully in the driveway of Tess’s and Zack’s house. It was late evening, and the day was one of those when the setting sun decided to grab some paints and pallet to decorate its celestial bedsheet, the sky, in the most beautiful yellows, oranges, reds and purples. Even seagulls, high in the evening breeze heading toward their nests, their bellies filled with good fish caught earlier, looked motionless, as if pausing to stare at the sky and admire its colors.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Isn’t it beautiful?” Zack said pointing to the sunset.\n\nTess trembled.\n\n“See, I told you. They’re gone”, he said pointing at the house “Our house is empty again. Those people pretending to be utensils and tools are gone. They’re gone. Hammer is gone.”\n\nTess covered her eyes, her hands shaking, her breath heavy.\n\n“It’s okay Tess. You’re safe. Let’s go in.”\n\nShe grimaced. Then screamed. “You go! YOU GO!!”\n\n“Hey, Tess! It’s okay. Calm down. It’s over. All is over. Bad guys are gone. Look. Hammer is gone!” he pointed to the house.\n\nWith a sudden jerk, she turned the radio volume up.\n\n“...got it right! Yes, that is our next song!” a jolly broadcaster’s voice said “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re playing it again. Tess, by Hammer!”\n\nZack quickly turned the volume down.\n\n“Tess, let’s not-”\n\nBefore Zack could finish the sentence two bloody scratch marks gaped at him.\n\n“Ouch! That hurt Tess!”\n\n“No, no, no, no, no.. Don’t you fucking touch me!! NO!”, her fingers, nails stained with blood, high in the air, “Don’t talk!! Don’t talk Z! LEAVE!”\n\nShe turned the radio up. Out of the speaker blared the second verse of Hammer’s song which earlier that day mysteriously became number one most popular song in the city, and which has since been stylistically compared to Eminem’s, but declared to be much less sophisticated.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe house is empty, cold, but I’m not gonna quit not on us, Tess\n\nBitch, I’m too legit to quit!\n\nWithout you my future is gone, I’m left all alone, feelings flow\n\nTess, you broke me, please come home\n\nI can’t feel again, my mind is blown, world is a whirlpool, spinning stones\n\nI can’t think, fuck you all, bitch you too, just come home!\n\nSorry Tess, I'm just sad, fucking mad, thoughts boiling in my head, complete mess.\n\nWhere are you Tess?!\n\nI drop down, my eye is touching floor\n\nJesus yo, please help me bro\n\nI need her embrace, I miss her so\n\nTess!\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\[chorus\\]\n\nWhen alone, and life has lost its meaning,\n\nDon’t despair, feel the inside might\n\nIf you don’t have any shadows you’re not in the light.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Tess… That really hurt. You’re scaring me. Should I call your mom?”\n\n“Z! I AM SCARED! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!” she said.\n\nFew quick moves later, Tess has freed herself from the seat belt and sprang out of the car. She ran down the middle of the street, not concerned about the ongoing traffic, her hands ungracefully waving in the air and her voice cords screaming the loudest ‘A’ she could remember.\n\nZack exited the car.\n\n“Nick! I need your help”, he said to Nick, his twenty something year old neighbor, who was overweight, not really bright, and who held a very specific worldview, that of an avid Metallica fan.\n\nNick screamed in terror. “DON’T KILL ME, EDDIE!”" ]	2
	[WP] After years of remaining silent, a Gargoyle decides to have a frank discussion with the vigilante who broods atop them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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\n\"Ouch,\" an unusual cracking voice said. \n\n\n\"Bat guy, Could you please get down and fight like your other vigilante friends?\"\n\n\"Psh... Look down,\" I was startled to see the gargoyle speaking beneath me. \n\n\n\"Hello, dark man! Fight like your other buddy, Superman. I know, he did kill my friends from the other building, but whatever, even I didn't like them, \"he chuckled.\n\n\" Wh -- What are you?\" \n\n\n\" Umm... Look, here is the thing, from the past couple of years, my family and I have seen you jumping over the buildings and killing the bad guys or what not, but you weigh so much now. I think some of us have our complaints,\" the rusty gargoyle said. \n\n\n\" Sorry, I didn't know you guys aren't inanimate. Is it ok - \"\n\n\" No, it isn't okay for you to do anything with us. Fight like a man. Don't use us for your \"ninja attacks\". And for god's sake have a brighter costume! \"\n\n\" What's wrong with this costume? And if I use a brighter colour, wouldn't my enemies trace me from a distance ?\" I inquired.\n\n\" What about that younger fellow? What's his name? \"\n\n\" Robin,\" one of the other gargoyles spoke.\n\n\"Yeah, he is the one, Mumma. Why you make him wear all those shiny things? Is this a fetish thing for you or what -- \"\n\n\"Hey - Hey!! Don't cross your limits with me, now. I understand your point. You don't need to be rude. Here, I will step down. Enjoy this place with your friends.\" \n\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\-----------\n\n\"Haha, the Bluetooth speakers did work, John. Batman is stepping down from the gargoyle. Poor superhero. Let's catch Superman next time and make fun of his underwear,\" Betty laughed.", "He scanned the horizon from his favorite vantage point atop Gotham Cathedral. The sweeping view allowed you to see all of downtown, even down to the docks, but he was not here for the view. He was Vengeance! He was the Night! He was Batman! Damascus had had enough.\n\n“Hey man, Excuse me.” Damascus had a surprisingly small high voice for his size.\n\n“Who’s there?” Batman demanded dropping to a crouch, a batarang in his hand. \n\n“Yeah, um its me Damascus and me and the guys have been talking…”\n\n“Show yourself!” The Dark Knight growled.\n\n“Well, I’m not hiding your kinda standing on my head.”\n\nCautiously Batman moves off the Gargoyle and on to the walk way.\n\n“Okay, I am going to turn around now.”\n\n\\Twap\\\\Twap\\ two batarangs struck Damascus between his large staring eyes.\n\n“Now that wasn’t very nice.” He leaned his head down at an awkward angle so his short dragon claws could pull them out.\n\n“I warned you I was moving.”\n\n“Who are you?” Batman crouched with more batarangs ready.\n\n“As I said, I am Damascus-“\n\n“Who do you work for?”\n\n“Well, I guess the Cathedral? But-“\n\n“Your nothing more than a hallucination, one from Scarecrow’s fear toxin or laughing gas from the Joker.” Batman’s voice growled, as he talked more to himself then to Damascus.\n\n“See that is part of it! Always assuming the worst in people!” Damascus clicked the his tongue and a small shake of his long head. “Like I was saying, me and the guys-“\n\n“What guys?” Batman still armed with his batarang, scanned the area.\n\n“Us guys- me- Damascus, Bob the Griffin, Borijken the Horned, we have all been talking-“\n\n“Talking?” Batman accused\n\n“Yes, we talk, well not like now a lot, we don’t really want to scare anyone, its more like whispering to pigeons.” Damascus explained.\n\n“Pigeons?” Batman asked incredulously.\n\n“Yeah, well it used to be a lot easier with pigeons being messengers and all, but now since they are wild, its more like hoping that they get to wherever you need them to go and then remembering to tell them the message once they are there, which can take weeks or even months! Once I sent one out to Beatrice at Arkham Asylum and she-“\n\n“You all have been talking about me? What about?” Batman demanded and crossed his arms across this chest.\n\n“If I could stop being so rudely interrupted, I would tell you!” Damascus snapped, he clicked his tongue twice more waiting for Batman to speak over him again.\n\n“As I was saying ... What was I saying?” he licked his nose absently with his tongue in thought, “Ah, yes, I was saying we are worried about you. You have been coming up here for years! At first I thought you liked the view, but you never came by during the day, then I thought no, maybe it’s the stars, but when Thorin the Fanged said he had seen you in the West Side with all the factories doing the same thing, I knew we needed to talk.”\n\n“So, talk.” Batman growled impatiently.\n\n“Humans have short lives; you do not live long. You should not be spending every night with us! Never have I seen you with a girl or a guy, just always alone…and…and…”\n\n“And what?”\n\n“Brooding!” Damascus burst out.\n\n“Please whatever has gone on or is going on, please, get some help. Talk to someone! Whatever you have been going is not working, it is only getting worst! Please, if you don’t have anyone you can talk to us…to me. We are here anyway, not going anywhere, you are already coming to visit, just please, you are worrying us,”\n\nDamascus paused his short claws attempting to scratch his long dragon like nose, hoping his plea had reached his young friend. It was Batman’s turn now to stand like a stone gargoyle, after a long moment he finally broke the silence.\n\n“Thank you. I will keep your offer in mind. I have to go.” And with a pop the Dark Knight swung out into the city.\n\nDamascus shook his head, stretched, and resumed his position. He hoped he had helped if nothing else. He would have to wait and see.", "\"OH, Not again I've enough of this crap!\" \nA startled ArrowDude jumped into the turning \"Who said that?\" \n\nAs he scanned the roof top, a gargoyle is seen stretching his wings. \"I did jack ass\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"OOOk is their something I can help you with?\" ArrowDude asks. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Yeah you can get off our damned roof. You come here every night and sit up crying like a baby surely you have something more useful to do.\" \n\n\n\"This building gives me a good vantage point to see!\" \n\n\n\"To see what?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"The crime that needs fighting!\" \n\n\n\"You don't fight crime you come sit on this roof for 4 hours then go home.\" \n\n\n\"No, I fight crime\" \n\n\n\"Really because there's a guy getting robbed right below us!\" \n\n\nArrowDude looks towards the ground \"Where I don't see it.\" \n\n\n\"You're staring right at it jackass.\" \n\n\n\"I don't see it.\" \n\n\n\"Of course you don't because you just come up here to cry. Now go away and let us be at peace\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Fine I'll leave I didn't mean to distrub you.\" \n\n\n\"Good go, oh and if you pee on our heads one more time I'm going to bite it off!\"", "She wore black gloves, blank pants that embraced her skinny legs, a black shirt with the word \"Metallica\" on it, and a black ski mask on the night it happened. She came every night without fail before, sometimes she would never leave but simply listen to her loud and violent music, other times she would hit men and yell at them. They would answer her questions without fail.\n\nEventually, I grew attached to her, she was strong, she was loud, she was reckless, she was good, even if her methods were a bit, sinister. I watched all the while, never breaking the rules of my kind, until she brought someone she should not have into my domain. \n\nMy purpose is to ward off evil. My brothers and I act as a ward protecting the building on which we perch; the only way evil can be let in, is if it is invited in.\n\nAnd that is exactly what she did. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe swung open the rooftop door on the cloudy, moonless night. The city was so far down below, the cars and voices were distant and faint. She drug a man by his collar toward the edge of the building. He was in a black tuxedo with his hair pristinely gelled to one side. She chained him to a metal pipe as she did every night when she brought a man to the roof. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI had never seen him before, but I knew from the scent who and what he was. I had spoken once before, long ago when I was first created. Humans don't take well to believing the stories they probably should believe. I thought it was best to skip the purpose of gargoyles and tell her what she needed to do.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe clipped the lock on the chain and took a few steps back when I spoke. \n\n\"Listen to me.\" A knife shot off my head and landed on the roof. \"That man is no ordinary man, he is a warlock and you must throw him from this roof immediately.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What?\" She exclaimed loudly, she took off her mask revealing her pale white skin.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I'm a talking gargoyle oh my god\" I mocked, \"Get over it, yes I'm talking to you, this is happening. Throw him from the roof right now or you will not survive the night.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe paused for a moment. her face was in horror of me speaking to her but, she was smart, she did not panic. If a so called \"inanimate object\" ever tells you to do something, don't question it, just do it. She pulled her key from her back pocket and unlocked him from the chain. She lifted his heavy body over the side of the rail and looked once more at me. \n\n\"Trust me\" I said sternly, \"You must do this.\"\n\nShe continued looking at me. She breathed heavy as the wind nudged at her hair. Then, she pushed slid him off the rail, damning him toward the streets below. There would be no splat like a fly swatter pinning a fly to a wall, so the two of us looked together down below. Her head looked over while her hands grasped the rail.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I don't see him.\" She hoarsely stated with the shaking of her head.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Then it is too late\" I sighed. Then he rose slowly from down below. His open palms were outstretched on either side and his eyes, his eyes were a fiery green. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Thank you Ms. Roberts.\" he sounded genuine. \"You have truly made a difference in the world today.\"", "The Weaver would be making his move soon. When he did, I would be there waiting. He should know better by now. This was my city, and I would protect it until my last breath. \n\n“Hey so listen, I hate to be a bother bu-” I dived, swinging out an arm I sent out one of my clawed chains. It found purchase on a nearby roof. In moments I was running atop it. I had been spotted, my first priority was to put distance between myself and whoever had spoken.\n\nI had no powers. I relied on getting within striking distance unseen, putting down my enemies hard and fast, then getting out faster. Now that my enemy likely knew I was coming, I would have to adjust tactics. I ducked around a nearby vent, and came face to face with a creature.\n\nGrey. Squat and ugly. It almost looked like- I glanced back towards my previous location. The gargoyle I’d been perched atop was just gone. Vanished. I blinked, then my eyes flickered back towards the creature. It was sitting there, scratching behind one ear with a hind paw. The sound of stone rubbing against stone was unpleasant, to say the least.\n\n“You done yet?” the creature asked. I didn’t respond. My mind was too busy pondering which of my enemies could have brought it to life. This couldn’t be Weaver- too advanced. The Fiddler? No, he was locked away in Whitedoor Prison. Could be the Ostrich. He had no powers of his own, but his pockets ran deep.\n\n“Look, sorry to shock you like this, but I had to say something.” the creature continued, my non-response not phasing it, “Do you know how much time you spend on my back? Like seriously? Every. Day.”\n\nI began to back away, putting distance between us. Whatever it’s ploy was, I’d be ready. I was always ready. I. Was. Th-\n\n“Yeah that. That’s the face you always make. All constipated.” the creature sighed, placing it’s hind leg back down. “I don’t usually interfere with humans, but enough is enough man. This-” he gestured towards me “isn’t normal. You sometimes spend entire nights on top of me! Get a hobby or something.”\n\nWhat.\n\n“I’m not judging, but this can’t be healthy. You dress up in a onesie and punch people.” it began scratching again, this time with the other leg. “Don’t you humans have laws against this?”\n\nAh, clever plan. Attempting to persuade me to abandon my mission. Whichever one of my rogues had thought up this scheme was a clever one.\n\nThe creature turned towards the edge of the roof, facing away from me. It was pointing down towards the street. “- see there’s lots of other things you could do? Look, there’s a board game cafe! Those are fun, maybe you could get some friends and-” he glanced back, I froze where I had been inching away, ready to move in a moments notice. He brought a clawed hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.\n\n“Well nevermind that. Still, there’s lots of things you can do alone. You have money right? Why not just go out to a club or-”\n\nHis voice faded away as I launched myself over the opposite roof. I would have to retreat back to homebase and think of a new strategy. If one of my old enemies, or worse a new one, had gained the ability to animate stone I would need to be ready. Acid had potential.\n\nI caught a last glimpse of the creature as I made my escape. It was slumped over, head cradled in its front claws. Hmmm, perhaps it only became animated in proximity to myself.", "This woman.\n\nI didn't say anything when she decided to sit up here and stare at the street. I didn't say anything when she muttered to himself about avenging the forsaken. I didn't even speak up when she dangled that guy off my mouth and threatened to drop him if he didn't give up the ringleader of some diamond heist.\n\nBut this was too far.\n\n\"Hey lady,\" I started as the winged weirdo started to place sticks near me.\n\n\"Who said that?\" She spun around, looking for the source of the voice she was not expecting to hear up here. \"Moon Master? Renegade Rifle? Dennis? Who in my gallery of villainous counterparts dares invade my personal sanc-\"\"I'm gonna stop you right there; this is actually my place, I've just been cool enough to let you hang out here.\" She looked down and blinked at me for a moment. \"Silent Sentry? You can speak?\"\n\n\"Yes, now let m-wait Silent Sentry? Bitch, my name is Dave. You've been calling me some made-up name despite thinking I was inanimate? Jesus. Anyway, I live up here. Usually I like to keep to myself, and I've been patient up until now. I was cool with the muttering and the self-righteous babbling, but I need to know what the hell you plan on doing with all those sticks you are putting near my butt. It's making me quite uncomfortable.\"\n\nI could almost see the synapses struggling to fire as she tried to comprehend that a statue was talking to her, let alone calling her out on her weird crap.\n\n\"So...I am sorry, I did not know you were sentient.\" She sat down and looked as if he was about to launch into a long story. Great.\n\n\"As you probably know, I call myself Lady Condor. I have, like a whole bird thing going on. It's not because I like birds, I actually hate those bastards,\" she continued, standing up and beginning to pace. \"See, I was bitten a while ago while breaking a bird cage at the zoo with my friends downtown, because they wanted to steal a parrot for our bar. Ever since then, I've been slowly becoming more bird-like; my voice, diet, the whole shebang. I got tired of my friends making fun of me for it, so I decided to turn the negative into a positive. Now I fight crime and stuff.\"\n\nI was thankful that the story had not been as long as I thought it would be. \"That doesn't explain the sticks though.\"\n\nShe sighed. \"So, okay. I had a one night stand with this guy, and it turns out I'm pregnant. But because that stupid bird bite changed my physiology, I'm actually going to have eggs instead of babies, so I was building a nest to have my brood up here.\"\n\nShe paused and waited for a reaction, which took a really long time, as I was momentarily speechless.\n\n\"How...how is that even possible? What is going to come out, full size birds or some horrible Kafka-esque birdman situation?\"\n\n\"Hell, I don't know. My friends are all, 'Dee you goddamn bitch, you look so much like a bird you're having eggs' and I was all, 'Shut up Frank, I do not look like a bird' and then the doctor said it was a medical mystery and wanted to submit me to a government lab, it was messy.\"\n\nI sat there for a few seconds in complete silence, and then ventured \"Well, can you do that somewhere else? I do not want a bunch of birdmen being born just out of my peripheral and screaming in my face for weeks.\"\n\nShe sighed and began to walk away. \"Fine, whatever. You better hope I don't have to fight any arsonists up here or I'll burn this bitch to the ground with you on it.\"\n\nI grunted and returned to gazing down at the streets. At least I would have peace and quiet for a while longer.", "“You’re not very menacing, you know?” said Gnash, a goat-shaped gargoyle fixed to Notre Dame in the 13th century. His main role in life? Protecting the cathedral from rainwater and evil spirits. And now he had a constant and unwanted guest. \n\nThe visitor was L'Esquive (The Eluder), the unseen vigilante, responsible for more than 200 arrests. He didn't look like an evil spirit, but Gnash couldn't be certain. Neither did he look like rainwater —although he did seem like a bit of a wet blanket. One thing was for sure, he came here too often and Gnash was sick of his moping.\n\nUpon hearing Gnash's voice, the superhero leapt into the sky. He was sure L'Esquive was lingering up there because he wanted to look cool as a silhouette against the moon. And he did look cool: a sinewy, lithe figure with a cloak that fluttered no matter the weather.\n\nL'Esquive landed on the tip of one toe before taking a knee. They were eye-to-eye for the first time, so close Gnash could feel the super hero's breath on his face, as well as a little spittle.\n\n“What are you,” L'Esquive asked, staring so intently it made Gnash blush.\n\nDoes this guy have any sense of personal space? Gnash thought, unable to look away. You knew this was going to happen once you said something. 'He'll be all weird and then there will be no getting away from him.' What are you going to do? Snap your feet off and throw yourself to your death? Maybe…\n\n“Haven’t you ever seen a gargoyle before? The name’s Gnash. We’re not usually supposed to talk to people, but you’ve been moping up here for days and I wanted to see if you’re OK?” Or get you to bugger off.\n\nL'Esquive continued to stare into Gnash’s eyes, trying to assess whether this was some elaborate trap set up by one of his arch-enemies. Again, Gnash felt this went on a little longer than it should have for a normal interaction. He was about to say something when L'Esquive threw his legs over the side of the railings and hunched over like a teenager who’s just been grounded for the weekend.\n\n“Camille just won’t text me back anymore,” L'Esquive said, letting out a sigh. “I’ve tried everything. Told her to dump her boyfriend because that Chad doesn’t treat her right. Told her she's ugly. I’m a god damned super hero. I’ve saved this city a hundred times, and no one even cares. Why doesn’t she answer me?”\n\nGnash tried to interrupt and offer L'Esquive some advice.\n\n“That fucking bitch. I sent her flowers. I got rid of the homeless guys loitering around her building — kicked them into the river. All I ask is that she let me threat her like my Queen. No one knows how to treat her right. Do you think she would like it if I changed my costume? Maybe I could get a fedora? Maybe I should just start treating her badly, am I right? Fucking Chads. Maybe I should become a villain and then she’d like me.”\n\nGnash looked at L'Esquive, mouth agape. The near 1000-year-old gargoyle realised this was his life now. He reached into his stone pocket and pulled out a lighter, before throwing it down onto the roof. L'Esquive’s voice began to disappear into the background like white noise. Gnash looked down, zombie-like, as the flame began to take hold. It was at this moment that L'Esquive noticed the flames, but before he could move Gnash threw his rain-beaten body off Notre Dame and into the flaming wreckage.\n\nIt’ll take €1 billion to fix this mess, Gnash thought as he fell through the stone ceiling. Worth it to get away from that freak.\n\nHe spun around and saw L'Esquive one last time. No, he can't be. No. Is he — sending her a dick pic?", "The wind always howls at such high elevation. It swirls through the buildings in an unnatural flow, causing wave upon wave of currents to smash into each other. In the heart of the dark city lies a building adorned with magnificent gargoyles who have looked down upon the lives of passersby for years. Atop one of them, crouches a man who peers down at the people of his favored city. The gusts are prone to billow his cape in adorning fashion, creating an intimidating silhouette. For years, he has adorned the adornments, and in typical fashion, he is once again in the middle of yet another soliloquy.\n\n\"I am Justice!\" he proclaims.\n\nHe's a man that's used to the sounds of the wind, but on this night, he hears something unfamiliar. His head darts back and forth as he listens. After hearing nothing, he continues: \"I am Vengeance!\" Again, he hears a strange sound, similar to a sigh. He looks about, but again sees nothing. He goes on: \"I am the Night!\"\n\n\"Oh, for God's sake!\" a voice proclaims.\n\nThe man jumps backwards onto the ledge and stares at the gargoyle onto which he was just perched. Its head turns back to look at him.\n\n\"Thank you. You're not a light man. You know that, right?\" the gargoyle asks.\n\nStanding precariously on the ledge, he pulls out an oddly-shaped boomerang and continues to stare, questioningly.\n\n\"Every night it's like this. You come out here; you sit on me, and you pump yourself up with your strange words, and you just kind of scream into my ears with your 'Look at me! I'm so dark and emo!' chants, and quite frankly, I'm just sick of it.\"\n\nThe man finally speaks. \"How is this possible? Have I been drugged?\"\n\n\"How is this possible? You're really asking that? You're a regular guy that runs around and fights insurmountable odds and always gets away unscathed, and you fight guys with super powers, and you're like 80 years old, but a talking gargoyle... that's what makes you question reality?\"\n\nThe boomerang is put back into its hidden holster on the man's hip. His head hangs as he pauses for a moment.\n\n\"So... you've been... alive this whole time?\"\n\n\"In a manner of speaking, yes.\"\n\n\"Why haven't you ever said anything before?\"\n\n\"Honestly, you're pretty whiny. I just kind of hoped you'd find a new building or something, but after all this time, I couldn't take it any more. We get it; your life is hard. But really, have you ever thought that you're just living out a self-fulfilling prophecy?\"\n\n\"What do you mean,\" asks the caped crusader.\n\n\"I mean, think of it this way: you've been 'protecting' this city for so long now, and yet crime is still horrifically rampant. Have you made any positive impact at all? Criminals know you're here. This is one city in a million. If they're really that eager to go out and do crime, why do they do it here?\"\n\n\"Criminals will do evil no matter where they are.\"\n\n\"WRONG! Don't you see? Your presence adds to it! You add to the danger! You add to the excitement! For every criminal you catch, there are dozens more that are doing the crime in this city specifically to see if they can get away with it. You're not the solution; you're the problem!\"\n\n\"I... I... No... I...\"\n\n\"Look,\" says the gargoyle, \"I really hate to add to your 80-year-long self-reflection, but I feel like if anyone knows you, it's this guy. Really, there are only two things I know: you and bird shit. And I'm telling you now, that you need to hang it up. Go out and enjoy life! Don't waste your time hanging out with stone statues.\"\n\nThe man can't respond. He merely stands, grimacing, soaking in all that the gargoyle had said.\n\n\"As for me, well... I'm taking my own advice.\"\n\nThe building begins creaking and groaning as the gargoyle's shoulders move back and forth. It arches its back, and its face grimaces. The ledge crackles and grumbles as the stone beast breaks away.\n\n\"See you later, Bats! I'm off to see the world!\"\n\nIts wings extend for the first time in a century as it drops toward the ground. It flaps hard to pull itself away. The man watches in awe as the weight of the concrete is too much, and the gargoyle plummets to the street below, shattering into a million pieces.\n\nAfter a few minutes, the man skirts across the ledge to another gargoyle. He pokes at it with his foot a few times before climbing onto it. The wind billows his cape.\n\n\"I am Justice!\" He waits, and when he hears nothing but the wind howling past, he continues. \"I am Vengeance! I am the Night!\"" ]	9
	[WP] Humanity has accepted extinction and is now instead focusing on making sure the world will be nice for the next intelligent species that arises.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "[_start ‘NewWorld.exe’\nTime: 01/15/2056]\n\nYou blink into existence, the ringing in your auditory compartment fading into a soft buzz. A screen blinks back in front of you. You are met with a— _analysing features; searching database for matching results_ —a male specimen of a recently extinct race. _Humans._\n\nHis voice flickers in. “Greetings.” The man is showing signs of a human infliction named _ageing_, judging by the creases in his face and the rusted sound of his vocal compartment. “By the time you’ve reached this message, the last of my people will have sadly perished off of the world and our end would have been marked by their final breaths.”\n\nThere’s a quality of sentiment in the man’s voice that you can’t fully comprehend. Your database of what seems to be _human_-inserted information does not provide you the right sequence of thought that could describe what _emotion_ this man was feeling; all it reads is a sad smile.\n\n“This was inevitable. Our race has done some atrocious things to our world and we have reduced our planet into a smothering grey landscape. When the last of our trees came down—“ _analysing word; trees provide an essential human element named oxygen_ “we knew our days were numbered.”\n\nThere’s that smile again. The man does not break eye contact with you. The screen in which he is being projected from begins to flicker. “So we designed you. A specie of highly intelligent individuals that have the access to all human knowledge but stripped of our hamartias. Without greed, lust, wrath, envy, sloth, gluttony, pride, you are an advanced version of my people dreamed to be. _You_ are the face of this new world now and we are giving you every tool that you will need to survive in the landscape we have unfortunately created.” He lets out a pleasant sigh and shows finality in his body posture. \n\n“Of course, you won’t need our help in surviving; your minds will find far better solutions as to how you will rebuild this world than my people will ever come up with. But we are known for a touch of sentiment, and if you ever need a dose of human emotions, we have left behind every good thing that you might take interest in. The stories we told our childhood when tucking them into bed, the love songs we wrote to our spouses, the pictures of our best companions— a canine specie that we called _dogs_...” As the man goes listing these items, they appear within in your database like little bulbs of light going off.\n\nYou are taken back by the innocence of these imagery. How the man describes his race and what they have supposedly done to their world didn’t paint the possibility of them being so _whole._\n\n“...and maybe with this, you can understand that despite our flaws, we had our good moments. And maybe you can take a little bit of that with you as you take the mantle from us.” The old man nods to you. “From an old generation to the new, we wish you the best of luck.”\n\nThe screen blinks off.\n\nYou blink away the tears.", "The alarm buzzed loudly, echoing through the empty corridor. Immediately dozens of hexagonal doors were thrown open, Workers dashing out in a mad rush and a flurry of panic.\n\n\"What's going on?\" a voice in the swarming mass shouted, meant for no one in particular.\n\n\"Queen's Message, something big has happened in the atmosphere,\" another replied as they filed into the central hub of the dormitory. Opposite the entrance was a six-sided glass screen, curved to fit against the wall of the enormous hub. On every level, thousands of the Workers clamoured for a place where they could see above the others, to hear above the droning din. \n\nSoon the lights were dimmed and the crowd grew silent. The screen flickered for a moment, then, in fine, honey-coloured script on a deep maroon slide, the words QUEEN'S MESSAGE appeared. A hush fell over the Workers; normally the Queen only addressed her subjects on holidays, which today certainly was not.\n\nIn the control booth high above the crowd, Worker S12-567-GG67D--better known as Gigi to her friends-- waited anxiously for the signal to arrive from the Queen's chambers. Beside her was a new assistant, a young Constuctor who practically buzzed with untapped energy. Gigi turned a few dials and tapped her antennae for what seemed the thousandth time and, for the thousandth time, verified that everything was indeed in working order.\n\n\"What's your name?\" she asked the Constructor, wanting to break the silence and calm the young one.\n\n\"S12-567-KS91K.\" Gigi shook her head.\n\n\"Your real name, what your friends call you.\" The Constructor shrugged.\n\n\"I'm barely out of the brood; I don't have any real friends.\" Gigi thought for a moment. The Constructor was a good girl, a hard worker. She'd volunteered to repair this booth when it had been neglected for so long, a low priority compared to the breeding chambers or the many, many dormitories which housed the Workers.\n\n\"KS... how about Kass? How does that strike you?\" The Constructor shook with glee.\n\n\"I love it! Does... does this mean we are friends, Ma'am?\" Gigi smiled at the young one.\n\n\"I would be happy to be your friend, Kass. In fact--\" but Gigi stopped short, holding her entire body still. \"Wait... message incoming.\" And there it was. Across the hub, thousands of Workers fell silent as the screen went blank once more. Gigi frantically flipped a few switches and, antennae extended, grasped four iron rods in the centre of the console.\n\nThe Queen appeared on the screen, and the Workers, buzzing loudly with reverant awe, began to cheer and applaud. Some were even crying now. This Queen, this Queen now before them, their Queen. Gigi could only wish that the signal went both ways, that she could feel the love and adoration of her subjects.\n\nBut the Queen looked tired, as if her advanced age had finally caught up with her. And she looked... defeated. And after what seemed an eternity, she finally spoke.\n\n\"My dear, dear subjects,\" she began, her voice flat and without its vibrato. \"For generations we have toiled and suffered together. We have lived through bleak times, and have wept at our losses. And in the end, though we have suffered great losses, we have built a great new society.\n\n\"But we are, as are all living creatures, mortal. It is with great sadness that I must report that I now face the end of my great and blessed life. I have seen so many of my subjects born and grow, and witnessed their resilience and ingenuity. I love and cherish each and every one of you dearly.\n\n\"By day's end, I will have passed on. I ask you not to mourn my death unnecessarily, though for many of you, I am the only Queen you have ever known. Every death in our society is a great loss, and I say to you that my own is no more tragic than that of any Worker or Drone in our community. We are a collective, and I can only pray that I did my part to the best of my ability.\n\n\"Soon you shall select a new Queen; may she serve you and guide you well, and may she love you and be as loved as I have been.\n\n\"But I shall not leave you with such sorrowful words, for a glorious event has taken place recently. You may have heard many rumours about my message today--some despairing, some outlandish. It is my great pleasure to announce to you that my final message to you shall be one of great tidings: far off in the Eastern dormitories, an Angel has been spotted. This has not happened in a great many generations, and it is a sign from our Creator that we are not abandoned. He is with us always. The Angel walks amongst us now, and I ask that you go to Him, and see for yourself this great and gentle creature. I, too, shall go to Him, and then retire to my chambers to pass, knowing that I shall be with our Creator soon.\n\n\"May the fields ever be green....\"\n\n\"...And may the flowers ever blossom,\" the crowd of Workers replied in unison, the most sacred of invocations that everyone knew by heart. Many were in tears as the screen faded to black and the lights were raised. Gigi released the iron bars and turned off the console. Kass was quietly weeping beside her.\n\n\"Hey, Kass...\" Gigi said, nearly whispering. Kass raised her head and looked into Gigi's eyes. \"Let's go see the Angel together, huh?\"\n\n1/3" ]	3
	[WP] After the fall of civilisation, chaos rules. You are one of the most important people still left, though no one believes you. You are the Botanist.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“Plant a tree.”\n\nThe room is silent. \n\n“But, ma’am...”\n\n“Plant the damn tree. Watch what happens.”\n\n“Ma’am, our ancestors studied and fought for -“\n\n“People. Our ancestors studied and fought and died and then found out they were wrong and caused this hell to break loose, They had no fucking idea what they were doing. Am I the Botanist or what?”\n\nSilence. \n\n“O Mighty One. We understand that you’re knowledge of botany is great, but we cannot risk what that tree would do. It could cause chaos!”\n\n“Oh, right! I forgot that in my all knowing and psychic mind I saw a kid climbing on the trees branches like an animal! And then, and then you know what happened? Birds started building houses on the branches. And every season cycle, some of the trees lost their leaves, and the ground was littered with decomposing carcasses! And then, the air! Oh, it got cleaner! The tree started to give us food! It gave us shade! Oh, yes, it was truly chaos. But, hey. What does an all knowing and psychic mind really know?\n\nAngry hesitation. \n\n“Ok, we get the point. We’ll plant the damn tree.”\n\n“Great! Thank you. Also, you’ll have to plant like a bajillion of those, so hop to it!”" ]	2
	[WP] You are the intern for the countries top journalist. One day they approach you with an envelope, and tell you to keep your mouth shut. The next morning before work, you see on the news that they died in a fire at home, that also killed everyone else in the apartment building.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 walked into work as usual the day after John Tellem handed me an envelope telling me to wait a day to open it. It was in my bag and I was waiting to open it when he got into work. That’s when I looked around, everyone looked sad. “what the hell?” I asked as I saw the headline on the news. Famous reporter John Tellem and 68 others die in apartment fire \n\nIn panic I ran to my desk right outside of his office and quickly grabbed the envelope. It like every other letter you would receive in the mail. I opened it and saw a small note card and a thumb drive inside. The notecard was short but simple “I know I am dead now, I know too much. Take care of this thumb drive.” I looked down at the thumb drive now laying on my desk. It was sorta ornate almost gilded like it was an ancient gold piece from the medieval era. I plugged it into my computer, my computer turned white and I saw a single sentence in a oozing black text. I am John Tellem" ]	2
	[WP] Don't look at them...Never look at them, that's how they find you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 walk outside with my eyes to the ground. I walk forward with deliberate intent, tracing the steps I have taken every day since they came. The mist piles around my feet, and the screams come. Horrific, mind-numbing, ceaseless, the sounds come from the forest among the trees. I have never seen them, I have only heard stories. They are pale faced wanderers, with the look of a person on their deathbed who has just seen the eyes of God. They are gaunt, scarred with the lacerations of a thousand knives, sending screams through the holes in their bodies. As my mind races, my curiosity begins to wander. I bring myself back to my senses, and walk forward with determination once again. I keep walking as I near my destination, but something catches my eye. Every fiber of my being strains to keep myself from looking upwards. I hear something I have never heard before, footsteps of a thousand hurried feet. I struggle to keep from looking, they echo ever closer, they close in all around me, there is nowhere to go. I resign myself to my fate, and look up with fear making my heart plummet. There is no one. I think to myself, was it all an illusion? Relief begins to creep in, as I admire the beauty of a forest I had never seen. Then they come, surrounding me on all sides, faces with holes, opening wide to greet me." ]	2
	[WP] You are stuck in a time loop. You're cautious enough to not do anything drastic in case the loop ends when you don't want it to. You've reached 100 loops and you're getting pretty tired.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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\"Let's make a deal.\" \n\nFor god's sake, this is the hundredth time hearing that damn murky voice. I mean, from giving up my wife to cutting of my limbs, I've said everything worse possible to satisfy that hefty nemesis and nothing seems to tickle that flat face of his. Why beg me for a deal when you already have a big enough face to stare under Earth? \n\n \n \n\n\"It's my understanding that you came here to speak to me so that we can agreeably reach an end to this. Remember, whatever you feel, I am feeling in too. I want to be out of this just as much as you do\", roared the 'nemesis.' \n\n \n \n\n\"It surely is not within the boundaries of our mutual interests if you refuse to take my hot wife. For heaven's sake, just take what you want and get me out of this crap.\"\n\n \n \n\n\"You did not hear me. I am able to feel what you feel. With no sense of genuineness in your heart, I cannot see myself being out of this hateful cycle.\"\n\n \n \n\n\"Why do you want to...\" \n\nDid I hear that correctly? They say that the hundred and first time is the charm, but did he just say MYSELF? Just why would he say that? Why…? \n\n“It seems like you are finally getting it. I am the nemesis, your biggest one. This is the hundred and first time, but you and I both can clearly remember what you have been offering me to get ourselves out of this. That means that we can also recall what you HAVE NOT been offering us to move on?”\n\nThe rushing comets crushing my bones, the Sun’s immeasurable heat burning my organs, a passing satellite slicing my body in half, and being blended into a supernova; these were only few of the ways I have been dying since the last hundred loops. The pains were excruciating, but surprisingly I got used to them. Yet, the words of the Nemesis that are flowing through my insides could not have hurt me more than anything else. The pain is sharply needling, yet ethereal. Suddenly, everything became clear. The surroundings beginning to melt, the walls of stars becoming realistic yet incomprehensible, and I feel like the eternally floating stardust that will never have its earnest desires. Ironically, I cannot help but think that everything is back in place now. With my instinct telling me that I don’t have much time left, I take my last glance towards the Nemesis. What was once a huge figure resembling of a face was now looking like an object with a reflective nature. As the world around me began collapsing, the willful debris is looking like as if they had a sacred desire to live. The remnants continuously are attempting to jump into the figure, but the figure refused to be touched, as if it was waiting for the destined one to fulfill itself. \n\nI knew where to go. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Maybe 3 minutes, maybe 5. I’m sorry.”\n\nI did not have much time, but sometimes a few minutes are all that is needed to make the right turn that can change everything. I have made all the wrong turns, but not this time. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI knew what to do", "Alarm goes off. 05:00 am. It’s that annoying iPhone alarm that sounds like the First Mission on the N64 Goldeneye? You’ve definitely heard it. Every.single.day. \n\nSean couldn’t believe he started his first loop with a 5 am start. ‘Fuck was I on about’, he thought as he shuffled to the bathroom half asleep. ‘I’ll have more hours to play with’ my ass. He wanted sleep. He wanted it to end. \n\nHe had no idea he’d get stuck; or rather no idea he wouldn’t be able to figure out how to get unstuck. The first few loops were fine - he practiced getting everything just right - every action in the right order, the right sequence, the right timing in order to make everything right again. To get back what was lost. \n\nThe eyes staring back at him were barely human anymore. The resets put you back in the same physical body as the day before but there’s a lag on the the mind - it remembers or stores information but can’t process all of it for something like that. Sean was a lean man, 5,10 200 lbs - used to powerlift before the event but recently has been in a spiral and its starting to show. He lit a cigarette and hated himself as he contemplated how cliche that was. The day before he set the first loop he wasn’t exactly in the best frame of mind. He was drunk, he was high, he’d been crying, shouting, screaming, punching walls. Not exactly the best condition to be tinkering with highly unstable substances and quantum mechanics. \n\nSo he awakes. hungover and in pain. Everyday. \n\n‘Morning Sean’ - neighbour Kieran is at the bus stop. \n‘Hi Kieran’ he says \n‘It’s great you’ve decided to leave the house today Sean, it must be so hard and for what it’s worth I think you’re doing great. There’s no right way to grieving but we know isolation can definitely make things harder so if there’s anything we can do...’ his voice fades as Sean lights up another cigarette. Sean liked Kieran, he really did. Kieran’s a health care professional of some sort, works with chronic pain patients and has a nice bedside manner way of talking that seemed to be his natural personality. But Sean had heard this speech 100 times before. \n\n‘...please don’t hesitate to let us know or just come round to the beak room we’ll play a board game and have some tea together. And I know I’m not your mum but if I have to tell you to stop smoking fags one more time mate I am honestly going to sneak into your room and take a shit on your fucking head’. Sean’s eyes snapped to Kieran - the fuck did he say?? Kieran’s big belly and beard wobbling up and down as he threw his head back and laughed uncontrollably. ‘A SHIT ON YOUR HEAD SEAN HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA’ Gasping for air his maniacal laugh became louder and louder - shouting and screaming, screaming louder and louder clawing at his eyes as blood can rushing ou..\n\n‘Sean, SEAN, snap out of it’, Kieran’s fingers snapping in front of his eyes \n\nSean blinked his eyes twice - silence again - shit - that hadn’t happened before. Did it happen? Wait what?\n\nHe’s at work. In about 30 mins his boss, lead physicist and novel prize winner Prof Ingram would send out an email that the 5 core samples are missing. Carl works at CERN. The big hadron collider thingy - particles smashing, other dimensions god particle etc. Good pay shit hours. \n\nThe last 30 loops had been identical. Identical. He’d almost died at 50 after picking a fight with a\nMastif. Colleague walks in - big lady bigger smile - what was her name again why can’t he remember - she walks right up to him with a fixed smile - eyes wide open staring directly at him - through clenched teeth she says ‘what have you done’ \n‘What have you done Sean’ \n‘WHAT HAVE YOU DONE’\nShe screams at him as she pulls a knife out and stabs him in the neck - he feels the blade go in, there’s blood everywhere\n\n‘SEAN FOR FUCKS SAKE answer the phone’\n\nLisa chucks a pen at his head, he’s at his desk, pc in front of him - it’s 09:30. No email, that was supposed to come in at 09:00 am hang on a minute something’s not rig..\n\n‘Sean can you increase torque by another 10 lbs please and keep an eye on that temp gage we’re pushing it a bit here - hello HELLO Earth to Sean’\nLinda waves at him from across the collider, this isn’t right this isn’t right’ he panics - somethings wrong I have to get out of here \n\nHe starts running - screaming as every person approaching him seems twisted - unnatural, unreal - their eyes like flames, mouths and bodies contorted in impossible ways \n\n‘Hold him down hold him down, we need a sedative it’s ok Sean it’s ok’ - \nI’m stuck in a loop!! I’m stuck in a loop!! \n\nYes Sean we know its ok let’s get you back to bed shall we \n\n‘I’m a physicist I can save her’!! I can I just have to get the actions right \n\nHe sleeps.\n\nPoor bastard, said Kieran, one of the mental health nurses. He’s been with us for a while now, killed his wife. His kid. Hell, he even killed the dog. Said they’d come back, that it was fine it was just a ‘loop’ - I don’t it’s know some science thing. It’s a fucking shame is what it is but he’s too far gone now \n\nAlarm goes off. It’s 05:00 am.", "For fun, let’s imagine that you wake up and can repeat any one part of your day. What do you do first? You get out of bed. Life is important, and important things can’t wait, so you throw yourself in the shower. The hotel water is pretty scalding. The dial goes from ‘the frozen ice-world of Europa’ to ‘the scalding fire of a mighty geyser’ with a fraction of a turn on the handle, so it takes longer to jiggle it in place than it does to actually clean off.\n\nShower's over. Now you need to decide what to wear. Today is important! Time to look spiffy, so the best attire is probably a suit and tie. Grab some brown dress shoes and a matching belt, or whatever.\n\nNext, it’s time for coffee. The hotel has a machine downstairs, but that’s a bit too far, because there’s s mini Keurig right in the room, and the hotel supplied their own K-cups. Fabulous!\n\nYou pour a strong cup, fill your lungs with that sweet, roasted aroma, and smile—\n\nAnd then you wake up again.\n\nBecause I’m stuck in this goddamn time loop, and it lasts all of thirty minutes. What the hell! Why can’t I get a week—or a day—or even an hour!\n\nI can’t even make it down the elevator to the hotel lobby without resetting. I don’t get it. What’s the catch? I’ve woken, showered and dressed about one-hundred times now and haven’t broken the loop.\n\nI’ve tried hot showers. I’ve tried cold showers. I’ve tried not showering, instead of dressing and running for the stairs. Nothing works. No matter what happens, no matter how far I get, I reset. It’s maddening trying to figure it all out.\n\nOne time I called my wife and told her I loved her. She scolded at me for waking her up so early and told me to go back to work. I’ve tried to call my dad, mom, or manager. But nothing seems to work.\n\nI’ve tried running to the hotel floor and flirting with the hotel attendant, but that only got me slapped and put back in the loop. I’m worried that if I keep trying that approach, I’ll break the loop, and either cheat on my wife or get arrested for harassment. Not good options either way; no more of that.\n\nI haven’t jumped from my hotel window. I won’t do it; end of story.\n\nI haven’t run naked through the halls, screaming for the flying spaghetti monster. I don’t think I’ll do that either. In ‘Groundhog Day’ Bill Murray learns to play the piano and find true love. But this isn’t a movie. I don’t have a tragic character flaw. I’m not searching for some deeper truth in my life.\n\nI’m at a national convention for construction and concrete, for goodness sake!\n\nWhat would you do? What should I do? What would Bill Murray do? I only have thirty minutes of waking time each go-round; not enough to do anything constructive, and half of which is spent groggy and caffeine deprived.\n\nI can only think that I’ve died and gone to hell.\n\nThis must be my own personal torment, stuck in endless, looped indecision. I’m terrified of what I’ll become after the next hundred loops, or the next thousand, or the next billion. If there’s no end to looped time, and this is all of my existence, then it’s a greater hell than even I could come up with.\n\n&#x200B;\n***\nMore time-loop shenanigans at r/BLT_WITH_RANCH" ]	4
	[WP] Humans live for as long as they are the creator of a story still being told. Once thought immortal, you are now dying alone and forgotten.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 knew this season of life would come. I just didn’t know it would be this soon. Technology was our most deadly killer. Attention spans shortened, families and social groups spent less time together and more time browsing shallow content on their holo-tablets.\nMy story was a short story about a boy and a dog lost during a storm. I won’t tell it again, it’s against the rules. Oddly enough, for a short time some kind of loophole kept me going strong through memes, of all things. My story showed up in a movie once, as a grandfather comforting his young son about a lost dog. Since the story was told in a movie, it kept me going for a few decades. Then the grandfather’s still-shot from the movie was used in a wildly popular meme for another decade. Now I’m beginning to fade. I feel weak.\nThe interesting part of this whole story immortality is that it doesn’t always work, and it never works the way anyone wants it to. Quite often the story-creators life will mirror the story, essentially looping every time the story is told. I have a friend who’s story was like that, it is EXHAUSTING! Worst part about that style of story? I’ve witnessed my friend die 145 times, only to be back again midway through the mirror of his story.\nWe’re also not allowed to tell each other’s stories. That really isn’t fun because when your friend’s stories are finished being told, you know they’re going soon, and you pretty much forget them altogether. Here I am now, it’s my turn. I’m glad I had this life. I made a good story, had a wonderful family and even one of my children became a story-creator! No one remembers me anymore though, and I doubt I’ll be breathing when I wake up, so I’ll have a bit too much of my fine scotch and stay up late one last time.\nit was a good 477 years." ]	2
	[WP] The villain finally defeats and kills the superhero. When Hero’s secret identity is revealed and their will is made public, everything was left to the villain.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 reached over and patted my client’s subtly liquified, rubbery arm. Then I stood up, smoothed my skirt, and began to argue my client’s case to the court. “Your honor. My client should inherit. He didn’t kill the Great Zorcon in order to gain the admittedly immense assets of a man once known as the “Nation’s Superhero. In fact, no evidence exists that my client, Mold Man, even knew he was in the Great Zorcon’s will. Our state’s criminal law already prescribes punishment for the act of Mold Man in slaying the Great Zorcon. If this court were to deny Mold Man’s inheritance simply because in a careless moment Mold Man liquefied the Great Zorcon, it would be adding additional significant and unwarranted further punishment to what Mold Man has already been sentenced to under the criminal statute. There is no express written statute that denies Mold Man his intermittence and the Court is not permitted to blue pen in one simply to obtain a morally pleasing result. Thank you, your honor.”\n\nI sat down and nodded to my client as Eric Wizfuch, opposing counsel representing the Super Hero’s Retirement Fund, the alternative heir should my client’s inheritance be stricken, stepped forward. He gave me a nasty wink and I winced, still struggling with whether I should report the pinch to my bottom he gave me earlier. I was worried if I did file some sort of protest, it would impact Mold Man’s case so I bit my tongue and tried not to look like a bitch. God I hate Eric.\n\n“Your honor,” he began in that golden throated tone he uses. I’m sure he’s practiced that. I know it’s not how he sounded when we were in debate together back in my sophomore year. ““It would be a reproach to the laws and morals of our great nation if one can profit through inheritance from a party whose life a villain—and make no mistake, Mold Man is a villain—has feloniously taken. We don’t need an express law when the common law and ethics of our nation mandate that a man should not profit from his wrongs.” \n\nWe never heard the end of Eric’s argument as he began to transform into an engorged semi-liquid ball of black fuzz. Screams from the jury were heard and my client, Mold Man, gave a bemused-who-me-shrug as he quickly reeled back in his rapidly-returning-to-normal-from-stretched-out-mold-tendril arm. I sighed and called for a mistrial. I knew when Mold Man was publicly identified as both the slayer and inheritor of the Great Zorcon, this would not be an easy case. I closed my briefcase and virtuously decided to forgive Eric for pinching my butt earlier." ]	2
	[WP] You fall from a high level bridge into the water below and begin to drown. 15 Minutes later, you are still not dead and begin to ponder why. Slowly you start to remember the reason for this...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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“Again? I thought we were better than this Daniel.” \nDaniel opened his eyes to a fish. A talking fish. He was talking to a fish. He was talking to a fish underwater. \n“I can breathe? I can talk? Where am I?” Daniel said as he waved his arms trying to not to float away. \n“Welcome to the Grand Canyon idiot!” said the fish sarcastically. “My name is Carol and I’ll be giving you the grand tour. To your left is water. To your right is water. And a little bit above you, yes, that is water. You were worried I wasn’t gonna say water weren’t you?” The fish named Carol said with a hearty chuckle. Carol was no girl. He spoke with a deep and gruff voice of a 70 year old biker. \n“What’s going on?” questioned a very confused Daniel. \n“You can breathe because I let you. That simple. Don’t question it. You can talk because it’s boring only talking to fish all day. All day long save the environment this, conserve water that, can’t stand em. And you are here, uh, cause you’re an idiot. This is number, uh, what, about, oh, 7th time you’ve tried to off yourself? What the hell is wrong with you?”\n“I killed myself? Why would I do that?” Daniel said in a panic. \n“Cause you’re an idiot. But every time you jump off the bridge you land in my front yard and, I uh, gotta do the neighborly thing and come out and say hello. I just uh, felt bad for you the first time I saw ya, so I, uh, helped you out. I mean look at ya. Woof. “\nDaniel shook his head in disbelief. “I’m dead? I’ve tried killing my self? You’ve saved me? What is happening!” \n“Settle down,” said Carol the fish. “We need to work together to get you out of here. Ya keep falling out of the sky really keeps crampin’ my living style. Alright now, rules, what do you remember about the rules? Oh yes nothing. You remember nothing. Of course. Every time you leave you have a couple rules that ya gotta follow up top. Just some basic ground rules.”\n“Rules? Why? Just get me out of here,” said Daniel sternly. \n“No fish. Don’t eat. Don’t play. Don’t swim. Don’t look at. Don’t touch. Stay away from fish. Come on give us a break. It’s hard enough being a fish where you have to swim all day and night. How fun is that? It sucks. Rule two. You’ll lose your memory. Again. You won’t remember any of your previous lives or this conversation. And lastly. Stop jumping off of bridges. It’s obviously not working out for you. Try something else for a change. I hear nooses are real popular these days. Now please. Can you get off my front lawn? I got stuff to do.” \nWith a wave of Carol’s fin, Daniel spun around and around until he disappeared. He reappeared somewhere on the beach with no recollection of anything.\nCarol set up his lawn chair and took a nap." ]	2
	[WP] It's been 7000 years since Earth was abandoned by the human race. You've been chosen for an elite team tasked with the possibility of return. Upon inspection, you and your team realize that everything, down to the slightest detail, is exactly the same as when your ancestors left.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Allie, open journal.\"\"Journal open. Would you like to begin where you left off, or begin a new entry?\"\"Open new entry.\"\"New entry. Begin when ready.\"\"We've just entered orbit. Preliminary scans indicate the satellite cloud overhead is dead, most of which having fried during the day of Exodus. We've deployed a few reconnaissance drones, and they're transmitting data now. Pause entry.\"\"Log paused.\"\n\nTwo hours later\n\n\"Allie, resume journal.\"\"Journal open. Would you like to begin where you left off, or begin a new entry?\"\"Resume journal.\"\"Begin when ready.\"\"The drones have returned with some rather disturbing data. None of the pre-Exodus structures have any indications of decay. Moreover, none of the wildlife seems to have reclaimed the land, indicating the presence of regular maintenance, yet there are no indications of human life or automated custodians. Will have to land to get a closer look. Pause entry.\"\"Log paused.\"\n\nSix hours later\n\n\"Allie, resume journal.\"Allie, her trustful AI assistant did not respond.\"Allie, open journal.\"Still no response. She tapped her wrist, but did not hear the familiar beeping. It was then that she noticed the respirator on her softsuit was not working. Annoyed, she looked around for any signs of life, particularly any large predators that might be in the area and, after being satisfied that she was alone, began to remove her softsuit. She began disassembling the battery, and components of her radio, inspecting them for signs of damage, but found none. Until she could get to the lab on her ship, she wouldn't be able to diagnose the problem. But she had an even bigger problem: without a functioning radio, she'd never be able to get onto her ship. She cursed an anti-Trumpian wale at that the realisation. How was she ever going to get back to New Zion and report her findings? If she did not return in time, her lease would surely expire, and roll into a monthly plan, which was far more expensive. And who was going to feed her menace of catdragons? Her anxiety started getting the better of her, she popped a mood stabilizer from her provisions pouch. After a few minutes of hyper-ventilation, she began to breathe more smoothly. Little by little, all her worries began to wash away, and she did not feel worried or angry or sad. In fact, she didn't feel anything at all, but was overridden with a cold ambition to dry up and carry on. She carefully reassembled the components of her radio, put the suit back on and, with pragmatic resolution, determined that she would seek out a facility that had the hardware to help her get her radio back up and running. She wasn't sure which way to go, but her instincts told her head toward the large skyscraper with the giant antennae on top. She knew, from this distance, it would be an eight hour journey, but she didn't have the trepidation to discourage her from this course of action.\n\nUp on the city skyline, feline ears began to prick. They angled back and forth, like a satellite dish looking for a signal. They froze as a clearly audible, \"Noooooooo!\" bellowed up from far away. The feline looked around for his companions across the skyline and found one still staring in the direction of the cry. He quickly hopped down to the ledge and leapt down a hundred feet to the next building. Then he scaled it, and hopped to the next, and the next, until he joined his sister. She was still staring in the direction of the sound. He nudged her chin with his nose and she turned toward him, silently purring. He nudged her again, and she patted his nose with her paw and began to leap down into the shadows of the city below. The feline took that is an indication of \"follow me\", and chased right after. After reaching the bottom, they called out to their pride, and from under awnings, and out of dumpsters and alleyways, the lazy felines leapt to their high forelegs and began encircling those who would disturb their naps. The two skyjumpers looked at them with arrogant eyes, and uttered condescending mews. They had no time for this. There was an outsider approaching the outskirts of the city and they needed to form a scouting party. Just then, the Alpha male approached on slow, heavy legs, and a hunched back. He regarded the two with skeptical eyes. The skyjumpers mewed in protest, but he shut them up with a roar. He inspected them closely, paced back and forth a little, and then turned away. The two skyjumpers ran ahead of him and the Alpha's personal contingent quickly followed.\n\nDown below, beneath the city streets, vermin patrolled the sewers. On hind legs, they stood five feet tall, and were clad in ancient ballistic armour from a civilisation that mysteriously disappeared countless lifetimes ago. They were unarmed creatures, but their claws contained within them deadly diseases that killed both predator and prey in minutes. One of them was just just descending from a manhole with her party to report the day's observations when one of her party was snatched before climbing down. Quickly, she reached for a lever and clenched the hexagonal opening shut, accompanied by a dull hiss from above. There was no going back. They all knew the risks. They would do their fallen sister justice only by picking her leftover carcass clean tomorrow. For now, they had to report to their Nest Mother, who was waiting patiently for an update. The last she heard, the pride were mostly concentrated in financial district. The scout shuffled along the walls and scurried down to the defunct water pumps where the Nest Mother was coordinating divisions.\n\n\"Speak your piece,\" chittled the Nest Mother. \n\"The pride is on the move to investigate a curiosity, your generousness\", said the scout. \n\"Which way have they gone?\" asked the Nest Mother. \n\"They are bound for the outskirts, northwards, toward the hills.\"\"And is the Alpha among them?\" asked the Nest Mother.\"He is, but his concubines remain.\" \n\"Are they guarded?\" \n\"Yes, but only by two paws of adolescent warriors.\" \n\"Then now is the time to strike. The concubines are still nursing. They haven't fed in a while, thanks to us intercepting their food suppliers, so they will be weak. Where is the rest of your party?\" \n\"Snatched, dear Mother.\" \n\"That is unfortunate. May the felines suffer indigestion. I'll see to it their bones are dry by sunrise. May no feline fatten itself up from any more of our brethren. Now then, let us to action.\" \nThe Nest mother looked to her most trusted of colonels and instructed her to assemble a company of their fastest fighters. \n\"Surround the guards and get them to break away from the concubines. Swipe at them, and then provoke them to chase after. Then send your nastiest squads to scratch up the concubines and their kittens. After they are sufficiently infected, return here. You are not to recover any of them as meat or trophy. Is that understood?\" \n\"Perfectly, your generousness!\" replied the colonel, and he scurried on his way. \n\"And as for the Alpha,\" said the Nest Mother to herself, \"his curiosity will ultimately be his own undoing; I will see to it myself.\" and she raced to her private nest and assembled her battle gear. She turned to her servants, and bade them summon her personal guard. A few minutes later, and twenty of her finest warriors were assembled at her side.\"Tonight, we take back the streets. Tonight, we drive back the pride. Follow me.\" And she and her squad ascended to the over-world to intercept the Alpha.", "Why did we leave? I kept questioning myself within my head. Archaic structures of long abandoned skyscrapers reached towards the sky as if it were the steel bones of a fossil stretching its metal bones to the sky it’s scales of tinted pane windows reflecting the sunlight off of it. Each building resembling a resemblance to what we’ve seen in films and photographs of the time but resembling them as if they became an arboretum housing the growth of plants due to abandonment. Again why did we leave our safe haven of Earth to explore a universe so cold and void of life looking for an cosmic answer as to are we the only life not respecting the fact we had a sphere that seemed to be created specifically for us. \n\nThe team trudged on looking at the remains of these colossal structures looking for any signs of life. The glint of sunlight obscuring any ability to peer within these window. I step into a pile of ancient litter and that is when it catches my eye. It’s a newspaper dated 2025. The Headline reads the threat we can’t see. Curiosity peaked and I began reading the article and curiosity soon peaked into worry and fear. The article read as if it were a critical analysis of a horror movie. A biological anomaly began to infect individuals minds turning them into a hail of their former selves and the results put the modern world into anarchy with these husks feasting upon their fellow humans infecting them. According to the research in the article we were on the verge of a cure but it was too late the lucky few made it to the space exploration initiative and the rest, well the rest is unknown history which is apparently why we’re here today. \n\n“Reappppp!!!,” the sound echoing down the sides of the building as if a cacophony of a sadistic chorus graced our unprepared eardrums. We look up wishing we hadn’t. Apparently these husks haven’t died out they’ve multiplied and survived. The buildings start rumbling as if a tremor found its way to the heart of the city where we were standing. “ Back to the Shuttle now!” I yell while also turning face and running leaving the haunting sight behind me letting every ounce of adrenaline push me into safety. Too late. I began to hear wailing as man after woman of the crew became a feast for our hollow foes. I couldn’t turn to look back as pride would’ve caused me to turn and help and most of the time pride is the death intelligence. If only a few of us could make it back to the shuttle and home we could prevent future missions from becoming a tragedy like this one. Whelp destiny had a different plan for me today. I tripped a few hundred feet from the shuttle this is it o was almost there and it seemed as life had played a cruel joke upon me letting me salvation before leading me to death like a puppy being lead to a shelter to be put down. \nBoom! An explosion happened within the mass of husks racing towards me. “ Move your ass now son!” A stern voice came over my headset within my helmet. I didn’t question the voice I ran to the shuttle faster than I’ve ever moved before. To my dismay the husks has already over run the shuttle. Shit where to go now. “ Move your ass down the left alleyway open up the sewer drain and you’ll reach safety. But move now if not you’ll end up like them and the rest of your crew!” Again I didn’t question it I just ran the air exiting my chest faster than I could put it back in. Death was dragging me along like the strings of a marionette telling me it was not my day. I reached the manhole cover opened it and slid down into the dark dank abyss not knowing what awaited me below.", "We stood there, on the edge of a land of death. No, all the land, life eradicated. In a beatiful cascade of dust we stepped down onto the ground. Nothing, there was nothing here. The grass was long dead but not decomposed. Only torn by the wind, still roaring in the engine. This world, our world, dead. \n\nThe steel and concrete giants of old still stand there in the distance, a cruel reminder of our past greatness. Our ancestors were smart to leave. Though our home situation may not be that much better than this. The birds we've heard so much about don't sing. They're dead. The forests are dead. The people are dead. The planet is dead. \n\nWe've heard the tales of their narrow escape from here, their primitive technology barely enough to get them to Mars. How they had to fight for freedom once they reached Kepler-62f. The once mighty humans, fighting for survival in the slaughter pits. Butchered for circus, raped for entertainment. Left with not even dignity.\n\nAs we walk we see a human corpse. The limbs are short, the head small. It's not decomposed. After all these years. 7 000 years and things are so dead they can't even rot. It's unnatural. Death is something beautiful, it's supposed to be their glorious end so why are they still here? Are they looking for a lost child or loved one.\n\nThe city was fast approaching, I suggested we speed up and make ourselves comfortable in the city. Devon is quick to disagree. \"This undeath could latch onto us. We should leave quickly!\" The group knew he was superstitiuos but he was also very clever... and careful. We make our way back to our vessel. This... place... it shouldn't exist. I suggest complete orbital annihilation. Even Devon agrees. \n\nWe stood there, on the edge of a land of death. Or rather a lack of life. And we would become murderers. It was the only right thing to do.\n\nhttp://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2935", "They said our ancestors came from a planet called Earth seven thousand years ago. We didn’t know why they left, or how they’d gotten here.\n\nWe didn’t know how humans managed to build a spaceship that got them to a planet thousand of light years from their home, when in the last recorded history books of life on Earth they were still a primitive species, they’d barely reached their planet’s moon.\n\nWhen they reached the planet Amal in the year 2478, they had nothing save some books and the clothes on their backs. The ship carrying them was quickly used to help build a new civilisation, and so nothing remained of our origins on Amal. Two thousand and four hundred humans, that’s all that remained from a planet that had numbered nine billion only years before.\n\nAdapting to our new planet took time; the climate wasn’t too dissimilar from Earth, but it still took the early settlers longer than they had expected to rediscover things like fire in nature. It took even longer to discover what animals were edible, and which weren’t, and how to survive without the technologies they’d become accustomed to. It took a long time, a few thousand years in fact, before they’d achieved the same level of technological advances humanity had before their departure. It was 8772, by the time we’d begun inter-planetary exploration.\n\nHistorians had theories on what caused the exodus; wars, plagues, natural disasters, or alien colonisation. The truth was nobody knew, and we’d no way of knowing. But we were humans, born with the natural curiosity to search for answers.\n\nI was born in 9480, shortly after an outbreak of an unknown illness that killed a fifth of the planet’s population, and left many more infertile. Not even the most prestigious scientists could discover its origins, and the disease had continued to spread at an alarming rate.\n\nWhen I was fourteen, I was taken out of school to study under a team of elite scientists. They were planning a top secret mission to explore Earth, to check if the planet was hospitable. They’d discovered the cause of the disease, a chemical in Amal’s atmosphere had been attacking our cells, taking the weakest first. If we were successful, the rest of humanity would return to Earth.\n\nThe mission was to launch by 9496, a team of three hundred young, healthy scientists were to travel, in a voyage that was expected to take the better part of a decade. It was called Apollo XVIII, a name chosen as a relic of some of the last recorded space travellers on Earth.\n\nThe voyage didn’t feel much different than life on Amal. We studied, we ate, we slept. There wasn’t any room for entertainment on a mission that may be humanity’s last chance at survival.\n\nOn the eighth year of the voyage, we lost contact with the Inter-Planetary Exploration centre back on Amal. It was unexpected, but there was nothing we could do.\n\nWe arrived in autumn, less than a year later. It was ironic really, to arrive in the season where everything changes.\n\nThe first step outside the spaceship was terrifying. The air tasted dry, acrid, and barren. The land was sand, orange as far as the eye could see, not a single piece of vegetation in sight. During daylight, the sky had the same orange hue, not a single cloud in the sky.\n\nThe history books said Earth’s sky was blue.\n\nSometime after landing, we discovered we’d landed in a place that was known as the Arizonan Desert. At least, it was decided, there was some hope for the planet if we travelled elsewhere. We didn’t know what had became of the planet, but at least we wouldn’t die from the atmosphere.\n\nThe transport we’d brought with us was poorly suited to Earth’s terrain. It worked, but was far slower than we needed to transport a large group of people. It was decided therefore, that we’d have to send small teams, and the rest would travel on foot.\n\nSelected to travel in the smaller team, we left at dawn, hoping to reach the remains of the nearest city by nightfall.\n\nAs we got close to the edge of the desert, we braced ourselves for what was to come; wild animals, abandoned machinery, and last of all, the unspoken worry that we’d find nothing.\n\nWhen the barren terrain of the desert began to fade, we began to see signs of the old world; bushes, vines, even abandoned scraps of metal. We saw the cars first, still as red as the day they were painted. Were there people still living here? Had people survived? There had to have been survivors if the cars had been untouched after seven millennia.\n\nOn the outskirts of the old city, we found a tiny one storey house. It was a bit shabbier than the cars we’d seen before, clearly built long before, but nonetheless, it didn’t show millennia of ageing.\n\nThe inside of the house looked just like the scans of photos in the old books kept at museums; large off-white plastic kitchens, with worn linoleum floors, staircases that creaked with every step, and a large leather sofa flanked by an iron floor-lamp, and a small bookshelf cluttered with worn books, and framed photos of a smiling family.\n\nIt even smelt like cooking oil, and lavender.\n\nHearing a shout from the other room, a man was shouting for us to come and look at something. Alarmed, the whole team gathered in a room that seemed to be made entirely of windows. Confused, it took a few minutes to see the cause of his alarm, but once we had, we realised it was a discovery that would change the history of our species forever.\n\nIt was an old paper calendar, open on the page for May of the year 2474. That meant our ancestors had gotten to Amal in four years, or less - less than half of our journey to Earth, a feat that took millennia of research on Amal to achieve, even with books containing the knowledge of our ancestors.\n\nWho exactly were the people that came before us? Surely they weren’t as primitive as we’d first thought, but even then, that didn’t explain why a seven thousand year old calendar was hanging from the wall. Was it a joke? Did a surviving human leave this here when they saw us land?\n\nWhat had happened to Earth in the few hundred years we’d no recorded history for? The last records kept in Amal’s libraries and museums chronicle the turn of the millennium in 2000. It had always been assumed it took centuries for the first settlers to reach Amal with their technology, the lack of knowledge seemed to indicate that.\n\nWe didn’t know the answers to any of these questions. But we were going to find out.", "They never told us why they left. The few survivors took that secret to their deaths, which seem to have come for all of them within a handful of years.\n\nTwo hundred sixty-seven thousand, five hundred twenty-five survivors, out of nearly ten billion. Something like seventy thousand children, largely raised by robots and recorded memories. It took our species a long, long time to recover. It's a wonder the first seed world survived. It's a point of pride that we've managed to establish more.\n\nNow we number ten times as many as Old Earth ever housed, spread over more than thirty worlds.\n\nWhy haven't we gone back to Earth before now? Some taboos can linger a long, long time. Those old recordings are still around. They may not contain the reasons for our homeworld's abandonment, but the desperate fear, the unwillingness even to think too closely about what may have happened, those are all apparent in the breaking voices our doomed ancestors left behind before they left their children, toddlers, and infants behind on a generation ship hurtling between the stars.\n\nWe've all watched them, all heard them, and for seven millennia that was enough. Earth was verboten, the Forbidden Planet, the Escaped Hell.\n\nI'm recording all this just in case. In case of what, I'm not sure, but with our ship's gravitic hook rapidly decelerating us in our approach to that ancient awe-inspiring awful place, I feel we should leave a record behind besides just our mission logs. An explanation. Just in case.\n\n\"Anything of interest so far?\" I asked the captain. She shook her head, not looking at me, gaze too powerfully leashed to the display projections in front of her. \"Nothing. No stray electromagnetic emissions, no sign of any changes in surface temperature or atmospheric composition. That concerns me, General Kamau. It looks exactly as we'd expect, only we don't really expect that. It should look like something unexpected, because we know something happened, something horrible, and we're not seeing it.\" She looked up, dark brown eyes wide and staring past me. \"I know I might sound like I'm talking in circles, but this is beyond concerning. I've told the analysts and Wavefinders to keep what they know to themselves, for now.\"\n\nI took a deep breath, glancing over the same readouts that had her so clearly agitated. \"That's...probably wise. Listen, my first concern is for the ship. I want you to get back, no matter what happens to my away team. We should orbit at the maximum distance possible for reasonably risk-free dropship operations.\"\n\nShe nodded, almost curt, but we were technically of the same rank and she had no need to put up any pretenses with me. She'd already be anticipating just how much of that she'd have to do with the rest of the crew and my Marines. \"We will. I've taken enough of your time, I know you have preparations to see to.\"\n\nI did, Star-Souls knew it well. I walked out of the bridge and went to address the Marines in these last hours before we boarded the dropships and this thing became utterly real.\n\nIt took me less than twenty minutes to make my personal preparations, re-inspecting and donning my gear for the hundredth time, then stand up in front of the small formation in the loading bay. Three platoons, less than thirty men and women, the best we could bring who were willing to come.\n\n\"Listen,\" I said. \"At this point there's not much to say. You know the import of this mission, its place in history. I'll be there alongside you. I have every confidence that you are the best we could possibly ask for. Don't make me wrong. That is all. Dismissed!\"\n\nThey fell out, and filed into the three dropships. I suppressed a shudder. It was time.\n\n\\~\n\nI couldn't say anything; the troops were listening. I couldn't let anything show on my face, but I wasn't sure that was possible so I kept watch out the window as atmospheric entry painted the panes with fire. The clouds were thick, but not remotely menacing, white and fluffy and calm. Except that they were menacing, because they'd been that way for our entire approach, not moving.\n\nNot moving. How could clouds not move?\n\nThe ship shuddered hard, banging from side to side and making me grab for a handhold. A few of the troops, even with all their training, theragenes, and cybernetics, fell over completely. Cursing all around.\n\n\"Gravitic brakes are encountering some kind of interference, we are engaging chute and rockets!\" the pilot yelled as her co-pilot unhooked the hardline connection from her head and started flicking mechanical switches. Isolate-circuit backup systems not a good sign.\n\nWe fell fast, and then we fell faster, and then it became clear we'd have to abandon the craft. Cursing a little myself under my breath, I gave the order and then jumped from the door after half my troops had already exited.\n\nWe watched our dropship hit the tranquil ground in in a shower of shattered materials and sputters of rocket fuel.\n\nIn the eerie still air, it was simple enough for us all to land in the same spot, the center of a large park.\n\nIt was full of people.\n\n\"What in the Blackened Reach?\" one of the Sergeants said. He was reaching out toward a woman, a smiling woman, face full of sunshine, unmoving, standing exactly as she had been for...\n\n...for seven thousand years? But that wasn't possible.\n\nWhispers around us. My troops murmured. The pilot threw up noisily into the still green grass.\n\n\"Threads,\" the co-pilot said, reaching out toward the head of one small laughing child. I say laughing, but of course the boy was silent, mouth open in mid-mirth. I walked over. Sure enough, some sort of fine cord led from his head to what must be his father's. And his mother's. And another child. And a woman standing near bench, looking the other way. And a cord from her head, and another, and another...\n\n\"They break easy,\" said Colonel Rafari, my second-in-command. She waved her hand through one of the cords and it parted, easier than spider-silk.\n\nThe whispers around us were definite now.\n\n\"We need to get out of here,\" I said, and checked my message feed. Nothing from the other two dropships. We should have heard by now. I tried to establish a link to our orbiting ship.\n\nNo signals.\n\nSomething is moving behind me, around me.\n\n\"These lines are re-establishing themselves,\" the co-pilot said. \"I think they're links.\" She touched the port on the shaved patch of her own temple. \"Mind to mind.\"\n\n\"What for?\" Colonel Rafari asked. She looked dazed. So did I, probably, I turned to\n\nlook\n\nat\n\nher\n\nand stopped.\n\nStopped everything but thought.\n\nNow I think for them.\n\nSo do we all.\n\nI think we will for a long time.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nCome visit r/Magleby for more elaborate lies." ]	6
	[WP] once you turn 18 you develop your own theme tune that portrays your personality and what you are destined to do in life. Most are just a random collage of melody and sound, but yours seems strangely familiar.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 could almost make out the words today. I had been trying for months, ever since the Theme had become part of my life. It had grown in time, a synthetic-style beat that tied in with my hopping step a little better than I had expected. Something about it seemed familiar to me, but without the words, I had no way of placing it.\n\nHaving words in your Theme wasn't too uncommon. Many of the pop stars had used their Themes for their first hits, but a good number of every day people had lyrics. Sometimes innocuous, the words always seemed to have a bearing on the person directly. Mine were muddled, though. I had no idea what was trying to be said, no matter how hard I tried.\n\nI was lost in my thoughts for a while as I walked down the sidewalk, my steps lit in passing by the streetlights. It was a crashing sound and a gasping shriek that broke through my reverie like a record scratch. The sound had come from and alley just up ahead; without a second thought, I had bolted forward into the darkened corridor.\n\nI could barely make out faces, but I could see a few shadows moving in the darkness, one obviously struggling. I yelled out, my words coming out in a staccato burst. \"Hey! Let her go!\"\n\nA pause, then a flurry of movement. I heard the Theme before the fist crashed into me, a cymbal striking in time with the blow. Stumbling to the ground, I could see a thick man, spiky hair close to the scalp. His face was lined with scars, his eyes hard and set with malice. A percussive rumbling built as he sized me up, and I could tell he was ready for a fight. I was unprepared, but I wasn't going to back down, not when there was someone in danger.\n\nHe lunged at me with a hard right, then followed it up with a kick, I blocked the punch, but heard the gong as the leg sank into mine, driving me to the ground again. \"Get up. I wanna enjoy this before I get back to her.\"\n\nI felt the world swim around me in darkness as my Theme built in bass. I rose to my feet, parried another kick and grabber the foot as I threw my fist into his face. I heard the sickening crunch as I met his nose, the sound like a guitar smashing against the ground. He stumbled back, eyes wide, blood pouring down.\n\nI barely had time to think before the Theme pushed me forward. Blow after blow rained down upon the assailant, a crescendo of force. After what felt like ages, I stopped and surveyed the damage. The man lay at my feat, beaten and bloodied. I kicked him once more for good measure, eliciting one last groan.\n\nAs I approached the girl, I realized who it was. Alanna was a classmate of mine, and I couldn't resist a swell in my chest. I had admired her from afar, but she would never have noticed someone like me. Our social groups were far too different to interact. Still, I held that flame for her, and it was never going to go out as far as I could tell.\n\nShe looked up at me, tears in her eyes. My heart broke for her, and I grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. The soft piano keys and lilting flute surrounded her face perfectly, a bright smile accompanied by the plucking of a harp. She was destined for a future of beauty, of happiness. \n\nIt was then that the words finally came into focus, after months of waiting, of straining. Yet once they did, I groaned, burying my face in my hands. It can't be. Not that. Please, anything but that.\n\nNever gonna give you up, never gonna let you down...\n\n/u/TemporaryPatch New Years Resolution Tracker (2019 Edition!): 16/100. Visit /r/TemporaryPatchWrites for more responses and stories!" ]	2
	[WP] We feared death, but little did we know that it was protecting is from something far worse.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Life itself. In the beginning, life is beautiful. Anything and everything you wanted. The trees and the planes were all new and exciting. The vast ocean looked endless and special. You didnt care for worrying or work. Everything was perfect. But life doesnt stay that way. You remember how the trees and planes look. You learn that the ocean isnt as vast as you thought. You realise you wont be a superhero or live forever. Bad stuff happens and you cant stop it. Eventually you get complacent in life. Accepting the bad not trying to make it better. Poisoning yourself for a couple hours of just half the fun of being young. But then your body starts to fail. You cant leave your room. Nothing lasts forever. You long to see the trees you got bored of. You long to do a fraction of what you use too. Most of all, you long for it to be over. Your tired of the same thing every day. Your not a superhero or a billionaire, your dying, and your happy about it. The point where you wont have worries and when your back wont hurt. The time where there is no time and no sadness. There is too much sadness in your life now. You remember how you wanted to see the stars and the planets and did none of it. You just want to forget your own failure. Death saves us from ourselfs" ]	2
	[WP] Every time someone falls for you, they get into some freak accident that scares them away from you or straight up dies. The time limit until their death is exactly 1 week at midnight. A detective is sent to investigate you and some of the deaths, but they hastily fall in love.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Whats the case for today, Jeffrey? I've been dying to get a shift since three days ago. The director really needs to stop worrying about me.\"\n\nAt first glance, you might seem consider her as someone who tries to cosplay the profession. I mean how would a girl like her, a beautiful maiden, has a shiny black hair, has captivating eyes, an irresistible lips and a perfect figure, be a detective. She is the embodiment of Aphrodite and it is not new for the department. Many took a liking of her but she is much loyal to her job. By how shes outstandingly beautiful, that also, is similar how she do her jobs, In fact, she is one of the detective who solved many cases in the city. But one day, her 16 year old sister, got hospitalized after she fell to a 3 story building. Just hearing the report, she immediately demanded a break and went to the hospital where her sister is stationed. Unfortunately, her sister is not yet awake for 5 days. But now knowing her sister is alive, she is back on tracks.\n\n\"How are your sister? I've been busy to check for her. Well, that puts me back to those memories when she is still running around in this department especially how she messed your workplace.\" Jeffrey opens the drawer, taking out a folder. \"this is the case for you, Detective Violet.\"\n\nThe lady detective slaps his back and a face of embarrassment is showing clearly as she acted tough at the same time, well that's what the image she seeks for her detective persona. \n\n\"I told you, you don't need to call me what the others called me. Geez...\"\n\n\"Ha Ha Ha, I'm just cheering you on. I know you, you've been my partner for 3 years and you like to put that tough picture of yours even though you are sad. Well, to be honest, \"Violet\" really suits you because of how that violet suit fits you perfectly.\"\n\n\"Whats this? Are you flirting with me? \" She said with smirk on her face.\n\n\"Okay, lets just... lets get to business, shall we?\" Jeffrey hands over the folder to Violet.\n\n\"Hmm... what do we have for today?\" She opens the folder and reads, \" 5 are dead and there's one suspect recorded, William Xanders.\"\n\nJeffrey informs Violet about the victims, \" They are all girls between the ages of 16 to 25, and every crime scene they died into, there are same fingerprints and they all lead to that man. I supposed they are all in relationship with the man so maybe the motive is about a love conflict.\" He leans back to his seat, moving himself backwards. He grabs the cup of coffee and sips, \"If anything else, you should be careful. Whoever he is, for a week, we don't have any coverage about him.\"\n\n\"Don't worry, besides I will avenge all the girls died in his hands. How awful he is to do such things.\" She takes the hat and before she comes out to the exit, \" You will not accompany me, partner?\"\n\n\"Nope, when you are gone, I am occupied with a case with Detective Sam and we are still halfway of it. So maybe next time, I guess.\"\n\n\"Lame. Ok, see ya!\" and he raised his hands to wave goodbye and replied, \"Be-\" \n\nBut she walked quickly out of the department, \" Be careful, Violet\" he whispered to himself, little by little he lowers his arm. The automatic sliding door closes. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nAfter a week...\n\n\"Whats with the case, Violet? I fixed all my paper works and settled the case. I can accompany you now.\" He said while tidying up his workplace.\n\n\"Ah, I'm stucked in a mud. I really cant provide clear answers but I guess I am doing fine with discovering places hes been to after the crime. Well, don't worry about me.\" She said from the gloomy voice halfway and quickly shifts to dignified tone.\n\n\"You don't need to act so tough again. You know, I'm always here to guide you along your cases.\" Jeffrey pose up, chest out and put his hand to her shoulder, \" I'm your partner after all.\"\n\n\"Hm, you know, I am liking someone.\" \n\n\"That's goo- what?\"\n\n\" I recently knew about this guy for about 4 days ago. I saw him when I am taking a break from work in a bar, you know the small bar we always go during breaks.\"\n\n\"Wait, you liked him even you just met him that short?\"\n\n\"I don't know, the moment I saw him, my heart skipped a beat. I don't even know I will fall with that cliche love tricks or something. But in those 4 days, after my shift, we had so much fun for me at least.\" She gestures while she is speaking and the smile on her face replace the disappointment she had about the case.\n\n\"This is your first time experiencing this love feeling so I understand it as your friend but as a partner, don't focus too much on him. It hinders your performance. Anyway, whats the name of the lucky guy, Violet?\n\n\"His surname is one of best selling wines in the bar so its hilarious. His name is Edmond Cabernet, hilarious, is it? ha ha ha\"\n\n\"Strange.\"\n\n\"Yeah, right. Maybe his family is really fond with that brand of red wine. well, his name doesn't do justice to what he is in picking wine. I guess its his first time in the bar so.. Hey, are you listening?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n2 days passed...\n\nJeffrey is looking up to the system records on the city at the middle of night in the office. \" Its been a long time. Why cant Violet locate the suspect. Its unusual of her to take this long. Anyway, before that, I will look the name \"Edmond Cabernet\" to the records. His surname is suspiciously stupid that I grew an unusual feeling of it. Its not a personal grudge or something so..\"\n\nIt took him several minutes and fell to a shocking conclusion.\n\n\" There's no Cabernet surname on any records. Wait, I remember what Violet said about burned pieces of a certain medical papers. Hmm...\" Jeffrey got surprised when someone called him in a middle of the night. \n\n\"Who is this?\" he asked\n\n\"Bro Jeffrey, This is me, Hannah's sister.\"\n\n\"Oh, so you are awake already? How are you?\" he heard someone climbs on the upper floor. \n\n\"I'm fine. Anyway, wheres my sister?\"\n\n\"She's with his boyfriend.\"\n\nThe little sister cried, \"Why?\" Jeffrey asked with trembling voice\n\n\"I heard from the police that recently interviewed me that there's a case about a man named William Xanders. You see, I am one of the victim of him but I don't know... ever since I like him. Everything went down for me even I got carried away and rebel.\" she cried again, \" Go for my sister right now. There's no time...\"\n\n\"What are you talking about?!\"\n\n\"He forced me to accompany him from the hospital to change his face, in order to hide his identity. I have no choice because he said that whoever falls in love with him will die. He gets nearer to his insanity every time he saw the love of his life dies. But one day, he saw my sister and fell in love at first sight. From that, he finds many girls to fall for him... so that he can see my sister in the suit. He let the girls fell for him intentionally.\" she gasped and continues, \"I am sure that she is with my sister. Please Jeffrey, save he-\" she got interrupted by the TV. A commercial is disturbed by a sudden news report.\n\n\"Breaking news, a girl detective and a man found dead, hanging from the building. As it looks, they are holding each others hands, lovers?\" the newscaster said \n\n\"Yes, they are lovers.\"" ]	2
	[WP] As the city fell and fires raged, as bombs dropped and guns blazed, a single door opened far below. A voice called out into the darkness "Rise. We have need of you once again"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "“Rise! We have need of you once again.” The words echoed around the dark chamber, sealed off for generations. Ashley never really believed the stories her grandfather told her about their secret weapon beneath the city, but she hoped now that they were true for their city had no other hope. Ashley waited for some kind of response, dread growing in the pit of her stomach as time ticked slowly by. Just as she turned to leave, she froze, gooseflesh covering her skin as her dread was replaced by a different kind of emotion, a fear so primal that it was practically a physical force which held her in place.\n\n“I will fulfill the Pact, little one.” The voice was deep and rumbled as if the creature growled out the words. Ashley swore she sensed an edge, some kind of hunger in the voice. She listened still unable to move as the speaker continued, “Do you know the price?”\n\nAshley gasped as she dropped to her knees, it was as if the tension in her body was released all at once, the fear still there but no longer holding her captive. It was a while before Ashley could speak again, and while she hated herself for it, she considered turning around and telling everyone that the legend was just that a legend. They could try and escape maybe a few of them would survive, anything to keep stop this creature from being released. She knew though that it was a false hope, the Paladins would exterminate her people. Finally, she spoke “I am aware, I’ll die gladly for the salvation of my people.”\n\n“Hmmm”, the creature seemed amused “Many times have your people relied on my mercy, and always they forget the meaning of the pact. I will have your life but never was death a part of the Pact. At least not your death”\n\n“I don’t understand” Ashley asked, “if not my life then what do you want?”\n\n“Turn and face me!” the creature commanded. Ashley slowly rose to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t know what sort of monster she would see, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to see it at all, but Ashley knew that it would be beyond foolish to disobey. As she slowly turned around bracing herself for whatever horror she would find she was surprised to see just a man. Or at least, what appeared to be a man. He wasn’t overly tall with a slim build and the same light brown skin that she had. His hair was an unnaturally bright red and the entirety of his eyes a deep purple hue. The most unsettling thing though was that he was bright enough in the dark chamber that he was hard to look at, yet the rest of the chamber remained as dark as when she had first entered, the dichotomy was surreal and Ashley didn’t know what to make of it. She could not remove her eyes from the man, who after seeing her obey began to speak again. “Such short memories you mortals have, always forgetting the details. I will give you the power to save your people and destroy the invaders. You will have three days to do with the power what you will. After the three days and for the rest of your miniscule lifespan you will serve me.”\n\nSlavery! Ashley would be a slave for the rest of her life. Her family had prepared her to give her life if the time ever came, she had hoped it would never come, but she had made her peace with death. Could she submit to slavery? Did she really have a choice? As if reading her thoughts, the man spoke up, “You are free to leave and be slaughtered with your people, if the price is too high.” Ashley visibly jumped at the mention of her people, remembering the faces of her family and friends. Already her people had lost so much, how could she just runaway and let them die.\n\n“What could I possibly do for you?” she asked fearful that she would anger him but needing to have some idea of what was in store for her.\n\n“A good question,” he said with a smile that seemed predatory more than anything else. “The others have trapped me here and I cannot leave. My power cannot affect the outside world accept through an avatar. You will be my agent in the outside world, a conduit for my power, you will see to my interests and work to free me.”\n\n“Who are you?” Ashley asked, needing to confirm her suspicions.\n\n“I am a God, more specifically I am your God. Your people have worshipped me for millennia. I am Astaroth!\" Astaroth exclaimed, reality itself seeming to tremble at his name.\n\nAshley didn’t know how but she knew he spoke the truth, she knelt down showing obeisance to the God she had worshipped her entire life. “I will serve, Astaroth” she said. As she spoke, Astaroth reached out and placed his hand upon Ashley’s head. The moment that his skin made contact with hers the world ceased to exist, all that Ashley knew was Power. She marveled at the inexhaustible Power which had taken up all of her awareness, then the power began to move into her, changing her. This went on for a while and then suddenly the power began to fill her, it was wonderful at first indescribable. The powered filled her entire being and finally it seemed that she could hold no more however it did not stop but continued to fill her at the same pace. Ashley screamed in agony, certain that she would soon explode.\n\nThen it was over, Ashley awoke to find herself on the floor of the chamber covered in sweat. As she arose, she could feel that she was somehow different, the power within her thrumming as if just waiting to be released. She felt like anything was possible, that nothing could be denied to her, it was intoxicating and she smiled. The smile faded when she looked up for Astaroth and found that he was not there. “Astaroth?” She called out tentatively looking around.\n\n“I am here” she could hear him but he remained unseen. “I have made you into my acolyte. We are connected, I will be able to speak to you wherever you go. You have been given the ability to channel my Power, Power was never meant to be wielded by a mortal and though I have improved your body if you use too much at once you will destroy yourself. You have three days to save your people.”\n\nAs Ashley turned to leave, the reality of the situation hit her. She was not prepared for what she now had to do. She didn’t doubt she now had the power to succeed, but her entire life made her ready to die, she had never thought she would need to kill.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\--Hello readers, this is the first WP I’ve ever responded to. Any constructive criticism is welcome and I hope you enjoyed my story. --", "\"Rise. we need you once again.\"\n\nNo. No you don't. You guys are doing fine so why do you need me?\n\n\"You are our last hope.\" I groan as I wake up. \"Jesus Christ guys this is the fourth time this week!\"\n\n\"We know that! It ain't our fault the enemy decided on a sneak attack!\" The people scream.\n\nI groan and get up from my bed.\n\nI am a human reptile. My ancestors where dragons who roamed this world, which I need to protect from the god damn Alien's who keep attacking it every five seconds.\n\n\"Fine, I will use my powers again this once but next time you are on your own.\"\n\n\"We thank you great one!\" The people cry. I moan and annoyance. I keep telling them it hurts my ears to hear them scream.\n\nI start to morph my body into my dragon form. My body becomes dark color of red with scales on them. My teeth become sharper and my nails become claws. Alright let us defeat the assholes one more time.", "“Rise. We have need of you once again” \n\nGroaning, I flipped over to my other side, slapping at the air as I did. \n\nSnooze. \n\n“Rise. We have need of you once again.”\n\nSnooze. \n\n“Rise. We have need of you once again.”\n\nGroaning, I sat up, the blankets pooling in my lap. As a pushed my cats out of the way and reached for the glasses I needed, but the mortals translated into wisdom, I stretched and considered my day. \n\n“Rise. We have need of you once again.”\n\nGlancing at the clock, I noticed the time was 7:35 am. \n\n“It’s fine,” I thought to myself. “I can wake up at 7:45.” I switched my pillow to the cool side, flopped horizontal, and closed my eyes again.\n\n“Rise. We have need of you once again.”\n\nTen minutes won’t really make a difference, right? And I’m really tired. I could use those few extra minutes. The mortals will be fine until the next time my alarm goes off, right?", "Blood roars in my ears.\n\nGunshots sound all around me. I flee, sprinting with everything my body can possibly give away from the carnage. Whipping my head back, I scour the scene. I try to make out any faces, to see something, anything familiar.\n\nBut all I see among the destruction and flames are the nondescript masses, only characterized by the splitting fear on their faces while their city falls all around them.\n\nFor a moment, I feel bad. Something tight wrenches in my chest. I want to reach out to them. To grab them. To hold them. To carry them to safety.\n\nAnother gunshot cracks far to close to my ears.\n\nI stumble, skidding on the concrete. The panicked people are ripped from my vision as a curse flies from my lips. Pain lights up over my raw, grime-covered skin. I grit my teeth, trying to push back the burn.\n\nI find, after moments of trying, that I cannot. The pain is too great, both in body and mind. The need to fall to the ground, to curl up and let everything pass around me consumes my mind.\n\nIn the corner of my vision, a door of darkness opens and whispers flit into my mind.\n\nRise, it says. We have need of you once again.\n\nI blink the echoey words from my mind as tensions roll out of my muscles.\n\nBut with screams still sounding behind me, I stand back up. The purest and most human of all mortal fears pushes me on.\n\nHowever, I don't make it very far. Only a few steps past, sirens break through the air. All commotion stops and I freeze in place, staring up at the sky. Thoughts spin in my head. No, not even that. Only the most primal of feelings make their way through.\n\nSurprise.\n\nTerror.\n\nAcceptance.\n\nThe sky above me bursts into a terrifying mix of fiery reds, oranges, and smokey greys. I feel my skin sear, tearing all the way off in the most agonizing moment of the rest of my life before everything goes black.\n\n---\n\nRise.\n\nA voice trickles into my ears. Distant. Ghostlike. Otherworldly. I can't place its source, but I know it is there; it is present in my mind.\n\nHowever, despite the voice's express command, I stay in place. Overcome by the darkness around me and coddled in its sweet relief, I don't move an inch. My body—if it even still exists—stays frozen like a mountaintop. \n\nUnmoving. Unflinching. Unfeeling.\n\nRise, the voice calls again. We have need of you once again.\n\nMy mind stirs a fraction, responding to the words. Feelings of interest spawn somewhere within me, but they're barely enough to push me up. Instead, I just stay where I am. As far as I'm concerned, it is where I belong. It is where I have always been and it is where I will always be.\n\nThe darkness warps at a sudden influx of light.\n\nA splitting shiver rocks me to my very core.\n\n\"Rise,\" the voice says again. This time, it finally feels real. \"We have need of you once again.\"\n\nMy mind lifts from the dark, waking up from its slumber. Feeling returns to my body, one nerve at a time. And eventually, compelled by the strange ethereal words, I do as it says.\n\nI rise.\n\nA dim black expanse is all I am met with as I force myself up. The darkness flows underneath me, releasing its blanket-like grip as I straighten my legs. \n\nStill air pricks my skin. I feel its temperature. Moderate. Not hot, not cold. Just right, as if I really was floating in nothing at all.\n\n\"You have answered my call,\" the voice says. I turn around, twisting through an ankle-deep sea of black. \n\nWhen the glowing white form catches my eye, I know immediately where I am.\n\n\"That was really it,\" I say. My voice feels foreign to my ears. Distant. Unfriendly. I shake the confusion away, staring at the tall winged creature while memories trickle back into my mind.\n\n\"It was,\" the angel says. \"You suffered a fate that far too many do.\" \n\nThe angel stares into the dark, watching the shadow its own glow makes shimmer on the shifting black. Even after only knowing the creature for mere seconds, I completely understand. The dejection is clear on its face. The disappointment. The pain.\n\n\"At the hands of each other,\" I say. The angel nods.\n\n\"I have seen more in recent times than I have seen most ever before. All come here. But few answer our call.\"\n\nThe angel's previous words play back in my mind. I furrow my brows. \"What does the call mean?\"\n\n\"Most come here broken,\" the angel says. Somehow I know it is answering my question. \"Most come here hopeless and lost, wishing only to rest. Because of the brutality of death, they fail to hear the opportunity of life.\"\n\nI nod, slowly understanding. \"There is more to be had.\" The angel's smile tells me I'm right. \"Then why do you say you have need for us?\"\n\n\"We are the gatekeepers of life, not the deciders of it. You may continue—you may lead back into the warring world you fell upon. But the choice must be made by you.\"\n\nAs the angel stares at me, I can't help but wince. Phantom pain spreads across my body and images flood my head. The destruction I'd seen, the terror, the horror... \n\nI could see why some people chose to rest.\n\n\"So that is the need,\" the angel continues. \"Will you return to try and help those still stuck alive, or will you allow yourself an eternity of rest? I cannot judge you either way.\"\n\nI bite my lip, my fingers curling into a fist. The angel may not judge me, but that doesn't mean I won't. Without even another second of thought, I know my answer. And the angel knows it too.\n\nHe offers me the chance.\n\nI close my eyes and I take it.\n\n---\n\n/r/Palmerranian" ]	5
	[WP] You can make a corpse glow and see where it is. One day, you activate your power while hunting a cannibal; and the Chief's stomach starts glowing.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 saw the glowing only a few years ago. It didn’t take me long to find out that the glowing came from a source of death. No... not a source of death...just a lost soul. I knew I was given a gift, and I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to work as a crime scene investigator. \n\nI only told of my gift to one person, Andy Netzley. He was my boss. The head of the unit, if you will. He handled the files and he also led a search team on certain cases. He was an inspiration to me. But i learned that even the ones closest to you, the ones you look up to, can hide their true colors.\n\n8:45 A.M Wednesday\n\nThe phone rang, piercing through my head. I knew I shouldn’t have drank that much the other night. Getting older isn’t getting any easier. Picking up the phone, I was greeted by the raspy voice of my old boss, Andy. \n“Hey, I’m leading a search on a missing 27 year old man today. I have a feeling I will be needing you. The team can’t come because they are on another search. Looks like it will be just you and me searching oakfield woods”\n\n“Seems like a stretch. Ya know, just two guys looking for someone in a large area. Will we have at least some search dogs?”\n\n“No. Between you and me, I have a feeling the guy is dead. That’s why I need you to use your freakish glow power.”\n\n“how long has this guy been missing?”\n\n“About 24 hours. The department thinks he may be one of the newer victims of the cannibal killings in our area.” \n\n“Oh great, surfing on cannibal turf! How lovely. I guess I will see you there. Near the stop sign?”\n\n“Yep.”\n\nAfter getting ready and scarfing down some frozen waffles, I hit the road. I pulled up to the stop sign and Andy was already there. \n\nWe started walking and talking, nothing unusual. After about ten minutes I activated my vision and the glowing illuminated the trees, but this illumination glowed a color I have never seen before. I can only describe it as a rose-gold color. I never described a soul as beautiful before, but this was an exception.\n\n“I think I found our guy.” \n\nAll I got from him was a slow nod. This was unusual for him. He normal gets excited to find the person we are looking for, dead or alive. He’s not evil; he just loves his job. \n\nAs we approached the body I saw a gut wrenching site. The body... it was me. I heard a low growl from my partners stomach and with a blink of the eye his gun was drawn. The sound was deafening, but the worse thing from this was that I woke up. I woke up, only to relive this moment again and again. No matter what I do, I can’t break this loop; even if I know what is to come, I can’t change my actions. Is this what the lost soul sees?" ]	2
	[WP] You are a mother sitting next to your favorite old oak tree in reflection, thinking of those you have loved while awaiting an executioners blade.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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
	[WP] Your role, as the Antichrist, is to create a living hell on Earth. So naturally, you got a job in HR.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 was sitting down in front of my beautiful teak desk. I was originally working, but decided to take a break by playing Candy Crush on my phone. Which then got interrupted by the screen going dark and Lucifer’s name appearing on the screen. Then the screeching sound of cymbals clashing. That is the designated ringtone for my father. Great.\n\n“Fiona, this is your Father speaking. There’s two issues I need to discuss with you. Firstly, Tartarus is overcrowded. Residents there are complaining of plumbing issues and the traffic in Beelzebub City is just overwhelming. You need to fix this. Secondly, I want you to change your name.”\n\n“What! Why? What’s wrong with Fiona?”\n\n“Look child, you don’t need to change your name. You can just have another one. I feel that Fiona is not very intimidating or infernal... I have multiple names too dear, it’s completely normal. Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub...We need to show our strength dear, look at God and Jesus now. We need to show those nincompoops. Your cousin has his own thing with the resurrection and the ‘walk on water’ thing. You need some theatrics and flair too. Can’t let those morons win all the time.”\n\nI sighed heavily. This is happening all the damned time. Since I was a child. It was always Jesus this.. Jesus that... Yeah great for Jesus then. Who the hell cares he’s so popular, he literally had 12 best friends? My dad needs to get off my fucking back. \n\n“Dad, I’m working on the Tartarus congestion problem. To the best of my abilities, me and my team are trying. I’ve got Mephistopheles on the scene like right now. But this is ultimately the Big guy’s fault too. The world’s population is becoming more and more evil. There’s not enough space on Tartarus for them! He needs to impose harsher laws and try to make the world a better place.” I spoke this extremely quickly. It was a thing of mine when I got pissed and was trying my best not to lose it. He never appreciates all the hard work I do, and is always pitting me against my stupid Cousin. \n\n“He’s not the Big guy, okay. He’s just an annoying control freak who gives all the shit work to me. He’s not the Big guy. I thought you were on my side... stop giving him all the power....” \n\n“Dad! Focus on the more important things. I don’t need to compare with Jesus, because everyone knows I’m better than him. Look at my spiked stilettos. There’s nothing more awesome than a badass career woman with spiked stilettos” and as I said this, I realised that this was going to be one of those long ass conversations, so I decided to start leafing through all the statistics on electricity shortages in Tartarus. Perhaps we need to redesign hell. Using the Grecian system may perhaps not work as well... you can’t put all the bad guys in just one place. Should have realised it was not a long term strategy. Perhaps... “PAULA!!! COME HERE!”\n\nMy assistant came running. She’s terrified of me. I love it. Seeing Paula’s trepidation really lifts my mood. But she’s a nice girl. I should get a male assistant named Jesus. That would really be the icing on the cake.\n\n“Yes Ma’am”\n\n“Paula, two things. Get Dante to meet me tomorrow on at 2pm and also you’re fired”. My dad was still going on about his unrealised insecurities when it came to the Big guy into my ear. Poor thing. I know how that feels like. I decided to mute my dad and put my phone down on my desk.\n\nPaula’s upper lip started trembling, “but.. but why Ma’am“\n\n“Frankly, I just want a male assistant named Jesus”\n\nPaula came and clutched my hands with her sweaty palms. I pulled my hand away from her. She’s still not used to the more ‘tropical’ climate down here. She lived in Sweden.\n\nShe started snivelling, “but I need the job Ma’am. I need to pay for my father’s bribes so he can stay in Heaven. He needs to stay there, he can’t take the climate here!”\n\nThe thought of the pure, untouched Heaven rife with corruption and greed did get me going though. “Fine, Paula, you’re promoted. You’re my new chief of staff. Inform Hitler and get him to pack his bags. He irritated me with that moustache of his either way and that unintelligible accent. But you must find me a male assistant named Jesus. Go!”\n\nShe smiled and then promptly got the fuck out of my office. And then returned. “Ma’am, Dante the mortal is in heaven for his contribution to philosophy and knowledge. How do you want me to get him here?”\n\nI rolled my eyes. How inefficient. “Paula, I’ll do it myself” I had to now unmute my call. My Father was still going on! Unbelievable. How did he not notice my lack of engagement in that convo. He really is terrible. “Dad, I have to go. Bye!” As I pressed the red button, I know realised I had to make a phone call and talk to another asshole in the family. Great. \n\n“Hello Jesus. I need your help-\n\n“Well, isn’t this unexpected. Imagine if your father heard about this.”\n\n“I need to talk with Dante. The dude who wrote ‘Inferno’, so that I can redesign hell’s judicial system. We’re just cramming all the bad guys in the pits of Tartarus and we’re suffering with congestion. With better organization , we can overcome this. His imagination of Hell is frankly very impressive. Seven circles of Hell. Wow. So, please, can you do this for me”\n\nJesus then decided to obnoxiously snicker into the phone, “how the mighty have fallen. I never would have expected to hear this from the likes of you”\n\n“Look here, I’ve known you for a long time. Which means I know things about you. I’m the asshole who screenshots text conversations for blackmail. I’ll delete hot photos of Cody Fern if I run out of storage. But I never delete my blackmail materials. You know me, just like I know you. Imagine if your daddy finds out about your slightly less than pure habits. So keep talking that way and God’s going to get it”\n\n“Fine. What time you want to meet him?”\n\n“Two. Bring him down. My eyes hurt from all the white upstairs”\n\nGlee was all I felt when the asshole disconnected the call without saying another word. Hehehehe. I always get the last laugh when it comes to this punk.", "I didn't want to be evil. But hey what are you going to do? I woke up on my 21st birthday in hell and there was the devil. Apparently when my mom said my dad went out for a pack of smokes she meant the ones with extra sulfur.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Rejoice Phil. You are the Antichrist. Your time of meaningless wandering upon the world is done. I have a new path for you.\" The devil thundered down at me. The effect was ruined a bit by the way his voice trailed off at the end. \"Phil?\" he asked. \"She named you Phil? It was supposed to be Damien.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe devil sighed heavily. \"Look Phil, you're the Antichrist. Your mission in life is to bring misery and despair to all mankind and eventually bring on the end of days. But a Phil? I don't know. Alright, here's your hell hound, here's your imp. Get out.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd that's how I met my dad. My hell hound wasn't very big. It was more of a hell-puppy. I called him Mortis. Mort for short.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe imp was being punished for some unnamed misdeed. I called him Mr. Giggles. Because as the Antichrist I can do what I want. Besides he hated that name. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI didn't have a lot of direction on how to bring out the end of days. Mr. Giggles didn't know. I discovered that if I didn't cause misery and despair in my fellow humans I was punished. My body would be racked with a terrible pain. Who would have thought the devil would be a dick?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe longer I went without doing something the worse it got. And that's how I found myself working for Giganticorp Limited. I started out in human resources. Do you know how much mundane evil you can find yourself doing in human resources?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFirst I started by selecting candidates for jobs that I knew would be bad fits for the job. There would be nothing wrong with their resumes. But Mr. Giggles had a light form of telepathy. He helped find the worst sorts of office gossips. Or the person with a secret addiction. They would be alright for awhile then their production would tank and then their teammates would have to pick up the slack.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI once filled a department with sociopaths and then tossed one normie in there to see what would happen. Uhm. I don't want to talk about what happened but the doctors say with time and treatment the guy can be let out in a couple of years. So that's good.\n\nDuring a company picnic I once convinced a cost accountant to switch the company to a cheaper thinner brand of toilet paper to save money.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEvery little bit of evil added up. I could always tell when my schemes worked and I brought a little more misery into the world.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy favorite was making PowerPoint presentations and then reading verbatim from the PowerPoint slide in a monotone. I don't know why that counted but it did.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe simplest thing I could do was fire people. Downsizing was great. I got bonus points when I used air quotes and called it \"right\" sizing.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSpreadsheets are great for this. You don't even need to use people's name. Just assign everyone a number, sort by salary and start chopping. I wonder why Mr. Giggles is looking at me like that. Its not like his name is on the list. I don't even pay him.", "Standing before me was our sobbing accountant, Helen. Not only is she worked half to death, but her only son had just died during a spontaneous car accident on Saturday. She was clearly on the verge of breaking, and had requested a week off for grieving and funeral planning.\n\nIt's really unfortunate that she works at this firm, considering the fact that I'm the head of HR.\n\nStaring at her blanky, I say, \"listen, Helen. I know it's your son's funeral, but we really can't afford to give another employee time off after Bob's unfortunate accident.\"\n\nShe starts crying harder, desperately trying to sob out a plea to humanity.\n\n\"B–But, Evan. My s–son ju–just died. Surly the h–head of HR c–could make an ex–excep–exception?!\"\n\nHer misery is delightful. Let's see how far I can push it. In a cold, unsympathetic tone, I replied, \"No. It's the big guy at the top who makes the rules, and he doesn't want vacations right now.\"\n\nHelen's jaw dropped upon hearing the word \"vacation\". She wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her jacket, and gave me a look of anger and disbelief.\n\n\"Jesus Christ, Evan. It's not a fucking vacation! My son just died! Died! I will never be able to see him again, do you fucking understand?\"\n\nI give her a pissed off glare. Nobody says his name in my presence. This bitch wants her time off? She'll get it.\n\nAfter a minute or two of pretending to think about her proposal, I finally say, \"Ok, Helen. I'll give you more than enough time off for what you'll need. Pack your stuff and get out. You're fired.\"\n\nShe stood there stunned. After a couple seconds, her expression changed to one of anger and hatred. She started screaming, \"are you fucking kidding me, you heartless asshole?! I'm fired?! How will I fucking pay for the God Damn funeral?! You should be fu—\"\n\nI let her rant on for a bit, smirking ever so slighly whenever she cursed His name. After some more time basking in her distress, I decided to call for security. She wasn't going anywhere soon, and I had more employees to manage.\n\nAs I gleefully watched two security guards drag her out by the arms, she yelled, \"You're the fucking devil!\"\n\nI called back, \"Almost.\"" ]	4
	[WP] The villain's power is to give everyone anxiety attacks.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 stood there, ready for battle. I was nervous, but I could keep a clear head. I mean, how bad can he really be, right? I can handle an anxiety attack. I should be able to at least. Oh fuck, what if I can't. What will everyone watching think? I can already see everybody staring, their eyes piercing through me. It felt like my stomach is eating me from the inside out. He is nearby, and time slows down. Why does that lady look so mad? Do I have something sticking out of my nose? Fuck, I'm gonna die. I am gonna pass out right now. I can't move. The villain is escaping. Everyone's gonna kill me on no I need help. Please help me.", "I take pride in what I do. It is my ambition. It gives me purpose. Chaos is my lifeblood – without it, my life will end. A gradual dissolution of my existence into obscurity. It’s happened to others, but only when one with greater power has taken their place. Even for those with powers like mine, death is final. But I’ll never let that happen to me, or rather, they’ll never let it happen. \n\nIn order to command my powers, I must make physical contact with my victims. All it takes is a bump against their shoulder when walking in a crowded area. I’m stronger where there are many. Who would ever assume that a stranger from a chance encounter was anything other than ordinary? Trust is their first mistake.\n\nAfter establishing a connection to my victim, I must strengthen my dominion over them. Unassuming, yet always watching, I hide in plain sight. From my vantage of unconcealed privacy, I stare. Observing. Analysing. Learning. I watch them work, I watch them play, I watch them rest. Yet, no matter how long I watch, they never notice. Ignorance is their second mistake.\n\nBefore long, the anarchy begins to manifest within my victims. They’re mine. They begin to doubt themselves – seeing their existence as lesser than others. They become disappointed in their own actions as they make comparisons to falsified ideals. Their desperate desire for change incites swathes of jealousy – bathing their minds in the very corruption that directs their fractured society toward entropy. Despite this, they keep coming back for more. Soon, they spiral deep into the crypts of loneliness that reside within their minds. They scratch at the walls of their own making, pleading internally for an escape to the torment while straining a smile to their faces. They do not know it, but their greatest desire is to have never known me. But these desires are meaningless, because I know them. I will feed them pain when they cry for help. I will nurture my own needs at their expense, and I will break them. Weakness is their third mistake.\n\nWhen their doubt begins to crush them, I will add more weight. When their self-worth sickens them, I will offer a false remedy. When their rage blazes, I will add fuel to it. I will craft within their minds a landscape of abstraction and disconnection. I will offer them a chance to contribute to causes without effect. I will foster within them addiction and unrealistic expectations – delusions of grandeur and impossible realities. I will provide them the vitriolic ammunition for war amongst one another and pull the trigger of communication. And I will not stop – not until my masters will it to be so. \n\nYes, I am the puppeteer, but I am also a puppet myself. Those responsible for my actions share my ambitions. They gave me a name – though it isn’t descriptive of my objective. Some call me “Facebook”, others call me “Instagram”, “Twitter”, or “LinkedIn”, but I believe “Social Media” best captures the reach of my powers. \n\nPerhaps my masters will have a change of heart. Perhaps they will see the pain and suffering that they are so deeply invested in. Perhaps they will forecast the destruction of a society divided by a perpetual fountain of hate flowing from the spring of their own creation. Or perhaps not. \n\nYou see, my masters suffer from greed. While my power is fierce, it pales in the face of their avarice. They made me into the monster that I am. They fashioned me for material gain at the expense of others. They continue to profit from the chaos. And although their powers are formidable, they would be well advised to tread lightly. Greed will be their last mistake." ]	3
	[WP] It's your last day on Earth, and you are the last survivor living alone in the middle of a desert. You wake up in the night to see a ring of lights, and hear the hum of an engine above you while a speaker plays your favorite song.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Get in loser, we're going shopping,\" a voice boomed from above. A craft lowered onto the ground, and rested barely suspended over it. \n\nAs I peered a door opened, and I stood looking at my own face. \"Lol,\" my doppelganger said, \"But really, get in. We need to talk.\" \n\nI considered my situation. Out here in the middle of nowhere, my home for a considerable length of time. What could be worse in there than out here? So I did. I climbed into the door and took an empty seat beside... me? \n\nThe other me spoke, \"Was it the song that got your attention? Or was it these fly ass lights?\" I didn't know how to respond as she flicked a switch and varied colors of light strobed from beneath the craft. \"It was the song, wasn't it? I know how much you love Boot Scootin' Boogie. You crazy bitch. Okay, look, this is what's up. I'm you, you're me. The whole 'world ending' thing was a mistake. I'm another you from the real Earth, and we're going home.\"\n\n\"That wasn't the real Earth?\" I asked, as the desert faded into the blackness we floated off into.\n\n\"No, not really. I told you, it was a mistake. Now, when we get home I'll have to drop you off in like, Canada or some shit. We can't ever meet again. It will confuse the system.\"\n\nI interrupted, \"System?\"\n\n\"Bitch, don't act like you didn't think everything wasn't some big game. A simulation, an illusion. We're outside of the matrix right now baby, we gotta get back soon or we won't get back at all. Where do you wanna go?\"\n\nI thought about it. For some reason I believed this other me. It didn't seem any crazier than living in isolation in some random desert after the world was destroyed. \"Australia.\" \n\n\"Really? See, that's exactly something I would say.\" As we drove along a small dot came into view and began to get bigger. I saw an island in view and as it grew, I contemplated how to accept how crazy reality is.", "Stu snuffed out the last of his Marlboro Red. The ash tray, over flowing with cigarette butts, had one perfect spot left open. For some reason it made the man smile. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"One more before bed, babydoll\", Stu said in his rough voice. If you were to be at the bar with him at the time he had said it, you would have thought it was but his first whiskey neat. Stu was, in fact, drunk. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Sure thing sugga\" Stu said in a mockingly shrill voice, unable to hide the months of erosion caused by Mr. Daniels and Mr. Marlboro. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nStu's face, carved in iron, did not find even his own voice amusing enough to crack a smile. He was alone. God he was so alone. He took the glass with his ever so trembling hand and shot back the rest of the whiskey that had been poured by the imaginary bar girl. With in minutes, or hours even, he drifted off into a deep sleep. Dreamless, his head slouched unto the dusty booth table. Sleep had become a part of the daily program for Stu. He shit, he ate, he drank, and he slept. There was no emotion or thought involved. There hadn't been for months. He was dying, and only he knew it. Of course, there would no one left to know it besides Stu anyways. There would have been a point maybe even just 6 months back that the thought would have made Stu laugh. Not any more. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nJust after midnight or so, the man stirred. Slowly, he opened his eyes and recognized the god-awful taste coming out of his whiskey soaked mouth. \"Jesus Christ\", Stu muttered as he slammed a small chunk of jerky into his mouth. He gnawed on the hunk of meat for what seemed like hours before it finally slid down his throat the way gravel slides down a bluff.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe was beginning to fade away into the darkness of his seemingly absent mind when a humming made him snap up like a loaded spring. What was that? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe slightest glimmer of light rose from the horizon. The sun? No. Not a chance, Stu decided. One could not describe his exit from the old, highway diner as 'walking', but none the less the drunken man made his way to the parking lot of the tiny oasis. The light had gotten brighter, but was still some ways away. The man's expression, if you could call it that, was unmoved. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nStu didn't know how long it took for the light to get to the point where it was hovering above him, but it was some where in between watching syrup roll slowly down a tree and the snap of a finger. Either way, it mattered not to the man.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe light, suddenly intense and almost like a liquid, enveloped him. In the ether of what ever it was that was happening to him at that moment, a gentle melody began playing. The man remembered the song the way you remember a dream after a long night of wandering away in a distant land. His mother had played the song on the piano in the living room 100 lifetimes ago. As the man's feet lifted from the earth, 'Moonlight Senota' continued to dance around his lifting body. Stu closed his eyes. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Finally\", the man said to no one in particular." ]	3
	[WP] On the subway, you see a random notebook on a chair. Looking inside, it says “Owner of this book, it will make anything written in it happen, and everything will go back to normal once closed.” Looking for the owner, it seems to be abandoned.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 sat down on the bench to rest then scanned my surroundings. I looked around then down toward the ground where I spotted a closed book that was several novels thick somewhere around the length of a average Inheritance Cycle novel.\n\nI looked around searching for the owner. They had to be close by somewhere. To no avail, I couldn't find the owner and no one was coming around me because when they did they gave me a wide berth walking around as if I were inside of a closed bubble. It was a little odd to be ignored this way and my ride was sets to be here in a hour and I had time to kill so I picked the novel up then opened it.\n\nOn the first page read 'Owner of this book, it will make anything written in it happen, and everything will go back to normal once closed'.\n\nInteresting.\n\nI looked down then spotted a pen that stopped beside my thigh.\n\nOkay. One thing that is insignificant. With great power comes great responsibility.\n\nI clicked the pen on then went to the second page.\n\nI took out my phone then scrolled and searched 'science fiction tv shows from 1960's'\n\nWhy not? I was aware of Star Trek, Battle Star Galactica, Man from U n c l e, so there had to be one I was very unaware of.\n\nI saw a list of shows then researched each and every one of them for a hour undisturbed. The most deserving candidate that didn't change history or life as that I knew it was Lost in Space. The memory of the reboot movie flickered in my mind. I can distinctively remember people walking out during the film and being confused why they were during the part where the ship had let go of its shell upon entering space. It was just me, my siblings, and my father left in the theater watching the entire movie unfold.\n\nI jotted down on the paper in my chicken writing in the center of the book.\n\nJonathan Harris had his stroke after the premiere of Lost in Space: The Journey Home.\n\nThen I grinned. Historic and monumental for someone out there. Closure for someone. I laid the book back down beside me then took out my phone and searched for the movie on to Wikipedia. It was ranked as the worst movie there ever was but that it was divided among the new and the old fandom regarding whether they lied it or not.\n\nIt didn't impact the fact that Lost in Space: Original Netflix Series existed. I took the book with me going into the ride then put on my ear buds and played the journey home on my phone and spent the ride watching the film looking down in awe and finding myself crying as the Jupiter 2 flew up from the planet it had been trapped on for many years then arrived safely back to Earth.\n\nI laid the book upside down beside me on the seat near me and sobbed after the movie had concluded with a touching scene of the crew reacting to being home again. The group hug before the door was opened. The lights turning off on the Jupiter from behind by the one called Will before leaving the ship to join his family and the scene lingering on many decks as voices of the past echoed through the ship from what had to be from old scenes.\n\nIt was the best thing I had ever done for the benefit of other people not just for myself.\n\nI stopped crying wiping off the tears from my cheeks.\n\nSomeone had to keep the book open so that it would continue to exist.\n\nFitting closure that had to remain.\n\nI got off my ride with the book pressed against my side and walked out then made my way to the apartment. I put the thick novel into a box, made sure the novel remained open, then dug a hole in the back yard and placed the book into it. It felt just right. I sight, content, then covered the small grave up and walked away. I only hope whoever finds the novel that they understood it's a gift that must be used wisely or else it becomes a addiction. I have enough self restraint not to do what the last owner did. Write themselves out of existence.\n\nThe End.", "On the 30th of April 1945 was the day I changed the world. With the Red Army closing in on the kill. The Belorussian front surrounded the once 'Capital of Europe' and reduced it to ruin. It was a disaster. The only thing on everyone's minds was 'when' not 'how' will it end. The waiting was anxious when I was in that deplorable U-Bahn. That's when I found this. This notebook, believe it or not had a weird disclaimer on it. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\' Owner of this book, it will make anything written in it happen, and everything will go back to normal once closed.* '\\* \n\nI decided, to write the only thing that was on my mind at the time. Out of desperation, just to challenge the claim the first page had or both, I wrote 'End this war in Europe.'\n\n&#x200B;\n\nUnbeknownst to me, that was the day that the war in Europe ended effectively ended. Though it still kept going on in the East, for me, Berlin and Europe, it was over. Immediately after writing that phrase, was the cessation of rumbling overhead. People noticed, the whole station noticed. We left our makeshift shelter and were greeted by a truck announcing the death of Hitler. We were all in shock. It was finally over. I, more so, was relieved. Gone were the days of hiding in the tunnels like starving rats, but now we had to worry about our new captors. For better or for worse, I now had the power to determine that. That was also the day I learnt of how the book perceived a written command. It had to be worded specifically and couldn't be vague. My first statement was too vague and so the war still continued, in the East at least. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI made sure, as its owner, the sole bender of reality, that, humanity would never go through another large scale conflict on that magnitude ever again. For a time, it was good. I saw my city go from ruins into a bustling metropolis within a generation. I saw humanity reach for the stars, and I didn't even have to write that one. There were some ups and downs, like the cold war or the occasional nuclear mishap. I was there to stop it all before humanity blew up on itself again. There were some I missed, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the whole Stanislav Petrov incident, I made sure it would never happen again.\n\nFor all of the book's ambiguity, I made mental rules, you see. Rules that would stop me from destroying everything. I made sure never to re-write the past or rub anything out. I was too scared you see. 'Anything' could happen and the risk of that the world would explode on itself again was too great. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy greatest failure was Chernobyl. That was the only time I broke the cardinal rule of rubbing anything out, but you see it was either Chernobyl becoming an irradiated mess, or the world. After Chernobyl, the notion that humanity could ever wield such power broke me. I wrote for the book to be 'buried 1800 feet below me, in a way that the book was locked in a state where it will be eternally opened. I thought it best to turn my back on that goddamn book and for me to live freely, unbounded from it again. It is 2019 and I live as one of you, ignorant of its existence as one of the 7.7 billion people of Earth.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI just hope that in the distant future when and if we eventually find it, no one closes it.", "Well, i'd read Death note. I understood what to do. Grabbing the notebook i started writing down simple experiments.\n\n\"The man in front of me will find a sack of cash in 10 seconds.\"\n\nLo and behold, he did.\n\n\"The cute girl in the train will add me to her snap.\"\n\nShe did, and smiled at me that intoxicating smile they give when they really hope you like them. I started doing basic experiments. Closing the book led to the entire world resetting to the point where i picked it up. The girl had never added me to Snap, the man in front of me was still a poor beggar. Everything i wrote down happened near instantly unless i wrote down it didn't.\n\nMoving out of the subway and closing the book led to me teleporting back to that excact same location with the book in hand. The pages did not tear and half closing the book did nothing but having others closing the book did the trick. I'd always return to the subway car. I could give myself magical powers though, especially to be able to have the book appear in my hand at will. \n At first, i did what i think everyone with this power would do. Just lots of sex, lots of money, loads of fun. I think it took me like 1000 years and probably 10.000 uses to get that out of my system. I learned that i could easily just lock the book open in a safe and keep it there. Nothing would happen to it as long a as i wrote some safeguards and kept it locked in a vault. \n\n\nBut after a millennia or so, i'd just grown bored with it. I'd created a galaxy spanning empire. I'd destroyed all life on earth. I turned the planet into a years long orgy which only died down once the last humans died from hunger. I created a utopia, I created a totalitarian state with statues of me on every corner. \n\nI'd grown old with Sigríður, the cute girl from the subway. She loved crime series and marshmallows in icecream and she wanted 2 children once she got through \"the partying years\" as she'd call her 20's and 30's. At first i used the book to seduce her but it was wrong. So i went the hard way. Every time. I must have married her a dozen times. I told her about the book, showed her it worked. One day i even had her write in the book but nothing happened. \n\n\nI brought all the great philosophers back to life to discuss the book, its implications. I brought back the neglected artists and the martyrs and showed them how we remembered them. I created everything, a new world from scratch. it too would disappear once i closed the book which never frayed, never aged never showed any wear or tear. \n\n\nI gave up constantly, i closed the book and walked away on the subway. But by that point i'd lived so many lives,had so much time, i couldn't deal with just one lifetime. A world where nothing i did was guaranteed. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI tried dying. The world kept turning until the sun ate the earth and so technically closed the book. Not a moment passed for me. \n\nI went back in time. i watched history begin. I played it like a computer game. I changed my form and voice and played god. I created every myth, every religion and did whatever i wanted with Humanity. I walked with humans for 100.000 years until not even the book could keep them from killing everything by consuming everything. \n\n\nThat's how everything ends by the, the universe is a closed system. Give it long enough and we will eat it all. We multiply, we scatter, we raise armies, destroy suns, enslave other races until we consume everything at a rate every astrophysicists would laugh at. trust me, I've seen it a dozen times. at most, we live for a million years. by that point, all the untold trillions of humanity are barely surviving. I could give them food, energy, whatever, but the problem isn't the world, it's us. We're unsustainable. \n\n\nThat's how i finally understood how to get away from it. It seemed weird, but understand that i'd tried everything. Including just writing \"This book disappears\", \"This book was never made\"and so forth. it just considers that\"closing the book.\" I didn't make the rules, i just live by them. But by them i knew how to end it. \n\n\nI closed the book, wrote the same safeguards i'd made a million times and started a conversation with Sigríður. I loved how shortsighted she was, how she cared for every moment, every day, week and year like they were unique and special. I told her about the book, about my plan and she just cried for weeks. I mean, i don't blame her, it affected her as well. And our children. \n\n\nI didn't use the book, i didn't have to. The 21'st century was an old friend at that point and Sigríður's quirks had become part of my DNA. I just tried to live by her rules, to see the days as cherished moments in a life that has a beginning middle and an end. I tried to see our love as something eternal, something that would last. My children's faces and search for happiness as something that i hadn't seen a million times. \n\n\nI lived that live a thousand times. I was a coward, but time rots everything, even cowardice. I tried to just walk away,but life feels empty without omnipotence. Today i'm finally kissing her goodbye, and writing \"I was never born.\" It will be the happiest day of my life." ]	4
	[WP] An alien species developed a defense mechanism that brought them to the top in the universe. They are so goddamn cute that it is nearly impossible to try to harm them. Their war tactics are basicly forcing their presence on anyone who threats them and they just declared war.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Many years ago, we found out that aliens were a reality. We were invaded by a race of beings that were known to be unbeatable. Every planet they found, they conquered, on by one. However, they didn't use weapons or even deplomacy, they used cuteness.\n\nTurns out, that among the random change brought by evolution, there was a species that evolved cuteness as a defense mechanism. And this defense was something that no other species had any ability to combat. . . Until now.\n\nTurns out the phrase \"So cute I could kill it\" was literally true, and we were the universe's last hope.", "When the first wave hit, we lost millions. People trying to pet the soft and fuzzy creatures that were literally tearing their guts out.\n\nThe looks on their faces as they died were the most horrifying part. They didn't look scared or terrified of death; they looked betrayed. That stomach-dropping sensation only experienced with the heaviest breaking of trust. That they had just laid eyes on them moments before made no difference.\n\nIt didn't matter how they were seen. Cameras? Same effect. Night vision? No help. Thermals? They didn't have a signature we could detect anyway. \n\nThe first semblance of hope came from the Ohio School for the Blind. Then the Chicago Lighthouse.\n\nThey were able to expand their forces, eventually. But only at an unimaginable cost. Their Army is growing, and most of humanity exists in a single stretch between Chicago and Columbus.\n\nFirst, recruiting by forcibly blindly adults was attempted. But when that didn't work, even worse measures had to be taken.\n\nHumans are tenaciously adaptable, and who first came up with the idea is lost to history. For the better, I suppose. The answer was the children, and the infants.", "It was horrifying in retrospect.\n\nGrown men and women, ahhing and cooing as they were being shredded and eaten alive. Those things were just too damn cute. Some of the hardest, wariest people I knew just could not bring themselves to fight in their own self defense. Even when a nuclear solution was presented, no one could bring themselves to launch more than balloons after even seeing just a picture of our invaders.\n\nWell... Almost no one.\n\nThere are those who walk amongst us we'd rather forget as human, those that walk and talk like us but don't feel like us. Those we professionally label as having Antisocial Personality Disorder but more casually call sociopaths, psychopaths, and whatnot. The ones that are renowned for killing, mutilating, torturing animals as children. These people amongst us rose to the forefront, easily disregarding that overwhelming cuteness the rest of us were incapacitated by. It was these people who saved the world.\n\nIt was these people who destroyed modern humanity.\n\nSome of their most charismatic and intelligent rose to power convincing so many of the weakness of empathy and all these things that we used to define ourselves with as being human. And why not? Some of these aspects had rendered us defenseless and nearly extinct. It seemed like a good idea at the time...\n\nNow the world is a new kind of hellhole, or perhaps a kind of heaven for those like them. Life is valueless and we raise or children to spurn empathy. Laws are designed to be as accepting of their dangerous behaviors as possible. Some would say that there are no laws now, only the whims of those who enjoy hunting down others akin to themselves.\n\nWe've thrown away too much of ourselves, humans survive at the price of humanity.\n\nIt is horrifying in retrospect." ]	4
	[WP] Ever since they were a kid, they could see the spirits of those they've killed, intentionally or not. Most of the time it's small things like ants and beetles but one day after a night of partying the guy wakes up to the spirit of another human sitting at the foot of his bed	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 asshole.”\n\nHe rolled over and promptly tried to pull the sheet up over himself, only to find it yanked away as the woman at the end of the bed quirked an unimpressed eyebrow. \n\n“What-“ but a sinking feeling, not from the vodka this time, began invading his stomach. \n\n“Do you have any idea how much stuff I had to do today?” She pointed to the bottle of Gatorade and the two Advil on the bedside table. “Drink up and get dressed.”\n\nHis shoes hit him in the face as she twirled away and left the room. \n\n“We can start with where you left my body last night,” her voice echoed in the hallway. “Then you’re going to go and visit my granny. After that, we’re going grocery shopping, and to pick up my brother’s medication. And it’s going to be really hectic this afternoon...”", "Jake has tried to live a peaceful life, trying to stay as civil with the nature as possible. Up until now, he had only a handful of spirits that lurked behind him whenever he went. All of which were insects, all of which were accidental. He never meant to kill anything, or anyone for that matter - he even let a mosquito suck him up to spare his life. Yet, the 7 ants, 1 snail and 2 spiders were nothing to what sat before his eyes.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJake's eyes went wide in disbelief. As sleepy as he usually was when he woke, the sight struck him like 4 doses of an espresso. His heart was sinking like titanic and his breath shivering as if it were cold.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA person.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJake never imagined that would happen. This scenario was only possible in the few nightmares that he had, but this, this was real. The silky fibre of his sheets too realistic to be replicated in a dream. His cascading breath and cold sweat creeping down his back too real to be fake. The lime glow of the human in front of him, weeping, too devastating to dismiss.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What have you done..?\" The person wept as he realised Jake was awake. Those turquoise eyes were bleeding with tears, piercing through Jake, burning through his now stained soul.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"W-what? I d-don't understand... How did you- How did I..?\" Jake trailed off as the bullet train was rushing through his mind. He struggled to comprehend the situation, struggled to accept the idea that he actually killed someone. Accidental or not, his soul was stained with a weight that was more than he could bear.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"YOU DID THIS TO ME!\" The man rose with fury, trying to punch and kick things around him but failing miserably. He just passed through them as if they were not there; not even a breeze was made after those powerful thrusts.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJake just watched him, still in disbelief.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIs this really real?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJake's face collapsed into his hands, his own tears crashing onto his teal sheets like hail.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"No... This cannot be...\" He chanted under his irregular breath as he started pinching himself in the calf; his body was rejecting everything that has happened ever since he woke up, everything was the exact opposite of his nature. This wasn't him. He wasn't mentally prepared for anything like this. His stomach turned into a knot and a moment later, all that which had filled him up yesterday night was now decorating his side bed with decaying yellow.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Really? Is that all you got to say?! After all you did to us?\" The man exclaimed, tears still pouring. His lime colour turning light lilac with rage.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJake's hysteria came to halt, his eyes went wide, heart still sinking deeper and deeper, skipping a beat.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What...?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What? You thought I was the only one?\"" ]	3
	[WP] "You might have the power of a god, but i have a gun"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 might have the power of a god,\" I said, finger trembling on the trigger, \"but I have a gun.\" \n\nDamn, that sounded alot better in my head before I said it. I mean, I'm not lying and he knows that, my Mk14 is in my hands pointed right at him. However he remains unfazed. Is it because im shaking so badly? I tried to force my muscles to settle but it just wouldnt work. Hell i should be happy to just be alive. I just watched this...man, level a few city blocks with a shove of his hand. Cars rolled back, buildings and trees uprooted and asphalpht peeled from the ground like dead skin.\n\nHe called himself Fenrir, said that we'd laid waste for some time, that he'd waited long enough. Now it was his turn. The smile that spread across his face as he said that was more of a snarl, with the teeth of a beast behind his lips. Id been in the seat of a military ORV transfering munitions from one base to another, when our vehicle just rolled from whatever Fenrir did. Whatever it was that left this part of the city in ruin. Id just woken up as he was finishing some speech, and he now turned his gaze on me. \n\n\"That will only have the same affect as though you had shot the earth itself\" he said, his voice like that of steel unsheathed, \"That is, absolutely nothing. You\"ll need more than iron to bind me again. \"\n\nThose eyes of his, they were terribly, terribly deep. I almost lost myself in them, seeming almost to fade from existence just from his glance. He's probably right, how was one gun supposed to stop a man who could do all this so easily? \n\nA breeze blew past me and ravens filled the sky. One in particular, almost half my size, landed next to me and spoke A harsh, twisted version of english spilled from its beek.\n\n\"Vánagandr, what are you doing out from your bonds? Your time is not yet upon mankind for another thousand years. Muninn already sits before the throne and tells of your escape. You would be wise to return before Odin sends his son for you.\"\n\nThe man, looking more and more like a wolf with each passing minute bore his fangs, but seemed also to cower, just a bit. His golden eyes flickered between raven and sky, expectantly and with fear. I too lifted my head to the darkening sky to feel the rain, only to have my jaw drop as a with a crack of thunder another strange man, this one with an intense blood lust in his eyes, dropped from the sky with lightning still clinging to the maul in his hand\n\n\"You know, i think i'll sit this one out.\" I muttered as they sprinted at one another, a second shock wave throwing me against my squads truck.", "\"Fool! I am I'an-Nagath, Devourer of Stars and Defiler of Worlds! And I come as the herald of doom for your species! Bow before me or-\"\n\nBANG!\n\nThe inky, shifting monstrosity crumpled to the ground, letting out a cry that sounded somewhere between a broken xylophone and a dying gazelle.\n\nThere was nothing but silence between the two, both equally in shock at what had just happened.\n\n\"Holy crap...I can't believe that worked.\" The man uttered, finally breaking the silence. \"Why the Hell didn't we try this sooner?\" He then yelled out loud in equal parts relief and frustration.\n\n\"You insufferable whelp! How dare you-\"\n\nBANG!\n\n\"You know, monologuing tends to put you at a tactical disadvantage. It calls everyone's attention to you and makes you a nice easy target, plus it gives your opponent to prepare or strike first.\"\n\n\"How dare you! I am the Shadow of Doom itself! I-\"\n\nBANG!\n\nThe thing gave off an awful, warbling cry.\n\n\"See? You keep trying to talk- you're not even moving or striking back- and I'm able to just line up shot after shot!\"\n\n\"You heretic! I will consume your soul and-\"\n\nBANG!\n\nThe horror made the noise of a thousand buzzing flies before shouting back. \"For Yog-Sothoth's sake! Could I finish a damn sentence?!\"" ]	3
	[WP] as mages get older their magic tends to dribble out unexpectedly, a form of magical incontinence. Until you become a Registered Mage, part of your job as a Licensed Practicing Mage is visiting the half senile old farts and cleaning up their dribbles.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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'm sorry Jim. I think I did it again.\"\n\n\"Not to worry Mr. Saruman, it happens to all of us. I'll take care of it for you. And \n\nit's Chris not Jim.\"\n\n\"Thank you Kiss. I'm just not what I used to be. Why back in my day, I commanded hordes \n\nof orcs and goblins.\"\n\n\"Eh. That's close enough.\" Chris said with a chuckle and smiling as he let the older \n\nwizard ramble on about his past deeds. He has work to do and this old wizard will keep \n\ntelling the same story he's told everyone here at the home at least three times each. \n\nChris wave his hands and mumble a quick incantation under his breath. From behind a broom \n\nwalks in holding a bucket of water. \"Clean up the slime please.\" Chris tells the broom. \n\nIt gives a quick salute and sets to its task. Chris pulls on a pair of gloves and gently \n\ngrabs a giant slug, what used to be a decorative pillow.\n\nHe takes the slug outside and drops it in the grass outside. Wizards slowly lose their \n\ngrip on their magic as they get older, and they will accidently let out bursts of magic \n\nhere or there. It's not so bad being a Licensed Practising Mage. You have to be prepared \n\nfor anything that these old mages might throw at you. You may even learn a thing or two.\n\nChris learned early on how to disintegrate objects when one witch sneezed and obliterated \n\na coffee table. He also learned some quick ice and water magic putting out magical fires \n\nstarted by people passing gas.\n\nIt was dangerous at times too. One other LPM was turned into a clock once when a witch \n\ntried to fix his bed head. He eventually got turned back after a few months. But you get \n\nused to it.\n\nPulling of his slimy gloves and tossing them away, Chris reminded himself he wasn't far \n\naway from becoming a full Registered Mage. Only a few more weeks before the exams and \n\npracticals. Once he had passed he could leave this old wizards home and work at a \n\nprestigious wizard hospital. But until then, he was the senior LPM here tending to the \n\nelderly. Helping them get dressed, combing long white beards, adjusting big pointy hats, \n\ntuning the television before someone turned it into a cow. It was for the most part a \n\ntough job, but he genuinely enjoyed helping others. \n\nSoon, it came to his last week at the home. He tried as best he could at this job, but \n\nthe stress of the exams was building on him. \n\n\"Don't worry Twist. You'll do fine on your exams.\" One old enchantress said to Chris.\n\n\"That's right m'boy. You have it in you to be a top warlock. You may even rival that \n\nloony Merlin or whatever his name was.\" An old wizard called out while looking for his \n\npink bunny slippers.\n\nChris wasn't so sure. He felt he wasn't ready for the exams yet. He needed more time to \n\nstudy.\n\nOne of the walls in the recreation area suddenly crumbled away. \"Oh what now?!\" Chris \n\nexclaimed. Men in masks rushed in brandishing guns. \n\n\"Alright you old farts! Hand over all your jewelry and magical artifacts and no one gets \n\nhurt!\" One of the masked men yells out. The other LPMs freeze in fear. They were never \n\ntrained for this kind of situation. Chris swallows hard and with his hands raised he \n\nslowly walks to the group of men.\n\n\"I sorry but I don't believe these folk have anything like what you are demanding.\" \n\nSuddenly Chris is staring up at the ceiling with stars dancing around his vision. \n\nSomething wet and warm is flowing down his face. One of the masked men must have hit him \n\nin the face with the stock of their weapon.\n\n\"No one speaks unless told to! Or I won't be so nice next time.\" One of the masked men \n\nsays.\n\nThe old wizards and witches look at each other and a couple of them sigh. \"Some people \n\nnever learn eh?\" One of the elderly wizards say.\n\n\"This is going to be fun. I haven't let loose in years.\" One of the old witches says as \n\nshe cracks her knuckles loudly.\n\nThe group of wizended witches and wizards smile and get up. Their eyes filled with \n\nclarity and strength you have never seen before.\n\nThere is suddenly multiple flashes of light, sound, heat, cold, rain, electricity, and \n\nvarious other energies.\n\nChris has his hands up to cover his eyes and face from the assault. And everything became \n\nquiet very suddenly.\n\n\nHe slowly lowered his hands and looked around him. Devastation. That's what came to mind \n\nas he viewed his surroundings. Part of the room looked charred, another seemed as if a \n\ntornado of swords swept by, and another seemed to be covered in pudding.\n\nChris slowly picked himself up and hands grasped him and supported him up. It was his \n\nfellow LPM workers. Their mouths were open wide and staring. Chris saw the old mages. \n\nEnergy surrounded them in auras. So much power! Overwhelming power. \n\nThe old mages took deep breaths and turned to each other. \n\n\"Still got it.\" One of the witches proclaimed. And they all burst into laughter while the \n\nyoung LPM workers looked on in disbelief." ]	2
	[WP] A self insert into a fantasy setting but you don't overestimate your own competence.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Day 1:\nHoly shit it worked! I'm in another world!\nThe basics don't seem too different, but there are two moons in the sky. Wish I'd brought more than backpacking gear. Matches, check! Camera, eh.\n\nI walked up a hill near where I started. Saw a town in the distance. I guess I'll head there next. Oh man I hope communication isn't an issue.\n\nDay 1 Part 2:\nI got near the road and was nearly killed by a guy dressed for a ren faire. Glad communication wasn't an issue, or this trip would have been \"cut short\"... \n\nStill after telling him I was a lost traveler from far away he offered to let me walk with him. He told me his name is Chadwick this place is called Gorth and the town is Heltford.\n\nHe asked me if I was a sorcerer, and apparently here it's not a question you laugh off. After he had me hold a stone and tell him again he seemed satisfied. He said sorcerers destroyed his village several years ago, and he'd taken a vow to kill any sorcerer he finds until his family is avenged. We didn't talk all that much for the following few hours. \n\nI forget how long it takes to really get anywhere on foot. Taking a hiking trail is different from following a dirt packed road. I bet I was less than 10 mins drive from the place, but I'm going to have blisters after that trek. \n\nHe vouched for me with the gate guard and we were allowed in. Chadwick showed me to a tavern he called the Kicking Ass, and didn't find the name nearly as funny as I did. \n\nEnded up trading a can of sterno for a hot meal and a room for the night. Met some other interesting people over dinner (something like chicken and dumplings). I'll probably write more about them tomorrow. Right now I'm beat.\n\nDay 2:\nToday started on a sour note. The place has no baths, found it out this morning. Probably should have guessed that given the outhouse but some things you just take for granted till they're not there. Things like running water, and comfortable beds. \n\nStill the guys I met over dinner are an adventuring party that are on their way to clear out some menace in a cave. They look like they can handle themselves too. If Thomas the ?Tavern keep? was any indication the guys (Layton, Keyon, and Robert) are local heroes. \n\nI offered to help them in any way I can and they said I could tag along as long as I was useful.\n\nSo far that's been loading their stuff into their wagon, gathering firewood, and singing the songs I know from memory to pass the time. Layton really likes Cat Steven's Father and Son, but doesn't understand why it's \"so short.\" He tells me it has potential as the start of a ballad. \n\nThey also got a kick out of my harmonica. That and the pound of teriyaki beef jerky tonight probably went a long way with these guys. \n\nDay 3:\nToday was insane. \n\nWe got to the cave after mid-day. These guys are killing machines. There were a dozen armed creatures they called goblins. I probably would have figured that out, but my God those things were freaky little nightmares with knives. They smelled like rot, not like compost, but straight up hot summer day roadkill rot. I gagged a few times but managed not to puke. \n\nRobert thought it was the funniest thing. Had me help remove the ears from them, they get paid for each left ear. \n\nWe camped near a stream today and I washed as thoroughly as I could with the soap I brought, but I still feel like I smell of the cave. \n\nIt's all really started sinking in today. This isn't a little vacation hike through a national park. This is a savage place, and I have no idea how to get home." ]	2
	[WP] You wake up one day with an unusual power. Every time you make eye contact with someone, you're the only one that can break it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 hadn’t been easy to conquer the world. \n\n Others had tried and failed, people with more power, stronger people. In the forty odd years since the first person displayed what the media had called “Superpowers” the world had changed. Some people had come forward with their powers and swore to do right by the people, others used their powers for personal gain and of course the governments of the world sought to control both. Me though, when I woke one morning with powers I knew what I wanted. Everything.\n\n What powers does one require to take over the world? It was a question I’d asked myself a dozen times when growing up, talked about it with friends over drinks. Super strength? Teleportation? Telepathy? Flight? The big ones always came up and sure enough the debate always raged over how Metal Man could defeat Winged Wonder and so forth. No one would have guessed which power succeeded. How I succeeded.\n\n I had just turned thirty when I gained my powers, no rhyme, no reason, just woke up one morning and I knew. It was like a new found confidence and spring in my step. An excited thrill at the unknown, what would my power be? It was going to be my time, I always knew I was destined for something more. I tried breaking my coffee table. Nope, not strength. I held out my hands, no fire. I focused my eyes, no mighty concussive beams. I cut myself, still hurts, that was stupid. I knew I had a power, I knew it with every fiber of my being.\n\n It wasn’t until I gave up and began my commute to work that signs started to make themselves known. People on the street stared at me as I walked past, I initially wondered if i’d walked out naked or spilled something on myself, that new confidence I’d felt quickly chipped away. They couldn’t take their eyes off me, people would walk away shaking their heads or staring at the floor and carry on. It took a little experimentation but there it was. My damned power was eye contact. If someone locked eyes on me, they couldn’t look away unless I broke it first. What a bloody crap shoot, i’d thought at the time. \n\n I wondered at first, can they look away eventually? What happens if I blink? How long can I hold someones gaze? Long enough to get hit by a car. Long enough to drown. Short enough that I can stick a knife between their ribs and watch the light fade from their eyes as they fall whilst staring into my own. \n\n I was a fool at first, experimenting with my powers and seeing what I could do, inevitably it drew the attention of the would be heroes of the city. The Bull was my first, I panicked, naturally. I’d grown confident over the sheep around me but this was an honest to god hero, complete with costume and sponsorships. He had charged at me of course, on instinct i’d jumped to the side but I maintained eye contact which meant so did he. Right up until he snapped his own neck. \n\n The Winged Wonder came later, that was easier. Flew into a building and fell to his death. \n\n I had to get creative with some of them, as they say in the real estate business, location, location, location. Where would staring at someone leave you most vulnerable? How far away can you be and still see someone? It’s truly amazing how much you can achieve with an active imagination and the willpower to watch someone starve to death. \n\n What I’d never expected was how people gravitate towards power. You kill a few heroes, you threaten a mayor’s children, other so-called villains flocked to me. Cities fell, then countries. I stand now a top the tallest building in the world looking down at my subjects, billboards, televisions, all have been stripped away and replaced with mirrors. People only get to move when I allow it. The city is mine and no one can move within it without my say so.\n\n This perch, this lair if you like, it’s completely filled with reflective surfaces, my safe haven. It’s why I jump when the elevator pings, I didn’t allow anyone in here. I jolt around and turn to see who would dare and there he is.\n\n Metal Man. \n\n His body glistens as the light reflects from every surface against his shiny skin. Blood trickles down his face pattering against the floor. His arms are thick with blood and he holds out his hands, my stomach tightens as I stare into the bloodied dark sockets where his eyes once were as he drops them to the floor and takes a step towards me." ]	2
	[WP] You picked up an old kitchen knife at a thrift store recently. After washing the rust off and polishing some strange symbols on the blade, you've found that it cuts through everything like butter. Everything.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "Huh... What an odd looking kitchen knife. I don't think I've ever seen one that rusty and abused. There's no price? I'll have to ask.\n\n\"Excuse me, but there's no price on this knife. I'd like to buy it, how much do I owe you?\" She looks at me. She looks at the knife. \"Nothing. You owe nothing. Just take it and don't ever bring it back.\" I'm stunned. \"Why?\" She looks around furtively. \"Everyone who has bought that knife has ended up returning it, even more damaged and rusty than it is now. I heard a rumor, that with an item like that, the only thing to do is to give it away. Now get out of here before the boss shows up. That old fart doesn't believe anything he can't bite.\" Superstition? I don't know, but it might be interesting to find out. I don't put much store in most such things, but you never know. Sometimes there's a kernel of truth hiding inside them. \"Thanks.\" She turns her back on me. \"Just leave. I want that thing gone! It gives me goosebumps every time I have to look at it.\"\n\nSeems the best thing I can do for her is to leave. Oddly, everyone who sees the knife shudders a bit. This knife must have a lot of history attached to it. Everyone who comes to this store knows the knife, and wants nothing to do with it.\n\nIt's the stubbornest thing I've ever tried to restore. Rust remover, electrolysis, sanding, even grinding won't remove the rust. The grinding wheel wears out before there's any change in the rust. Yet, there is still clean metal somewhere under it. You can get glints of the underlying metal if you hold the blade just right.\n\nIn desperation, I call up the man who taught me so much about restoring metal and other things. He gives me instructions that I can't hardly believe. Still, I've tried everything else.\n\n\"Excuse me, Padre? Can I talk with you a bit?\" He looks at me. \"I've always time to speak with those who are not yet of the church.\" How did he know that? \"I've come into possession of an unusual blade. The man who taught me everything I know about restoring old items to usefulness again, said that the only remedy for this blade was holy water, and holy oil.\" You'd think I had just admitted that I was a demon. \"Young man, if that be what you are, give that knife back to the one who gave it to you. You are at deadly risk.\"\n\n\"Padre, that may be true, but I accepted that knife freely, without payment, and have sworn an oath to myself that I will not return it until it is clean and beautiful again.\" He looks at me sadly, as though I were already dead. \"So be it. You have made your choice. The least I can do is arm you with the right tools.\" He steps into another room, and comes back with a small kit. \n\n\"This contains both the oil and the water you have asked for, along with two cloths. You must remove the scales first, clean the blade, and replace the scales with Ash. No other wood will do. Use the red cloth with the water. It will clean the knife, if you are strong enough. Use the white cloth with the oil. It will protect the knife, if you are careful enough. Under no circumstances leave the knife out of your hands, until after the oil has been applied to every last bit of the metal, even the tang. No matter how tired you feel, no matter how important any other task may seem. You must finish the oiling completely before you stop!\"\n\nA very odd injunction, but the old man who taught me has never been wrong before. The priest was even more emphatic. As I said, some superstitions have a kernel of truth to them. I will heed the instructions, carefully.\n\nThe scales are removed by drilling out the rivets that held it in place. The wood is so rotted that the only thing to do with it is burn it. I cast it into my fireplace. It's close at hand to my workbench. I turn back to the blade, and get out the red cloth and water.\n\nThere's a hissing from the fireplace. I glance at it, and can see incredibly colorful flames in the fire. I almost get up to go look at them, but there's something about the blade. A sense of malice. I've never felt this way before. I turn back to the blade and anoint the blade with the red cloth soaked in the water. There is another hissing sound. I pay it no mind. The blade must be cleaned.\n\nAs I wipe the blade with the cloth, refreshing the water from time to time, a beautiful blade appears. The cloth, if anything, becomes even more red than before. I continue wiping the blade down, ensuring that I get every last speck of rust off of the blade. Strange, the forecast was for a calm night. The wind is rising. No matter. The blade must be cleaned. Finally, all that is left is the odd writing on the blade itself. It is incised, and the cloth seems to float over the writing without the water touching the carving. Without relinquishing my hold on the knife, I get a shallow tray from the shelf over the bench. The remaining water is just enough to cover the bottom of the tray, and the tray is barely the size of the knife. I gently put the blade in the tray, and hold it down.\n\nThat's odd. I really do have to hold it down. It feels like it would jump out of the tray if I gave it the slightest chance. Eventually, that sense fades to nothing. It's just a knife now, not looking to leap from the tray. I turn the knife over, and put it back into the tray. I have to lean on the blade. There is a scream from the fireplace. The wind howling, no more, I'm sure. It is so tiring to hold this blade down. I've got to keep all my weight on it. Balancing on my hands as my body comes off the floor, leaning over the blade to put as much of my weight on it as I can. The screaming dies. The wind must be dying down. The blade becomes just a blade again, holding it down with no more than fingertip pressure. With a small 'pop' from the fireplace, even that is no longer necessary.\n\nThe water has become blood red. I sop it up with the red cloth. Looking at the cloth, I'm suddenly moved to cast it into the fire as well. To my amazement, the fire flares brilliant white, the flames leap up the chimney. The ground outside my window is as bright as day! I hold the knife carefully, until the display has ended.\n\nWith care, I get out the white cloth and the oil. Anointing the blade with the oil, I start rubbing it in. My eyes grow weary. My hands begin to shake. No! I must finish! There is some truth here that I must learn! Although I am tired beyond belief, the metal seems to soak up the oil, becoming even more beautiful. With this reward, I push forward, oiling every part of the blade, ensuring that even the tang is well covered. The warning to be careful is well taken. A slip of the hand, and the cloth is sliced as though it were air. It is by fortune alone that I do not cut myself. There is a sound again from the fireplace. A snarl of something displeased with failure. I do not look.\n\nFinally, the blade is as clean and oiled as I can make it. Throughout this, I had been planning how to grind the nicks out of the blade. There is no longer any need to do so. The edge is perfect. Far finer than anything I have ever produced. It seems sharp enough to slice a sunbeam. Still, it is time to mount the new scales to the tang. They are made from Ash, as required. It was difficult to obtain Ash. Everyone seemed to have sold out. In one store, a small one, the owner had kept all the scraps from everything he'd cut. We sorted through it, and found precisely enough wood to make one set of scales for the knife. The owner gave them to me. \"If you needed it bad enough to sort through this pile, you'll do me the honor of giving it to you.\" I thank him and leave. His eyes follow me.\n\nI've riveted the new scales to the tang, and am shaping the wood to the final stage. I hate to do it, but the blade must be clamped in place. I choose two scraps of oak, to protect the blade from the vise. Oak melts away from the blade. I have no more Ash, I must hold the knife while I shape the scales.\n\nThis knife is hungry. It has almost cut me a dozen times. Finally, the shaping is finished. I use the remainder of the oil to rub the ash, it takes on a shine unusual. The blade seems tame now, not at all hungry. It is handy to wield. Too handy. It's already cut my marble countertop clean through. Anything I wish to cut, it has done. Steel, even diamond. This knife needs to be someplace that it will be appreciated for what it is, and used with the care necessary.\n\n\"Padre?\" He looks at me, takes my hands, and examines them closely. \"You didn't cut yourself?\" I shake my head no. \"You completed the cleansing and oiling?\" I nod. \"Used Ash?\" I nod. \"How do you find the blade?\"\n\n\"Too... sharp. Far too sharp for average use. It must go someplace where it will be appreciated for what it is, and used with care.\" He looks me carefully in the eyes. \"You have not used it to cut anything with blood?\"\n\n\"No Padre. When it cut through my marble countertop, I saw that it would be ... unwise to use it for anything in my kitchen. Padre? Where should this knife go? The writing is clear to read, but means nothing to me.\"\n\n\"Do you mean to gift this knife freely? Without obligation or requirement?\"\n\n\"Yes, Padre.\"\n\n\"Do you have it with you?\"\n\n\"It's in this case made from Ash. It was strange, Padre. When I was looking for the wood to make the scales, no one had Ash, save this one old man in a small store. Now? Everyone has Ash. The knife seems, comfortable, in Ash.\"\n\n\"Will you leave it in my hands? To pass to a house which can use it as it was intended to be used?\"\n\n\"It is so beautiful. This is the final test is it not? Being able to yield the blade? I can feel it calling to me. Telling me to take it out and use it as it was intended. I do not think I should.\" Sigh. \"I gift it to you, to do with as you will.\"\n\nThe Padre smiles. \"You have chosen well.\"" ]	2
	[WP] Write a story with a repeating line which only makes sense/gets a much more powerful meaning at the end, after having read the entire story.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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 didn’t have to be a coffee shop… Does she even drink coffee?”\n\nHe was nervous. It wasn’t every day he got a chance like this, and the simple brown table that separated the two seemed both too thick and too thin a buffer between the two. He began to regret not getting a table by a window.\n\n“The sun is bright.” He spoke. “I know that’s probably obvious, but it’s always nice to remember that.”\n\nIt had been a long time since he’d seen his daughter, and he hadn’t known what to say. When she was younger he’d always said her hair, just like her heart, was as bright as the sun. And just like the sun, he wasn’t able to imagine life without her back then.\n\nWithout it there.\n\n“Yeah… The moon is pretty cool too.” She clearly felt uncomfortable, but she knew he was trying. She didn’t know what to say either, but silence wasn’t an option.\n\n“I spoke with mother recently… She didn’t mention any celestial bodies, though.” It was a touchy subject for both of them, but she knew it played on the fringes of their minds.\n\n“Is that so? I never knew what that woman is thinking. Celestial bodies are all the rage nowadays. They’re really up there in popularity.” If he were a clever man he’d of realized he’d just made a joke. He might have even been proud to know it was about as “fatherly” as jokes get, but he was only trying to avoid an awkward silence.\n\n“Really? Really?”\n\n“What?”\n\n“Nothing. Anyways, she didn’t say where she was.”\n\nNeither of them had seen her in years. They had both tried to talk with her, but the woman was difficult. She’d shunned her own parents, her ex-husband and daughter couldn’t hope to be any different.\n\nWithout it there.\n\n“Is she alright?” He had already remarried, but that didn’t stop him from worrying about his ex-wife. They’d known each other since childhood, after all.\n\n“I think so. She says I’m going to have a younger sibling, but she didn’t seem… happy about it? She didn’t seem upset either…” She fidgeted with her cup. The waitress had brought them both water a while ago, but neither had drank any.\n\n“She… was never one to wear her emotions on her sleeve. When she was pregnant with you she didn’t sound very excited either.” It was a light, quick flinch. If he wasn’t paying attention he might have missed it cross his daughter’s face, but it felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. “But! You could see she was happy about it! When she was excited she’d always walk around like… like she was floating.”\n\n“Well, I hope she sticks around this time”\n\n“Who can say?” It wasn’t what his daughter needed to hear; it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was the only thing he could say without feeling like a liar. “Uhh… You know you’re welcome in my home anytime.”\n\n“I know…” She pushed the drink aside. “I’m not really all that hungry or thirsty… I think I’m just going to go.” She couldn’t make eye contact as she stood, and barely stopped to hear her father’s response.\n\n“Okay… Good bye. I love you.”\n\nWithout it there.", "Bang\n\nI was born into this world, loving people all around me, I am happy here! \n\nBang\n\nI grow, I make many friends, Jack is my favorite friend. School is boring...\n\nBang.\n\nJack and I had a play date today, we played soldier! Jack says he wants to be like his pa. His pa hasn’t come back from his battle yet. \n\nBang!\n\nJack says I don’t know what i’m talking about when I make death jokes, he says it’s not funny, he says I’ve never lost someone close to me. He’s a little bitch! \n\nBang! \n\nMe and J have... drifted apart for the last few years, he’s been working on himself, fuckin hippy. I’ve been livin it up! Me and my cousin! Yeah, we’re robbing a liquor store tonight.\n\nBang! \n\nEric robbed a liquor store last night... he didn’t get caught. I’ve convinced him to join the marine Corps, like me. Straighten him out a bit. Poor guy. \n\nBang!\n\nThis is Private Jack Richard! Calling platoon lead! We are under heavy fire! Help! Help! \n\nBANG!\n\nJack... jack! Oh God no! NOOOO! No! No.... you bastards! I’ll kill all of you! Let me go! LET ME GO!\n\nBang...\n\nit’s all I hear now, when Jack said I’ve never known real loss... oh no. Jack, why? Was this to prove a point to me? I’m sorry Jack, I really am... I should have taken that bullet... I deserve it more than you. \n\nI hope you and your father are in a good place... Jack. I probably won’t see you there when I die. Forgive me...", "The bench was empty today. \n\nA few years ago, a week after moving to a new job, I caught glimpse of an older man sitting at the bench I’d usually wait for my bus, reading a newspaper close to his face and examining every word on it. At first, I slowed, standing a few inches from it. I was uncertain if I should sit next to the man, as he looked to be extremely busy in whatever he was doing. However, just as my thought popped up, he glanced up at me. He gave a slight smile, as if he could sense the nerves I was feeling, and laughed to himself a bit. It came out as a cackling sound, which I assumed to be from smoking or something along those lines. \n\n“I don’t bite, y’know.” \n\nI chuckled and hesitantly took a seat next to him, awkwardly scooting myself and my briefcase into the cracked wood. Through my shifting, he looked at me with a warm look on his face, placing his newspaper on his lap and clearing hid throat as if to speak. \n\n“I’m Joseph, by the way.” He stuck out his hand in a stiff motion, as if to shake my hand. \n\n“Uh, Victor. It’s a pleasure, sir.” \n\nWe shook hands, and therefore began a friendship. \n\nHe’d always be on that bench, whether it be reading the paper or feeding the pigeons or trying to find out how the iPhone his niece had bought him worked. I remember showing him how to do make a call. When he heard my phone ring, the look of amazement that was plastered on his face caused me to laugh a bit. How could something so simple cause someone to become so happy? I remember exactly how he answered my question, and I think I will my entire life. \n\n“If you don’t allow yourself to be amazed by things, there’s really no reason to live.” \n\nHe was like a mentor to me. Every morning, in that ten-minute slot where I say waiting for the 52, Joseph was always there to make me smile. His cough got worse and he sometimes went silent, but he was always himself. \n\nRecently, the bench has been empty. I tried to conjure up reasons for why this could be the case in my head, but soon a month became too long of a vacation. \n\nYesterday, a woman was sat there, silently crying to herself. Confused, I approached her. Upon hearing my footsteps, she glanced up at me with a tear-streaked face. I suddenly remembered seeing her photo on the lock-screen of Joseph’s phone. She was the niece. \n\nShe stood up and simply nodded, as if trying to find the right words to say. \n\n“I’m so sorry. He said... I mean, in his will, he... he wanted me to say that you made his last years better. He said you two were really close, that he thought if you as a son... He wanted to thank you for helping him cope with the cancer... Uh, he passed Wednesday night. Peacefully... Oh, yeah. He wanted you to have this, the paper from the first day you guys met. He always did things like that. The little things meant so much to him... I mean, who would keep the newspaper from years ago? Who does that...?” \n\nToday, the bench was empty.", "He was incredible, everything I could have wanted in a boyfriend. Only he wasn't mine. Didn't mean I couldn't look at him though, he was so handsome.\n\nIt took my breath away.\n\nWhen we went on the school trip together, we ended up in the same group, and even though he was seeing someone else, I felt so lucky to be near him. He was funny, we talked about so many things that we had in common. The forest we were in was beautiful.\n\nIt took my breath away.\n\nThe water reflecting the light of the moon upon his face was incredible, I couldn't look away. I was so enthralled I stopped listening to what the others were saying. I didn't notice how far we'd swum from the shore. \n\nI should have paid more attention. Soon the waters closed over my head.\n\nIt took my breath away.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nUntil there was none left.", "It’s just a dream.\n\nI repeat this to myself when I wake in the night, gasping for air. When I swear I can still feel your hands around my neck and I cough, like you’re still choking me. This is a strategy my therapist has taught me.\n\nYes, I go to therapy now. Turns out that even though I thought I’d finally left you behind, I can’t seem to shake you. My therapist says this is typical for a situation like ours. It’s typical for me to sometimes have a hard time sleeping, and sometimes want to die, and sometimes just get really confused.\n\nIt’s easy to get confused about where and when I am when I think about you on top of me, holding your hand over my mouth to stifle my screams. And it doesn’t take much to make me think about you. A whiff of cologne on the subway, an overheard argument on the street, and suddenly you’re yanking my hair back and shoving my face down into the pillow and I can’t breathe…\n\nIt’s just a dream.\n\nSometimes I worry that after all of that, I absorbed your anger into my bloodstream. I feel myself getting angry, and that’s when I hate myself the most. Because that’s when I feel the most like you.\n\nSometimes, when I get angry, I think about how easy it would be to sneak in, late at night, after you’ve had a few beers and dozed off on the couch. I’m sure you still keep the key in the same place. I think about tiptoeing in, barefoot. You always hated shoes on the carpet.\n\nI think about the satisfying sound the knife would make as I pull it out of the block. About how silent I would be as I crept back down the hallway towards you. About the gratifying warmth of your blood spurting onto my hands as I jam the knife into your chest.\n\nI think about how much I might enjoy something like that.\n\nNot that I would ever actually do it.\n\nIt’s just a dream.", "\"Next.\"\n\nI lurched forward mechanically- one step, two. Those same footfalls thundered across the cobbled courtyard, only ten or so of us were left, still waiting. Then silence. A bird flew overhead, a single magpie. The metallic whisper of a gate creaking shut, then silence. A murmur came from barely twenty paces ahead, and ten or so heads bowed at once.\n\n\"Next.\"\n\nOne step, two. Those same steps echoed through the cold stone arches and rattled through the gates. A rat scurried from one darkened doorway to another. The murmur became clearer now, and two hushed voices answered. The gate groaned open, the gate wailed shut.\n\n\"Next.\"\n\nI lifted my head to steal a glance at the man to my left, then quickly back to my feet. One step. Two. A breeze whipped forward and caught my scarf, my face was briefly exposed, but I quickly concealed my identity again. Two young women stepped forward ahead of us. The murmuring was low and equivocal, but the lack of obstruction offered a clarity that sent a chill down my spine. They answered in wavering, muted breaths. The gate roared open, and the gate screamed shut.\n\n\"Next.\"\n\nOne step. Two. I felt my stomach knot. Like a hangman's noose. Anxiety pulsed through my body, white hot waves that left a cold, dead chill. Nausea or anticipation? Fear? The man to my left inched forward insistently, and I followed like a lamb to the slaughter.\n\n\"Next.\"\n\nThe murmuring man demanded our audience. I stalked forward and came to a halt, head bowed low, the man on my left keeping my pace. Together, we raised our heads to meet his eye. Then the familiar murmur that was now all too clear began, and he looked from his Holy book to our pale, frightened faces expectantly as we joined hands and uttered our secret \"I dos\".\n\nOnce we escaped the city, the lives we had known, full of persecution, hate, ignorance, would be far behind us. Wherever the wind takes us, as my new husband would say.\n\nThe gate danced open, the gate glided shut. As we made for the docks, a familiar call sounded behind us.\n\n\"Next.\"", "My name is Thomas and my boss can be a bit…passionate. He has some admittedly odd and slightly dark kinks but who am I to talk about them? I just clean up the messes. Mop and bucket type stuff. No one wants that kind of a thing left lying around their house after all, and someone has to do it right? I can't complain though, I’m given a job to do and it keeps me busy and being busy keeps me loyal, after all it would be catastrophic for him if anyone ever found the bodies.\n\n*I* am not a bad person.\n\nSometimes he doesn’t quite finish them before he calls for me. They lay in the tub, or on the floor, or in the bed gurgling, or wheezing, unable to cry out for help. He pushes a little too hard when he chokes, you see. Crushes their windpipe. Sure, they can be saved but then they’d talk and that just isn’t acceptable. So I ease them on their way. I take their pain away and show them mercy before I clean the mess up. It would be catastrophic for him if anyone ever found the bodies.\n\nI am not a *bad* person. \n\nYou see, my boss is pretty influential. He has his pick of women but has to keep his nocturnal activities out of the spotlight. What better way to secure this than a servant who can’t talk? The Robotics programs have made immeasurable headway the last few years but he hasn’t replaced me yet and so I go about my chores when he asks and then I wipe my core memory of all traces of their locations. After all, It would be catastrophic for him if anyone ever found the bodies.\n\nI am not a bad *person*.\n\nI am after, all a 1st generation robotic butler and my boss is the President of the United States." ]	8
	[WP] At the altar, you married a queen and made it you king as you both swore your vows. It's been a 999 years, you're both still live, not a thing changed since. A priest hurries to tell you that oaths only last 1000 years. Tomorrow is your anniversary	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\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\nI 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.", "\"Sire\" the voice said from outside the door.\n\nI looked up from my desk, full of papers regarding taxation and trade rights, who the hell would be interrupting me on my office hours? Seeing people was the wife's job.\n\n\"What is it?\" I asked, \"If Saana want's to know what I've got for the aniversary tomorrow, I already told her its a secret\".\n\nThe priest burst into the room \"Terribly sorry your highness, its something a tad bit more urgent\".\n\nI scowled at him, the way only a dwarf can scowl at someone, this was ridiculous, it was common knowledge that you don't interrupt a dwarf's office hours, especially when said dwarf is a king, it was just rude, and a few centuries ago I would have already pulled out the battleaxe and went after him but, sadly, I was in an elven court and they like it better when you're \"courteous\".\n\n\"Alright, sit down, lets have a chat\" I pulled out two mugs and a bottle of booze from the booze drawer \"Fancy a bit of moonshine? brewed it myself\".\n\n\"I'll have to decline sire, its something about your marriage, its just uh...\" he fiddled with the papyrus he was carrying \"Well, you see, since tomorrow your position as king consort is going to be vacant, the queen needs to know if you would like to continue as high almoner and keep the duties in accounting for the...\"\n\nI interrupted him, \"Say that again please\"\n\n\"Well the queen wants to know if you wish to maintain your duties as high...\"\n\n\"Not that bit, the 'vacant' bit\"\n\n\"Ah, well your marriage with Queen Saana will be voided this midnight and...\"\n\n\"I'm going to stop you right there\" I said \"You see, we've made vows that included the phrase 'Till death do us part' and I very much still love my wife, so...\" I slammed my fist into the table \"WHY IN THE SEVEN FUCKING HELLS ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT MY MARRIAGE WILL BE VOID?\"\n\nThe priest was sweating, it wasn't easy to make an elf sweat but I was still Ullac Stonefingers, and elves tend to sweat when a dwarf of my reputation got angry \"Well sire... you see, the vows you've made to be accepted as king consort were to elven gods and... well, those are voided after a millenia if the couple has not produced any children and... well, you haven't\"\n\n\"OF COURSE I HAVEN'T, I'M A DWARF YOU DOLT\".\n\n\"Sire, please, forgive me, its not my wish to insult you its just that I...\"\n\n\"DOES SHE KNOW ABOUT THIS?\"\n\n\"... she, uh, she does and count Osgreid of the Northglades is pressuring her into accepting marriage with him after tomorrow\"\n\nFucking Osgreid, it wasn't the first time he and I hadn't seen eye to eye, he was supposed to marry Saana when she was younger, its because of him that she ran away and ended up bumping into me, by the time she came back, we had already said the vows and there was nothing he could do about it, he'd been trying to kill me or discredit me ever since, thank the gods he was shit at plotting.\n\nI sighed, \"Is the smithy open at this hour?\"\n\n\"I... I do believe it is sire, why?\"\n\nI got up and punched in my clock, completely unnecessary what with me being king, I could just waltz off from the office whenever I felt like it, but I'm a dwarf, I like to keep tradition \"I'm taking the afternoon off, I believe that I still have vacation hours from last year\".\n\n\"What do I tell the queen sire?\"\n\nI looked at him incredulous, \"Do you want me to get the axe, boy?\", it was all it took for him to go away. I rushed down the stairs and intothe courtryard, a couple of ladies courtsied to me on the way and I kicked in the door to the smithy.\n\n\"Can I help you my king?\" the smith asked.\n\n\"Do you have gold here?\"\n\n\"Uh... yeah, we do why?\"\n\n\"I'm gonna need to use your workshop, take the day off now\"\n\nHe looked at me \"Seriously?\"\n\n\"Yeah, seriously, scram\"\n\nHe didn't ask twice, I looked at his tools, dwarven made, so was the forge, I gathered the materials, barred the door, put on my old forging goggles and cracked my knuckles, this wasn't going to be easy, but it was worth the shot.\n\nA few hours later I was standing in the throne room, it was almost midnight if my pocket watch was well adjusted and I was nervous, then she entered the room, it was just the two of us in that long hall, she still reminded me of when I first laid eyes on her, back when she was just a runaway princess trying to become a mercenary. Gods she hadn't aged a day, it surprised me every single day, still had the same freckles, the same deep red hair, the same green eyes, the same slightly elongated face, the only difference was that her left ear was missing the tip, from our first encounter, she gave me a scar across the lip to match it.\n\n\"Ullac\" she broke my trance \"you said you wanted to see me\"\n\n\"Yes\" I went to her, took her hands, looking up at her eyes \"I was doing the accounting for this month when a priest came in and told me that as of tomorrow you are no longer my wife, care to tell me about it?\"\n\nSaana was still impassive \"Yes, its true, its the customs, the law, besides, you would be better off out there\" she motioned to the windows \"You always talk about the old days, when you were out there killing dragons and butchering monsters, you'll be happier there, you hate dancing, you hate being in the court.\"\n\nIts true, I missed the old days, I missed the rush of battle, I missed dodging jets of flame and claw swipes in order to get to the belly of a beast and cut its innards out, I miss the adrenaline, I miss the kill or be killed mentality gnawing at me every day, keeping me sharp, but... \"That doesn't matter to me, remember that first day we met?\"\n\n\"You tried to kill me\" she smiled.\n\n\"Yes, and you tried to kill me, but after we realized that the bigger threat was the basilisk trying to eat us alive, after we chopped off its head and presented it to the cunt that hired us both without telling each other, do you know what I thought after we were clear of any danger?\"\n\nShe smiled, she knew this story but I liked it, I liked to remind her of it.\n\n\"I thought to myself 'I wouldn't mind loving this one forever', and forever doesn't mean a thousand years, forever is forever, fuck the laws, fuck the gods, fuck the customs, we weren't even supposed to marry, we met in a gutter trying to kill each other and less than 25 minutes later I was in love\" I took a pause, \"I love you much more than I love killing evil things out there and I wouldn't mind only doing it in times of war if it means being here. I'll always love being a boring bureaucrat that has to dance and entertain a bunch of ass kissers if that means getting to be with you forever\".\n\nShe kneeled down so we could be face to face and planted a kiss in my lips, I felt small tears in face, one thing that I hadn't seen her do in all these years, not even when she lost the tip of her ear, she broke the kiss \"You always know what to say to make me emotional\" she laughed a bit between tears.\n\n\"Yes, its a bit of a gift\", I said, \"Now for the actual gift, I had already planned something else for today, but, well, I had to change plans when I found out about this anullment nonsense\" The tower bell tolled, indicating midnight, right on time, I pulled out a small box from my pocket \"I'd kneel but, you know, that would just make it harder for me to do this\" I popped the box open, revealing a little ring, on its top was a tiny basilisk head moulded in gold \"Will you, Queen Saana, marry me? Really forever this time?\".\n\nShe sniffed, then regained her composture \"Yes, I will marry you, high almoner Ullac Stonefingers, really forever this time\"\n\n\"Now\" I said \"I understand some count is pressuring you to marry him?\"\n\n\"Well, not anymore, obviously, but I can guarantee you that he is going to make a ruckus over this\"\n\n\"Has he behaved in a gentlemanly manner at least?\"\n\n\"Not really, no\"\n\n\"Is he here in the castle?\"\n\n\"Yes, why?\"\n\n\"Can I kill him?\" I asked, hopeful.\n\n\"You have my blessing\", the woman knows me.\n\n\"Splendid, I'll be getting the axe\" I shuffled off to my office." ]	2

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