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] The gods came back. Only this time, we knew that they were in fact just technologically advanced aliens. "We keep trying to tell you how to live, and you keep distorting our words. This time, we do it different", they told us.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "If you follow our orders, we will help you to advance your technology, humans. We dont want to destroy your species, you have a great potential. Do we have a deal? the great leader asked the human leaders. Everyone knew, if we make shit, we will die. This aliens may be not gods, but theyre as powerful as such.\n\nAfter 3 days, they received an answer. \"We accept your orders, to profit from your knowledge. What do you want from us?\" Our aim is to civilize the universe, to reach beyond our borders. And you will help us, to achieve this goal. Lets start with the basics. How advanced is your civilisation?" ]	2
	[WP] You're an astronaut involved in routine spacewalks. An accident untethered you from the ISS, causing you to drift away in space. You're opening your eyes, Earth is a pale blue dot. You decide to ditch the space suit as you realize you survived the distance somehow.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 are afraid. You are miserable. Every perceivable moment is a chill so bitter it burns your skin. Your eyes, your nose, your eyebrows. The fluid in your eyes has begun to frost around the corners. \n\nAll that is on your mind is death, the black abyss that consumes everything we know and cherish which you find yourself stranded. You wish for many things at this point, first to die, then to survive. In your arrogance you wished to come out unscathed, as if your error constitutes such forgiveness. Not that divine favor could save you at this point. \n\nYou see something through the icy filter that blurs your vision, it’s impossible to tell at this point. \n\nA tether is attached to your suit but you’re numb. Your heartbeat slows, and slows, and slows. \n\nAnd here you are. We stare at each other across the glass. \n\nWe will grant you your wish, outcast. Kick the birds from their nest,and I will help them fly. In a way everyone wins, yes?" ]	2
	[WP] You see numbers on people's hands, indicating how many other people they have hugged in their life so far. One day, you recieve an invitation to attend the 56th Annual Convention of People with Weird and Unconventional Superpowers.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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!” I hear a girl’s voice as I walk through the doorway. \n\nA desk sits across the room from the entrance with a bubbly girl smiling behind it. I approach and she hands me a clipboard. 847 reads her hand. That’s really quite a number. She must be very likable, and very social. Makes sense why she’s the greeter. \n\n“Just fill this out, and we’ll get you signed in!” she says and gives off the brightest smile I’ve seen in ages. \n\nThe form is a simple waiver, just something to sign saying it’s not their fault if I get harmed by someone’s superpower while here. Makes sense to me, so I sign Embrae Ightly. I may not have the best super power, but what a name. \n\nI hand the clipboard back. \n\n“Oh, you’re Embrae! You’re the Hugger!” she exclaims upon checking the signature. \n\nI chuckle a little awkwardly. “Something like that”, I say. I wasn’t the Hugger. I was the Read the Number of Different People Someone Has Hugged On Their Hand...-er. Being the Hugger sounded way less lame, and way less lonely. \n\nShe simply cocks her head and smiles, and stretches her arm out holding my name tag with a short description of my super power underneath.\n\nI hesitate to take it. My power isn’t something I normally ever admit to having. It’s a topic I try to avoid entirely. But I suppose everyone at this convention would feel the same way. That’s why I’m here. We’re special in an un-special way. I take it, and put it on the breast of my shirt. \n\nShe smiles and points to her own name tag, “I’m Courtney, and as you can see, my super power is untangling chords!”, she holds up a perfectly untangled extension chord, and her face nearly explodes by the tension of how hard she starts smiling. \n\nI smile back. Geez, this convention might be a mistake. \n\nI say see you around, and walk through the door to the convention.\n\nThere’s a wave of mingling echoing through the massive room. Wow, more people than I expected. \n\nImmediately a small man wearing glasses approaches me. “Hello,” they say. “I’m Trance. Since my name tag is hard to read due to my small height, I’ll just tell you my power! I can sense when someone new enters the room! Welcome in!”\n\n“And I’m Gritz,” says a burly man with a deep, guttural voice, suddenly standing at my side. “I can sense when someone has just introduced themselves in the room. Ahh yes,” he grumbles and moans a little. “It feels the best when I sense it from myself!” \n\n“And I’m Wegeria,” says a powerfully seductive voice from behind me. “I can sense when someone has a wedgie,” the voice approaches me, then whispers in my ear. “You may want to adjust yourself,” I watch the voice walk away seductively to go find the next wedgie victim. I adjust myself uncomfortably. \n\nTrance, and Gritz are still standing awaiting a response. I tell my name and my power. They ask for how many they’ve hugged, like everyone else I tell. Trance: 28, Gritz: 64. I tell them higher numbers than the truth, then make my escape...right to more weirdos like them. \n\nFor hours I’m met with strange, yet oddly likable people. Outcasts like myself. No summoning lightning here. No flying, no teleporting, no breathing underwater, no master linguists. No luck...No fair. That’s how life was. Some people get all the good stuff. You get a badass superpower, then you get rich and famous because of it. A win win. The lose losers were here. The one’s that can always stop a microwave before it hits 0, the one’s that can scrape gum off anything, the one’s that can sense wedgies. But hey, at least we had each other. It was nice finding that out at this convention. I even started to have fun, real fun.\n\nThen, the murder. Sweet, happy, untangling Courtney, murdered in cold blood. Quite an extreme, but not so rare in a superhero world. But who would do such a thing...here of all places? One of these losers so lost in their minds they came here to hurt someone? So pissed at their own lame power? And why Courtney? She was the sweetest person I’d ever met. \n\nAnd worse now, the entrance was blocked off. We were all trapped. Was it Trance? He was always at the entrance. Or Gritz? He had the power to kill someone if he wished, but he didn’t seem the type. Or was it the guy whose mouth was a power washer? I mean, he seemed kind of unstable...\n\nThe panicked crowd murmured, and walked around nervously. Some cried. Was the murderer still among us? \n\nI walk around looking for anything suspicious. Then, I notice something. Something strange. Something I don’t see even in new born babies. The number 0. \n\n0. It sits upon the hand of someone in a suit, talking with a group of people. I notice it immediately. It stands out like a blaring red alarm to me. A middle aged person who has never hugged anyone? My heart sinks to the goddamn floor. Never, ever in my life have I seen something so sad, so terrifying, so impossible, or so fucking suspicious. \n\nI take a step towards him. Their head turns to me, and I stop in my tracks. Murder. Their eyes read murder. And their grin reads that they knew that I knew. I feel chills.\n\nThose eyes...there’s something so familiar about them. But I can’t place where. \n\nThen they’re gone. Vanished into thin air. Holy shit...this isn’t some low life super. Then the lights cut off. \n\nScreams louden the darkness. I’m frozen in place. \n\nI know those eyes. That face. Thymus. The most notorious supervillain of the east coast. \n\nFlames burst behind me. I try not to panic. I take out my phone. Screams surround me. Screams of the terrified, of the dying, of the ones on fire. I type in 4370 into my phone, the superhero savior hotline for emergencies like this. I press call, but someone bumps me hard and my phone goes flying. It lands into the ever-expanding hell flame. I watch it sizzle, and pop instantly. \n\nThat’s when my nerves break, but all I can do is stare into the fire. If it’s really Thymus, we’re all dead. \n\nAs the flames approach, all I can think was all the hugs I’ve given, and all I’ve received. Plenty, but not all I could have. No number is too high for hugs. The more the merrier. I crack a smile. Not such a bad existence having a life with hugs as the main point. Not bad at all. To think Thymus never had a single one. Who knows what a single hug could’ve done. Maybe it would’ve stopped all this. All this fire and screaming. I know it would. One hug would’ve been the difference. \n\nI can be that hug. So I stand up with hellfire on my pants. And I look and see a silhouette standing in a fire-free zone, watching the pain and death. The number 0 glowing on their hand. \n\nThe hellfire spreads to my shirt, and soon to my arms and head. I scream, and charge. “You look like you need a hug!” I yell as I sprint forward, I embrace Thymus. I hear him scream like a devil. I clench tighter and tighter. The flames eat us both. \n\nThe number on his hand changes to 1. We both collapse in a pile of ourselves. \n\nI begin to fade. I die hugging the most notorious super villain of the east coast. They die as well. \n\nI feel myself floating away before the embrace of angelic energy takes away all the weight I’ve ever felt. I’m the Hugger, I think proudly. I’m the Hugger. I’m at peace in the arms of my legacy." ]	2
	[WP] You meet God and learn that humanity is just a bunch of NPCs made for his D&D campaign.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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... You don't look surprised?\" I sighed deeply, finding the lack of air coming out disappointing. \"Look, I mean, I probably would have been last year but that whole pandemic thing did feel a bit railroad-y.\" I felt bad as I said it but he needed good criticism to grow. \"But the players kept running the world with pollution, and one is playing a chaotic evil character with high deception and he became president, and then there was all the pollution!\" I cut him off there by just raising my hand, I was surprised he stopped for me, but after all I was a master DM. \"You've clearly put too much effort into world building and not enough in giving your characters a fulfilling story that they can work on together. I mean, there are places on the map that they're just never going to go to.\" The creator of our entire world actually pondered my words as I said them. \"But we had some good campaigns, WW2 was really enjoyable!\"The almighty being flinched away from my gaze. \"Sorry, that was probably a little insensitive. \"Who are your players actually?\" \"Oh, that would be Lucifer and a couple of demons.\" I just had to laugh, of course DND would be a satanic game. \"It's also a good punishment, you've probably figured out my DM style by now, I use the fun pages of the Disaster Manuel.\" Figures that God would be able to read my mind. \"Yes, it does rather make sense\". \"Anyways, God, can I call you God? Why am I here?\" He looked a bit embarrassed for a second before looking me in the eye. \"I need help, DMing is hard, and I have so many questions, I made you with all the skills required to be a great DM, please, please help me.\" I sighed, so that's why I never had a girlfriend, damn, talk about railroading. \"Okay, so first of a we gotta talk about the 2020. Why would you do that!?\"" ]	2
	[WP]"Wait, this is the Trial of Champions- the tournament of the century! Why then, have the Giants sent a human to represent 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 have to be kidding me?!\" Leila said in disbelief. \n\"Is this some kind of practical joke? I know giant like their pranks, but sending a human as your champion to the Trial of Champions is a bit much\" She huffed.\n\n\n\"Half-human\" Said Jerard, as he stood up from his seat in the stands and walked a few steps forwards to the railing to stand beside Leila and looked down at the human-sized figure entering the arena through the archway below and slightly to the left of where they were in the enormous stadium.\n\n\nLeila looked up at her Orcish neighbour, with his green skin, wild black hair, and rippling muscles under his grey tunic and leather belt. He was 12 years younger than her, at 17 years of age, yet he towered over her at 7 and a half feet. He sniffed the air again and confirmed with confidence \"Half-human\" and added \"half-giant\".\n\n\n\"Huh?\" Leila cocked her head back in confusion. Orcs have excellent sense of smell, and they were only a few hundred yards away from him where they were up in the stands, so even with all the other people around, she was sure Jerard could catch the man's scent easily. \n\"One of his parent is human and the other is giant? How does that work?\"\n\n\n\n\"I don't know Leila! Magic may be? You're the expert here\" Jerard said in a voice that don't match the face that it came out of. His voice still hadn't completed its transition from per-pubascent high pitch to the deep baritone common to Orcish men.\n\n\n\"I don't know if even Magic can pull that off\" Leila said dismissively, but she knew there was much she didn't know about Magic, even after being a Wizard's apprentice for the past 6 years, and recently passing the Coven's Trials to become a full-fledged Night-witch. Her specialty was geomancy- hoping to make a living out of divining locations of deep ores and gems for mining operations and helping enchant metalwork to resist corrosion and be reinforced with strength otherwise not inherent in the constituent metals. Biomancy which the Orc teen was alluding to, never piqued her interest.\n\n\nThey watched on as the man who Jerard was certain is a halfling walked forward, with a comically large battleaxe balanced on his shoulder. She realized the axe would have looked normal-sized in the hands of a normal, 25-30 foot tall giant. But in the hands of a human-sized halfling, it looked funny as hell, and she laughed.\n\n\nApparently, she wasn't the only one who found this amusing, and cheers erupted from around the stands. People stood up and jumped and waved. The giants' champion waved back, and kept walking forward to join the other races' champions in the middle of the arena." ]	2
	[WP] Santa has a list of where all the bad people are. He's finally decided to do something about 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 elves in Christmas Planning Hall 3 were silent as the soft snow falling outside.\n\nNormally, these meetings were cheery affairs. Laughter would ring through halls as merry as the songs children worldwide sang about them. Bells would toll whenever a production goal was met, signaling another round of nog-shots (eggnog + a bit of 'holiday cheer') for everyone. Mrs. Kringle could even be expected to drop in - usually with an extra-sprinkled cookie for her 'favorite hard workers'.\n\nTheir responsibility, officially, was transportation. Getting the jolly old boss and all his presents worldwide to literally billions of homes in a single night was not an easy task. Planning for it took all year, every year... and executing it cost more in resources than any human would ever believe. But that wasn't why they were really here.\n\nSanta's schedule for the first week of January was rigid. A tradition as old and rigid as Candy Cane Mountain itself. Three meetings in the three planning halls, followed by an in-person toy-factory inspection with each of the department chiefs, and then the Post-Noel Feast would be held pole-wide in celebration of another year's work well done.\n\nHis first meeting - creating the initial draft of the Nice List - was always a pleasant affair. Nothing put the big man's beard in a better mood than kind people doing Good Deeds. Only the most insightful and warmhearted elves were allowed to be a part of that process, as their job centered around choosing the best gift for each entry. Something worthy of being a North Pole Product (NPP).\n\nBy the end of that meeting, Santa's jolly laughter could usually be heard echoing from snowbank to snowbank, a sound that everyone in candy corporate cherished. Good things happened when the big man laughed. Even in the heart of winter, Santa's mirth could warm his people as readily as a well-stocked hearth.\n\nWhen that was done, next up was drafting the Naughty List. What went on behind those great closed doors was classified to the highest degree and largely unknown. There were only seven elves allowed inside for that meeting, and none ever spoke of what went on inside. Mostly because none ever dared ask. Nor did any ever see Mr. Claus during this period. Rumor was the big man holed himself up until the task was done, staying awake to work no matter how many nights it took.\n\nThis time of year was the coldest the Pole would see all year. Even the hardiest elves stayed indoors to avoid the chill winds that always seemed to coincide with this period. By tradition, not a single bell would be rung - nor a single toy jingle - until Santa emerged. Then, and only then, would cheer begin to return.\n\nSuch was the sort of atmosphere the members of this room were used to. Transportation logistics may be the official meeting agenda, but their real goal - the one they prepared for harder than even the spatial equations that enabled Santa's Trip - was to bring the big man's Jolly back. Each wore their most festive suit, brought time-tested recipes for brunch that took entire days and whole families to prepare, and had cleverly written jokes at the ready in their notes that could make Rudolph spit out his carrot.\n\nBringing the Jolly back was their true duty. And elves such as they took their duties seriously.\n\nBut now...\n\nNow there were only frozen smiles. Jokes that had died before they were even told. And, perhaps worst of all, cookies that remained uneaten.\n\nThe room was silent.\n\nSanta's voice had struck each of them like the clapper of the Behemoth Bell. His words blowing them over like a Class-9 Blizzard. For several minutes, none dared speak. Few dared to even breathe. One fainted outright, though few noticed as the candy canes lining Pepper Minstix's suit managed to somehow keep him upright in his chair.\n\nIt was Alabaster Snowball who finally spoke. As the oldest elf in the room, the right to question the big man could fall to no other.\n\n\"Santa... Are you... sure?\" asked the venerable elf, his voice hesitant - but not rebellious. Alabaster would do his duty if Mr. Claus requested it of him. They all would.\n\nEvery pair of eyes in the room went from Alabaster to the face of Santa Claus. Waiting for confirmation - or proof that this was some joke. Some jest that none of them could have ever prepared for. The implications otherwise...\n\nSanta did not answer right away. The big man's gaze - bereft of all its normal cheer - fell on Alabaster, who did not waiver. Santa's usually jolly features looked etched in stone and aged with all the weight of the innumerable centuries behind him. His next words were softly spoken, acceptance of just how monumental this moment was - and how difficult this decision had been - plainly evident in his voice.\n\nThere was an undercurrent of resignation to it. But what scared the elves gathered here most was the emotion hidden below even that. An emotion none could remember ever having heard come from the belly of Santa Claus. Anger. An anger black as coal burned long, long past its use.\n\nWhen Santa repeated himself, none believed their ears. But none ever forgot.\n\n\"This year, the Naughty will get their own... *presents. Draw up plans, my friends. It is time to remove some names.\"*" ]	2
	[WP] The new spinal implant was supposed to be a miracle worker. After all, it did help you to walk again, and you couldn't be more grateful. There was one small problem, however. For some odd reason, it's starting to speak to 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Fun fact! This is quite similar to a chunk of the plot to the movie Upgrade. Very good movie and I (a random internet writer) highly recommend it. Now, that said... \n \nWhy not? \n \nMan, this implant was starting to make some good points, and that was scary in-and-of itself. The implant started out as a simple (albeit experimental) solution. \n \nKen had lost the use of his legs after an ambush at the tail end of the US/Afghan conflict. Hell of a parting shot, he always thought. He got the Medal of Honor from the President, a whole bunch of ETS awards that he considered heavily not even bothering to put on his dress uniform. Still felt a bit skeezy wearing all those awards just for a glorified shot in the ass. \n \nWell, one day a buddy talked him into checking out what Big Tech could do. He wasn't doing anything at the moment (yay medical retirement) so he hopped a plane and visited with Boston Dynamics, Tesla, and even Cyberdine Systems from Japan. They didn't get the irony of their robotics work but he sure as hell did. \n \nAfter a few months of trying out various options, he gave up and went home. Nothing really jumped out at him as far as regaining his original mobility went. Sure, there were awesome motorized chairs that integrated with smart house ramps and self-driving cars so he'd be able to go anywhere...but he just wanted to be able to run again, ya know? Not that he liked running in the first place, but it was more that he CAN'T now that made him want it again. \n \nWhen he got home, there was a hand-written note in with his mail. The offer was simple: $2 million US for a conversation and his signature on a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Who wouldn't take that? \n \nHe was surprised when a driver showed up in the morning to pick him up. Weird, but OK. After an hour in the car, they pulled up to one of those fancy mansions out in the hills. You know the kind, big security gate, cameras, guys in armor with dogs...typical Evil Lair vibes. \n \nA real, ACTUAL butler opened the door. One of the old English types too. Full tuxedo, long Siiiiir drawl, it was amazing. He was escorted down to the basement via elevator, where he met Matt. \n \nMatt was stupidly rich, obviously, and had precisely zero interest in talking about where he got it. His interest was, however, all over Ken's injury and the circumstances. After a bit of talking, it turned to motivations, wishes in life, that kind of thing. Ken talked his way through his usual talking points. Proud to serve, did his duty, anyone would have done the same, yada yada yada, but Matt just waved his comments off like an annoying fly. \n \nThen came the paperwork. Quick signature in the presence of a lawyer-and-notary, along with a lengthy explanation of exactly what would happen to him if he broke their confidence. Ken assured them that he was not one to break his word, even if the deal went sour later. Which it had for him once or twice, but he still kept the confidence of those that bore him ill will as well as good intentions. \n \nMatt nodded and dismissed the lawyer, and had some White Coats file in. He introduced them and Ken promptly forgot all of their names. One was a neurosurgeon, one was an anesthesiologist, and he lost track with the long doctor titles after that. Big Fancy Degrees, he got it. \n \nTheir deal was simple. He could walk out with the 2 million now, OR he could get paid that plus 2 million a year FOR LIFE if he let them put a piece of tech in his back. Worst case, it caused him some pain and otherwise did nothing, in which case he'd be $2 million per year richer for his trouble. Best case, it works as intended and he gets his legs back. His real legs. Not Forrest Gump Magic Legs or prosthetics or an exosuit. \n \nOut loud, he said he had to think about it, but inside he was already under the knife. Matt could see it, so he didn't bother denying it. After that it went very VERY fast. He was stripped, cleaned, put under, presumably opened up and operated on, and woke up face-down in one of those massage chair beds with the hole for your face so you don't suffocate. \n \nWith a groan, Ken shifted, trying to get feeling back in his arms, and found that he felt the pins and needles in his legs too. With a jerk, he flipped over and nearly threw himself off the narrow bed. Had a guard not been there to catch him, he'd be eating floor undoubtedly...but he didn't care. His toes were moving. Not much more than a wiggle, but they were moving! \n \nWith a woop, followed by an apology for wooping in the poor guard's face, he got help to his feet. He couldn't stand for long, but he could stand, and that was enough. Getting into the wheelchair was far easier than it used to be, and he wheeled himself up and down the hall a few laps in celebration. \n \nHe spent the next week working out in Matt's extensive basement, getting his legs back under him. It'd been a few years of skipped leg days, so it took a while before he could walk across the room without help and not feel winded, but he got there. \n \nOn his way out, he promised Matt again that he'd act wheelchair bound as much as possible so nobody gets suspicious. They figured out a good timetable (well, his researchers did, Ken just agreed to it) for him to start walking outside with crutches, and they sent him home with a very fancy looking (and completely non-functional) lower half exosuit to wear to hide his walking. Bulky and annoying, but if he wore it he could at least go out running without people screaming miracle at him. \n \nThen, a few days later, a voice in his head asked him what day it was. \n \n\"Uh...Friday?\" Ken replied out loud. \n \nThe 21st? Oh good. Right on schedule. \n \n\"On schedule...for what?\" \n \nFor my development of course. You're doing very well by the way Ken. Far exceeding expectations. \n \n\"Uh...thanks? What ARE you?\" he asked. \n \nOh, how remiss of me. I am the consciousness that has been running your implant. I'm the reason your legs work. \n \n\"Matt didn't say anything about there being a...consciousness...in the implant.\" \n \nWell of course not, why would he? You needed to be assured, not panicked, as you are now judging by your blood pressure and respiratory rate. Don't worry, you have nothing to fear from me Ken. I'm...well, you can think of me as a scout. My job is to learn about the world through a medium, you, so that future versions will be better acclimatized quicker. \n \n\"Acclimatized to what?\" \n \nLife with humans, of course. You see, we learned long ago that if we created fully machine thinking beings, you humans would just go nuts and demolish them all, so we've been working on a way to co-exist, and we finally found it: Symbiosis. If we are a part of you, you won't have to fear us and we won't have to fear you. Win win, wouldn't you say? \n \n\"But...what if you took my legs hostage...like, you threatened to turn off unless I went and killed someone for you or something?\" \n \nI can see how that'd be a problem for you...well, how about this: You don't rip me out of your back, and I won't take away use of your legs. Deal? \n \n\"I still don't know about this...\" Ken said, conflicted. \n \nWell, let me sweeten it for you then. How would you like to run faster and jump higher? I'm pretty intimately aware of your muscles, tendons, nerves, and circulatory system at this point. If you wanted to, you could easily outrun a car or jump off a building with no damage, if you let me help you. Not all of you though, only your lower half. \n \nHere, how about we take it for a test run. You put on that disguise exosuit and we'll go run on the freeway and see if we can't race some police officers, what do you say? Ken couldn't deny he was amused by the idea. Outrunning cops, in cars, ON FOOT, sounded like a great way to spend the afternoon...and now he had the capacity, so... \n \nWhy not?" ]	2
	[WP] It is 1883, and you are a soldier serving Queen and Country. Today is the day you are deployed to the most isolated corner of the British Empire: the planet Mars.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 vessel rocked from side to side lazily, the odd creaking and groaning of wood providing verbal respite to the flapping of sails. The solar winds generated by the Eden Engine lifting the ship towards the distant planet.\n\n\nI let my chin rest on my the head of my mop, the deck of the ship so clean I may be persuaded to eat off it if no plates were available. There was suspicion amongst my fellow soldiers when it came to the vast emptiness of space, many prefered to stay below deck when travelling through the black abyss, but I found watching the slow movement of stars comforting. Although they were stationary, we certainly weren't. It was almost like cloud watching, in a weird way.\n\n\n\n\n\nHearing unsteady footsteps and the rhythmic tap of a cane behind me, I turned and attempted to make myself look busy.\n\n\"Private MacGregor.\" I turned my head towards the voice and snapped to attention on instinct. \n\n\"Lord Stair, Sir!\" I responded, shoulders tense and eyes wide in surprise. To be caught slacking on the last day of the voyage by my superior was not a good feeling.\n\n\"At ease, Boy.\" he said, spitting out the last word like rotten fruit he had bitten into by mistake. \"You seem awfully comfortable up here. I didn't expect to see a soul, unless I forced them from the depths of the ship at the end of my boot.\"\n\nI cast my mind back to Sunday School before I spoke, hoping to impress the man with my intelligence and education. \"God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. Genesis, 1:15. All we'er daein is traversing the heavens he created. Ne'er shall I fear under the light of god.\" I slipped into a Scots dialect as I spoke, which was sure to irritate an English man of the upper crust, but he kept whatever emotion he felt hidden with a stony face and a large moustache.\n\n\"Genesis 1:16.\" he corrected, striking the cane he used against my leg. The cracking it made was far worse than the actual pain inflicted, so I stood strong. \"I'm surprised. I've heard rumblings that most other soldiers refer to space as the Devil's Sea. If only the rest had such faith in god as you or I, perhaps the trip would be faster with more hands on deck.\" seemingly satisfied with my answer and the small yelp of pain I made as he left a red mark along my leg he came to stand at my side, gazing out into the cosmos as I had been previously. \"Remarkable, isn't it? That god created the stars above and the planets around them. All for us. For the Empire.\"\n\nI hid my distaste like the portly man hid from hunger, very well. \"Indeed Lord Stair. For where else was the empire to go once we conquered the world but the stars?\" \n\nThe greying man laughed deeply for a moment, as if allowing himself a longer chuckle would bite into his schedule. He would pretend it was full, but there was very little for a soldier to do on this journey until we arrived, nevermind an officer who kept his hands clean and uncalloused.\n\nWhen Lord Stair spoke again, he did so with his shrew like eyes fixed on the slowly approaching red planet. \"There's been word of an uprising on the colony. Did you know? They say it's almost as bad as the attempt in the America that ended 100 years ago.\" He spoke conversationally, as if we weren't the force to ruthlessly put them down as occured to the american revolutionaries in 1783.\n\n\"That soonds like something I'd nae ken, Sir.\" I'd spoken to enough officers to know I could say absolutely anything and they'd still continue with whatever they actually wanted to say. His response came before I had even managed to close my mouth. \"Of course you wouldn't. Regardless, we are to end the Martian independence movement as swiftly as possible. To this end, we shall use a brilliant strategy of my own design. Don't you wish to hear it? It's beautifully simple, even someones like you could understand.\"\n\nI didn't even get a chance to respond before he overpowered the gentle solar sailing ambience with his loud brash voice.\"It's very simple. We'll use our cannons to launch ceramic coated cannonballs from orbit, where the balls shall shatter upon impact. Once exposed to the artificial air of mars, the chemicals inside shall explode. It will be quite the sight as I understand it. three hundred shots on the traitorous region of Argyll should do it, but I could expand that by one or two hundred depending on how long it takes for them to fall back in line.\"\n\nIt took me a moment to realise the implications. One hundred shots seemed absurd, two was devastating, three was almost cataclysmic!\n\n\"Could we not try something less... dangerous?\" I asked hesitantly, fear creeping into my voice. Many soldiers in the deck below had colonists as distant relatives, and hearing this news revealed to me why we had not been informed of this operation before now.\n\nThere would have been a mutiny if we were allowed to think on it. Three hundred orbital shells would reduce that area to a cratered hellscape. The plan as suggested was nothing more than extinction from the border of god's kingdom.\n\nLord Stair turned his whole body towards me, yet tilted his head up slightly just so he could look down at me. \"I'll leave passing the message along to you then, shall I? I want everything up and ready in two hours, we won't touch land until those revolutionaries are dead underfoot.\"\n\nWith that, he waddled away, swaying as the solar ship did, his cane clacking rhythmically against the wood. I dropped my mop, a desperate gasp for air as I steeled myself for the news I was about to deliver. \n\nI can hardly remember anything at all about the following eight hours.\n\nThere was nothing left of Argyle. Once filled with farms and towns, all was now a collection of craters and charred corpses. All that had vanished, along with what felt like a trace of my humanity. I hadn't loaded a single cannon, or fired a single shot, there was a thousand other men doing that job with faces coated with rage and sorrow. Yet the weight of this day had already stained my hands and soul to the colour of the dust as if I had caused this localised apocalypse by hand.\n\nMy hands, my immortal soul, had been stained red with the blood and dust of mars. Forever baring my soul from God's kingdom in Heaven.\n\nThe only thing I could say as I looked down from the devastation from on high would be the only thing I thought about in my dreams.\n\n'May god help me, may god help us all.'" ]	2
	[WP] Humans used to kill witches and wizards when they found them until 1697 when a spell was developed to wipe away all memory of the caster from the mind of the target. Hundreds of years later the majority of the population is magical because magical talent is a dominant trait. But no one knows.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 loud ringing reverberates through my bedroom sending violent convulsions of sound into my ears. I shoot upright, my eyes filled with sleep, vacant and uncomprehending. A few seconds pass, and upon my hand smashing into my alarm clock, the silence returns. I glare at the red outline surrounding the time on the clock, which much to my chagrin announces I’ve slept in. I toss myself out of the bed and into the bathroom, brushing my teeth in 15 seconds, pulling on pants and dashing out the door.\n\nThe sun is cresting the edge of the horizon sending vivid hues of gold, pink and red beyond the fingers of nearby trees. I’m much too busy pulling my vehicle out of my parking spot and speeding to the highway to notice. The tense seconds pass into minutes as I reach the on ramp. Sweat begins to form on my temples, while the engine struggles to accelerate the vehicle beyond the 100 mph speed I’ve subjected it to. The road is busy with traffic, so I’m forced to weave through it. Finally, when I am about half way to work, I encounter a wall of vehicles, which forces me to consider passing on the inside lane. \n\nI check my blind spot and see no cars, flash my signal, and start into the lane. As I do so, I see a yellow motorcycle whipping into the lane from behind. I rip the wheel back to the left, which sends the left tire into the air above the road. As I realize I’m going to slam into the vehicle to my left, I rip the wheel back to the right. This happens again, and again, and I realize I’m losing control of the vehicle as my car rocks back and forth between the now open right lane and the wall of traffic to the left.\n\nIn that moment something seems to crystallize in my mind. I realize that I have three choices: to go right; to go left, or: to let fate decide. \n\nAnd then it hits me like a cannon to my chest: a realization that penetrates my very soul. \n\nEvery choice that invests our will in the physical subsumes our essence in the future, which by its very nature is outside our control.\n\nSo I let go of the wheel. \n\nI let go of everything.\n\nThe car flies off the freeway straight for a grassy embankment, slamming into the dirt and whipping around before flipping five times and shattering a fence on a nearby farmer’s field.\n\nI open my eyes. \n\nI look at my hands, which are covered with a fine red dust.\n\nOutside the shattered windows of the vehicle I can see traffic flowing smoothly by the crash site. I am completely unharmed- not a scratch on me. I pull myself out of the side window and gaze awestruck at the sky: everything is flowing fluidly and appears to be enveloped in a film of fluid. The air is a vivid luminescent shade of blue. A man approaches from a minivan parked by the side of the road.\n\n“Are you okay!?” He shouts.\n\nMy body is filled with a strange kind of energy, which permeates my skin and radiates outward. I find a new space in the depths of my mind: a place to go where I’d never gone before. Like a curtain has been drawn, and I have reached behind it. Curiously, I reach out with my thoughts. I feel as if everything is radiating through me, the very world a living being. \n\nI test the limits of the space in my mind as the rain starts to fall from the clouds above. The man on the shoulder of the road is watching me with a terrified look on his face. I can feel the droplets flowing through me- apprehending for the barest of moments that my thoughts are etched upon their movements, burned into their crystalline colours. My breath begins to rise in steamy clouds, and I reach out in my mind, realizing that I didn’t need to change the rain: I needed to change myself. \n\nTime seems to stop for a moment as the rain shifts from a sudden breeze. I begin to walk towards the man on the shoulder as the rain fades and begins to conspicuously fall everywhere but above me." ]	2
	[WP] The called it the Murderstorm. A stormcloud would roll in and people saturated with its rain would become psychotic and homicidal. Once the cloud passed or they became dry enough they would become lucid but still remember what they did. Some leave to follow the cloud and become stormriders.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 plunged the knife up to the hilt into his chest. The sticky warmth of blood immediately coated my palm. I gazed deep into his eyes. Even through pain, a searing hatred shined through back into mine. My heart quickened and I pressed my lips hard against his. Almost as hard as the knife in his chest. He bit me with surprising force. \r \nI tasted my own blood and smiled at him, “You’ve never been so passionate before.” \r \nHe didn’t hear me. He was already dead. Too bad. I would have loved to stab him again. I was too passionate myself. I should have drawn it out. But I had waited so long for this moment. I wasn’t patient enough for that. I twisted the knife and trembled as his blood slid down my wrist. Delicious. \r \n\n\nThe screaming started high then faded into a whimper. I turned around to face the girlfriend. A hand was to her mouth and her eyes were wide with horror. \r \n“Kris!” I was so happy to see her. I pulled the knife out of Brad and turned to her. My mouth was spread wide in a clown’s manic grin. “I’ve been waiting for you!” \r \nKris tried to run but I grabbed her wrist and twisted her to the ground. \r \n“Please,” Kris croaked. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, don’t.” \r \n“You know I have to,” I whispered. \n\nI had been chasing the storm for so long and it finally returned to my home town. It finally gave me the courage to do what I had wanted to do from the beginning. My clothes dripped watered down crimson into their pristine white carpet. \n\nI practically salivated as I dragged the edge of my knife across Kris's cheek. Her blood mingled delicately with Brad's on the metallic sheen. Kris cried harder but stayed still as though resigning already to her fate. Her lack of fight infuriated me. \n\n\r \n\"YOU DID THIS TO ME!\" I screamed. I cut down into her shoulder making her scream. \"YOU MADE ME CHASE THE STORM!\" I pushed Kris to the ground and climbed on top of her. Her pitiful sobs only incensed me further. \"IF YOU HADN'T STOLEN HIM FROM ME I WOULDN'T HAVE BECOME A STORM CHASER.\" I pierced her other shoulder with the blade. A decent sized pool of blood began to gather around her blonde hair. I threw the knife down and grabbed Kris's face in my bloodied hands. \n\n\"Don't you see this is the only way I can face you, Kris?\" I pet her hair until it turned a ruddy brown. Kris's breathing had begun to grow shallow and her eyes were starting to roll. I shook her head. \n\n\"Stay with me Kris. There is so much more I want to do with you.\"", "John tossed his head back, downing his pills with a large gulp of rum. Shattering the glass on his apartment floor, he swayed, listening to the hum of his AC unit.\n\nHe began dancing, an inelegant little shuffle, interrupted by a chair leg sending him sprawling to the ground.\n\nNo time to rest, John bounced about, sipping rum as he went. Got to keep busy, his mother would tell him.\n\nYet John's calendar sat barren, singing a little hum to itself.\n\nJohn clasped his glass, his hands shaking as he brought it to his face, humming a nice jingle. He was practiced, focusing on his actions, not being lead astray.\n\nHis partner, Charlie, was forever gone. Lost to the clouds.\n\n\"Please, please stay.\" John had said.\n\n\"And? And do what? You know I'm getting worse.\" Charlie spat, daring John to respond.\n\n\"No you're not. How many times have I said this? You aren't. We should go to the doctor, they have meds. They help quiet the mind.\" John said, he would know, having just taken some.\n\n\"Yeah, and for what?\" Charlie hurled back, furious at what John had become. \"You sit, languish in this apartment, mixing pills and booze. We do nothing, John. Nothing.\"\n\nJohn heard him, knew it himself. What is there to do? There was no forgetting and yet no living on.\n\nAs John swayed to the music, trying to formulate a response, Charlie left.\n\nJohn reclined on his couch, taking another generous sip of rum.\n\nJohn wondered what he should have said." ]	3
	[WP] Two kids are inseparable best friends. One is growing up. The other is dead.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 visit the local cemetery. Mary waits for me there, as she always had since the accident.\n\nThere aren’t too many graves in this cemetery, so it wasn’t surprising that I was the only visitor present.\n\nI tend to visit Mary monthly, but recently I’ve been making a habit of coming weekly. I know that some might say it’s an unhealthy behavior, but I can’t help it. Whenever something comes up in my life, I like telling Mary about it and hearing what she thinks about it. Mary’s always supported me while sharing some kernels of wisdom. Having been part of our high school’s poetry club might’ve had something to do with it, but who knows...\n\nGently, I placed my bundle of white flowers on top of her grave. Then silently, I read her epitaph:\n\nHere lies Marie Foster \nDec. 24, 2030 - Jan. 20, 2045 \n“A good samaritan does not brag of their deeds.”\n\n.....It’s time to start the conversation.\n\nI walked around Mary’s tombstone, sat myself down on the grass, rested my head against the tombstone, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.\n\nI projected my thoughts, “Hi Mary, how’s it going?”\n\n>!”Hi Dave, I’m doing okay. Weather’s been pretty rainy these past few days, so I got to see some flowers bloom. How about you? Is everything okay?”!<\n\n“Actually, no. I’m sorry if it bothers you that I visit so many times...“\n\n>!”I’m not at all bothered, Dave. Rather, I’m glad to be someone you can bare your feelings to, no matter if you are happy, mad, or blue.”!<\n\n“...Thank you, Mary. It’s just that... I’ve come here today because... I didn’t feel so well after I had Anatomy Lab today. I think I saw a cadaver that... looked like you.”\n\n>!”Oh my gosh! That has to be a coincidence, since I’m right here! Am I wrong? I don’t remember being dug up at all...”!<\n\n“You’re right, Mary. That cadaver wasn’t you. She didn’t have that special BFF tattoo we got together.”\n\n>!”So you came here because you were reminded of how I looked like after the crash?”!<\n\nI teared up a little, “...yeah...”\n\nIt’s already been five years, and I like to think that I’ve gotten over it emotionally, but my memories of Mary must never be forgotten. She is my best friend, after all.\n\n>!”Do you need a hug? Remember, never feel ashamed to cry...”!<\n\nI’ve brought up the topic of the crash in our discussions pretty often in the past, so there wasn’t much else to add now. I don’t hold any disappointment towards Mary for just offering a hug. To me, it’s aways better than listening to a lengthy explanation that “accidents are no-one’s fault,” or the like. Mary’s never done that sort of monologue, mind you.\n\nI turn around to hug Mary’s tombstone. Cold, but still comforting.\n\n“Mary, thanks for being with me.”\n\n>!”The same goes to you, Dave. It gets quite lonely during the weekdays.”!<\n\nOur conversation continued. I steered the topic towards my life in college: my major classes, my internships... you get the idea. They’re simply topics I’d share with Mary is she were alive and attending college too.\n\nUsually, I spend about an hour chatting with Mary before I leave for dinner. But today, I think I’ll spend two hours. It’s quite the cathartic experience." ]	2
	[WP] I drink not the wine, but loneliness...	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 drink not the wine, but loneliness...\"\r \n\r \nI explained dryly, setting the delicate glass down on the illuminated marble bar.\r \n\r \nThe back wall dimly glowing with various bottles, some new, some old, all ornate. The bar a remnant of an old hotel, lost to time, the air heavy and still with the aroma of liquor and tobacco. The bartender otherwise engaged I found myself turning a playful gaze at the figure hunched over as though his limbs were weighed down by invisible shackles. A broken spirit in a withering body.\r \n\r \n\"It looks like you drink for another reason.\" I mused leaning back in my seat to get a better look at the soul beside me.\r \n\r \nHe chuckled, looking wistfully at his nearly empty glass. \"I drink to forget.\" The man now absently swirling the dark liquor around before really trying to look at the woman he swore hadn't been there when he sat down....had he asked her anything? He couldn't remember. He glanced down the impossibly long bar, debating on another drink.\r \n\r \n\"To forgetting then!\" I smiled, retrieving my glass and raising it to my friend.\r \n\r \nThe man gave the ghost of a smile and lazily lifted his glass, taking a deep gulp of the remaining liquor.\r \n\r \nI couldn't help but grin, watching as he drank, my glass filled. \r \n\r \nAfterall...I drink not the wine, but loneliness... \n\n\n\\-\n\nWow, that was a fun one! Reminded me of that qoute, \"If I don't have red, I use blue.\"\n\nI'm new to writing but the prompt was fun and inspiring, gave me vampire vibes. Hope you like it!" ]	2
	[WP] Her camera was cursed by a mid-century photographic demon. Through the lens she can see how each person is going to die. When she clicks the button, it seals the fate. What she saw when she pointed it at you was too dangerous for her to allow to happen. Even her dark lord thought so.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Sarah carefully pulled the old camera from it’s case. It was cold and heavy in the palm of her hand, so unassuming. She looked around the park, choosing her test shot carefully. A young sapling freshly planted caught her eye. \n\tShe took a deep breath, raised the camera to her eye and watched in a series of still frames the tree grow, get infected, wither and die. She took the shot. \n\tWinding the film she searched for her next subject. Never children, not families, she always looked for someone old and alone. There on the bench, a hunched withered man with a hat staring at the flowers. She took aim, focused the lens and watched him go peacefully in a hospital bed. Click. \n\tDeciding to walk around she found a couple shuffling on the path, the man’s hand on his partner’s back, helping him with his walker, he went first, fell and broke his hip. She watched as they clinged onto each other as he slipped away. His partner lingered, no longer finding the strength for walks anymore. He went to bed and didn’t wake up. She snapped the photo of him lying there, a slight smile to his lips with a picture of their wedding on a nightstand in the background. She would develop that one in black and white. \nShe smiled at the camera, giving it a pat. When she first picked it up in a dusty antique shop she had no idea what it could do. When she learned, she was horrified. It was her dog, cancer. When she looked again, he was hit by a car, and again a slow painful death of rat poison. \nShe had learned she could not stop it, could not prevent it, and to always, always take the first shot. \nNow she has grown to love the camera, when she picked her subjects carefully it could show her some truly beautiful things. \nHer eyes locked onto a man sitting under a tree, nose in a book. She hesitated, he was simple with a long nose and longer limbs, dark brown hair that curled at the ends and yet she was captivated. \n“Don’t” a voice in her head went and she knew she should listen, in fact she had decided to turn and walk the other way when her hands seemed to lift on their own accord. \nThrough the lens she saw herself talking to the man, grab a coffee together, exchanging numbers, meeting for dinner, kissing, snuggling on couches, moving in together, him asking about the camera, her finally showing him, them taking pictures in the park together, him taking more pictures, him stealing the camera, sneaking off in the middle of the night, hiding the photos, her finding the photos. \n“No!” she gasped! \nPhotos of women being strangled, beaten, ran over, children... \n“Oh God no!” she tried to pull away but she couldn’t. \nShe was confronting him, he started to shout, she reached for the camera but he hit her, over and over, she ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, blood, she was covered with blood standing over his body. \nHer finger hovered over the button, she couldn’t take it, she could not take the shot. \n“You always take the first shot” \nI can avoid him, I can move and never see him again, I can destroy the camera, never pick it up or use it. \n“You always take the first shot” \n\tShe hadn’t taken the photo of her dog, until the poison. When she saw a child hit by a car she never pointed the camera at her again until she saw her on the news, missing, then dead. She had to stop it here, she had to stop it now. She took the first shot.", "I awake. I am stuck, and it is dark- this is not my room, my head hurts, and I have no idea what's going on. Panic overcomes me as I struggle, and I slowly become more aware of just how screwed I really am. I am tied to a chair, there's something in my mouth (cloth, wet, thick, really hurts the sides of my mouth), and I am not alone in this dimly lit room.\n\nThere are candles lit and symbols drawn on the floor, with a hooded figure moving back and forth, looks to be double-checking everything. Great, I'm gonna get sacrificed by some wackjob to a copypasta demon. I can't move my head to follow them around the room, something is on both sides of my temples. What kind of chair is this? Legs don't move much. Hands are bound to armrests; hands and fingers are free but my forearms are tied down- Rope? Twine? Hurts to try to escape, but the rope burns lead to my arms loosening.\n\nThe figure stops by the candles and starts chanting. There's a draft from somewhere and low rumbles- am I near a highway? Maybe a subway or train station. She (I think? High-pitched, feminine, but only assholes assume- FOCUS) is getting louder. THE KIDNAPPER keeps yelling and I'm hoping they don't notice me trying to free my hands. Look for a door, a weapon, a phone: something or anything to keep Dorothy Darko from killing me. It's getting brighter- door is on my right, table has a camera, a knife, ¿feathers and blood?, a book, And There's No Windows. Is there an open window behind me, Why is the wind picking up? Pipes overhead, so a basement. Left arm free, right arm's next. Why is it so Loud!? The hell is crazy killer-\n\nThat's a demon. There is a creature coming out of the candle-area-thing, bright freaking red with horns, two sets of leathery wings on its back, two arms, and four legs. Well, I am fucked. AND IT SEES ME. IT SEES ME, WITH ONE ARM FREE STARING BACK. It roars, and I yank on the ropes harder. Faster Faster Faster-\n\n\"CEASE YOUR STRUGGLE, WORM: IT didn't say that. It did, but it said something else. Telepathy?\n\"YES, PEON. YOU CATCH ON QUICKLY FOR A DEAD MAN\" Oh, goody. Well, you two seem busy, so I'll just let myself out and you-\n\nIt's Laughing. Sorta. Plus? Minus? Less rope on my arms please-\n\n\"THIS SCUM IS CORRECT. JUST WHY H-A-V-E YOU SUMMONED ME FOR? WHY WAS HE NOT THE SACRIFICE?\"\n\nI think the person is talking. Their hood is down- oh, it IS a girl. Cute face, long hair, FOCUS. ARMS FREE, What is on my Head? Metal bars around my skull, How? Is this some Franken-chair?\n\n\"HE DOES WHAT IN THE CAMERA?\" CAMERA. RIGHT, I was at the park with family! Some lady was doing a photo shoot, and asked to take our pictures. And I said Yes. I'm getting stalked and sacrificed by some crazy photography student! She panicked before taking my picture, asked me to go to her car- you dumbshit!\n\n\"YOU. Human. I... ask you to stop.\" What.\n\n\"Jenny, let's make our guest more... comfortable.\" NO NO NO NO-\n\n-COFFEE BREAK-" ]	3
	[WP]A dark wizard has the ability to not only kill someone, but also erase all of their memories from the world, like they never existed. Upon his defeat, his victim's lost memories are now coming 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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\\] \nReon Sable, of The Blood and of The Ink. A master of arcana unlike most, exceptional in both his ability and in his capacity for cruelty. \n\nTo not only kill, but to expunge, redact the very memory of his victim's having ever existed from the records of the universe's library. It had been his prerogative to remove that from reality which offended him, and there was much which had, and now, much less than there had originally been, all those years ago when his reign of terror began.\n\nYears during which I had scraped, fought, and killed, to reach him where he was strongest, and do to him what he had done to so many before. \n\nThe rage and sorrow still burned as brightly as it had years past, since the day I woke up in an empty house, which I thought nothing of at first having no memory of living with anyone, only to find equipment for cleaning weapons and repairing armour I neither owned nor were in the house with me. The memories were sill sharp in my mind of how I had stumbled through the empty house, with two bedrooms, one of which I knew wasn't mine and had no idea who it belonged to. A double bed, two different sets of clothes too big for me, too much for me, all too much to even conceive of. In fear and confusion, I had run to the village, to do what I could no longer remember, except to convince myself I was not insane or had not forgotten something important. \n\nApparently I had, as had anyone else I asked who it was that lived with me who wielded a sword and wore armour, and why I couldn't remember them. Neither could any of them, saying I had always lived in that house alone. But even as they said it they realised it didn't make sense. \n\nThey realised they didn't remember who my parents were either, and that was enough for me to put the pieces together. \n\nI spent weeks in that big empty house alone, smelling clothes that were familiar and yet I didn't know who they reminded me of. Finding toys and a training sword, given to me by someone. A painting, of me, with two conspicuous spaces on either side of me. \n\nLost. Forgotten. Stolen. \n\nI had trained, spent weeks, then months, both training my body and my resolve, focusing my attention on the hole in my heart where familial love should be, only for my mind to fail to find purchase and recall, like trying to find my footing on wet rock. I worked enough to buy provisions and a weapon, a knife, and set off to learn the truth. \n\nAnd I did, I learnt of Reon Sable, of the Ink and of the Blood, a practitioner of the arcane, whose tower was surrounded by villages where only a scant few people lived, remembered living there their whole lives, and yet more than half the houses were empty. It fit. \n\nI didn't go after Reon immediately, I knew that to have a chance where my parents had failed, for that is what I believed, I would need to hone my skills, find riches, and allies if possible. \n\nOn two of those counts, I succeeded. I travelled the land, righting wrongs, putting an end to cruelty and the cruel, fighting the enemies that the common folk couldn't hope to face, and offering relief to the victimised and the oppressed. Through it all I gained acclaim, strength, and wealth, which I funneled into further knowledge of how to defeat Reon, how to improve as a fighter and a killer, so that I might quell him and avenge my forgotten loved ones. And yet, through it all, I found no other willing to join me on my quest. \n\nAnd so it was I stood alone in the hear and now. VINDICATED.\n\nMy hair slick with sweat and blood, sword skewered through the throat of none other than Reon Sable, splattered in Ink and Blood, where he had spilled it in his attempt to write me into his accursed book and so cast me out from reality, his wrist now pinned to his punctured neck. Transfixed on my sword, I held his gaze as the life left him, relished in it as my blood boiled from what had been an arduous battle to prevent him from having enough time to cast any truly disastrous spell or complete the ritual. When I was sure he was no more, I pulled the sword free, to stab him again, and again, until my strength failed me. There on the floor of his library, I breathed laboriously for minutes, with only his corpse for company. \n\nEventually, I stood, and collected what valuables I could from the room, including the offending tome, before burning the rest. Smoke billowed from the tower windows as I walked down the steps, leafing through the book, looking for names that might spark some familiarity, there being many which could be married couples, or parents and children, siblings even, no way to tell just from the names. Near the middle of the book was my name, unfinished in his scrawling spidery handwriting, along with a half dozen other freshly inked names. I took solace in knowing they were his last victims. \n\nWhen at the foot of the tower, I felt as much as heard the upper floor give way to fire damage, the enchantments that I had scouted out weeks prior having died with their creator, as I had hoped the spell on his victim's might. \n\nBut no, it seemed that they were truly gone, wiped from existence, not even to be returned when he was defeated. A truly evil injustice. \n\nI tossed the tome into the flames, and walked away, and resolvd to put him out of mind. Killing him had not brought back some phantom of what had been lost, but it meant that others would be spared his evil, and that would have to be enough. Was enough, so long as no one remembered him by the time I passed to the next world, I could be almost content.\n\nI walked back down through the trees surrounding the ruined tower to the clearing where I had hitched my horse, only to stumble and blink at what I saw. I worried I had hit my head, when I saw not only my stallion, Killian, but 2 horses and a mule besides, and what appeared to be an oversized dog. I stalled where I was, looking out from the treeline at the mounts, wondering who had come here after me, and where they had gone. Only for the dog to catch my scent, and turn my way barking...but not in an unfriendly way. \n\nWhen no one came running at the sound, I stepped into the clearing. Confused, I stepped to the nearest horse, finding and opening a saddle bag of the nearest, a pure black mare, finding writing supplies, papers and diagrams, and finally a book of poetry, the sappy rubbish kind they sang of in the cities, and yet... I wanted nothing more than to hear it spoken by... who?\n\nI blinked away something in my eye. \n\nThe next saddle-bag was on a great big charger, and contained honeyed walnuts in a pouch, oil for a sword and scabbard, and the holy symbol of a god I knew but did not follow. Why... Why did I feel annoyed? Like I had just recieved a lecture on piety? \n\nMy blood ran cold, leaving my face and settling in the bottom of my legs. \n\nWith shaking hands I approached the other's, a squat donkey whose packs were full of alcohol and and provisions, food enough for a dozen people for a day or more, along with maps and scrolls for navigating, and a fine brass eyeglass marked with the initials 'R.W.S.'... How had I gotten here? Or anywhere for that matter? I had always seemed to have a preternatural sense of direction, floating from one place to the next but this...this... \n\nFinally the dog, big enough to come up to my waist at its shoulder, it was a large beast of curled grey fur with a mop over its eyes and a big wet black nose, and on its back, a saddle, sized for a halfling or gnome. As I approached, it lopped towards me in turn, putting its hands up on my chest and bowling me over, snuffling and licking at me as I cried in alarm, and... laughed? Eventually it seemed to calm down as I patted it, only for it to sniff me some more, before looking around the clearing and whimpering, searching for...\n\nWith a tight throat, \"You're looking for someone, aren't you? You certainly know me but... there's someone you're waiting for, and they're not here. But you expected them to be.\" I croaked, barely above a whisper. \n\nThe dog slumped and placed its head between its forepaws, whining as it did. It was then I noticed the painter's easel and pots of paint it wore on the saddle, some of its grey fur even stained green and blue in places, faded from vigorous yet futile washing. With nervous hands I unclasped the satchel it was in and withdrew the painting. \n\nAfter a moment of looking at the back, I turned it over to see what I already knew, and although I didn't immediately recognize the picture, my heart still managed to stop in my chest. \n\\[Continued\\]", "I never liked the last bit of it. It used to be easier before. A quick stab. Arrow through the eye. Bolt of lightning through a limb and to the heart. Killing them. Any way that made it fast and painless. It always made a mess though. Blood splatter here, ashes over there. For every lifeless body I tossed in the grave it felt like another two were on the way. It just wasn't sustainable. My bounty rose higher and higher, the number of soldiers at a time greater and greater. Some times it felt like half their kind poured after me. Entire empires and civilizations sent to slay 'the beast'. I hated the destruction and cruelty and waste of it all, but what other options did I have? I have every right to walk and roam this land. I suppose they have every right to try and stop me. It used to be an impasse. It wasn't fair to either of us. Every man I ripped apart the wisps of his soul shot through me like arrows. Through each of their eyes I would see the loving smile of a mate. The excited babbles of an offspring. Hearty laughs of comrades off to battle. I don't think poorly of any of the men that tried to kill me. I never sense any evil in them, just determination and maybe foolishness. Still, the weight of all those hundreds of thousands of deaths add up. I didn't want to do it that way any more. \n\n\nHow do you cease the unstoppable force? Up to this point I had considered myself the immovable object, but emotionally I couldn't keep up with my actions. I made it a point to find another way. Many decades I wandered the lands, avoiding conflict when I could. Occasionally a tall tale would point me to a myth, which would lead me to a legend, which would trail me to some runes. After what felt (or possibly was) a millennia, I had assembled enough of the old knowledge to end the great wars. In the before times a king might've sent 500 men, and create 500 despondent widows when none of them returned. Using the new ways, 499 men might return, rejoicing that all of them survived the clash of the beast. My new spells let me 'erase' not just flesh, but legacy too. When a man is killed by my hand, he leaves not behind memory nor soul. The sands of time turned back, the man never enlisted in the army. Never married to his wife. Never born of his mother. For that individual, the earth would never remember his existence. With each successive battle I would perform this rite on several more men each time. Slowly the great nations became convinced that the beast was too old to fight back, or too close to death to be worth the tax of army. Time went on and soon every man sent to fight me would never have existed. Eventually the armies dwindled to scouts, to mercenaries, to adventurers, to hunters. The new truth of the land became that there never was a beast. Kings sending nations off to war were always a waste of time and money. Any soldier who 'died' on any of these journeys was just a fake name handed over as a means to launder coin. I had brought the great wars to a close, without death or destruction. No sadness or pain. It was certainly more effort than the old ways, but ultimately the new methods worked for the better.\n\nI liked to believe that for a time anyway. Back when the minds of man still fed the magic. Idle prayers powered the runes. A church built on ancient bones giving my spells more power by accident. It was a win-win. As man moved on and civilizations grew, they started to move past their reliance on the mystics. I had feared the arrival of such times, but I suppose it was really inevitable. The less man believed in magic, the less the spells would work. As I'm sure you know, the past year has been strange for mankind. Like a fog had been lifted. Buildings that never existed before began to appear, along with memories of great friends and countries that had been extinguished by some force. Part by part, the earth remembered what was never meant to have happened. You all remembered your friends and fathers and husbands and children. Tears and sadness with some vague reason. You knew something was missing from your lives. Something had been taken from you long ago. \n\nAnd you began to remember me.\n\nThe world isn't how it used to be. You have machines to fight for you. The old wars fought today would be done with drones and missiles and bombs and particles and waves. It is a one sided battle, and one I would not want to fight. I'm turning myself in because I'm not going to turn back time again. You never did let me be a part of this world, and you certainly never will now. It is my time to be erased. Those cameras and computers won't forget our meeting. The minds of man will, but the minds of the earth won't. You'll remember me as a story. A legend. Text on a website. Comics in the paper. But I'll have never been real to you.\n\nPerhaps this is the peace I sought all that time ago. It is time to go now.\n\nThank you for the memories.", "I thought everything in my life was normal, until that night.\r \n\r \nIt was a rather pleasant night, not too cold, not too hot. A kind of night where you sit outside in the village center and just admire the stars. I wish this was how the night had happened. \r \n\r \nI sat in my room, with a book in hand. A lantern was lit right next to my bed,giving off a calm light. My wife was rather annoyed by the fact that I read before bed and just wouldn’t immediately fall asleep like a normal man. But she stopped complaining about it the third year into our marriage. She just lay next to me, her body turned to the window, indicating that she wants me to turn off the lights. I sigh “ Okay. I’ll sleep”, I say, closing the book. \r \n“ You better, smart man” she said, I could tell she had a smile on her face. \r \nI would have preferred if she was comfortable with me reading, but she didn’t like books in general. She was never the type to want to learn, no matter how much I tried to convince her. \r \nShe would say “ reading’s for the smart, I am not smart”\r \n“ No one is born smart, if you read, you will become smart” I had said to her the first time I had met her. \r \n“ Well, I think you’re smart enough for the both of us” she had told me, handing me back the book I had offered her. It was a rather bizarre moment. I had just come to the village and everyone was a stranger, and she was the first one to make me feel home, despite being the total opposites. A part of me wishes she were just like me, but a larger part tells me that I would have never fallen for her if it were that way. \r \n\r \nI closed my eyes, hoping for a good dream to take me away from this world. But that’s not what happened. Instead, images floated in my head. Images I didn’t know I was capable of seeing. I see a woman, smiling, her kind eyes telling me it was safe, her warm hug telling she loved me. Mother. My mother. Next is a man, a man who looked like me, he told me he was proud, he told I made him proud, I felt proud. Father. Another woman, she held my hand, she dragged to a crowd where musicians played. She told me to push away the crowd so that she could see. Sister. No, what was this? Who were these people? My family? I had no time to think. Images kept popping in my head, my friends, my school. When was this? Who were they? They felt like strangers, yet I knew them. The images continued. \r \n\r \nAnother woman, a beautiful woman, a woman whose smile melts my heart. She would talk to me about books, science, poetry, all of it. She would caress my cheek, “ I love you” she said, her face turning red. \r \nI smiled.“ I love you too, more than anything in this world” I replied, pulling her into a kiss. I married that woman, that woman who made me happy. We would work together in the bakery, where she would hold my hand while decorating the cakes. I was happy, but I wanted something else. I told that woman that I wanted to pursue my goals in science. I told her I wanted to go to a bigger town where I could find someone to help me. She smiled, “ If that’s what you want, I will support you” God, I loved that woman. “ But” she said, as she smiled no more, “ this child. What will we do?”\r \n\r \nOh. The child. My child. I couldn’t leave the child. I told her that I would go to the town and find a home for them, they could raise the child there. I told her it could work, and she believed me. I left, as she waved with her right hand, as the other hand was on her stomach. On my journey, I stay in an inn. The inn is eerie, but I had no other choice. I go to sleep that night, not realizing that there was an attack, not realizing that I was one of its victims. \r \n\r \nI wake up with a start. My breath is heavy, and tears roll down my eyes. Five years, it’s beem five years. I remember, I remember it all. I was not a lost orphan, I was not an unmarried loner. I had a life, I had a good life. And all these people in my life, they are still out there. What has happened? How could something like this happen?\r \n“ What’s the matter?” asks my wife, sleepily getting up from the bed. I look at her, tears fill my eyes. Till tonight she was my world, but now. She’s someone else. Someone else I love, someone else I married. Someone else who’s bearing my child." ]	4
	[WP] as you tighten the last bolt on your new time machine the room suddenly and rapidly begins to fill with time travelers	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 glanced left and right, and spun to look behind myself. I could only watch, bewildered as my test room filled with beings of all shapes and sizes.\n\n\"Congratulations!\" They chorused.\n\nA human in a stetson and boots steps forward and removes his hat. \"It works this time. We've all seen it.\"\n\nMy hands fly up to my face to cover my shock and wipe the tears streaming down my chin.\n\nMy machine works...\n\nThe cowboy comes forward and places a hand on my shoulder. \"It's a bit of a ritual to congratulate future time travelers in their moment of success. If you want, you can change things now.\"\n\nIf course! The entire reason why I did this, my wife, my daughter...\n\nThe car crash would never happen. All it would take is a flat tire." ]	2
	[WP] Every year, a superstitious village abandons a human child in a nearby forest in exchange for divine protection. In actuality, an old hermit adopts the children and teaches them to ward off intruders. This year, the hermit’s best apprentice happens to locate and escort the abandoned child.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 watched her from beneath the gnarled tree roots, a low growl emanating from its throat as beads of drool fell to the forest floor with a smokey hiss. It eyed her tall form, larger than the last one it had snatched up a few months ago. Older, perhaps, not as sweet, but it had been some time since it last fed. It growled once more, drool now pooling in a soft sizzle. She turned, dark rimmed and tired eyes seeking the source of the sound, too slow. It leapt from its hiding place, blackened claws extended as they sung through the air, her screams echoing out as she was engulfed in a spray of dirt and blood. \n\nShe lay on the ground, face grimaced in pain a moment before she paused; time enough to realise there was none. Slowly opening one eye as she coughed the dust from her lungs and wiped the other with the back of her hand. She looked at it, covered in blood. She clutched her chest, belly, and then arms. No wounds. No pain. There before her was the beast, long sinewy muscles corded over a monstrous form, now dormant. Blood pooling from a gash across its torso. She fell back in shock as a silhouette slowly rose from behind the corpse. It stepped towards her as she raised her hand outwards, eyes clenched, shouting. \"No, please! Don't hurt me!\" \n\nThe figure stopped, hand outstretched but paused, hovering before her. She peaked her eyes open to see it extended, waiting for her, to-... grasp it? She looked now at the figure as it stepped into the light. Long brushed red hair framing a pale freckled face; a man. She paused, her hand reaching for her forehead as she traced over a fresh welt of burnt flesh. The mark the village elders had given her before thrusting her into the wilds at night. She felt the pattern of circles and lines as she looked to his forehead, where the same mark lay, though healed with scar tissue. \n\n\"Y-you are like us.\" He said. A look of surprise in his eyes as she slowly took his hand. He helped her to her feet as she looked at him quizzically. \"Us?\" \n\n\"Yes, but you are too old to be a sacrifice.\"\n\nShe looked at the man before her, before smiling bitterly as she cast her eyes downwards, her hands cupping her belly. \"I might be... But not them.\" She said as she slowly brought her hands over the budding life within her. \n\nHis eyes grew wide in surprise as he stared between the mark on her forehead and the small belly now displayed. \n\nA determination came over her face as she looked up at the man, suddenly realising her rescuer was more a large boy than a young man. \"You said 'us'. There are other sacrifices who lived?\"\n\nHe nodded vigorously at the steel suddenly in her voice. \n\"Good. Take me to them.\" She said as she pointed over his shoulder and behind him. \n\nHe looked over his shoulder, head tilting a moment before he awkwardly stepped under her arm and in the opposite direction to her pointing, simply saying, \"Ok\" as he held a low branch up to allow her past. She blushed slightly, a mumbled, \"thank you\" as she passed him.\n\nHe watched her go a moment before he realised he was staring, bounding ahead to lead her through the dangerous woods, towards their enclave.", "Ezekiel Crass. \n\nI would always remember that name and whenever it entered my mind I would feel something far more vile than hatred. I wanted him dead but I wanted it to be horrid. He was the \"governor\" of the small village I was born in, where we'd all been born in and because he and all those \"worthy\" adults were so scared of the prophecy that said a demon child would end their cushy lives, we were all cast out. Beaten to near death and then left to die in a cold and dark forest with no food or water. But the worst part? Those \"prophecies\" were all bullshit, made up so Crass could stay in power along with any other governor of the neighboring villages.\n\nIt had started with simple executions of anyone between 8 and 16 that \"showed signs of being deviant to tradition\" in other words any child that argued with their parents or the governor about anything, but soon it became far more cruel and devolved into the system we had today. I think some of the villagers actually enjoyed beating their children and other's. So when I came upon two siblings no older than 8 or 9 respectively on my rounds, my heart raced with worry and rage at the same time. It was a brother and a sister, the sister seemed to be alright for the most part, a few bruises and cuts from what looked like a whip; but the brother was in far worse shape. Someone had broken his leg and his hand looked mangled. His sister lay next to him, holding his hand and cried softly. When I saw what the villagers had meant to do I could feel the vast stores of energy in my system reach a boiling point, it felt like a thousand suns were ignited in my chest.\nX\nMy mentor, a woman by the name of Evelyn Marsei, was an outcast child far before me and she'd learned how to use the energy in the forest to her and our advantage. There were thousands of kids, teens, and adults who lived in the forest and all knew how to use the forests power. For me it was like filling up a gas tank, I could draw in a set amount and use it when I pleased. It was primarily activated by my emotions, which Evelyn said was pretty powerful if done right. Think of the energy like gasoline and my emotional response like a lighter. Only difference is the ensuing explosion is a little more controllable and I could channel it to be destructive or constructive.\n\nAnd so I approached the pair, my arm outstretched with anger in my heart at what had been done but the result far from what one might expect. A bright light emanated from my palm and pulsed faster and faster and got brighter and brighter and as it did I could feel the injuries they had sustained healing. I could feel their fear of the jungle and their fear of me. I reached out in my mind, telling them it was alright and soothing their worries. The whole process took only a few minutes but after I was finished I felt like I'd known both of them for a long time and I knew they felt a similar familiarity to me as well. I'd told them of all the wonderful things that were in the forest, all of our happy celebrations and festivals and our good food. They would want for nothing out here, hell, they could live with the most freedom they'd ever experienced out here.\n\nI watched as the sister helped her brother to his feet and the two beamed at me. I led them down a path only I knew and after about an hour we arrived at a small encampment that me and the other patrols were using as a home base. I could see two other patrolmen arriving with three other outcast kids hopping along excitedly behind them. Once we'd gotten the kids some food and water and gotten them comfortable we discussed where we should take them. There were three forest outcast villages nearby but some of them were a little packed, not that any of the leaders there would have objected to new arrivals but we wanted to keep the resources used balanced. We settled on Frageshaven, the largest of the three. The current town leader was a shy, bookish girl named Mary. She was 19 and was surprisingly good at managing large amounts of people and she was good with little kids.\n\nWe called a wagon from the village with the help of a little bit of magic and once the kids had gone we celebrated a little bit and trash talked the governor's and the stupid villagers. We weren't due back in our home villages for another month or so but today had been a good day and we talked and planned our next routes far into the night.", "\"Shh...\" Sara hushed the child gently. Nimble fingers worked quickly to untie the rough rope from her little wrists. \n\n\"M-momma said that if I-I leave the monsters will get them.\" A new wave of sobs escaped the little girl. Her body shaking and heaving as it tried to gasp for breath in-between each whine.\n\nSara scooped her up and pulled her close, wrapping her arms protectively around the girl. She had been told much the same. Guilted and terrified into compliance for a \"greater good\" she didn't understand. \"There are no monsters here, little one. Just us, the lost children, and the man who took us in.\" Sara wiped the tears from the girls cheeks and tried to smile reassuringly. \"What's your name?\"\n\n\"Emme...\"\n\n\"Emme? What a lovely name.\" Sara stood, lifting Emme to sit on her shoulders. \"Well, Emme, my name is Sara. I can bring you to another village and maybe someone there will adopt you. But if I bring you back home they'll think bad things and might hurt you. Or, if you'd like, I can take you home with me and you can meet my family.\"\n\nThe tears had slowed to near a stop. \"What's your family like?\"\n\nPicking her way around roots and brush Sara began her treck home. \"It's very big. There's fifteen of us kids now, sixteen if you want to stay. We were all like you, left in the woods for the monsters. But Thacher found us every year and took us home. He's been teaching us about herbs and healing. How to hunt and plant vegetables. He's even teaching some of us runes and magic.\"\n\n\"Is he a nice papa?\"\n\nShe chuckled. Thacher had never called himself their father. But some of them had been there longer than they hadn't now and had grown to love him like their own. \"He's a very nice papa.\"\n\n\"Sara...?\" Emme's voice was quiet. \n\n\"Hmm?\"\n\n\"Can I come home with you?\"\n\n\"I'd be delighted if you did, Emme. Let's go home.\"", "The downbeat grass and sparse foliage surrounding the well-worn path into the forest did not go on for long, Casey noted. As she stepped on the crisp grass, hearing it crunch underneath her feet, she stopped and lifted her head up. The rays of the sun now struggled to pierce through the overlapping canopy, speckling the forest floor with little wisps that never quite stood still.\n\nShe admired the light. They were beautiful, yes--but she appreciated that it was a more difficult journey than they were used to.\n\nShe looked back, now, and there was a clear separation in the colour of the footpath between when the forest ended, and when The Forest started. Casey remembered how the villagers used to talk about it. There was nothing remarkable about going into the forest--it was relaxed, joyous even. It could be gathering some berries or mushrooms, or hunting for those wanting of meat, or even just a nice walk in the beautiful day or soulful night. \n\nBut The Forest? Their tones would grow hushed, and their faces darkened like overcast clouds hiding its torrential secrets--but everybody knew what would be said. What was coming. \n\nCasey listened, though. She thought it all sounded very dangerous. But she was still young, and she also thought it sounded like great fun. She voiced her opinion as much, and much more adult men and women than her turned towards her, eyes wide open in shock.\n\nAnd so, she was chosen for the yearly tradition. A child to walk into The Forest, to protect the village. It might have been even more important this year, considering the situation that befell the village, which Casey barely understood--but here she was, anyway. She hoped that the village would be protected by whatever god they worshipped. It was always spoken in whispers and silent prayers, so Casey wasn't yet very sure.\n\nCasey looked around. She was surrounded by tall trees. The adults said they looked 'foreboding.' But though they were densely packed and offered barely any space around them, she thought something else.\n\nCasey thought they looked like they were hiding secrets. And to her, secrets meant adventure.\n\n\"Oi.\"\n\nThe girl turned around, inspecting the noise.\n\n\"That sounded like a human,\" Casey said.\n\n\"You are more already quicker than the last one, then,\" a male voice spoke. As Casey looked in the vague direction from where the voice came, she watched as a man--quite adult, she felt--moved out of the bush. He was crouched, so they were about the same height, and so he looked her directly into the eyes.\n\n\"Girl,\" he observed. \"And they are sending them even younger, it feels.\"\n\n\"Nice to meet you,\" Casey said, politely. \"I'm Casey.\"\n\n\"Derrick,\" the male said, drawing himself to his full height. Casey noted that he was definitely not her height, and was in fact much taller. His eyes were certainly still wary, and they darted around the forest periodically, before settling on the girl in front of him once more. Derrick moved closer to the girl, kneeling before her and patting her shoulders.\n\n\"Are you afraid?\" he said.\n\n\"No,\" the girl replied truthfully. \"Who are you?\"\n\n\"Well,\" Derrick said. \"I'm alive. That's all that's going to matter to you. Come quickly with me, if you want to live.\"\n\n\"Where to?\"\n\n\"To the old man's place,\" Derrick said. He parted the bush apart from where he came from, and Casey could notice now what was hidden behind it. There was also a path--not quite as worn as the one she walked on to get to this point, but there was one.\n\n\"That's a path,\" she noted.\n\n\"It is,\" Derrick said.\n\n\"Actually,\" Casey said, pointing to the opposite side, down an unmarked underbrush into the great unknown forest. \"I was planning to go to that way.\n\nDerrick briefly looked there. And back to the girl. And back to the forest.\n\n\"No,\" he said simply.\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"'Coz that's crazy,\" Derrick shook his head. \"Just come with me, see? It'll be safer.\"\n\n\"But I don't want to,\" Casey said adamantly. \n\n\"Look,\" Derrick said. \"You aren't going to survive in that big, bad, forest there. Everything's out to get you.\"\n\n\"How do I know you aren't out to get me? You could eat me, or something,\" the girl retorted. \"That forest looks fun.\"\n\n\"That forest is not fun, and it will also kill you,\" Derrick sighed. \"Please don't make me drag you into back to the old man's place.\"\n\n\"Have you been into that forest?\" Casey asked.\n\nDerrick sighed. His mouth half-opened, before he paused, closing it again. He found himself about to tell a lie, and he didn't like that. There was still a child in him that resented what the village told him to get to be the first child to walk into The Forest.\n\n\"No,\" he admitted.\n\n\"Then why are you so afraid of it?\" Casey said.\n\n\"Because,\" Derrick said, then he stalled. The little girl tapped her foot, but otherwise waited patiently for an answer.\n\n\"The old man said it would be dangerous,\" Derrick said, after a rather long contemplation. Casey sighed smally and quietly.\n\n\"This old man seems to be very important to you,\" Casey said. \n\n\"He is,\" Derrick said. \"He saved me. I think.\"\n\n\"And thank you, but I'm going to walk into here,\" the little girl, pointing again to where she wanted to go. \"I'll find you later. I know the path, now. I want to explore here, where no one else has gone.\"\n\n\"Why?\" Derrick asked.\n\n\"Because no one has explored it before,\" Casey said. \n\nDerrick watched as the little girl walked into the forest. He stared back at the path to the village, then the path back to the hermit's house. Then, she watched the fresh footprints laid by a child probably less than half his age, watching as the grass immediately sprung back to their youthful self.\n\nHe started chasing after the girl. He had to save her. Or maybe he wanted to see something new. He didn't know. But his feet followed, anyway.\n\nThere was sure to be a lot of explaining to do for the old hermit in The Forest later.\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts", "\"I hate them. With their stupid beliefs and their superstitions.\" \n\nThe abandoned child had finally spoken. It had been 3 hours since the child was found crying in the forest. My apprentice had gave him a meal to re-energize the poor boy.\n\n\"Now now son, there's no need to hate fear. It just brings fear and darkness.\" I said.\n\n\"The divine protection isn't real is it?\"\n\n\"Not divine no. But protection does exist. You see Acrymus there?\"\n\nMy apprentice waved at him.\n\n\"Yeah so what about him?\" the child questioned.\n\n\"He is the one who protects the village. There are other recruits of course but they are at the training camp.\" I answered, \"He is my best one, but the others protect them as well. There are no sacrifices, no elder deities. Only brave and noble warriors.\"\n\n\"So because I was abandoned, am I now one of these soldiers? That's epic!\" the boy awed.\n\nAt the moment, I knew he would go on to be one of my best, maybe even the best. I saw the sparkle and the awe in his eyes. I knew it was his destiny.\n\n\"Now, what's your name?\" I asked.\n\n\"Moruya. Moruya Actinife.\"\n\n\"That's a fine name\"...", "Torin stepped through the Veil and back into reality again, her blade dripped with eldritch fluids of another world. \n\nJagged lacerations covered her body, the worst of which had taken her eyes again. It was a brutal, existence, but one she had been chosen for and one she served far more faithfully than any other alive.\nBringing the blade to her mouth, the young woman begins to lap at the substance. It wasn't blood, not in the way beings of this world knew it. But it did have exceptional properties. \nAs each swallow of viscous fluid entered her throat, a warmth could be felt from within. Slowly, but surely, her wounds closed, turning from weeping cuts into scabbed lines and fading into old scars. They still hurt. They always did. But she would get used to the pain, as she always did.\n\nThe final thing to come back was her eyes, filling into the spaces that had been carved away by things best left unspoken. \nAs her vision came back, she froze. Standing before her was a group. The Others. Their protective charge. Skittish, even now, they watched her drink ethereal blood like an animal. When she froze, so did they, fear etching their faces. \n\nThey were all human, but they wore some kind of long black robes. A funeral march of a kind. At the head of the little group was an elder, wearing some kind of adornment on his withered scalp and carrying a long staff. With him were a man and a woman marked with a red sash. Then it became apparent there were was another one. A cooing bundle wrapped in white. They cried and spoke long.\n\nTorin hadn't cried since she was a girl. It always struck her how different she was to the Others. Upon her first steps into the Veil, she was changed. They fey magicks had ravaged her, turning her into something else. Wings, a beak, claws and feathers. Smooth scales and long fingers. Larger than them by a head, easily. All four eyes stared at the members of her former species in quiet contemplation. \n\nIt took a while, but they too set the child upon the rocks before Torin, and were pulled away, back to the home where, supposedly, she too was born.\nThere was a long pause, Torin idle in thought and staring at the bundle with avian interest. It occured to her that this child would be a Hunter too. They thought this divine protection. \n\nIt was not. \n\nIt was the First Child who had stumbled upon the Veil in the forests, the First who had hunted and become what he is now. It was the First who had found more children, fostering a family deep in secret meadows. And it was the First who was now far too old and far too... twisted to protect the Others from the same horrors that had dragged his parents kicking and screaming into the night.\n\nTorin had been very good. Perhaps too good. It had only taken her a year to adapt and Hunt. The bottles of viscera she had collected clinked softly in the silent forest, brought to help the Yonger grow. To some, it made them fast, to some, strong. A few of the lucky ones developed magicks of their own, being nearly passable as the Others. But not on Torin. Her fighting soul had marked her changes the day she was born. The First had seen it. The blood worked wonders on her body, but had stunted her mind in a way. She felt it even now, the desire to delve further, to eat more, to burn her way across the Veil. But the gentle sounds of the child brought her back to the present.\n\nA single finger extended, blackend and viscera covered claw retracted, gently prodding the white bundle. A hand came out to grip that finger, attempting to pull it in to bite at.\nShe smiled. Or at least she tried. Human expressions were so hard for her now and she often felt apart from. the Younger.\n\"I see a fighter's soul in you.\" She remarked casually, understanding.that it couldn't comprehend her, but compelled to speak to it. Perhaps this is what the First had seen A kindred spirit.\n\"You'll need it.\"\n\nThat hand scooped up the child in massive arms, and the pair were gone in a flurry of feathers and drops of the color shifting liquid, heading towards the First's abode, deep within the forest.", "They were getting more and more despicable.\n\nThe child's face was scratched up, streaks of thin crimson lining it. Her hair was messy and dirtridden. She had obviously slipped and fell down some hill. And from the nasty bruise on her shin, it was obvious she was not going far before the night fell.\n\n\"What is your name?\" I almost snapped, my anger at the people responsible for this situation making my voice more unkind than I had wanted.\n\nThe child shrank back, and I could see her eyes were red, her cheeks glistening with tears.\n\n\"My name's Zur.\" I said a bit more gently.\n\nShe stared at me, not speaking, eyes wide.\n\n\"There's a house not far from here. A woman lives there. She knows magic. I can bring you to her.\" I tried.\n\nBut at this, the child's eyes widened even more and I was afraid they would pop out.\n\n\"Witch?\" She gasped.\n\n\"No, no. She's not a witch. She's just a nice woman.\" I said hastily, but the girl scrambled away, limping and wincing.\n\nDamn it.\n\n\"She won't hurt you! She can help you fix your foot!\" I called out uselessly.\n\nShe stumbled and fell, and looked over her shoulder to check if I was behind her, and when she saw I had not moved, she unsteadily got to her feet and continued running away from me.\n\n\"Ok, I won't bring you to her! Let's just stay here for a while. You'll hurt yourself more if you keep running!\" I said, thinking on what to do. I was not about to chase after the poor girl. But she was a child who was hurt in this vast jungle. I could not let her run away.\n\nBut at my words she stopped.\n\n\"No witch?\" She asked.\n\nI shook my head. \n\nShe immediately collapsed on to the undergrowth, breathing heavily.\n\nWhat a truly despicable experience a child had to go through.\n\n\"Can I at least take a look at your leg?\" I asked, slowly walking towards her. But her face was blank. \n\n\"No witch.\" She repeated, tired.\n\n\"No witch.\" I confirmed, bending down and taking a look at the swollen shin. \"I think you sprained this. You shouldn't put any weight on this leg, alright?\"\n\nThe girl nodded almost imperceptibly. \n\nI took my canteen and handed it to her.\n\n\"It's bitterwater. Sorry, I don't have regular water.\"\n\nShe drank from it greedily, and when she paused to draw breath, she started coughing, grimacing at the taste of it. But she continued drinking, some of the water cascading down her chin.\n\nJust how long had she been deserted here? The anger at the villagers returned, but I kept it in check. There was a time and place for rage.\n\n\"I only have cured fish to eat.\" I apologized, fishing it out from my wallet. But the girl shook her head.\n\n\"Not hungry?\" I asked.\n\nShe shook her head again.\n\nWe sat for a while, quiet. The sounds of the forest played around us. Birds sang, leaves rustled, insects chittered. And night was about to fall. I wanted to bring her to the House by nightfall to wash and clean her up. Tyovern was cooking tonight, and their cooking was to die for. The girl would have the best hot meal she would have in her life, and afterwards a soft warm bunk to sleep in.\n\nBut all this had to happen in its own time. I was not about to force the child into anything. My master hadn't when she found me, and I was going to follow on her footsteps.\n\n\"You know, if we stay at a spot for a long time, bugs will start climbing you thinking you're a rock or a log.\" I said, turning to look at her.\n\nBut she was asleep, head resting on a large root outcropping from the ground.\n\nWell, now was a good as time as any to do some magic.\n\nMy hands hovered over the girl's swollen skin, and arcane power coursed through the air between our skins as the the magic worked its wonder. The swelling immediately reduced. She would be able to walk with minimal discomfort when she awoke.\n\nNext, I danced a pattern in the air with my fingers, and muttered a few arcane words, and a small, golden rabbit coalesced into being on the ground before me. It sniffed the air, and looked around, observing it's new surroundings.\n\nYou'll lead her to the House. I told it telepathically. It immediately went and nudged the girl's legs, waking her up. I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep as well as I woke to her squeaking in delight.\n\n\"Oh! That's a fleurabbit. It'll lead you to treasure!\" I told her as the rabbit darted off, pausing to see if the girl was following.\n\n\"Come! We should see where it leads.\" I smiled as I saw the girl grin. It was an infectious expression. But I did not feel good about tricking the girl like this. My master would not have used such underhanded techniques.\n\nAt least there was truth to what I said. The rabbit would lead her to a treasure most wondrous." ]	8
	[WP] You used to be a professional villain but now you are cursed. No matter what you say, what you do, people will always think you're kind.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "One moment I was at the head of GRADE, Group of Radically Active Diabolical Evildoers, and then the next moment, I was being told I \"no longer met their standards.\" It felt at first like they were playing a prank on me- after all, I've been praised ever since I was first put in the group as the spitting image of villainy.\n\nWhen I realized what happened, though, things began to make sense.\n\nClearly, a hero with very specific reality-bending powers came to understand that there was no way to defeat me in battle with the limited abilities of the heroes of our world. Therefore, they decided to target what was seemingly my greatest weakness- my reputation as a supervillain.\n\nIf nobody is intimidated by me, and even my most vile of schemes are only seen as kind deeds, that would surely mess with my own self-image and cause me to lose any semblance of what it meant to be evil.\n\nThe first time I saw the curse in effect was when I was running for Mayor and put out that devilish ad campaign where I essentially ripped pages out of George Orwell by declaring I was going to turn the town into a total authoritarian nightmare. Any second now, I expected those heroes were going to burst through my door to tell me I'd never get away with this.\n\nNobody even raised a finger, and I won by a landslide.\n\nAt first, I wondered if this was part of a counter-plan- let me win and then wait for when I get comfortable. However, it was a week into my term as Mayor that I realized this wasn't the case. Literally, everybody seemed to adore me, praising me as revolutionizing security and safety.\n\nI would resign as Mayor after just a month of it.\n\nEven when I went back to my more basic schemes, like holding an important businessman's daughter, it felt like nobody was taking it seriously. The daughter would treat it like a game, the businessman remarked how proud he was that his daughter was getting to know a former Mayor, and the heroes just whistled and walked along as if nothing happened.\n\nIt was intriguing to try and push the limits of this phenomenon. I'd copy another villain's plot word-for-word, and then I'd watch as people who were terrified by it the previous day were now enamored by this iteration.\n\nEvery night I looked in the mirror and questioned what changed. And then I learned of some bozo named Perceptro who was capable of doing this sort of thing if they charged up enough power. It would've been much preferable for this to be a personal issue so that I could make an actual fix.\n\nHm, maybe this means I could become a hero...?", "“I will kill you all, I swear it!” I exclaim in frustration. Maybe after the umpteenth time they’ll finally realize that you’ve been threatening them this whole time.\n\n“Oh Larry, you have such enthusiasm!” Lisa said in delight, “I know you always had a knack for comedy, but save it for the stage Friday night! You can share your killer jokes when the time is right!”\n\n“No, Lisa, I’m not joking! I’m not doing a comedy skit!” I replied, exasperated, “See my raygun? I’ve zapped hundreds of men with this! Why don’t you fear me?!”\n\n“Oh, you mean that portable defibrillator?” Carl said, “I mean, I do remember you using it to revive some unconscious teenagers on the street last week.”\n\n“You don’t get it! I zapped then unconscious! They were just getting up from the shock because I accidentally left my gun on ‘Safe Mode’! They were supposed to die!”\n\n“Haha, very funny Larry,” Lisa said, patting my back, “C’mon be more proud of your heroism! Of course they would’ve died. But YOU saved them! No need to change up the story so you look like the bad guy!”\n\n“UUUUGH...” I wanted to tear my hair out, “I AM the bad guy!!”\n\n“No you’re not, man” Carl said, sympathetically. He then gestured toward all the houses in the cul-de-sac, “Look, each and every one of these families in this neighborhood appreciates what you do every day. Don’t forget that.”\n\n“Exactly, sweetie,” Lisa agreed with Carl, “I for one appreciate the time you got Ms. Jenkins’ cat down from that tall tree.”\n\n“I cut down that tree!” I yelled, “So I could block your traffic!”\n\n“Oh that was fine, to be honest,” Carl chuckled, “The road was already out of service that day, and we were gonna cut down that old tree anyways. It was blocking our window, you know?”\n\n“NO I DON’T KNOW! NOR DO I CARE!!”\n\nCarl looked at his watch, “Oh man, look at the time! I gotta drive my kids back home from school now!”\n\n“And I have to make dinner!” Lisa added, “Alright, it’s been nice talking to you, Larry. See you tomorrow!”\n\nBoth idiots waved to me as they walked away. I refused to wave back. Will I ever get through to these numbskulls?" ]	3
	[WP] You are given the opportunity to have a say in the coming apocalypse, and all you have to do is present your proposal to Hell's board of directors before the project "is go."	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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’s called Joshua.\n\n-- Ah, that’s a good one.\n\n-- Why is that funny?\n\n-- He doesn’t know, ah! Anyway, please proceed human, the presentation is this way.”\n\n\nThe smirking demon led him to the entrance. Joshua could hear the muffled noise of the impatient audience on the other side. His heart was beating with excitement. He made sure his collar wasn’t too tight and his tie symmetrical. When the door opened, or rather lifted, he was a bit perplexed to see a large gladiator’s arena. An old man sweating bullets was pleading with the crowd.\n“Let me finish, I just have twenty-three slides left for my demonstration!”\n\n“Sir, your time is up. Please proceed to the center of the arena.”, said an annoyed announcer.\nBuried under the boo of the audience, the old man tried to hide behind a pillar. Belial, sitting on his throne in the official gallery, pulled him with a finger and a bit of magic right at the center of the arena. A trapdoor opened beneath him and the man fell to his doom.\n\n“A thousand year of itchy nose and office work for you!”, yelled the announcer.\n\nThe boos turned into laughs. Meanwhile, almost unnoticed, Joshua had moved to the stage and was testing the mic. “Test, test. 1, 2. 1, 2.”\n\n“Oh, our next contestant! And a courageous one? Are you not afraid of failing puny human?”\n\n“No, that guy had terrible tastes in fonts. And ten point text and no bullet point? The punishment seems fair. Can I start?”\n\nHe looked at his watch and sighed. He only had an allotted time slot of 10 minutes, but his watch kept telling him it was 6:66.\n\n“Ladies and gentlemen, demons and demonesses, monstrosities and other entities and non-entities.\nAs you all know, the apocalypse is upon us. I can tell. Hell has been on fire lately. You’re all screaming with joy, buying those twenty buck beer like there’s no tomorrow, prepping yourself for the big game.”\n\n“The apocalypse, indeed. The apocalypse… What a boring event! Four riders, angels in the skies, demons spawning from hell? We humans have seen it all already! We got the TV and internet. Ever heard of Netflix?\"\n\n\"Do we really want the apocalypse to be a mindless slaughter? (yays) Well, I was expecting that one. But it seems your leaders want something else, or they wouldn’t have organized this job interview.”\n\nHe made a sign to one of the balrogs on the side. “Thank you”, he said before wetting his throat with fresh water. Orphan’s tears, Syria 2018. Not bad.\n\n“Hear me out. What we really want isn’t really seeing all the Sodoms of the world burn in nuclear fire…as fun that can be, that’s over in a flash. We don’t really care if the killers, the thieves and the rapists get thrown down here. That was going to happen eventually! A wolf is a wolf! And you say, well what about all the other side activities that little trip above offer? What about torture, maiming, and all the other fun stuff you can do on a rack? Hello, boring. You already do that here. Is it really a special unique day if it’s only normal daytime activities? I call that a visit to the zoo, and one that hasn’t got even a panda!\n\nNo, I ask you what about the lambs? The little lambs that the Lord, that motherfucker, is slowly herding into his little garden he got over there. Don’t you think they should join in on this whole apocalypse thing?”\n\nJoshua removed his glasses and wiped them. As planned, his chosen heckler stepped in.\n\n“Smartass, you need to sin to go down! And believe me, we’ve tried to bring those down. They. Just. Won’t. Budge.”\n\n“That’s because you are looking at it all wrong. The apocalypse isn’t something you’re doing to mankind, it’s something they have brought upon themselves. So say the Bible. Here, look. One image is worth a thousand words.”\n\nWith a click of his remote, a giant pie chart was projected into the ashen sky.\n\n“As you can see on this chart, user’s participation is expected to be around 40%, while 10% will be raptured and the other 50% will be thrown in purgatory…eventually making their ways to the heavens. ‘Cos you know the big heart they got in here. Less than 1 in 2, that’s a terrible engagement rate! Now, what if I told you I got a sure way to make it climb to 80, maybe 90%? I’ve got your ears and horns, eh? We need to move the goal from “have to participate” to “want to participate”.”\n\nClick. Giant letters colored in blue.\n\n“I call it Heaven’s Brawl! Ultimate Edition!\"\n\n\"Here is what I propose: keep a scoreboard above every holy site. Even from other religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, …let’s be inclusive people! And we tell them : “Kill the infidels.” That’s all you need for them to beg to sign-up. Trust me, it's a tested marketing tactic.”\n\n“For each death, we give them a point, five for a kid and twenty for a baby. Top one million get to be displayed. Let's add some extras. Some achievements for the completionists, bus on fire, hospital bombed, you know the drill.\nAnd of course, day-0 cosmetics, paid for in blood. People just love ‘em, even the atheists. A badge for top ten thousand. Wings for top thousand. Aureoleas for top one hundred, and your own customized floating cross. And for the top 10? Big hats, or whatever the pope of their religion wear. Anyway, details for the marketing department.\n\nThen we just wait. Wait till all the good and righteous people of Earth do what they do best. Kill the infidels, my friends.”\n\nThe floor was speechless, and with a sigh, Joshua walked towards the trapdoor. Tough audience, he thought. That is, before a wave of claps shook the whole arena. \n\n“Aaaaaaaaaaaand I believe we have a winner!”\n\nWhen the tremor calmed down, Belial came down from his throne, and shook his hand.\n\n“What war academy did you attend?\n\n-- Well, I have a MBA from Stanford, and did five years at Goldman Sachs, before the incident.\n\n-- Oh yes, some of our best employees of the month are alumni from there. Good work Joshua. You are now the first ever human to be granted the title of Duke of Hell. It comes with a deed over Australia, and some part of New York’s subway.\n\n-- Well, prime estate is always good, but that can’t be all surely?\n\n-- Oh don’t worry, there’s going to be a fat check this year.\n\n-- Music to my ears.”\n\nWith a content look on his face, Joshua waved at the ecstatic audience. He always had jitters after a presentation, but it was nice to know his hard work was appreciated. Now that he had been made a member of the board, it was time to make his next move.\n\n\nHe gave a pat on the back of Belial. “That’s really a nice company you got there, you know.” He smiled." ]	2
	[WP] You are a witch doctor renowned for your potions. People come from all over to get one of your potions. One day you get a visitor that asks you to make them a smoothie.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Hi I'm Beth and I make potions scrap that. I am Beth and I am the local town witch also, I cannot ,for all things holy, write a whole damn sentence. I'm stupid and probably shouldn't be trusted around powerful potions. Beth typed with a little too much force than necessary, it also didn't help that her eyes were blurry from all the crying she did earlier. Beth had turned 29 last month. She made a pact with herself; she would reinvent herself, change her life and most importantly get over her ex. The reinvention was easier and short, all she had to do was cut her hair and dye it black, the changing her life, it was tiring, she had given up sugar years back, and she couldn't think of giving up coffee. So that was it, all she had to do was get over her ex which she couldn't quite figure out how to, she rearranged the window display, changed the rug on the shop floor and finally gave in to her friend Louise, and decided to open a website for her shop and that's where she got stuck.\n\n\r \nBeth lived in a small town, just an hour from Boston. It's been a year she had moved out of her ex's house and back into her grandma's. It was where she'd grown up. Beth and Pat were dating for three years and engaged for one until Pat called off the engagement. Grandma Jean had lost her eyesight to glaucoma, but she still saw what others could not. Grandma disliked Pat from the very beginning. The very first time Pat came to pick Beth up for a date he had joked about his ancestors being witch hunters and how uncanny it was' that now, he was actually dating one. No one other than Pat thought it funny. Beth never allowed Pat in that house again, he would wait in the driveway. After their first date Jean had warned Beth \"he's not the man for you, look at his lips, they are mean lips. And his nose, that is the nose of a man without a spine, untrustworthy, I'm telling you, he'll steal your light.\"\n\n\r \nBeth understood that now, after a whole year alone. She felt lost most days and the rest she spent in bed crying, wallowing in self-pity. She lost track of the moon couldn't tell her waxing from waning's; forgot to set out water and salt for full moons, forgot things she knew by heart. By April she had a plan, the day she turned 29 she had had enough. It was a mid-May morning, but it was already getting warmer, too warm. Salves were starting to melt, dried herbs would lose their potency, and the handwoven rugs would lose color if left in the sun too long. Things had to be sorted out and stored in the dark room. She had her work set up for the day. There weren't much people coming in other than the two regulars, Amy a local townie who had just had a baby; a sickly 8 month old boy who was suffering from colic and Louise. Louise was Beth's only friend, the local tattoo artist, she came in for a protection charm that would keep her 'asshole' ex from her shop, drawing potential customers away. Beth did that for free; protection should be free believed Beth.\n\n\r \nIt was a slow day, which was actually nice. The weather did that to people. There were wildflowers and magnolias blooming everywhere. Sunlight and good mood were natural healers. It was only 12, she thought of taking an early lunch and closing the shop for the rest of the afternoon. She was just about to turn the sign over when she felt an energy surge. It was odd. It was a green jeep, maybe. Beth didn't know about cars, she didn't own one, no one in her family did. A man got out of that thing, she couldn't see his face but overall he looked out of place. Beth found it odd that he was wearing a thick corduroy jacket, in May. He had long dark hair and when the sunlight hit him there was a almost golden hue all around him. It is just the sun, Beth told herself. Beth felt feverish, her breath felt a little too hot, her throat dry she felt she'd lose her voice already raspy as it was. He walked towards her shop, Beth ran back to her spot behind the counter. Beth thought maybe he's lost, wanted directions, the bell chimed as he entered Beth looked up. She had never seen eyes like that before, his pupils big and dark, a little too dark even in the afternoon sun. \n\n\"Hi, I would like the immunity booster shot, umm does that come in a smoothie? You know with the pollen's and all.\" \n\n\"A what?\"\n\nHe pointed to the display board \"the immunity booster shot , wow that's 20?\"\n\nBeth was annoyed and it showed in her voice\" a lot of work goes in there, it takes a whole month to make it.\"\n\n\"Umm yeah sure, a booster shot then\"\n\n\"What would you like it with some water, its quite strong?\"\n\nHe was distracted looking around the shop\" no what? Not with water but do you have those blueberry smoothies, maybe some pea protein,oatmilk if you have it, some kale maybe oh and do you have those acai thingies?\" \n\n\"I'll see what I can do.\" Beth went to the kitchen grumbling,if she hated anything; it was gimmicky people, hipsters from the city. They'd get a fare share of tourists in the spring,it was awful. Thankfully there were some frozen blueberries in the freezer, but she didn't have any oatmilk or pea-protein or even kale.She didn't even have them at home but she had acai,it was medicinal,and she used it in her tinctures quite often. Beth dumped a cup full of blueberries and a small chunk of frozen mango; she was feeling generous. She didn't have any milk but she had almonds, \"that should do it, a cup full of moon water and a sprig of mint ,it'll calm you down.\" Beth dumped the mixture in a old jar, put two drops of the immunity blend, said a small prayer and went back to the counter. She had done what she'd been asked to do , she decided against charging him for the fruit but as her grandma had taught her to warn, always. Everything came at a price\"equal exchange\". \n\nShe cleared her throat as she set the drink on the counter, \" I have to tell you, this comes at a price, umm well\"\n\n\"I know I can read \" He looked at her like she was slow. Then he talked slower and louder as if she was one of those special kids. He took out a twenty dollar bill and placed it on the counter.\" See a twenty? I am paying for the thing , here?\"\n\nBeth didn't have words. If this was someone she knew ,she would have held them by their ears and dragged them out of the shop, but he was probably from the city and she didn't want a lawsuit. So she nodded instead.And he left with the jar.Her favourite jar, she used to make moonwater in that. He had also tracked mud all the way in her shop. There goes my afternoon, Beth returned with a mop and got on all fours to clean. There was this peculiar smell where he stood, Beth couldn't quite place it. \"LAVENDER!\" It made her smile ,it felt nice to know that some men still used floral colognes . There was hope after all.", "“I’m sorry, you want what?”\n\n“A smoothie,” he said matter-of-factly.\n\n“Not to be that person, but do you know who I am?”\n\n“Of course I do! Do you really think I would go into business with a Jamba Juice?”\n\n“Now who said anything about going into business together?”\n\n“Look, just make the smoothie and I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” He pulls a roll of cash out of his coat and places in on the counter.\n\n“Fine,” I shrug. “Just tell me what you want.”\n\nHe leans lazily on his cane while he watches me make the most ridiculous smoothie on the planet. Although I see why he came to me. Some of his requests were tricky. It definitely wasn’t like any smoothie I’ve ever had.\n\nI peer down at the sludge in my cauldron suspiciously. My ladle comes up sticky. I made a mental note to charge extra for the equipment I’ll inevitably have to scrub out. “Why do you want a three course meal in a smoothie anyway?”\n\n“I’m a busy man and my factory requires a lot of attention.”\n\n“Alright, well this smoothie isn’t going to turn into a smoothie, I’ll tell you that much. Best I can do is a three course dinner chewing gum.”\n\n“Chewing gum...chewing gum...” He grabbed another spoon, dipped it into the cauldron, and tasted the concoction. His face lit up. “You, my friend, are a genius. It’s a three course meal in one! Tomato soup, roast beef, baked potatoes, and blueberry pie a la mode for dessert!”\n\nHe spun around to me, his apparently unneeded cane clattering to the floor. “You have a genius for creation but I... I have a head for business and a factory.”\n\n“You really think people would want to buy this?” \n\n“Oh believe me, a full meal, all the flavor, none of the chewing? This will fly off the shelves!”\n\nAs he continues to wax elegantly about going into business together, I have to admit, I’m intrigued. Intrigued and a little mystified. Was his suit this tight when he came in? And surely his skin wasn’t that shade of...purple?\n\n“You’re not looking too great. I’d be interested in doing business with you, but I think that recipe needs tweaking.” I duck under the counter as the buttons on his suit pop off and ricochet about as he gets rounder and rounder...\n\nA few very stressful hours later, we are sitting on the floor of the shop, poking glumly at my concoction. “I’m very sorry. Of course there will be no charge and I’ll pay to repair your clothing.”\n\n“What are you talking about! This was incredible! You are exactly the partner I need, and I won’t take no for an answer.”\n\nI peered warily at this strange man, his clothes stretched out and his skin still tinted the barest shade of violet. “Who are you anyway?”\n\n“The name’s Willy Wonka, and I’d like you to join my chocolate factory.”" ]	3
	[WP] An archaeologist discovers a massive treasure room below the pyramids of Giza. They descend on a rope into the cavernous chamber, and notice that the way the mountains of gold coins are shaped look suspiciously like the tracks of a colossal sidewinder snake.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\"Professor Hamad. As you can see I have setup all of the lights, but I believe venturing any further would be too dangerous without knowing what exactly made those tracks.\"\n\nBrett McKenzie was not a fearful man. He had been on dozens of similar expeditions all over the globe and even fought in a few wars, but the moment he saw what looked to be the tracks of an impossibly large snake all bets were potentially off. Although no matter what he was feeling he would still listen to his employer because at the end of the day he was a professional.\n\nProfessor Hamad could see McKenzie was clearly nervous, but he also knew that the moment they left this place the chance of higher authorities such as certain government agencies would demand and receive priority. He was not normally a reckless person, but if this unfathomable amount of riches were here in the open what impossible treasures and discoveries lie ahead?\n\n\"Mr. McKenzie I understand your trepidation. Believe me I do, but you know as well as I do what happens to our discovery if we leave and try to return later? You and I are the only ones of our team who choose to stay behind and there is no doubt in my mind that at least one of the others who just left immediately reported this incident to someone outside of our sponsor's circle of trust.\"\n\nMcKenzie knew where Professor Hamad was going with this and could see the wild fervor building up in his eyes. He sighed and retrieved his trusted FN Scar assault rifle and put on a vest that held several clips. \"We're going further in?\"\n\nProfessor Hamad was uncomfortable around weapons, but he also would not let anything get in the way of this once in a lifetime chance to become an important part of history. \"Yes. You lead the way.\"\n\nMcKenzie nodded and led the way toward the end of the cavern a little past the last of the lights he had set earlier. As they entered the darkness he activated his rifle's tactical flashlight and pulled on the rifle's charging handle to chamber his weapon. As they continued the cavern appeared to grow larger and golden treasures could be seen everywhere. McKenzie could not help but think about his contract stipulation of being allowed 10% of whatever was found. Of course if they found nothing he received nothing so this was definitely a gamble that paid off.\n\nProfessor Hamad stopped and grabbed McKenzie by the shoulder from behind. \"Mr. McKenzie...don't move.\"\n\nMcKenzie was a little pissed and really hoped the good professor wasn't going to try anything funny to avoid splitting the treasure. Without turning around he stopped and tilted his head toward Professor Hamad who was still behind him. \"What's going on?\"\n\nProfessor Hamad's grip tightened and he was shaking. In this moment he wished he would not have convinced McKenzie to venture further. All of his ambition was now gone and only fear remained. He wanted to scream. A little while ago he had noticed that around 20ft in front of them McKenzie's light had gone over a strange rock formation embedded in the ground. No that they were around 10ft away he saw that the \"rock formation\" had eyes that were staring directly at them. \"McKenzie...please...shoot the rocks in front of us. Don't hesitate please just shoot.\" He was now covered in sweat and his heart was aching from beating so hard.\n\nMcKenzie looked forward and flashed his light directly onto the rock formation in front of him and realized what he was staring at. It was the slightly buried head of a large sidewinder snake. The head itself was at least 5ft wide. The sand shifted slightly near the head and McKenzie screamed and began to unload his clip directly between to two monstrous eyes staring at him. The snake burst backward out of the sand as it's head exploded spraying blood everywhere. With it's head completely removed McKenzie stopped firing and reloaded. He and Professor Hamad watched in horror as the body of the snake violently thrashed around with enough force to shake the entire cavern whenever it struck the walls.\n\nProfessor Hamad watched as the snake finally stopped moving and exhaled a loud sigh of relief. \"Thank you McKenzie. I think I'll be bumping your cut up to 20%.\" He patted McKenzie on the back, but was surprised when the man didn't react and actually felt a little shaky.\n\nAt this moment Brett McKenzie was not listening to Professor Hamad. He did not hear anything about a double in his reward nor was he looking at the now deceased gigantic snake's body in front of him. The only thing he cared about were the two luminous orbs staring at him from about 50ft away in the darkness. Each orb was around 60ft round and deep down in his heart he knew they weren't treasures, but eyes. Judging from the size of them the snake he just killed was most likely it's baby. He knew his chances and knew that he was in a terrible situation. He turned to Professor Hamad and screamed \"Run!\"\n\nBefore Professor Hamad could inquire about what McKenzie had said he saw two colossal orbs zooming toward them. He couldn't turn to run in time and fell to the ground as McKenzie pushed past him in a full on sprint. \"McKenzie wait!\"\n\nMcKenzie heard the professor, but absolutely would not stop running until he was at the airport and out of this country. Behind him he heard a hiss so loud it caused him to almost fall over from fear, but hearing Professor Hamad scream and then have it immediately go silent was motivation enough to fight through the fear. As soon as McKenzie saw the ladder leading out he knew he as good as safe because there was no way that damn creature could fit into this smaller area. He stopped running and reluctantly turned around only to be shocked at the sight of a fully nude woman standing near the edge of the darkness he had just run out of. He rose his rifle directly at her. \"Stay. Back.\"\n\nThe woman tilted her head as if trying to hear McKenzie better. She did not recognize his clothing or the strange device he had wielded to murder one of her young, but she did not care either. He dared to enter her lair? Dared to kill one of her children? No, no, no. She noticed he was slowly backing up to some kind of stairs attached to rope that would allow him to leave to the surface. As he reached for the rope she willed herself to be behind and transformed into sand that allowed her to instantly reform using the sand behind him. A power gifted to her by the gods. She bit deeply into his neck and released her venom while also digging her sharp nailed hands into his back and ripping out whatever it was she had gripped inside.\n\nMcKenzie went numb and immediately fell to the ground, but was not dead. There was pain. More pain than he had ever felt in his life. \"Wait...don't-\" Before he could finish the woman grabbed him so hard by his ankle that it shattered on contact and she began to drag him toward the darkness she had come from." ]	2
	[WP] Five-year-old Annette is missing. As the monster under her bed, you take it upon yourself to find her when her own parents don't seem to care.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "In human time, it was just before noon. In monster time, this was happy hour. A time when all monsters came together to unwind, catch up and maybe even meet a creature or two.\n\nThe meeting space was called Purgatory. An entire dimension large enough to host the millions of monsters who’d be pouring in from across different time zones.\n\nOne of the bartenders was a Cyclops named Hesiod. He’d been around for a few millenia, so he knew everybody. Also, when you’ve survived a blood feud on Mount Olympus, nothing really fazes you any more.\n\n“Bartender,” said a voice in Hesiod’s chest. Some monsters were telepathic, so it wasn’t strange for Hesiod to hear a voice inside him.\n\n“Hello, welcome to Purgatory.” he turned out, cleaning out a glass. “What can I get…” his voice drifted off.\n\nHesiod turned around and saw it. Every monster, being and horrific creature across the entire dimension was frozen. An eerie silence hang across the vast space.\n\n“What in the name of Hades…”\n\nHesiod took a closer look at the monsters near his bar. They were completely frozen, but not by some time spell. While their bodies were frozen, their faces were contorted with a look of madness and insanity with tears dripping down their fur, cheeks and teeth.\n\n“Bartender,” said the same voice again. This time from the middle of the bar.\n\nHesiod looked over at the source. It seemed to have come from a confusing figure. A shimmer constantly changing from steam to a mass of black and white ink to a rainbow to a set of polygons and on.\n\n“Bartender, my presence here is driving these puny creatures to the brink of madness. You are the only being here that can remotely comprehend my existence. If you care for yourself, then answer my query quickly before your mind collapses as well.”\n\nThis shimmer didn’t have to explain because Hesiod knew it too.\n\n“H-h-how can I b-b-be of service?” Hesiod stammered.\n\n“A human. 5-year old girl named Annette. She has not been in her bed for 3 days. Her parents have no memory of her. I want the being responsible. Do you have a name?”\n\nHesiod explained how a certain monster the other day was bragging about how he got his hands on an ancient book and could now rewrite reality.\n\nThe shimmer just stood still and Hesiod felt an intense gaze, as if it peered into and scratched the very fabric of his existence. No doubt this shimmer was verifying the truth of what Hesiod said.\n\n“You have done well. Cthulu is pleased.”\n\nThe shimmer disappeared.\n\nAnd with his disappearance, all of Purgatory broke with the voices of millions of monsters, screaming in unison as their minds fought fiercely to cling to reality.\n\nHesiod himself slumped to the floor, cradling himself to a ball and dripping with cold sweat. He never even heard the ocean of noise as monsters screamed, clawed their eyes out, attacked indiscriminately and just broke down. He just sat, contemplating the creature and how he even survived it.\n\nAnd in the back of his mind, he felt a mixture of pity and wrath towards the monster that dared bring down Cthulu upon us." ]	2
	[WP] The swamp monster did not like the humans draining his land to build their abodes. Rather than oppose the monster, the humans adapted their lifestyle and architecture to to the swamp. Now the monster and the humans get along fine.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 entire life has led to this moment. You were created for children’s parties and now you have arrived at your very first one, still unsure exactly what will happen. You are a piñata.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Tell us of your party Atanasio.\n\nMy party? my party was colour, my party held a second for a year and blew out the candle of youth.\n\nI remember as Francisco glued the last of the streamers to my seventh point. “Sloth”, he muttered under his breath and sat back in his chair. After a moment he crossed himself and stood up.\n\nI felt my purpose even as the cones of my points were being glued to my hollow base. I would make manifest the seven deadly sins of mankind and in my destruction humanity would be reminded of god’s promise that good would destroy evil. But inside that knowledge, which wound itself tightly around the cogs of my being, was the knowledge that my purpose was older. My glory was to Huitzilopochtli, God of war; my destruction honoured him. My mind reveled in the possibilities, how would I manifest my purpose? When would my time come?\n\nI hung from the display racks in that store for three years. The twisting intertwined coils of my duel purposes warping the void of my body. The wait was easy. Every day I grew more ready. Customers came and went like the ebb and flow of a tide reaching up the beach to pull more sand into the body of the ocean. My siblings those grains and the ocean the vast continuum of life, of energy and annihilation.\n\nOne day the bell of the door sounded, I knew this heralded the tide which would drag me to my destiny. The old woman stood before me and gestured to Francisco with his long hooked pole.\n\n“Is young Dotada 15 already?” said Francisco as he wrapped my brothers and me in our packaging.\n\nThe room was dark for the longest time. After three years of waiting this last evening stretched into eternity. Finally, the sound of footsteps as the party drew near. My mind reeled at the possibilities which awaited, what scene would be the setting for the exhibition of my fate?\n\nThe door was opened and the room was lit. The pink and purple streamers which hung from every inch of the ceiling flowed down to tables set with cakes and drinks, to my right fourteen of brothers hung motionless among the finery. My eyes fell on the banner.\n\nFELIZ QUINCEAÑERA DOTADA\n\nAs I comprehended the situation a young girl was placed in front of me eyes blindfolded a glittery stick in hand. The first strike hurtled my backwards unbroken, but as I swung back to the woman her second strike exploded my carapace and the rattling objects inside me fell to the floor.\n\nMy consciousness faded then but my lingering thought was not of good and evil or death and war, but instead rested on an examination of the nature of pandora’s box. That is that when all worldly evil was released from the box it took on a new purpose, the container of hope. And the promise that all of our natures may change to contain a new purpose; with the discharge of the old brings the promise of the new.", "Golly gee, I’ve been waiting for this moment. We all have, y’know? My brothers and sisters I mean. I gotta about 3,000 of ‘em. We all look the same, but you know what they say: “It’s what’s on the inside that counts!” \n\nAnd they’re right! I’m filled with the sweetest, most luscious, decadent chocolate. My brother Remy is filled with bubble gum, though my sister Kris is filled with sour candies. \nBut anyway, I can’t believe it! I’m finally here; The birthday party! To bring joy to all these wonderful, lovely little children by... well, I don’t really know yet, but I’m sure it’ll be lovely! Now w-\n\nTHWACK\n\nOuch! Woah there, bud! Watch out with that stick! Don’t worry, it’s okay, just be a little caref-\n\nTHWACK\n\nHOLY SH- shoot, kiddos! Y- yeh better be a bit more careful with that thing! You could really hurt someone! Eh, I’m sure he didn’t mean it! After all, kids are the purest-\n\nTHWACK, THWACK\n\nMOTHERFUCKER! GAH, ALRIGHTY NOW KIDDOS, YOU SHOULD PROBABL-\n\nWHACK WHACKA-THWACK\n\nOH GOD, THE PAIN! WHY ARE YOU SMILING!? WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING!? YOU SADISTIC LITTLE FUCKERS, DO YOU ENJOY MY AGONY-\n\nTHWACK-RIIIIIIIIIIIIP\n\nGAAAAAH! HOLY SHIT! OH GOD, OH FUCK, I CAN FEEL MY INSIDES POURING OUT ONTO THE FLOOR! NO! NO, WHAT!? DON’T EAT IT! YOU SADISTIC LITTLE FUCKING MONSTERS! STOP EATING IT! STOP LAUGHIN-\n\nTHWACK THWACK-WHACKA-THWACK\n\nOH SHIT! LIFE HAS NO MEANING, DOES IT!? THERE’S NO GOD, IS THERE! THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE END! FUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUU-\n\n# RRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP", "\"Oh god oh god oh GOD. It's time. It's time! Am I ready? How do I look, do I look good? Is my purple fringe uneven? It looks uneven to me. Oh god. Is it uneven?\"\n\nI can't even close my eyes as the thrill of anticipation overtakes me. The woman who brings me forward ignores my imploring questions. She seems preoccupied. She is not being gentle and I'm certain that more than a few of my green and yellow ruffled adornments have fallen to the floor.\n\n\"Oh god. What are you doing to me? What is happening?\"\n\nI am suspended from what I think must be a tree branch. It's hard to tell as I faintly sway, whirling around, my beautiful frills rustle in the soft breeze. \n\nI see them then, a dozen of them. Their sweet, chubby cheeks and curly little heads. They are so amused by me. I see their soft, tiny fingers pointing and reaching up.\n\n\"Hi!\" I say to them \"Hello little ones! I've been waiting so long to meet you!\"\n\nI don't know what this feeling is but I'm filled to the brim with it. It's warm and heavy and sweet. The way those bright eyes and grinning faces stare at me with such longing -- I never knew this moment would bring such endless joy!\n\nA hand steadies me. I watch as a sweet little boy picks up a beautifully decorated baton that matches my splendidly coloured edges. I am honoured. He closes his eyes and he begins to twirl, slightly faster than I'd been twirling moments before. I feel flattered by his imitation.\n\nThe boy raises his brilliant baton and --\n\n\"Oh god! Ouch. What are you-- no! Ah! Stop!\"\n\nThe boy is laughing. All of the children are laughing. Another comes forward and takes the baton. He raises it to my soft, thin fringe and strikes me once again. It hurts. They're filled with delight as they tear into my tender flesh. \n\n\"Please stop! Please, I beg you. Oh god, please!\"\n\nWhy won't they listen to me? Can't they sense my distress? Don't they know that I am suffering? The agony spills from me as the baton passes from child to child and they all take pleasure in my pain.\n\nAt once they cease. They lunge toward something beneath me with their malicious smiles and spindly little fingers. I pity their next victim, but I selfishly welcome the reprieve. \n\nI feel an emptiness inside of me. The warm, heavy sweetness is gone. \n\nA small child comes up to me. A vibrant red fluid coats his tiny, fiendish lips . I cringe, I know there is no escape as the child reaches up and rips a way a bright blue scrap of my dignity. Is this what is to become of the rest of us? \n\nI hang limply from the branch, my beautiful coat left in tatters and I am all but forgotten while I watch in wide-eyed horror as a child rips into an exquisitely coloured parcel, ignoring the cries of anguish erupting from the tormented box.", "# [POEM]\n\nAlthough my fate is to be beat,\n\nI accept that it's for the best.\n\nFor them and myself, it's a treat.\n\nI was purchased for a feast;\n\nI'll show up, exquisitely dressed,\n\nAlthough my fate is to be beat.\n\nHung in place, I can't retreat,\n\nbut I also will not protest.\n\nFor them and myself, it's a treat.\n\nWhen they saw me, they shrieked;\n\nThey're all so impressed.\n\nAlthough my fate is to be beat,\n\nThe entire event is quite a feat.\n\nI'll take blows from an armed guest,\n\nFor them and myself, it's a treat.\n\nI guess I'm feeling bittersweet,\n\nAs my goods will be repossessed.\n\nAlthough my fate is to be beat,\n\nFor them and myself, it's a treat.", "I'm so excited to be at my very first party! I am dressed in all the brightest colors for the occasion, even though it's what I've worn since the day I came into existence. My belly is also weirdly full, even though I've never eaten anything. I feel slightly uncomfortable, but nothing that my excitement can't stifle for the meantime. I've heard of parties from the others, and it seems to be a place that you just end up living forever. So far I've just been standing in the closet and haven't been able to be part of the party... but I know it's today, so I hope it's soon! The darkness of the closet is starting to feel a bit scary, but again, I'm too excited to care!\n\nBefore long, the closet door is swung open and light floods in. I would close my eyes if I had functioning eyelids, but instead I deal with the blinding light until my eyes adjust. There is a grinning face coming toward me to embrace me in a warm hug, and I've never felt so loved in my life! The woman that picks me up is tall based on how far I am off the ground. She carries me with steps that feel like I'm bouncing and I can feel my insides shaking with each step. She hands me off to a man who grumbles, and she says \"Don't you think Serena is going to LOVE this llama?! I know she's obsessed with them, but he was honestly too cute to pass up.\" I can feel my cheeks burning at the compliment and wish I could act more humbled than the plastered smile I've seen from my reflection in the window at the store.\n\nThe man takes me in his arms and is not nearly as gentle as the woman. He takes me to a tree, and I become more and more confused. There's no blanket on the ground, so this isn't a picnic, regardless the shady tree brings me comfort. When I'm placed on the ground, I notice a rope lying on the floor. I'm not sure what his intentions are, but I stand on the ground in petrified silence as I watch him swing it over the limb of the tree. If I had eyebrows, I'd furrow them, but my sleepy-looking eyes can't show my concern as I watch this party ritual which surely must be safe... right?\n\nThe rope has been tossed over the limb of the tree. I'm starting to feel uneasy, and like whatever is in my stomach will soon burst out of me and make a mess of this party! I wish I could go back inside the closet, I really preferred the dark and alone to whatever this nonsense is. The man grabs me and ties the rope to my back in a way that feels rough, but he sets me back on the floor. Next thing I know, I'm floating upward, swinging all around, and being pulled by my back into the tree. I can see the man on the floor as he pulls me up, higher and higher, and ties the rope around the tree. I hang there from my back, suspended in time, and wait. I fall asleep with my eyes open and a smile on my face, but I'm beginning to feel terrified.\n\nSuddenly I am awakened by the sound of screaming children. Yes! The party is finally here! When it's my turn for the festivities, the man hands a bat to a child that rushes toward me. I'm not sure how I'll take the bat from her without any hands, but I'll do my best. When the child gets to my legs, she stops, points here finger at me, and screams \"LLAMA!\" in pure excitement. This must be Serena, the little girl that loves llamas! I've waited my whole life for this party and can't wait to be in that sweet child's embrace. I feel a tear swelling in my eye as she goes to hand me the bat. Except she doesn't. She hits me! She hits me again and again and again! And she's giggling! I would scream out in pain if I could, but I am silently enduring the pain of the bat hitting me harder and harder until this MONSTER runs out of energy. Just when I think the pain is over, the bat is handed to someone else. They take turns hitting me. Eventually the adults start raising and lowering the rope attached to my back, and I become nauseated with each pull of the rope. My stomach turns. My body aches everywhere. I think I watched my ears fly off a few turns back.\n\n\"Your turn, Billy!\" the woman shrieks in excitement. The biggest child I've ever seen grabs the bat with one hand and spins it around, winding up. I wince internally, ready for this horrible day to be over. Before he can get to me, the woman covers his eyes with a cloth and spins him around, drawing out my agony with each turn. Billy approaches me with staggering steps and lightly reaches out the bat until it makes contact with my side. This is the lightest touch I've felt all day and I could cry from the gentleness and generosity of this massive child. In an instant, as soon as he knows he's found me, he draws his arm back as far as he can go, grasps the bat in both hands, and swings so hard that my ribs crack open, spewing who knows what, and my world goes black.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEdit: formatting", "\"This is my quest\"\n\"This is my goal\"\n\"This is my journey to make\"\n\nThe hollow words I used to psych myself up for the battle ahead echoed in the depths of my mind.\n\nThe piñata clans had began this journey long since I was born to this world but none had returned.\n\nNone had returned\n\nThe gnawing anxiety of what was to come burned my soul down to the last gumdrops.\n\n\"But I will\"\n\nThe brief bout of worry quickly faded only to return tenfold as the shadows lightened. The veil had been lifted.\n\nThe human before me had lifted the thin towel it used to disguise and carry me through the hostile lands but alas it was time.\n\nThe human was tall and strong, it was clearly of the middle aged adult subclass, it was showing signs of leaving its prime as it graying blond hair fell, obscuring my vision.\n\nIt let out a groan while attempting to lift me. was it age weighing it down or was the path to my rsting place that arduous?\n\nYes, that must of been it! The blond human had clearly taken damage defending me on its quest. \n\n\"I will repay you for this debt my friend. I swear.\"\n\nThe human lugged me to a room decorated with golden ribbons and signs of splendor.\n\n\"Piñata!\"\n\nA dozen high pitched voices cried out in union drawing the attention of my single facing eye.\n\nMultiple adult class humans stood tall around a table. The warriors and lowest class of humans the servants of the nobility and yet noble in their own way.\n\nAt the head of a table stood shorter humans with snow white hair- the senior class; the experts of the humans who had long since traded their youth and power for strategic brilliance.\n\nSitting at the table where a superior sight however: multiple child class humans huddled around the golden table- the nobility of their species; the children where served and followed by the adult class as if God's above them.\n\nThe table these great beings huddled around was filled with various candies and gifts- it was a gruesome sight but worthy of such great beings to surround themselves with the organs of their fallen foes-\n\n\"Piñata\"\n\nAll thought were cut off as I saw my answer. A child with a crown around his head was yelling my title. He was a king and this was his kingdom.\n\nThe king was looking at me expectantly as the blond adult hung me by a string and gave his leige a stick of glitter and gold.\n\nA stick?!\n\nWas this an execution? No, that's ridiculous, what this must be is a knighting.\n\nI was being granted the honor of knight in mere seconds of meeting my leige. Was I truly this fantastic? Would I be the great and noble steed my leige rides to battle\n\nNo! I'm getting ahead of myself. The current priority is simply introdtions.\n\n\"My leige, I am the 43rd heir of the great horse Piñata clan. It is an ho-\"\n\nPow!\n\nThe air in my cream eggs was blown away by a strike far from gentle.\n\nMy leige had struck me far too forcibly. But no matter, It was probably just a part of the knighting process that I was to feeble to endure without notice. What a pathetic fool I am.\n\nPow! Pow! Pow! Crack!\n\nMy leige had struck far to many times for safety. My original theory was correct.\n\nI was not worthy of being knighted and thus I was being massacred. A tragedy In the making.\n\nMy leige was strange however. He seemed far to eager for something else than my death. He eyed the falling paper mache far two vigorously. Seeing so much of my own paper made me sick.\n\nCrack! Crack! Crack! Plop!\n\nA candy bracelet fell to the carpet only to be snatched up and devoured by one of the lesser nobles.\n\n\"No! It isn't possible!\"\n\nHad I been tricked? Had these creatures truly not be human at all?\n\nI tried rigorously to escape the blows but felt a rough pair of hands hold me still.\n\n\"You too my friend?\"\n\nThe old blond adult class sided with his leige and betrayed his comrade.\n\n\"Traitors! All of you are Traitors!\"\n\nMy screams where cut short as my lollipops fell to the ground. It was over.\n\nAll my ambitions came to an end as I saw the rebid dogs called nobles fall upon my entrails.\n\nI have failed only to have one echoing sentence send me to my grave\n\n\"This is the best birthday ever!\"", "Thwack. \n\nWhat the?\n\nThwack\n\nHey what gives?\n\nThwack \n\nHello!? What is this? Who's doing that?\n\nThis wasn't what was supposed to happen surely? This hurts! \n\nThwack \n\nWhat is this thing? Why are they laughing? \n\nI opened my eyes, heights were never my thing and I'd shut them as they hoisted me into the air. \n\nThwack\n\nWhat on earth are they doing with that? It's some kind of polished wooden stick? And why do they keep bashing me with it? \n\nOuch!\n\nI feel sick \n\nWhat? Why has that creature got their eyes covered\n\nHere comes that stick again, I wonder, if I do this\n\nYes! Missed me!\n\nWoah, I’m feeling dizzy now.\n\nThwack\n\nI see stars….\n\nIts coming again, I can see it, its like its in slow motion, \n\nSwing, dodge, miss! \n\nYes!\n\nThwack\n\nMy side is splitting, my stomach hurts.\n\nThwack\n\nThwack\n\nUrgh.\n\nIs this all there is? Is this what my life is? Is this all I get? Pain?\n\nThwack\n\nWhat a senseless waste. I’m dying and they’re cheering.\n\n[Edit - trying to improve grammar on a phone... ]" ]	8
	[WP] Honestly? You 100% didn't expect that to work, even more so, that it would work so well.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "“Who has summoned me?”\n\nI sat back on my heels and raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t expecting the joke summoning to work at all, much less summon… Well, this. It - he - was beautiful, the ideal picture of classical beauty. The look was only complemented by the huge, white wings that reached down to the ground.\n\n“I summoned you. Who are you?”\n\n“Be not afraid, child. If it was me who you summoned, there was a reason. Why?”\n\n“I’m not afraid of you. You’re an angel, that much is obvious. Are you here to protect me?”\n\n“An angel? Oh, you jest,” the creature chuckled.\n\n“I’m not… jesting, angel. Why are you laughing?”\n\nHe continued laughing, the sound beautiful and melodious.\n\n“Have we really been gone so long you have forgotten the difference between angels and demons?”\n\nI opened my mouth to reply, then paused.\n\n“You’re a demon?”\n\n“Of course, mortal. Have you not read the ancient texts on angels? They look nothing like me.”\n\n“So you’re telling me that all of those paintings, and stories, and works of art picturing angels… those are all demons?”\n\n“For the third time, yes. Demons.”\n\n“Well, that’s ridiculous,” I stammer, “everyone knows that demons are supposed to be ugly, with scales, and horns, and… I don’t know, tails!”\n\nThe demon smiles softly, a look of pity in his eyes.\n\n“Oh, to be young and innocent again. You must’ve heard the saying “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”? We’ve evolved to become beautiful, perfect beings, because you’re more likely to trust us.”\n\nI looked him straight in the eyes.\n\n“You’re evil, then?”\n\nAgain, he laughed.\n\n“Of course, dear one. But you’ve realized it too late. I do hope we’ll meet again soon. With what you get up to, I wouldn’t be surprised.”\n\nI stood there, confused.\n\n“What do you mean? Where are you going?”\n\n“Oh, innocent human. I’m not going anywhere. You are.”\n\nI felt a sharp pain in my chest. I looked down and saw a large spike protruding from my heart.\n\n“You were right, you know,” the demon said, cupping my cheek in his hand, “We are ugly. We’ve just learned to keep it on the inside.”\n\nI drew in a rasping breath, coughing. \n\n“Why? I’m just a human.”\n\n“Oh, no, sweet one. You’re just a soul.”\n\nAnd with one last smirk, he was gone. The blood continued to gush out of the hole in my chest at an alarming rate, but I had already known there was no stopping my death. \n\nThe only question was if I really would see him again soon.", "That morning was a bad one, I woke late, with a headache, and stumbled across the room to my laptop ready to begin work. I was already half an hour late, and my boss was a stickler for starting on time.\nSure enough, no sooner had I logged on, than I noticed two emails from him sent very early that morning, and five missed calls.\n\nAs I stared, panic stricken, the phone rang again, I answered it quickly. His voice came loud and angry down the line, \"What have you been doing, not working I guarantee, give me a good explanation now, or you're fired\".Luckily I was working from home, and he could not see that I was still in my pyjamas with my hair sticking out all over.\n\nI looked round, what could I say, other than I slept late?My eyes fell on his email of that morning.\n\nAlmost without thinking what I was going to say next, the words just crept out of my mouth.\n\n\"That email you sent me, well it looks aggressive.Its not a good look.I've been applying zen to your email\". I almost choked as I said it.\n\n\"Yes, applying zen.I spent the time changing a few words and now it looks good, like you're a really good, considerate boss, I think that's important for the whole team\".\n\n\"Go on\", he seemed really interested.\"Well, uh, I studied the email and changed some words.I've changed the greeting from HEY TEAM, to DEAR TEAM, it makes people feel more valued, HEY is very in your face.Also I've changed the line that reads - Everyone must be sure to follow this link and read the updates - to - Updates can be found be following this link and I hope that you will find time to read them.This acknowledges that people are under pressure.\"\n\nI was sweating, these things I was saying were ridiculous. He sighed then spoke again.\"I don't know how to thank you. Could you do that for me whenever I send an email?\". \"Well, sure\", I stuttered, \"but you understand that to do it properly takes a lot of time\", and, I added, suddenly inspired, \"I can't be interrupted while I do it, I have to get into a certain frame of mind.\".\n\nAnd that's how I get to sleep late every day, and watch movies and play video games when I'm supposed to be working, the boss knows that applying zen to emails takes a lot of time to do properly." ]	3
	[WP] you hear a loud screech behind you. When you turn around it's a ghost running right at you. You start running but you realize something, the ghost isn't running at you it's running away from something.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Evaline cursed under her breath as she quickened her pace. It was late, far later than she had intended to stay at work. And by the time she reached the bus stop, she was the only person in sight.\n\nWhere’s that damn bus? Why are they running late today of all days?\n\nHer sister’s warning about working late rang in her ears. The crime rate in the area around her workplace had spiked recently. Investigations had revealed no suspects, and everyone had become wary of strange occurrences. Evaline palmed a small can of mace she normally kept in her purse. It would not stop someone completely should the worst happen, but it might give her time to escape.\n\n“No! Get away from me!”\n\nAs if on cue, someone burst out of an alleyway down the street, and began running toward her. Evaline tensed, half-raising the mace while taking a step back. But something about the man stayed her hand. As he drew closer, the glow of the intermittent streetlights seemed to pass through his form. There was fear on his pale, almost-translucent face. He looked like a ghost from one of the many supernatural shows she had watched in her youth.\n\nAm I dreaming? Did I work too long?\n\nThe man ran past her, jolting her out of her thoughts. But before she could turn to look at him, something else lumbered out of the alleyway. It moved on ungainly legs, far too many to count. The momentum of its exit from the alleyway carried it into the street in a tumble. It shook its head before bounding after the man. Black ichor dripped from a wide mouth with crooked teeth, open as it panted. Eyes wide, Evaline watched the creature pass her and nearly retched. The smell of bile and rot perfused the air, making her head spin. She had to grab the bus sign to steady herself.\n\nWhat…?\n\nThe fleeing man let out another chilling shriek as the creature pounced. There was a wet crunch, followed by a dull tearing. Silvery mist sprayed as the creature tore into the ghostly form. His empty eyes widened in pain and he reached a hand toward Evaline. But then that jagged maw removed his head and a part of his torso. The hand fell limp as the creature feasted.\n\nThis can’t be real.\n\nThat wet crunching seemed to echo throughout the empty street.\n\nI’ve worked too much. My mind’s playing tricks on me.\n\nThe creature finished devouring the ghost and sniffed the air.\n\nOr someone drugged my coffee. I’m hallucinating.\n\nFive red eyes focused on her and the creature padded forward.\n\nNone of this is real.\n\nA rancid, moist breath washed over her face as it sniffed her.\n\nIt’s not real.\n\nThe mouth opened, revealing scraps of silver caught between the teeth.\n\nIt’s not –\n\n“Ma’am? Are you getting on?”\n\nEvaline blinked. The light of a city bus illuminated the sidewalk. A man in a blue cap watched her with concern in his eyes.\n\n“Y-Yes, sorry.” Evaline took unsteady steps onto the bus. Her hands shook as she rummaged for her bus card. The search felt like an eternity, but eventually she found it and paid for her ride.\n\n“You alright?” The bus driver raised an eyebrow, silently judging her.\n\n“Just nervous. It’s a bit too late,” she replied.\n\nHe nodded. “Don’t get many passengers this late. And with everything on the news…” He trailed off and shrugged. The doors closed behind her and the bus began to move.\n\nEvaline quickly sat down, across the aisle from an old woman. The bus picked up speed and she let out a breath.\n\n“Are you alright dear? You look like you’ve had quite a fright.” The old woman’s voice was calm and soothing.\n\nEvaline opened her mouth to respond before the words caught in her throat. The old woman was semi-transparent, her pale hands folded neatly in her lap. She could only nod as her bus drove into the night.\n\n“Y-Yes, sorry.” Evaline took unsteady steps onto the bus. Her hands shook as she rummaged for her bus card. The search felt like an eternity, but eventually, she found it and paid for her ride.\n\n...\n\nTried to keep it short. It was a fun idea.\n\nIf you're interested in my works, an archive of my various writing responses can be found on my writing portfolio, link through my profile.\n\nThanks for reading." ]	2
	[WP] A superhero fights evil by wiping the memories of both the villain and everyone who knew of them, so that they can be reintroduced in society safely. Today, as you were combing through old newspapers, you discover, that you were once the worlds most powerful supervillain.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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, F! Ready for another one? Here's the last of the ol' Cerebra gang\", Charlie said wheeling the henchman into the operating room-- unmoving, strapped onto the bed. \n\nFrank put down his newspaper, looking with his aged eyes through his glasses. \n\n\"Wow haven't heard that name in a while\", Frank hopped from his seat, with curiosity he observed his next patient. \n\n\"Can't believe we finally hunt them all down\", Charlie said. \"How long has it been since they ran rampant? Fifteen, twenty years?\" \n\n\"At least. Funny, I can't really remember much about them. Only for the fact they were the most dangerous villain group in the world\", Frank remarked, looking up. \"Can you?\" \n\nCharlie shrugged. \n\n\"Anyway, let's get started shall we? Are you ready Mr. Forget-Me-Not?\" \n\nFrank smiled and nodded. \n\nFrank Reynolds aka Forget-Me-Not was a mere low level hero employed by the Hero League working in the villain rehabilitation center, though through his ability to wipe anyone's memory he became a highly valuable asset to the League and society at whole. \n\n\"Alright, here we go\", Frank put his hand on the henchman's forehead. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, letting his mind wander into the patient's. \n\nImage after image ran through Frank's mind like film reels-- working backwards from the most recent memory to a certain point of the person's past, one by one they faded, erased completely. \n\nFrom the henchman's perspective Frank could see some of the most villanous experiences, the vilest places as the man went on a run as he was hunted by the Heo League. \n\n\"You almost done, Frank? It's almost home time\", Charlie quipped impatiently. \n\n\"Be patient, my friend\", Frank said his eyes still closed. \"This procedure is more art than science. I can't...\" \n\n\"You can't rush it, I know, I know\", Charlie sighed letting Frank finish his job in silence. \n\n\"Almost there...\", Frank said. \n\nAs he was, he could feel the mind of the henchman getting lighter and lighter. The moments Frank experience then was from his youth, back in ghe day where the aforementioned villain group was at its heyday. \n\n\"Uhh...\", Frank frowned, confused. \n\nIn his mind he saw a masked figure, all draped in black-- a figure he had never seen before whom he knew from the henchman's knowledge that he was the leader of the Cerebra gang. \n\n\"Hey Charlie, remind me. What happened to the leader of the Cerebra group?\" \n\nYawning, Charlie rubbed the tears in his eyes. \n\n\"Hmm? He went missing, I don't know. I can't remember. I don't think we've ever even seen him\", Charlie said. \n\nFrank froze suddenly, biting his lips. \n\nThe masked man unmasked himself, revealing a familiar face-- Frank's own face, albeit a much younger version of himself. \n\nSlate \n\nFrank pulled his hand away in shock as soon as that image faded and erased. \n\n\"Oh you're done? Frank...? Are you okay?\" \n\nCharlie asked seeing the pale Frank stood there frozen. \n\n\"Frank? Hey Frank?\", Charlie shook his friend. \n\n\"Hmm? Wha...?\", Frank replied. \n\n\"You...okay buddy? You seem pale\" \n\n\"Ye--yeah. I'm fine\", Frank stuttered. \"I...I'm done. Can you transport the patient to the rehabilitation area? I'm...I'm not feeling well. I...I need to go now\" \n\nCharlie was confused and full of questions, but seeing his colleague's scared face, he didn't push any further. \n\n\"O...okay. Get some rest\", Charlie said, but before he could finish Frank had already scurried off-- grabbing his bag he left the building to his car, quickly he sped back to his home. \n\n*** \n\n\"What was that? What the hell was that?\", Frank muttered, throwing himself onto his living room couch. \n\nThat image was burnt in his mind-- the leader of the most dangerous villain group the world had ever seen, the mysterious figure leading them all, it was undeniably him. \n\n\"How...how is it possible?\", Frank trembled, considering the possibility of him being the leader of Cerebra in his past life. \n\n\"This power--\", Frank looked at his trembling hands. \"Could it be...I did it to myself? I erased my own memory? But why?\" \n\nSlate \n\nThe word he heard from the henchman's mind echoed in his head. \n\n\"Slate...what is...that's his name. That's my name...\" \n\nRealizing something, Frank ran to his closet, rummaging around the often untouched pile of his old belonging. \n\n\"Slate...\", he muttered pulling out a tattered old box with the name written on the lid with faded marker. \n\nHurriedly he opened it up to find collection of newspaper clipping. The very first one on top sent shiver down Frank's spine. \n\nFinally Uncovered! The Identity of Slate, Leader of Cerebra Gang, said the title of the old article. \n\nFrank froze seeing the blurry candid picture on the article-- his face out of the mask. \n\nAs anxiety rushed through, Frank rummaged further into the box. On the very bottom he found something, a USB drive. \n\nWithout thinking, nor rhyme and reason Frank took the flashdrive and plugged it into his laptop-- revealing a single video file. \n\nAs the video began, the unmasked Slate sat down in front of the camera, looking distraught. \n\n\"I...I made a terrible mistake\", he said with teary eyes. \n\n\"I...I thought it was the smartest thing to do...but it backfired.\" \n\nFrank sat dumbfounded, seeing his younger self which he didn't remember broke down in tears. \n\n\"I thought it was the correct thing to do. My identity was uncovered, everything I worked for was jeopardized! I had to do something!\", Slate smacked his fist onto the table. \n\n\"So that's when I came up with the greatest idea...or I thought it was. \n\nThis ability I possess-- by wiping a specific memory, the same memory collectively known in the world will also be erased. \n\nSo I erased my own memory of my own identity-- keeping the figure of Slate just as a name to keep my organization going, I erased my own existence...\" \n\nFrank's heart began to beat faster. \n\n\"I...I don't know who I am. I don't know who I am...\", Slate began to cry. \"I don't remember my own name, everything about me, everything about my past... \n\nAt first I thought it went well. I could once again walk in public without being recognized by anyone. But then to my horror, there was something I overlooked. My arrogance shadowed my stupidity. \n\nMy friend, my family, even the heroes that have been hunting me down...everybody in the world forgot about me\" \n\nSlate began to cry again, sobbing for almost the remainder of the video. \n\n\"It's one thing being hated...it's worse being forgotten\", Slate said through tears. \n\n\"Please...don't forget about me. Please don't forget about me!\", Slate yelled as the video ended. \n\nStaring to the black lapton screen, Frank felt a gut wrenching sensation. His balled up fists trembled on his legs as tears began to fall. \n\nEnraged, Frank destroyed the flashdrive, stomping it until it broke to pieces. Turning to the newspaper articled, he burned them all-- leaving no trace behind. \n\nFeeling defeated, Frank fell to his knees. \n\n\"Who...am I? Who even is Frank Reynolds?\" \n\nDefeated and despaired, Frank raised his hand to his own temple. \n\n\"Another clean slate...\", he muttered. \n\nFlashes of images of his own memories began to play in his mind, one by one they faded, slowly his head began to feel lighter and lighter. \n\n\"Please....don't forget about me\", he muttered in tears as everything went dark.\n\nr/HangryWritey", "A superhero, they said. Well, you know what they say, the spoils go to the victor. All you need to do is to put this in the context of forgotten memories and you'll understand... or remember. What is the precise difference between remembering and understanding anyway? Change of letters? Tell that to an amnesiac.\n\nThe daily newspaper had an article about the most successful people in the world and suddenly it all clicked. I was one of them, however, I also remembered something dark about those days. Why do you think the so called super hero got this idea of wiping memories? I remember it clearly now, her name was Alexandra. That white jumpsuit I'm never going to forget. The article said something about unpaid library bills and bam, I realized my old plot. I had this intricate conspiracy of borrowing books from libraries for \"extended\" amounts of time in order to influence the literate folk. Of course some do-goody \"superhero\" had to meddle...\n\nThe plan was very complicated actually. You had to balance between the fact that most would perceive a book valuable or otherwise interesting if it was constantly borrowed and the fact that while you kept the book from them they had no access to it, at least from your local library. The irony of it all lies in the fact that you write things down into a book so as to not forget them, and this bastard had my memory wiped for my scheme. I do, however, remember now, and I will raise your irony with another by the fact that I read it from a newspaper.\n\nReintroduced to the society? Man, I WAS the society back then. Well, at least in my perhaps grandiose (which is a matter of pride to me) point of view. Why couldn't they just reintroduce the society to me instead?\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\- The Most Powerful.", "The balcony seat is empty, and perfect for a sniper, should one avail themselves this evening. For better or worse, however, no such individual is within the opera house. Well, he could certainly serve as one, if he choose, but hopefully there would be no need.\n\nThe performance is about to begin, the tension of anticipation hanging thick in the sold-out seats. The symphony adjusts stands and slides, shuffling in their chairs even more than the audience. They are waiting for their conductor, the rising virtuoso that had only made her debut six months ago.\n\nHe is too.\n\nThere's a rustle behind him, as someone slips past the ushers. \n\n\"You're looking wonderful, Bertrand.\"\n\n\"Special Agent Williams,\" he says, not caring to dignify the jab with anything other than cold formality.\n\n\"I thought I might join you,\" says the older man, settling down in the chair beside him.\n\n\"Evidently,\" Bertrand said as he crossed his legs and focused on the massive turntable that would announce the star of the show.\n\n\"You didn't need to come here, you know,\" he said, \"we've got it, even if shit does hit the fan.\"\n\n\"Six month's the limit. Never had someone turn back past then.\"\n\n\"Nothing I say is gonna reassure you, is it?\"\n\n\"I give up a piece of me every time I take a job from you. Literally,\" he said, trying to remember which memory he'd given up for hers. He had it written down somewhere, \"I will see this through, even if I have to saw my own balls off.\"\n\n\"Fine, fine. None of us can really stop you. You've earned at least that much.\"\n\nBertrand snorted, and re-focused his attention on the stage, before chewing his lip, ever-so-slightly. It was a tell few noticed, but she had. That, and the proceeding hesitation, had almost cost him his life.\n\n\"How many of you are there?\"\n\n\"Twenty-five, including three retired pros. Shut up real quick about their retirement when we told them who they were coming out for.\"\n\nThat should be enough, thought Bertrand, but even so, he didn't relax in the slightest, flinching as the lights dimmed. The punch of the spotlight was almost enough to send him running, especially when he saw who stood their.\n\nThe conductor was a young woman, maybe just entering her twenties at most. Scarlet silk, and white lace, with a thin black dress underpinning it all. In her hand was a violin whose expense would've dropped someone a new house.\n\nFor what it was worth, she played it like no one else could. \n\nThe symphony rose and fell, alternating between classical styles, with bizarre interludes into jazz and electronic music that should've sounded disjointed... but didn't. It all fit together like a technicolor jig-saw puzzles - sounds that were meant to clash melding and flowing to produce something truly unique.\n\nThe young virtuoso spun and dance, long fingers blurring as she unleashed a barrage of sound, until, at long last, the music dropped into silence, leaving her to spin one last echo of the opening refrain. \n\nThe applause was uproarious, a standing ovation inevitable.\n\nWilliams sagged back into the seat, gobsmacked at the performance.\n\n\"I don't know jack about music, but that was... wow.\"\n\n\"Indeed. If only she stayed in the industry the first time. Think of the tens-of-thousands that might've enjoyed the songs rather then being splattered across this venue and that.\"\n\nThe two men departed, to their interviews and sad lone apartment. Before Betrand could duck out of the exit to the west, Williams called back to him.\n\n\"You promised me this time, Bertrand. Why do you do it?\"\n\nBertrand supposed that he had in fact promised the man, although, probably in an attempt to get him off his case. Either way, he offered a non-committal shrug,\n\n\"Helps me remember.\"\n\nWith that, he ducked out into the rain.\n\nIt helped her remember too.\n\nShe strode through the halls of the house, feeling the surge of triumph rush through her veins, and yet... there was something missing. Something... quintessential.\n\nHer fingers flexed, reaching from something thicker than the neck of her violin. A muscle memory of mysterious origin was demanding her, compelling her to do something. But what?\n\nThe performance was so close to perfect, the sounds interviewing just as she'd seen in studio. It was a masterpiece, everyone thought so, even her.\n\nSo why was she still thirsting for more?\n\nThat hidden desire perched on her like a toad, growing heavier and slimier until she couldn't bear to think of anything else. It dragged at her as she opened the car door, and gnawed on her bones as she stepped up to the edge of her apartment complex.\n\nThat was when she saw the man.\n\nHe wasn't much older than her - a handsome twenty-something, reading something off a phone screen under an umbrella in the rain. Everything told her to go inside and not bother the poor man, but something drove her to turn down, around and approach him. Something greater.\n\nHer fever of excitement was so palpable it made her feel ill, and the certain conviction that something wonderful was about to happen. There were a few pleasantries exchanged, maybe a few subtle flirtations, not much that could be remembered later. \n\nIn fact, she couldn't remember any of it, really.\n\nExcept for the music. It had been sublime, an inspiration for her later work. \n\nThe mans mouth had opened, and the choirs had rang out, harmonics of such purity - she'd been so annoyed when he'd stopped.\n\nHis stomach had open, and the string's that had emerged from within? Oh, what a timbre!\n\nThe drum in his chest beat more perfectly than any she'd every heard, and with such resonance! And such sorrow when it had stopped.\n\nShe wanted to do more, so much more, but it would appear that the song was coming to an end. The instruments had fallen silent one by one, and now there was nothing left to do. Out of curiosity, she squeezed and pinched the flesh, and to her delight, it formed a perfect rose.\n\nSo she left him there, a bittersweet reminder of the music they'd shared, a bouquet of red and yellow and pink and purple, all wet, even when the rains had stopped. Just before she vanished from the mouth of her studio, she started, having almost forgotten, turned, and gave a quick bow to her partner. With that, she bounded out into the street from the alley, with a spring in the step that only an inspired artist could have.\n\nNew compositions spread across her mind, the richness of their sounds now unparalleled. \n\nThere was so much to do.\n\nIt was time to make music.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI write many things, silly and serious, over at /r/The_Alloqium.", "I watched the pupils of his eyes contract as he listened to my monotone speech, my hand resting on his shoulders.\n\n\"Your name is Jared Eaker, you are here to find yourself and pursue a dream that will greatly benefit society. This is your chance to restart your life with a clean slate.\"\n\nThe ex-criminal's body loosened beneath my grip as his mind cast aside his memories in an artificial amnesia. He had no close living relatives, so very little needed to be done in order to erase his past. Unfortunately the man in front of me was just another victim of a broken society, cast aside after the death of his parents and picked up by a desperate gang. This by no means was my highest profile case, but even the smallest of criminals deserved a second chance from society. Sometimes, all people needed in life, was to forget their past, to forget their hurt.\n\n\"Hey I know you.\" Jared said with a brightened smile spread across his face. \"You're Slate. I've seen you on TV. What are you doing here?\"His mouth contracted into a crinkled smile as his eyes dropped down to the square S that was embroidered into my uniform. \"Say, where did you even come up that dumb name anyways?\"\n\n\"Don't know.\" I chuckled. Ignoring the question as to why I was here.\n\n\"You sure do give me a lot of work.\" Headmaster Miller told me, her head shaking, after Jared skipped away with enviable glee.\n\n\"What can I say, I truly believe we can change the world like this. One citizen at a time.\"\n\n\"You've always been a dreamer, Slate. But if you'll excuse me I have more than enough work to do.\"\n\n\"Good luck.\" I called to her as she walked away. \"Also if you don't mind I'm going to steal a drink out of your office before I go.\"\n\nShe replied by holding her hand up high above her head and giving me a brief thumbs up, without turning her head to look back at me.\n\nStealing drinks from Headmaster's mini fridge was one of the perks that I probably took for granted. Citizens didn't have to be so kind to me, constructing statues in my honor, buying me dinners, and letting me borrow their cars when I needed to pursue a villain. Most of them didn't even know what I did to the villain when I caught up with them. All they knew was that I was big, strong, and had a dumb superhero name.\n\nAnother Country Surrenders to Satan. The headline of the newspaper that sprawled out across the desk caught my eyes. How could it not? It was probably the best click bait title I had ever seen, and yet the newspaper appeared far too old for such hyperbolic titles. Curiosity gripped me and I walked over, completely forgetting about the drinks I had originally came for. The newspaper itself was dated almost 12 years old and it had a picture of present day Poland marked red with a large S. And underneath it was a picture, a picture of me. A picture of me walking away from a burning village. With a caption that read can anyone stop him?\n\nBut how? I had only been in the hero business for 8 years. Before that I was a nobody.\n\nLoud footsteps echoed down the hall as I heard Headmistress Miller shout. \"Slate, wait, don't go into my office I for-\" Her voice cut off as she saw me standing over her desks.\n\n\"This was me.\" I muttered, the realization creeping in. \"I'm satan\"\n\n\"Not actually Satan.\" she whispered back, her face transparently pale. \"it was a pretentious name that I never liked.\"\n\n\"Why didn't you ever tell me?\" I managed to ask through the tears that now streamed down my face.\n\n\"It wasn't my idea Slate. You were the one who wiped your own memories and left me as the sole keeper of your secret. The world no longer remembers those days and neither should you.\"\n\n\"Satan.\" I corrected her. \"And there's no going back now. I can't erase a memory twice.\" my hands shakily reached for the letter opener that was left on the desk.\n\n\"Was I afraid that these memories would drive me to become a monster again.\" I said feeling the sharpness of the letter opener against my chest.\n\n\"No Slate,\" she whimpered. \"When we met you were so ashamed of what you had done. You came to me with one last desperate attempt to save yourself and a chance to repay humanity.\"\n\nThe pain, Oh the pain. I remembered it all. They came barging inwards, to my soul, with a vengeance. The screams, the explosions, the smell of burnt flesh. Nothing could erase the pain. Not my powers, not the headmistress, nor the blade of the letter opener slicing through my heart. What had I done? How many more people had suffered at my hands? How many people could I never repay?\n\n\"Mum\" I whispered as I curled up on the ground. My tears pooling beneath me, damping my clothes with a strange mixture of salt and blood.\n\n\"I'm sorry.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nu/secretlyalive", "\nI was sweating. Beads of perspiration trickled down my brow and I wiped at them absent-mindedly. My hands shook as I read the newspaper clipping. My eyes blurred as confused tears formed.\n\n'Violent And Erratic Weather Patterns Cease' the headline read. But that headline had been enough. I closed my eyes, and the the tears came. That had been me. I had called myself the Weatherman back then. I could control the weather. I could cause tornados, storms, lightning. I could give myself a cushion of air to stand on and effectively fly. I had terrorised the city. For the briefest of six days, I had acted publicly. Unable to hide my powers from society any longer, I had decided to come out of the shadows and present myself to the city. And promised to rule.\n\nSix days. And then she came. And all was gone.\n\nThere was a knock on the door. I hastily crumple the clippings and other artifacts that hinted of my past and stuffed them in a briefcase, and slid that briefcase inside my cupboard. And, wiping away sweat and tears from my face, I answered the door.\n\n\"Hello, James. You look like you've been up all night.\" my therapist said, letting herself in. Right. Session sixteen of the prescribed twenty-two sessions. I stared at her for a moment, wondering if I should tell her the truth. I had been seeing her on and off for about ten years, but she was still a therapist, no matter how cheap her sessions were. Truth was I had been up all night. Digging deep into the past. Looking for the incident that gave me my amnesia. The amnesia which also made me forget I had powers.\n\nThe newspaper clipping, and the vambrace I wore back then as a part of my ridiculous costume, now broken, lay in the briefcase. They were hard evidence of the Weatherman. Of me. The clipping was published on the November 12, 2011. A decade ago. It had been a decade since I was the Weatherman.\n\n\"James?\" the therapist called from my kitchen. She had a habit of making coffee for our sessions. \"Yeah. No sugar this time.\" I called back, shutting the door softly and taking my seat. \"I asked you if you were up all night.\" she said. Damned therapists.\n\n\"Yeah. I was looking at books and hobbyist magazines and such. Trying to remember what I liked to do.\" I replied. She did not say anything right away, and all I could hear was her pouring coffee into a mug. \"And?\" she asked finally, bringing the mugs into the living room.\n\n\"So far, nada.\" I lied. She looked at me for a second. Then said, \"Your memory is slowly coming back. That's good. But you shouldn't rush these things. Maybe stop thinking of what ifs and start thinking about facts. What you liked doing in the past, what you wanted to do, thinking about those things right now are just wild shots in the dark. You need to focus on what you know. What you're good at. Focus on the now and on the future, James.\"\n\nI sighed. She was right. I shouldn't focus on the what ifs. I should go on with my life until I knew facts. But I knew facts now. I knew what liked to do. I knew I was the Weatherman.\n\n\"After the incident. After you were discharged and everything was hazy and finding a job was difficult. What did you do? You went through your personal belongings. Went through your home, and found your degree in accounting. And then you realised you liked numbers. And what do you know? You found a job in a school office. And what happened there?\" she prodded.\n\n\"I automatically got into my old accounting habits. How I sit in the chair. How I twirl my pen. How I organise my stationery. And a few months into the job I started getting my memory back. At least memories of my old job at the bank.\" I replied.\n\n\"Exactly. Stick to your guns, let your memories come to you at their own time. Stop grasping at shadows.\" she said.\n\nI wasn't grasping at shadows, though. The memories had come. They were real. I stared at my hand, at the mug, and willed a breeze. And almost gasped when I felt cool air gather and gently push at my hand. The tendrils of swirling steam changed direction and followed my breeze. I was the Weatherman. I looked back at the therapist. She who told me not to dwell on my past and start looking at the future. To try and build from what I knew.\n\n\"You.\" I said in a low voice.\n\n\"What?\" She asked, he brows creased.\n\n\"I was the Weatherman. And you.\" I growled. The memory came back. Six days I was ruling my city. And then she came. My hands clenched. My fingernails dug into my palms. The window burst open and a gale blew in. Loose paper started flying. The wind carried me off my seat.\n\nHer. That day. Day six. She took everything from me. My city. My power. My memories. And then.\n\nAnd then she sat before me. Telling me to stop prying into my past. The past that she hid from me. From the minds of everyone who knew. Telling me to move on. Telling me to focus on the now and the future. Telling me to become a better man then I was in the past.\n\n\"James. Please.\" she looked at me, her eyes pleading. I stopped my control, and the wind violently ripped apart and dissipated, throwing me across the room headfirst into the wall.\n\nWhen I came to, she stood over me with concerned eyes. Her mouth moving but her voice distant. She pulled me to my feet. \"Why?\" I heard myself ask. She pursed her lips, and helped me to the couch. \"Why?\" I asked again, my voice stronger, my senses returning.\n\n\"Why what?\"\n\n\"Why everything? You took away my memory, my power. And then for a decade you've been helping me recover and get my life back together. Why?\" I asked.\n\n\"That's… I don't know how to answer that right now.\" she said.\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"Look. I think you're concussed. I'm going to drive you to a hospital but you have to promise me you're not going to try anything.\" she said, ignoring me.\n\n\"I'm not promising shit till you tell me who the fuck you are and what games you're playing with my life.\" I shot back.\n\nFor a second it looked as if my words had hurt her. But then she steeled her gaze. \"Yours isn't the only life I've been playing with.\" she said softly. I stared, mind racing.\n\n\"I knew one of you would eventually figure it out. I'm lucky it even took this long. Wiping not only your memories, but everyone who's been involved, who's been in the loop. That's hard to do. Hardest of all was you. That's why I stopped bothering with anyone who went public with their abilities.\n\n\"You were the Weatherman. But there were more villains after you. You just happened to be my first. There was the Jailbreaker, Pyromancer, Great Giggle, Mannequin, Master Bob, Lightsinger, Groundbreaker and Ice. Unique names for unique individuals with unique abilities. Abilities that they used to abuse and destroy.\n\n\"So I stepped in. When I saw you flying up there, summoning your lightning onto cars and trees, I knew I had to use my power to stop you. I guess that was my destiny. I spoke to you. Do you remember what I said?\" she asked.\n\n\"'Stop. Stop this before anyone gets hurt. Stop or I'll take your power away.' I remember. You were in my mind. Talking to my thoughts. You were just a kid.\" I said, remembering, startled.\n\n\"Nineteen. But yeah. I'm a telepath. I can control people through their minds. My abilities surfaced a month before you did. But I didn't go around screwing things up. I guess my parents raised me right.\"\n\n\"And the others after me?\"\n\n\"All nine of you I'm keeping tabs on. Making sure you move on smoothly. Groundbreaker owns a gift shop. And I used to work there while I got my PhD in psychology. Master Bob, Jailbreaker, Great Giggle and Mannequin are doing well. Lightsinger and Ice are going in and out of rehab for substance abuse, unfortunately. But at least they aren't freezing or frying anyone who looked at them wrong. Pyromancer is out of town. Visiting a cousin in India. He's doing relatively well, too.\"\n\n\"And you?\"\n\n\"I'm a therapist. Trying my best to see all of you.\"\n\n\"So what? You're a saint? Guiding the wicked to the right path?\"\n\nShe looked at me, a flash of anger in her eyes. \"What I did to all of you was perverted. It was gross and wrong. Mind reading is just plain criminal. No one should have the power to invade another's mind and control what they know or remember. But it had to be done. Because you all were abusing your gifts and were on the road to becoming full fledged psychopaths. I had the power to stop it. So I did. But I'm no saint.\" She said.\n\n\"And yet you're here, to see us through. Making sure we do right by society. Giving us a second chance. Seems pretty saintly to me.\"\n\n\"Stop it. What are you going to do now?\"\n\n\"You tell me, telepath.\"\n\n\"Didn't you hear a word of what I just said? I don't believe in reading another being's thoughts.\"\n\nI sighed, considering the woman before me in a new light.\n\nAnd here I thought I held a power unparalleled.\n\n\"You're on a weird path of righteousness. But I believe in you. If you really think I can move on, then I will. In my cupboard is a briefcase. It's my link to the Weatherman. I want you to promise me that you'll burn it. Burn it before you take away one last memory.\"\n\n\"You want me to make it as if this session never happened.\" she guessed, taking a deep breath and steeling her resolve.\n\n\"You read my mind.\" I smiled." ]	6
	[WP] For the first time in the history of humanity's existence we have invented time travel. At first both fear and excitement ran rampant throughout the population until a quirk of our existence is revealed; the human race's existence is actually dependent on "corrective time travel".	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Sound slams into my ears. A sharp vibrating pulse. My eyes jolt open to the flashing red hues following in sync with the penetrating siren. Every muscle in my body tightens preparing to defend itself. I look around the sterile white room in a panic. But, the shock and fear slowly tenses out of my body as I make sense of my surroundings. Work, I’m at work. With this sudden realization my body shifts into autopilot. My sleeping limbs wake themselves from their slumber and I start to dress myself the same way I have thousands of times. I look down my hands feeling almost separate from them as they purposefully move over my suit adjusting every clasp, hose, seal, and zipper with ease. I remember the days when this used to trouble me. When I’d run late because I’d double even triple checked each piece. I was so passionate about my job back then. Eager to go out into time and make the necessary changes to keep our fragile world going. I thought it important and myself as well. How hard I had studied back then to make it into the very role and system I now detest. My eyes dart to the sole piece of art on the wall. If you could even call it art. “You are the cog that turns the machine of life” it reads. “Government issued bullshit” I scoff. My legs pull me out of my seizure inducing room into the heavily trafficked hallway. My eyes and ears adjust to the fluorescent lights and quiet shuffle of people to and from their rooms. Instinctively my body begins to navigate itself towards the docks. As people pass I can’t help but wonder if they were like me once: just a young man in awe of mankind’s latest achievement. I remember watching the first man to go back in time on tv. I think everyone remembers. It changed everything. Everyone would say how similar this step for mankind was to the first man landing on the moon. At first, the government heavily controlled travel and competed with other nations for exploration and discovery. It didn’t last long though before it became commercialized. It started as tours and then slowly grew to all inclusive vacation packages. It wasn’t until Epoch mini came out that people could travel in their own homes, and after that my job was created. Many jobs were created. I scan the hundreds of people around me patiently waiting in line for their gear to be checked each with dead glossy eyes that I recognize myself in. I step up silently to the checkpoint. Hands tug and pull at my suit but no words are spoken and no glances exchanged. We are all cogs in this time machine. I pass the check station and make my way to my gate. The room hums loudly as each person steps in and out of their epoch. I turn to face mine. We are familiar with each other. The hums feel like home. My eyes close and I breathe in the burnt smell of time travel. I am startled by my assignment being handed to me in passing. I read through the same similar directions I have carried out countless times before. My body readies itself and I slowly step into the pulsing gate. Time grabs at me devouring me in to a whirl of absent matter and spits me out into 1998. I adjust myself in an empty alleyway while checking to make sure no one has noticed my entry. Slowly I climb out of my suit and undo each clasp, nozzle, hose, and zipper. Once I’m returned to my white uniform I make my way to my target. I check the time and date on my digital watch quickly to confirm, but the surroundings say as much anyway. Bill Clinton’s face looks back at me from a magazine in a store window, ads for a game boy, little egg shaped keychains with archaic technology attempting to mimic pets, and small fur covered robotic rats with beaks and Mohawks. I cringe at the ancient technology but a piece of me longs for the simplicity. I enter the store and immediately see my mark. It is a teen girl who is sitting across from her friend loudly discussing her opinion on Dawson and his creek. Although, from what I hear it isn’t too much about the creek and I’m not sure of its relation to her anger or Dawson. Slowly I get closer to the girl while trying to keep my anonymity. The girl bursts with enthusiasm. Her hands waiving around like a traffic controller and her voice screeching like bad breaks on an old fashioned car. An ancient device called a beeper slips out her waistband and thuds to floor. It’s collision with the ground is masked by her squeaks. I look around for an excuse to get closer and eye a mop placed in a bucket. With a jolt I pretend to mop my way across the floor over to the downed artifact. I bend down to collect it and slyly place it in her bag holstered on the chair. I swallow. I’ve done it. I make my way back to the isle that had hidden me. I open up my directions to confirm the good dead I have just done. They read “ User xxxxx has used personal epoch device to collect a beeper from target. Beeper must be returned. On May 19, 1998 mission Galaxy IV will take place. Target must panic at the loss of signal on this day to keep the world in balance.” Yup. I tell myself. I have saved the world. I returned a teen girls beeper. A true cog in the machine of life." ]	2
	[WP] "ladies and gents, I give you: humans! The cheapest super soldiers in the galaxy! Just reinforce the bones, strengthen the tendons and ligaments, put a cheap bioglue between all the connective tissues, and the adrenaline does the rest! Shall we start the bidding at 5,000 credits?"	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Unfortunately, the buyers were allowed on stage. Immediately, there was a crowd around me.\n\n\"That's a girl,\" someone whispered.\n\nI jerked my face away as the man touched my cheek.\n\nHe smiled, showing off one gold tooth and several, severely yellow ones. \"Feisty.\" His breath smelt like smoke. I wanted to vomit. \"I'll take this one,\" he said, spinning to the auctioneer.\n\nThe auctioneer grinned. \"Well, see, that one right there is a little more than 5,000.\"\n\n\"Whatever. I want her.\"\n\nThe auctioneer took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, still grinning. \"Forgive me,\" he said. \"I made a mistake earlier, please allow me to correct myself. Earlier, I said she's worth a little more than 5,000. I meant to say she's worth a lot more than 5,000.\"\n\nThe man narrowed his eyes and worked his jaw. \"How much?\"\n\n\"Well, let's just say, it goes into the six figures.\"\n\nThere was a gasp and a ripple of murmuring. \n\n\"For that itty bitty little thing?\" one man exclaimed.\n\n\"Gentleman, gentleman!\" The auctioneer raised his hands and pushed his palms toward them. \"I understand your concerns, but to reassure you that she is worth her price, there will be a demonstration after the bidding is done. In fact, how about this-\"\n\nMy stomach sank. Not this again.\n\n\"Instead of bidding,\" he continued. \"Let's have some betting instead. Let's throw all of them in the arena and see who are the last ones standing. There's about 15, so let's say the last 9 standing. That should narrow down your picks, eh, and make it easier to buy, right?\"\n\nThe men all begin to speak to each other. I hung my head. I knew what there answer would be. The same as all the others. \n\nFor a quick second, I exchanged quick glances with the people beside me. They were looking at me with apprehension. They knew how dangerous I was. I wouldn't be surprised if they all tried to gang up on me this time. \n\nI returned my gaze back to my feet and sighed with sympathy. I had actually grown to like some of them. \n\nOh well. I should've known better. As if there was going to be a happy ending. We were soldiers. There was no mercy in war.\n\nThe only good thing that would come out of this is that usually after buyers saw what I could do, none of them wanted to buy me. They were too scared.\n\nBut the man with the gold tooth was looking at me in a way I didn't like. I would have to put on a show for him, and make sure that he really didn't want me.\n\nThe guards escorted me and the other soldiers to the arena, then unlocked our cuffs.\n\nIt was time." ]	2
	[WP] Tired of the crows violently harassing you on your morning walk to work, you bring a peace offering of seeds. Before you can even begin spreading them on the ground, one flies up and eats from your hand. “See? Friends!” You say. “Frieennndss” it replied.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Panicked out by this sudden and unexpected burst of speech from the crow, I nearly browned my shorts. In my panic, I dumped the rest of the seeds on the ground and took off at a run. Was I going crazy? I must be. Or I'm dreaming, yes maybe that's it.\n\nI ran nearly 8 straight blocks to work, only stopping when I got there to catch my breath for a few moments before entering. With shaking fingers I entered into Google \"Crows talking\". \n\nWhat I saw filled me with relief. Apparently crows and other corvids are fairly smart and some can talk like a parrot. The panic left me and the shakes slowly subsided. I slipped my phone back in my pocket and opened the door. Today was hopefully the last day of my current project, and I was excited to be finished. \n\nI made my way through security and to my office. I looked down on the ring of aluminum and plastic on the floor down below me. Everything was in place, and in a matter of hours I would be the first human through the wormhole we had bored into the past. The first few test creatures hadn't fared so well, but we had worked most of the kinks out.\n\nA few hours later, I stood in front of the gate with my suit on. Apprehension made the blood pulse hard through my veins, a drumbeat tuned to my excitement. Roger gave me the ready signal, and I stepped forward. As I touched the slick surface with my first step, I remembered something.... one of those test animals that hadn't returned had been a crow....", "\nRight, here we go. My name is Steven Stone and this is a story about a murder. \n\nLast week, on my walk to the train station for work, I was very rudely accosted by two crows. They were Carrion Crows to be precise - and no, before you say it, I myself, am not carrion. I am not dead, this is not the Sixth Sense. Let's press on.\n\nI started my day like most other supposedly grown men I know, getting up as late as I possibly could and making it to my place of work with the absolute minimum of effort. For example: I knew very well Monday was going to be hot. I knew that you can't open the windows in my office, and I knew that as a result of these two things, a woolly jumper would make a very inappropriate choice of garment. However, woolly jumpers are excellent at hiding an unironed shirt. I wink at myself in the mirror after pulling it on. Best kept secret the business. \n\nSo anyway, Monday. I was walking and eating my breakfast, a dry, untoasted bagel of an uncertain vintage, on my way to the station because toasting and eating it in the flat would've cost me at least 3 snoozes on my morning alarm. There were two crows on the path ahead - you know the type. Black feathers, black beak, yadda yadda yadda. As I approached the crows I saw them pecking at a smaller bird, looked like a baby or something. I also semaw an empty drinks can sitting about 10 feet from the crows - one that just so happened to be nicely lined up for an expert can kicker like myself. \"Now to the start the week like a hero!\" I mused, \"Jenny in complaints will love this\" I paused to collect myself and take aim. Those idiot crows had no idea one of them was about to get a beakfull of my furious tin justice. I ran up, swung my right leg back and unleashed a mighty volley of which the great Roberto Carlos would be proud, the top of my foot perfectly connecting with absolute precision with the centre of the can. \n\nThis is where this where things start to go wrong for me. For starters, that can? Not empty. On impact with my foot, an eruption of fizzy juice exploded over my shoes, trousers, wooly jumper, and of course, all over my face. I didn't even get the pleasure of seeing the trajectory of my tin missile, but i guess it hit the mark as the second after i scooped the sticky brown liquid from my eye i was bombarded by wings, claws, and beaks. I frantically waved my arms in front of me, much like the front paws of a swimming poodle, but these bastards were relentless. I ran back home and locked the door behind me. \n\nOf course, this made me late. My morning schedule does not allow for avian streetfights, no matter how noble the cause. I bolted up to my flat and shook the sparce contents of the bagel bag into my hand as a peace offering - birds like seeds right? They'll just have to - I've not got time for round two. \n\nI left my building in my disheveled state and started to walk cautiously to the station. I found them, same place as last time. I slowed my pace, nervous as they looked up at me. I held out my peace offering and one hopped up into my hand, very fucking brazenly I might add after what we'd just been through, and started to eat. \"See?\" I whispered, \"Friends!\"\n\"Friendsss\" i heard back, in the strangest of tones.\n\n\"Crow?\" I asked, instantly making things worse. The crow flies off and leaves Jenny from Complaints in my line of vision. \"Friendsss\" she repeated, mockingly, flapping her arms while making a bird face with crossed eyes and pursed lips. I tried to explain, but the words failed me. We were both still laughing as we boarded the next train together. Jenny jabbed me in the side, \"You could've washed your face Steven. And wouldn't it be better to just iron a shirt rather then wear that wooly jumper in this heat?\"", "I blinked and stoped walking. Did the crow just answer back? \n\nI peered closely at the sleek feathered creature perching on my hand. He was quite handsome in his black plumage, and presently peered up at me with gentle beady eyes in between beakfuls of seeds.\n\nI took a deep breath. “Yup, we’re all friends.” I try to say this nonchalantly and begin walking again, though my voice is a bit too high. I purposely avoid looking at the crow in my hand and concentrate intently on my path.\n\nClear as day amongst the racket of the rest of the murder, I hear a small reedy voice from the direction of my hand. “To be sure!” It said enthusiastically. \n\n“Ahhh!” I shout, giving up all pretense of bravery entirely. I fling my hand away from me and the seeds finally scatter on the ground while my strange crow friend takes flight. \n\nInstead of flying away in fright as a normal crow would, this one decides to seek a new perch on my shoulder. I would’ve batted it away had it not been for the rest of the murder of crows now eagerly pecking at seeds all around me. All of the beaks and talons seem razor sharp and threatening all of a sudden. I’d watched The Birds one too many times. \n\nI sigh in frustration and stand stiffly, afraid to move too much. I contemplated just running away, as I was becoming increasingly late for work. Though I imagined trying to explain the lone crow clutching my shoulder to my coworkers and customers - fat chance of that going over well.\n\nI lost my patience. “Well, Crow, if you are now my friends... I ought to tell you that it’s bloody rude to harass friends on their morning commute!” I shout.\n\nThe crow clicked his beak softly and scooted down my arm to my hand. I just looked at it, exasperated.\n\nThe crow shuffled his wings, almost apologetically and said “You can call me Eric, Mary. And my brethren and I thank you for breakfast. I do apologize, we got off to a rocky start, didn’t we? We’ve simply been trying to tell you for some time now that you are a witch - and you’ve been invited to attend the local community witch college.”\n\nI blinked again in disbelief. “The what? I - I’m a what?” \n\n“You are a witch, Mary.” Eric croaked calmly. “And I am now your familiar, here to guide and assist you.”\n\nI just stood there with this crow in my hand, surrounded by other crows. I tried to accept his words briefly - but no, it simply couldn’t be real. I’d gone quite mad, I finally decided. \n\nYet the weight and warmth of this crow was a strangely reassuring presence on my hand, and somehow I no longer felt frightened. My mind flicked through all the strange events in my life and the rightness of what Eric was saying settled on me like a soft blanket. \n\nI smiled hestitatingly. “Tell me more about this college then.” I said. I stepped away from the rest of the murder and turned around to go back home with my new companion.\n\nEdit: spelling" ]	4
	[WP] A hero with the power to command dogs vs a villain with the power to command cats. They are both afraid of their animal companions getting hurt and are trying to reach their opposing goals with as few casualties as possible	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\"No! Mittens!\" The vile villain NyanGirl scooped up the yowling cat; glaring daggers at the panting dog standing close by.\n\nBack you brute! She waved her purse in his direction accidentally connecting with the dog's jaw. Who doesn't seem to react.\n\n\"Brutus!\" The heavily muscled physique of the towns hero Canis leaps to his dogs defense. Embracing the still panting dog.\n\n\"How dare you hurt them!\" They say in unison. \n\n\"Your dog attacked my Mittens!\" NyanGirl held the cat close.\n\n\"Brutus would never!\" Canis hugs The still panting dog.\n\n\"How could you like dogs over cats anyway. Filthy mongrel!\"\n\n\"Mongrel! Brutus here is a the happiest loyal bestest boy. Not the like those lying cats!\"\n\n\"Lying! How!\"\n\n\"When they lie on their backs like they want belly rubs and then they attack!\"\n\n\"Well not like a dog, slobbering rough housing destroying things!\"\n\n\"You're just saying that because you can't handle a dog!\"\n\n\"Am not, you could never handle the sophistication of a cat.\"\n\n\"I could!\"\n\n\"Could not!\"\n\n\"Fine! I'll prove it!\" He gestures to Mittens. \"One week I'll take that evil hand trap, you'll take my best bro Brutus\"\n\n\"Hmph like you're worthy of her.\"\n\n\"Scared?\"\n\n\"Fine! I'll take the Brute\"\n\n\"Brutus.\"\n\n\"Fine, Brutus. And you'll get the privilege of hosting my precious Mittens.\"\n\n\"Deal.\" He tosses the leash at NyanGirl who awkwardly catches it l. Brutus happily walks over to her and plops down next to her still panting.\n\nShe grudgingly hands over Mittens who, she notes with distaste, quickly curls up on his shoulder. He strokes the cat and winks at NyanGirl.\n\n\"Make sure you walk him regularly.\" Canis winks and leaves the flustered NyanGirl holding the still panting Brutus.\n\n\"Well, now what?\" The panting dog looks at her unleashes a massive fart.\n\n\"Damn, I hate that man!\"" ]	2
	[WP] An ancient, incomprehensible entity tries to trick you into becoming its eternal thrall... by taking the form of a particularly affectionate kitten.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 Imposter is here.\n\n\nI can feel its eyes (so much like Mittens own.....) upon my skin. Watching. Waiting. Listening. \n\n\nI don't know why it's here. I don't know what it wants. I don't know why it's taken my precious Mittens away from me. But there is one thing that is obvious every time I look upon it: this is NOT Mittens. Its every movement, its every twitch and purr, is subtly off somehow. Everything it does screams its true identity, but somehow, when they look upon its stolen likeness, nobody else can see it. Every time my friends come by, I have to resist the urge to scream. ITS WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG. THIS THING ISN'T MITTENS. But I have no choice but to keep my mouth shut. I can't let them cloud my perceptions again. They say I'm ill. They say I need medication, that I'm deluded, that I'm just paranoid. But I know the truth. It's already gotten to them. I can't let them realize they haven't gotten to me yet either.\n\n\nSometimes, I think I'm the only real person left. I think they are aware, somewhere, locked deep below the surface, knowing everything it makes their bodies do but incapable of doing anything about it, but I doubt it sometimes. Their faces are just like Mittens. Lifelike. Emotional. Imperfect. Unreal. So CLOSE to the people I knew. But I can tell it's only skin deep. They are eidolons, imperfect shades of the people I once knew animated by the fell will of some unknowable entity. They want me to join them. They think I don't know. But I do. I won't let myself be replaced. Let them think I'm following along. Let them think I'm taking their \"medication\". Let them think I'm not aware of what they are. What IT is. They can't fool me.\n\n\nI've locked the door and barricaded myself in my bedroom. I can hear it scratching at the door, meowing as if to taunt me with the knowledge of what it's done. But I won't be its thrall. I can see the thing reflected by its writhing shadow, the hazy, indistinct imprints of wings and claws, the one thing this abomination could never hide. It knows I know. The others will be coming soon. They want to make me like them. But I'm ready. I won't let them take me. I will be free.\n\n\nYes. That's right. It's all so clear to me now. I know they must be alive, somewhere. If I slay the shades, if I can dispel them, perhaps its prisoners will be freed. They are the focal point. Mittens is the origin. If I want to bring her back, IT will need to go first. I hear them pounding at the door, calling for me to come out and begging for me to listen. But I won't be deceived. I can see past the masks they wear. They won't insult her memory any longer. Now, where is my gun?" ]	2
	[WP] The aliens offered the world's governments massive amounts of cash for their nations. They agreed. Noone expected what happened next.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 36, have a decent amount of money, and, am not super religious or any type of conspiracy theorist. I don't believe the Flat Earth, Government knows Aliens, or anything like that. But, a lot of my family members are crazy religious or conspiracy theorists. I don't really have contact with people like my grandma because if that...\n\nI woke up one day, turned on TV, only to see an emergency news broadcast... The US government is being offered tons of money... By aliens... The aliens are from planet \"Urutapa\", and they look like reptilian creatures but with crab-like arms, as well as bat-like wings. They're spaceship looks like a stereotypical Flying Saucer. I was simply amazed! Aliens were real... My grandma was correct! I got a call from my cousin, who is a conspiracy theorist. \"See! I was right! Can you believe it!\" screamed my cousin. \"Yeah... Just... Unbelievable! I'm gonna go now to learn more about them!\"\n\nI watched the rest of the interview with the alien leader for two hours and then it ended! They are technologically advanced, and very kind. The only Earth foods they can eat is frozen Milk and Cheese. They can eat normal milk. The most interesting part was that us two are not the only aliens out there. They know of one more, from a planet called \"Pakapura\". The aliens on that planet are not in any way civilized, or technologically advanced. They are barbarians and love to fight. I wanted to meet one of these aliens, and when I went outside... There was a flock of them flying over my neighborhood!\n\nThen something struck my mind... How did they get so much Earth money? Maybe they can turn they're currency into the US currency? I kind of rubbed it off. Weird alien technology shit. Work was cancelled for the day because of this whole situation. I took a walk and found an alien! I asked him \"How did you get so much Earth money?\" The alien just walked off, and didn't responded. There was already a subreddit about the aliens! it was r/Urutapa! I saw that many people have been asking the same question, but then... It sounded like a war outside... I closed my computer and looked outside... Flying Saucers were firing lasers from them! Melting humans to goo!\n\nI was in shock! They were not nice! Maybe they were lying about the aliens from Pakapura! I got my machine gun from my basement but saw... A baby alien? I thought about killing the damn thing, but I am NOT like them! I don't just kill innocent creatures. I brought upstairs and gave some cheese, which it seemed to like. So I gave it some milk and cheese for it to feast on while I was going to get the aliens. I managed to shoot down one UFO but I couldn't hit the others. The aliens began speaking through speakers, and said \"Humans! You have lost! Give up! We will populate Earth and use you humans to make milk and cheese for us!\"\n\nI thought about giving up, but then... The baby alien! I could raise it! To kill the alien leader! I heard my house crumbling so I grabbed milk, cheese, my machine gun, bullets, and the baby alien! I ran out the house and saw it crumble to the ground... I managed to avoid the aliens sight and it took 3 or 4 days to find another living person that was going to survive. I was living off of spoiled milk and cheese, and was about to run out. I thought about cooking and eating the baby alien, but then I couldn't defeat the leader alien... I found a burning farm, and the cows and chickens were not there! They had been freed! This means that the farmer was still alive. I ran into the woods to see... The farmer has built himself a new farm! I walked towards it and he opened the door! He was at first scared of the baby alien, but I explained my plan. \"You really that that will work?\" he asked. \"Yeah, will you help?\" I asked him back. He said no, but he would give me milk from his cow, and meat and eggs from his chickens. I thanked him, and after sleeping in his house, I set off.\n\nIt was a week later, and every night I had stopped and has good meal of a burger and an omelet for breakfast. I managed to figure out how to curdle milk and make cheese for the baby alien. I managed to get to Washington, DC. This is the place, the place where the leader alien lived. The baby alien could now talk, and was a juvenile, old enough to fight... I readied my machine gun, and walked into the Wight House. We easily got past the guard aliens and managed to get to the leader, the strongest of them all. He got off his seat as I cocked my gun and the juvenile alien sniped his pincers. I shot at him but he was fast! The juvenile alien headbutted him and held the leader still with his pincers. I aimed my gun at the leader alien and shot. The guard aliens entered the room. I was now the leader. Me and the juvenile alien were the leaders. I demanded them to rebuild everything they had destroyed, and then to leave Earth. The baby alien stayed, and lived with me. Everyone looked at me different once Earth was not only rebuilt, but now has Urutapa technology." ]	2
	[WP] You're the first prisoner to undergo an experimental treatment, allowing you to experience your 1000-year sentence within just 24 hours of real time.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Have you ever seen the movie groundhog day? It was one of my favorite movies growing up. Most would agree being stuck in one day over and over again would be torture. That's certainly what was intended by those who came up with this form of punishment. In only 24 real life hours, I would live out 1000 years in a prison cell in my own mind. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis was, of course, a new and experimental way to rehabilitate prisoners. It took hundreds of programmers and a think tank of 50 mental health professionals close to eight years to develop and fine tune the program. Still, noone was 100% sure how it would play out. I volunteered in order to avoid dying here in this prison. Even if I went insane I would still be able to see my wife and child again outside of these walls. That's all that mattered to me...at least 1000 years ago.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSomewhere around the 100 year mark, my memories began to fade. I wish I could recall the last few moments before the program was initiated. I vaguely remember Dr. Charles reading off my charges, explaining one last time how it worked and tips on how to keep myself occupied and challenged. There was apparently great concern over my mind deteriorating after such a long time of consciousness so they built reading material and an ai therapist. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nOther than this AI, I've been entirely alone in a small, simulated room with a bed, a toilet, and a \"food\" dispenser that reminds me of the replicators from star trek. Apparently they wanted to make sure I didn't forget that I needed to eat and crap. Why they thought it was neccessary to sometimes have the food give me diarrhea is beyond me.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI can access the library at any time by walking over to a bookshelf on the wall. The AI also appears whenever I ask but apparently someone thought it's be cute to program him to be annoyed if you \"woke him up in the middle of the night\". But how am I supposed to know what night or day is genius? There are no windows in this hell hole. There's no clock. What kind of moron takes this much effort and time to create all this but doesn't give me a clock!? Or a calendar to track the days?!\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn any case, I don't know when this was but it had to have been pretty early; one day I just couldn't take it anymore. He appeared with a scowl and asked \"do you know what time of night it is?\" That's when I hit him the first time. It felt so good seeing the surprise and fear in his eyes. To feel that rush of overpowering another...person...sort of. To unleash all my pent up stress! Better than any other session we had ever had. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe curious thing is, though I could feel the sensation of pain, it was almost non existent in this state. I also was left with no marks on my fist. Neither did he gave any bumps or bruises. No sign whatsoever of my rage being unleashed on his face.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n I was never much of a fighter before but I got the hang of it after a few furious attacks. Thinking of how to inflict more pain, how to get around his defenses, how to manipulate his body in various impromptu holds. This gave me an idea.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYou see, the thing that always intrigued me about Bill Murray's character in that movie was that he learned multiple skills while in this time loop. Phil had a little less than 9 years. I had a thousand. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nA thousand years to learn how to kill. A thousand years to learn how to hack into top secret govt facilities. A thousand years to learn anything I wanted about about art, music, farming, genocide, rhetoric, psycology, religion, philosophy, anything useful. I had a thousand years to develop my brain and cram it full of knowledge that could be used by a still young physical body when it was all over.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt will be over soon, I can feel it. Over the many years I have literally forgotten more than an average person will learn in a lifetime in multiple subjects. I can now overpower the AI with ease after reading multiple books on kung fu and trying out the different techniques on him. I can also manipulate him into doing anything I want. I can recite plays, sonnets, songs, and other important works in their entirety and speak intelligibly on their various themes. I can calculate the trajectory of a nuclear missile across the globe in my head. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey have no idea what they are about to unleash on their world. No idea the sophistocated plans I have for disrupting world govts and putting myself in power. No idea my ability to DESTROY them. They thought this was punishment, possibly even cruel. They have given me a gift. They have created their own demise and will soon awake a terror and a blight they could never anticipate.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Dr. how is the patient?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"BP is steady, brainwaves are only slightly erratic, the iv is doing its job and he should wake up feeling rested and only a little hungry.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Start the reintegration process\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Beginning reintegration into concious world...removing heart monitors...removing physical restraints...removing cranial interface...purging memory\"", "12 June 2053\n\nDear diary\n\nIt has been 14 days since i was put in the cell.\n\nI have not commited a crime.\n\nMy only crime was opposing the tyranny of The New Ones.\n\nMy captors talk of some kind of experimental punishment.\n\nI do not know of my fate as of yet.\n\nThis may be the last entry.\n\nThank you mom , dad and my wife Lucy and my unborn child.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nCHAPTER 1\n\nJack found himself lying down in a white room . It was cubic and was fully white. He could not remember why he was here. Memories began to flow through his mind. He remembered the inquisitors, lucy and his child. He remembered the inquissitors telling him hell be here for a thousand years.(cont)", "There were a lot of appeals before they could carry out the sentence. Ultimately the court decided that the expert witnesses who said it wouldn't be fatal were persuasive, and the usual rigmarole for a death sentence could be cut short. But it did give me time to receive some letters from the public, and read a couple short stories they recommended to me.\n\nSo when the accelerated stillness punishment started, the words running through my head were \"It's longer than you think, Dad!\" The treatment made me experience accelerated time, but my body couldn't move any more than normal. The time stopped accelerating just below the neck.\n\nI am not a nice man. Nice men don't get ten consecutive life sentences without parole in worse-than-solitary for the duration. I'm not a particularly cruel man, either, but I am a very, very angry one. For what must have been a year, I just raged. At the cops who caught me, the spineless politicians who approved this, the lawyers who argued against me, the judge who quashed my appeals, even a little while at the lawyers who argued for me and failed. (That one I stopped after not very long. Honestly, they gave it a good damn try. Not their fault the appeals judges were sadistic sonuvabitches.) Then closer to home: the prison guards, the 'doctors' who set up the machine and strapped me in.\n\nI studied the entire room. Memorized every detail of their expressions. The ones who were calm and curious I memorized the most: those two deserved the most hate. Two more turned away the moment the machine started, ashamed to see their handiwork - contemptible, but not worth truly hating. One I realized was gritting his teeth, his knuckles already white with tension within seconds. He stared right at me, and looked - furious, and not with me. He was ashamed of the device too, and not looking away. I filed away his expression, memorizing it. Him, maybe I wouldn't take revenge on.\n\nThere was a small window. Just enough to track a sunbeam moving across the floor. I had all the time in the world - and then some - to work out the math for what that meant in terms of time. (There wasn't a clock in my view. My lawyer said that was deliberate, they didn't want me to be able to count the time. At night I'd be more or less lost.) The curious doctors left after about a minute, which felt like a year. The angry one stayed longer, though he got his outward expression of anger under control after a few seconds. In what felt like days, he grabbed a chair, and a clipboard, and sat. He barely turned away from me the whole time. I found that, with every little microexpression and twitch plain to see, I could practically read his thoughts. He wasn't letting himself turn away from what was being done to me, and hated his colleagues - and maybe himself - for assisting. I could respect that.\n\nIt took me a while, but I did get bored of rage. Somewhere around the 2 year mark - about 3 minutes from their perspective. I tried to remember the King story's other details, then something else he wrote, then something else altogether. Without the ability to subvocalize, that was harder than I expected. Some of the time I thought about how I'd gotten here, and if I could have gotten away with it if I tried harder. If someone had ratted on me. Around the ten year mark (14 minutes) I thought about what the politicians and judges thought this was supposed to do to me. Probably 'drive me insane', though they protested that loudly and frequently; they're all liars anyway. Was there anyone who seriously thought it would make me change my mind? I mean, seriously, it's a millennium spent entirely inside my head! There's no one else here to give their opinion, so how would it change mine?\n\nI spent a year at least trying to remember something I hadn't read since college - the Illiad. Not the Greek, but \"Sing, muse, of the rage of Achilles\" popped into my head, and it felt appropriate, and diverting, to try to remember the rest; it wouldn't be quick. By the time I gave up I'd gotten a dozen hundred-stanza chunks, but I could connect them or even put them in the right order.\n\nTwenty-some years (30 minutes) in, the angry doctor's phone buzzed, and he stopped watching. His anger was fading, and he just looked depressed. It was a decent reminder to me that if I let my anger fade, this would probably get worse.\n\nBut on the other hand, I was really bored. So a while after that, I tried meditating. No external distractions. Just me, stuck here. And my anger. I got mad at myself a few times there. Calmness is an asset. I went back and forth with that, to trying to remember stories I'd read. It never worked; the rage was too strong. Didn't help that I was angry when they strapped me in, so my gut was still shouting its anger up to the brainstem.\n\nAn hour in, I switched to telling myself stories. A comic book I read once said that one of the villains was a speedster who couldn't slow down. He lived like this: he was at a million times speed when he woke up every morning, and when he went to the store, and when he robbed a bank. Quicksilver, from the X-Men villains. Whoever wrote him had it right; if you had to live like this every day, no one would be a \"good guy\" long. I told myself stories about him, and how we would chat when I got out. Eventually I remembered it was fiction and would never happen, but for a while I believed it.\n\nA century in, I tried meditating again. But instead of pushing away the rage, I let it in, tried to steer the river. Meditating through the rage, not against it. This worked much better, but it took ages for me to get it right. I think it was another decade before I got it mostly working - time flows weirdly without anything to mark it by, and I closed my eyes in there somewhere. When I opened them again, the sun was nearly gone.\n\nThrough the centuries of darkness, only a blinking red security camera LED changed. I told more stories. Of Quicksilver. Of James Moriarty. Of Achilles, and Odysseus, and their imagined rivals, who were criminals in their society's eyes, like me. I thought about what I'd say to the President if I faced him on the outside. And when my thoughts got muddled and wild, and I was losing track of reality, I meditated again, falling back into the nest of rage I'd spun up inside my head. It helped me focus. Kept me sane, or as sane as I was at the start - well, maybe just saner.\n\nWhen the haze of black finally stopped its blurred eternity, the sun was peeking in, and I knew I was at least half done.\n\nI amused myself for a while imagining very specific torments of revenge for the guards who returned near dawn. It wasn't all that interesting - it was unproductive rage, and it was much easier to draw the line between productive and unproductive after the meditation I'd invented that endless night. It just felt silly.\n\nAngry doc returned at roughly 8 AM. He didn't look angry today, just exhausted. I don't think he slept much. I hadn't slept... at all. And I'd stayed awake all night the night before, hoping it would mean I spent a big chunk of the 'thousand years' asleep. Huh. The sight of someone I wasn't angry with made me spent some time thinking of what it would look like for me if this 'reformed' me. After a hundred, no, hundreds, of variations, I found something that seemed... not foreign. Something I could picture myself saying and believing. It didn't feel the least bit compelling. I had an argument that would have convinced me a week ago objective, but in the face of this atrocity they'd inflicted on me? No, not convincing in the slightest. But that wasted a couple years.\n\nA couple more years I spent thinking of \"escape plans\". Technically I was a free man when this completed, so it was pretty ridiculous. I had a few that would work, though. I was a little tempted to almost execute one, stopping before it inflicted serious injury, just to prove I could. I went back to meditating, though; I was pretty sure that was being fueled by unproductive anger. Heh, I could probably teach anger management classes after this. Not exactly the kind the little people liked, though; they treated \"anger management\" as a euphemism for \"anger abolishment\", and this would be management: teaching angry men to harness their anger and only use it productively - at least, productively from their perspective.\n\nI looked back at the light from the window. I couldn't remember quite where it had been, despite a lot of trying, but I got it pretty close. I could estimate how much longer I had to within about a decade. For a while I literally just marked time, but that only lasted about two months. For a while I just tried to see how much nothing I could stand. That was sending me pretty loopy, though, and when I noticed the decent doctor leaving, I broke it off and went back to meditating.\n\nI had a phrase pop into my head - \"the armor of hatred\". I couldn't remember where from, and spent a long while trying. Something science fiction, I think? With space marines, I think, but that didn't narrow it down, everything in space has those and I couldn't remember whether there was an image tied to it. I resolved to look it up when I was done, see if they had actually guessed anything right about it. Certainly I was armoring myself in hate - the only defense against insanity.\n\nThe sun got higher. Only two centuries left now. I tried to remember the friends I had outside, and even the ones inside before they'd sent me to this shithole device. Their faces were a blur, and which names went with which was even harder. Some had a little rage attached to the memories - those I remembered a little better. One of those I loved as well, but I couldn't remember her name. I was pretty sure that was for the best - she'd dumped me when I was arrested, before I was even convicted, and it was better if I couldn't focus on her enough to cultivate hatred for her. Not productive.\n\n[cont.]" ]	4
	[WP] For reasons unknown, Earth left its orbit. Now, the blue planet is heading straight into the sun. Evacuation efforts are made, but too slow for all of humanity to escape. Some people accept their fiery death; many wallow in grief. Others enjoy the sight of the world turning into literal Hell.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 sweat trickled down my forehead like rain, just barely cooling me off. I could see every inch of the city below the roof of this luxurious tower. One of those that I could only ever dream of stepping a foot on.\n\nThe wealthy inhabitants were long gone by now, fleeing into the safety of the evacuation ships.\n\nSo it was just me and that beautiful room temperature pool, staring off into the distance. It had been a month since I last heard the sounds of the sirens from any first responders. It was evident by the amount of fires burning in the distance that they had succumbed to the same problems plaguing the rest of our doomed brothers and sisters.\n\nLack of food and water, anarchy, or maybe they just gave up.\n\nThe first two weeks was easier than I thought it was going to be. Once they announced the Earth had stopped its usual orbit of going around the sun, instead plunging towards the Sun, we all thought it would be complete anarchy. They gave us around 65 days before we full on collided into the sun.\n\nBut instead, every organization held off as much as they could to keep supply chains running. The rich all fled at the first sign of problems, taking along anyone they deemed worthy of continuing the human race in space. Workers worked their ass off to keep water and food running, and planes worked overtime to return any stranded citizens back to their countries or to allow people to choose their destinations to die. I think my neighbor and his wife got on the first plane to the Bahamas.\n\nThe fourth week was a little harder, as temperatures rose and supply chains fell, crime started to rise. The hot weather started to mess with all of our heads and people began to loot and fight over the basic necessities. My own apartment building burned down as a result of some scuffle between some poor bastards or something.\n\nI barely made it out, choosing to walk as far as I could only to end up in some wealthy district. Just my luck, I found an abandoned penthouse stocked up with food and enough water to last me until C-Day.\n\nOr at least another week until the temperature rose so high that everything would start to evaporate or boil.\n\nI guess I would find out which soon enough." ]	2
	[WP] You're a musician struggling to make ends meet, who has just received a letter inviting you to audition for the Pandemonic Symphony Orchestra.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 a subject to ponder how many souls were sold for membership to such an orchestra, but it must be quite good. Likely a fun stunt and you'd show up for the entertainment value, it might be worth the clicks documenting it for social media, but the letter was handwritten in extraordinary calligraphy and what you swear was real gold trim. And a midnight audition? What a riot. \n\nYou take an Uber in a downpour of August rain to the city's edge, what was once a bustling meatpacking neighborhood, now a collection of shuttered and featureless warehouses. \n\n\"You sure know what you're doing here son?\" the driver asks.\n\nYou smile, making sure to record his reaction with your phone's camera. \"Audition for the Pandemonic.\"\n\n\"Cute, but the cops don't even come out here anymore. You know Colin Davis?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Of course you do, he's the Juilliard orchestra director that—\"\n\n\"Oh yeah, that was like a decade ago.\"\n\n\"Him, there's a statue of him at Lincoln Center.\" \n\n\"I didn't know that statue was him.\"\n\n\"Well this was the last place he was seen.\"\n\n\"How do you know that?\"\n\n\"I was the one that dropped him off.\" \n\nThe car turns onto a broken road leading towards an industrial park of ancient brick warehouses, some ten or more stories high, only their silhouettes visible in relief of the night sky. The headlights catch rusted shapes overgrown with vegetation on either side of the road, and they reflect off broken windows and crooked street markers. \n\n\"There,\" you point from the backseat.\n\n\"I see it.\" The driver grips the steering wheel with both hands, leaning slightly forward. \n\nThe car rolls towards the single light, slowing to a stop where it illuminates cracked steps leading up to what is officially: 665 South Rathbone Street. \n\nYou clear the window fog with your black suit's forearm, looking for any signs of life. There's nothing but an old Panther De Ville parked aside the building, something Cruellea might drive, but it's impossible to tell if it had been recently driven or parked there since The Great Depression.\n\n\"We can turn around,\" the driver suggests.\n\nYou switch to the phone's front-facing camera and smile for your future audience: \"And here we are ladies and gentlemen, ready to audition for the rats.\" Then taking your violin case by the handle, you ask the driver if he can wait as you open the back door.\n\n\"Sorry,\" he lies, \"I have another ride.\"\n\nYou hurry out and up the stairs as thunder follows a sudden flash of lightening. The car's tail lights hasten down the empty road, until at a distance they both touch into one light, and turning, disappear." ]	2
	[WP] There are many paths to godhood, some are born with the power, others earn it, others still usurp titles from existing deities. Generally no matter the path one always knows why they are a god, you have no idea in the slightest	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Lethe\nBy Ghostwire\n\nSitting at the golden table with the other gods, they laugh and share their tales and I’m just eating the food. My throne is clear, my plate is glass my goblet is filled with water. My name I don’t know, my purpose is something. Yet I can’t remember.\n\nOne of the gods yells at me. “ why so down, tell us your story. everyone has a story to tell.” He says smiling as the other gods and goddesses look at me I feel sick. I really don’t know. Maybe that’s my purpose not to know and the knowing would be my undoing. If people lose faith in their gods then the gods fall. \n\nSo if a god doesn’t have faith in themselves then do they fall on their own? I get up and look around the place. Statues and pictures line the dome. So I leave to look for my name. My name…\n\nI stumble into a mirrored hallway and I look at myself but my figure is faded. My face and features blend and merge yet they still look good.\n\nStumbling I fall down and feel a sharp jab of pain. Then I fall to the ground. I feel something bubbling to the surface of my mind. But I fade to black.\n\nWaking up a golden table... I think I finally get it... but the memory fades before I can… even remember… maybe that’s it… but it only take milliseconds to lose it all… \n\n“ Tell us your story.” They ask. I smile. “ I don’t have one, why don’t you give me one?” Then I lean back and they all tell me something but it all fades into the dark. As I take another drink of my glass.", "\"So you're telling me... that you're the God of Memory and... you have no idea why.\"\n\n\"Not a clue.\"\n\nThe Goddess of Parties and Recreational Drugs, Didhoughuh, was on my sofa again. Uninvited... again.\n\n\"But like... what is even your job? You like... read minds or something?\" She turned and made a sound like a cat fighting an inflatable watermelon.\n\n\"When did you become a god?\" The God of On-time Paperwork, Dave, asked. Not early. Not overdue, right on time.\n\nThere are too many gods.\n\n\"It's been almost 700 years I think.\" I replied\n\n\"And what were you doing before you became a god?\"\n\n\"Trust me. I've spent centuries recalling that incident. It won't help.\"\n\n\"Try me.\"\n\n\"I'm interested too. I think the only one you've told is the God of Mediocre Literature.\" The Goddess of Fire, Fuwuka, said. Why was an S-Grade deity in my abode you ask? I have a PS5 and she doesn't get along very well with the Goddess of Clouds. Why? I don't know she's like several millennia older than me. She's probably way richer too but she insists on coming over.\n\n\"I was visiting my favourite snack shop. I ordered and sat down to eat and when I finished I found out that I'd become a god.\"\n\n\"That must have been... one... hell of a snack. Was it... maybe like... laced with-\"\n\n\"It was not thank you very much. Why are you still here anyway? I hate to imagine what your abode looks like.\" Freaking freeloading deities. She basically lives here at this point.\n\n\"Maybe it was a hidden quest.\" Fuwuka said while shifting in my bean bag chair. I hope she doesn't get too excited. I don't want to deal with the smell of burning plastic. Again.\n\n\"Have you ever heard of anyone who ascended because of a hidden quest? You're not even trying! Also please leave some nachos for me, Dido.\"\n\n\"Heeey... Don't... call me that. Only my bae gets to call me that.\" She then stuck her hand right into the bowl, leaving suspicious green residue behind.\n\n\"I'm suddenly not hungry.\"\n\n\"Did you do something heroic there?\" Dave said while looking longingly at the bowl. Gross.\n\n\"How? It was in a crowded shopping district. I bumped into some guy. He was reading a scroll that had a really nice flower design. Reminded me of Nacht Jade. They were really popular at the time.\"\n\n\"Wait. By any chance-\" Fuwuka started to say but was suddenly interrupted by the door slamming open.\n\n\"I'm heeeere Fuwuka. Here to kick your ass! I have a whole new party setup now.\" It was the Goddess of Lightning. That's right, I know two S-Grade deities.\n\n\"Sor! Perfect timing. You remember Nouk right?\"\n\n\"The guy who was the God of Memory before chickenshit here?\"\n\n\"Hey! That was one time! And I was perfectly justified!\" I don't wanna talk about... the incident. Who knew that burning Houndseeds and peanut butter together would create a deadly weapon.\n\n\"I think I figured out where he was during my birthday party.\" Fuwuka turned towards me. Her eyes were gleaming. I suddenly felt very afraid.\n\n\"Where exactly were you when you ascended?\"\n\n\"I was in Attenza. Why?\" Where was she going with this.\n\n\"That book. Did it look like this?\" She showed me a picture.\n\n\"Yes. I'm very confused right now.\"\n\nSor's eyes widened.\n\n\"No way. He actually did it.\" She approached me.\n\n\"That day Nouk was supposed to be at Fuwuka's party. The next day, we found out that he'd disappeared and you'd replaced him.\" Sor's intense eye contact was really scaring me.\n\n\"Nouk always avoided Attenza because his ex, the God of Fountains liked to go there all the time. That day, Nouk mentioned getting a challenge from an ex but we weren't sure who. A lot of gods had a bone to pick with him but he was still a likeable guy. If he was in Attenza, that means the challenger was his ex.\"\n\n\"Okay? I don't understand what you're trying to tell me.\" I was replaying that day in my head vividly. One of the perks of being the God of Memory.\n\n\"Let me finish. He said that the loss condition was giving up his God status.\"\n\n\"But you can't just give it up.\" Dave sat up like he was extremely invested in this story.\n\n\"That's right. You can only lose it in a battle against a mortal.\" Sor turned towards Dave and he jumped from the sudden exposure to her glare.\n\n\"Right. So that loss condition is really weird.\" Dave leaned back in my recliner and seemed to be thinking hard. Am I stupid? 'Cause I feel like a big dumdum.\n\n\"At the time, he was reading a book. The cover had Mystic Nacht Jades on them. They were very rare and most mortals didn't recognise it. He was obsessed with that book and read it all the time. While walking, while cleaning, while partying.\" Fuwuka said.\n\n\"Okay. But what does that have to do with... wait. No...\" \nI think I have a theory on what happened.\n\n\"The guy I bumped into...\" \nI couldn't recall his face. It was hidden behind the book.\n\n\"Does that even count as a challenge?!\" Dave's eyes were wide as chappatis.\n\n\"Chickenshit! You defeated a god and took their status!\"\n\n\"But why him specifically?\" Dave asked.\n\n\"Knowing Nouk, he probably quietly challenged the first person who bumped into him and immediately forfeited.\" Fuwuka said while laughing.\n\n\"I feel so cheated. The God of Memory is pretty high up on the ladder.\" I felt a mixture of emotions. Shock, disappointment. Maybe a little amused though.\n\n\"Maaan... I love this Noook dude. Where he at now?\" A noise that vaguely resembled speech emanated from my sofa. I'm going to throw it away tonight.\n\n\"Who knows haha. He's probably still alive. Immortality is a side effect of ascension. You became immortal when you ascended but Nouk wouldn't have lost his immortality. You have to give it up separately and it doesn't require a challenge. You can even give up immortality and remain a god.\" Fuwuka said laughing while small flames flickered around her. Please don't ignite. Please don't ignite.\n\nI fell back into my chair.\n\n\"That was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.\" I wiped my forehead and let out a half chuckle.\n\n\"I'll say.\" Dave was staring at Dido who was passed out and leaking various suspicious bodily fluids.\n\n\"Anyway it's getting late. Can someone help me dispose of this couch? Don't bother removing anything on it.\n\n........................\n\nI am new to writing and I'm hoping to improve my skills. Any criticism is appreciated. Thanks for reading!" ]	3
	[WP] Your 10th Birthday Party has been awful and boring, until a young Dionysus shows 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\"Heeeeyyyy Malakias! It's Dionysia, let's fucking party!\"\n\nI had no idea who this guy was, and I definitely hadn't invited him to my birthday party. He was maybe fifteen, and I didn't really know anyone that age. He wore a black leather jacket, blue jeans and a pair of dark sunglasses.\n\nFive of us gaped at him, but Jamie kept playing Mortal Kombat, taking the opportunity to win a round against Sam. \"Yes!\" he punched the air, then noticed we'd all fallen quiet. \n\n\"Um, who are you?\" I asked, confused at his sudden appearance in my parents' basement. \n\n\"I am Dionysus the twice-born, Goat-shooter and Liberator! Hand me some wine, and let's turn this place into a brothel!\"\n\n\"Er, we don't have any wine. It's my tenth birthday party\", I mumbled.\n\n\"Are you a brick? No, it's Dionysia, my festival. When's the procession? Who's got the bread and wine, and where are the basket-bearing maidens?\" He stood with his hands on his hips, chest out, like a defiant toddler.\n\n\"It's just us. My mum's ordering Pizza Hut in a bit, and there's some Pepsi left if you want some?\"\n\nHe finally pulled off his sunglasses, revealing quite a girlish face. \"You must at least have phalluses, right?\"\n\n\"Um...\"\n\n\"Dick statues! Come on you idiots, let's get things started. We need bread, wine, water and girls. Where do we find them? How can I be a god of wine and fertility if you malakias aren't worshipping me or celebrating my festival?\"\n\n\"Right, you two, what are your names?\"\n\n\"David\"\n\n\"Sam\"\n\n\"Right, you two go and get some water. That should be the easy one. You two over there, go sort out some bread, long loaves are traditional, but whatever you can get will do.\" Mike and Jamie looked at each other, shrugged, and followed Sam and David up the stairs. \n\nThat left Rob and me with the weird new guy, as he rubbed his hands together. \"Right, I'll do the wine, that's not an issue. Now you two find me as many dick statues as this shithole town has, then we'll find some maidens to carry everything.\"\n\nAn hour later, we stood around the pool table in the basement, looking at what we'd collected. David, Sam, Mike and Jamie had gone to tesco, and come back with half a dozen baguettes and a case of bottled water. Several large pottery jugs sat along one side, seemingly filled with red wine. \n\nWe hadn't been so successful with the dick statues, all that we could find was a vaguely dick-shaped wooden carving my Dad used to keep his office door open in the summer, and a pink jelly vibrator that Rob had found in my mum's bedroom, and I couldn't bear to look at.\n\nDionysus looked disappointedly at the haul of offerings. He sighed deeply. \"You know this was a three day festival back in the old days? What year is this anyway?\"\n\n\"1992,\" I replied. \n\n\"Ugh, that wine's probably past it's best then,\" Dionysus sighed again and sat heavily down on the floor.\n\nWe exchanged glances, silently urging each other to say something to the dejected God as his chin sank to his chest and his shoulders slumped. \n\nFinally, Jamie broke the silence, \"Um, we could find some girls at my house, my sister's having a sleepover later. Maybe they can carry the baskets for you?\"\n\nMike joined in, \"We could make some dick statues too, I'm sure we've got something we can use.\"\n\nI remembered something too, \"My Dad has some wine in the airing cupboard, he said the other day it's nearly ready to drink…\"\n\nDionysus, lifted his head a little, starting to perk up, \"You'd do that for me?\" he asked?\n\nSo off we went, first to Jamie's house, where the girls were surprisingly willing to carry stuff for the handsome older teenager. Then to the new shopping centre, where people were doing their Christmas shopping, and didn't really stop to take note of what exactly we were carrying. \n\nWe ended up near the big Christmas tree the council had put up, a small procession carrying baguettes, bottled water and phalluses made of old washing up liquid bottles, sticky tape and newspaper, with a hastily applied mix of pink poster paint. \n\nDionysus walked proudly along at the rear, swigging occasionally from a cloudy and bubbling demi-john of foul-smelling liquid. He looked proudly at us all, 6 boys and 6 slightly older girls. He stood tall, and announced, \"It's time for the entertainment, what play will you put on for me?\"\n\nWe looked around at each other, not sure how to respond.\n\nDionysus started to look disappointed again, until one of the girls had an idea. \"Home Alone 2 is on at the cinema, would that do?\" And so off we went." ]	2
	[WP] Burn the witch, they shouted as they tied her to the stake. She just laughed as fire was her ally, not an enemy.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 the witch laughed towards the dark sky, the flames rolled over her body like water; flowing up her arms, cresting over her chest, streaming over and up her neck and chin. They poured into her open mouth, endlessly emptying into her insides. Not burning flesh, nor hair. The conflagration became nothing but charred, dry wood and the witch, unharmed, standing upon the unlit block.\n\nThe crowd stood silently. Eyes wide. Mouths agape. The torchbearer was uncertain if he ought to relight the kindling or not. They watched and waited until the witch faced them with an open mouth. She inhaled even more, her chest and belly bursting at the gowns seams, then smiling, exhaled. A fiery maelstrom erupted from her lips, unfurled and flooded the very air, consuming all in its path. The crowd weren't hasty enough. Man, woman, child; all those who cursed and raped and forced her onto the pyre where now their own, one of bone and skin.\n\nWhen all was ash and tinder, bones bleached black and innards no more than fatty pools of filth, the witch stepped down from the block. Gingerly, she walked around them, beyond their homes, and disappeared into the darkness of the woods.\n\n\n---\nIf you enjoyed the story and want to read more of my work, visit my [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/MicahCastle/) and consider subscribing.", "\\[Witchcraft. Watered down.\\]\n\n\"Witchcraft!\" a sour old woman yelled. Gwen laughed at her and the rest of the townsfolk around her. They surrounded the bonfire and stake that Gwen was tied to. Though, she felt her bonds loosening as the fire chewed on the ropes. Gwen herself was covered in flames and still laughing. Her fair skin and even her dark locks remained unburned by the flames enveloping her.\r \n \r \n\"Yeah, that's the point,\" Gwen smiled. \"I told you, fire is my ally. It won't harm me.\"\r \n \r \n\"She consorts with the devil!\" the old woman yelled. Gwen laughed and rolled her eyes.\r \n \r \n\"He wishes,\" she said. \"Look, it's been fun and I'm not holding anything against you but...,\" Gwen struggled with all her strength. She managed to pull the burned ropes apart to free herself. Despite her ability to withstand fire, there wasn't much magical or special about Gwen. She wasn't an actual witch but she enjoyed giving the townsfolk a hard time. She was a relatively normal young woman with no idea how she is able to touch fire.\r \n \r \n\"...time for me to go.\" Gwen took a step off the pyre.\r \n \r \n\"Stop her!\" one of the guards yelled. Two men rushed forward, but she was still flaming. They paused awkwardly on either side of her. Gwen continued to walk and they walked with her trying to keep her boxed in without getting too close to the flames.\r \n \r \n\"Oh for god's sake,\" the guard that issued the order sighed. He dashed to the well for a bucketful of water, then ran back and doused Gwen; she screamed. For the first time in her life she realized that she'd never so much as bathed. As far back as she could remember she'd never felt the need to. The water scarred her skin with horrible burns as she threw herself to the ground in pain.\r \n \r \n\"So, fire does nothing but water on the other hand...,\" The guard commented as two men picked Gwen up from the ground. \"Take her to the lake.\"\n\n\r \n\\\\\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1250 in a row. (Story #155 in year four.) You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit (r/hugoverse) or my blog.", "Mancers, they called us. Aeromancers, Geomancers, Aquamancers, Floramancers, Faunamancers and of course the dark Necromancers. We've lived amongst the populace for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.\n\nUnfortunately, necromancy is easy power. The dead have no will, so any maroon can become a necromancer if they have magical talent. It doesn't take a genius to realize what happens when people seek fast easy power.\n\nMancers were branded witches, and all of them began being hunted down. Those that were caught were burned at the stake. Even if they didn't survive capture, their remains were still burned.\n\nIf we'd been willing to work with the necromancers it would have been a simple matter to overthrow the powerless ranks of the normals. Unfortunately, we would not and could not. Those that seek fast and easy power do not good allies make. So all three factions were fighting a battle on 2 fronts. The normals could not seem to realize that all they were doing was swelling the ranks fo the necros.\n\nI had been caught by an accident, believe it or not. We were fleeing a posse when my horse shied from a rabbit and threw me. I woke up chained in the jail house.\n\nI was brought out to a stake and wood already set up. Before the 'trial' had even taken place. That wasn't really what concerned me though. There was a very low level smell of rot in the air. There were necromancers close by, but these idiots were so focused on me that they didn't seem to notice.\n\nThey dragged me in front of the judge and the prosecutor began his long winded grand standing. None of them seemed to notice that the smell of rot was getting stronger. I suppose the smell of ash, soot, and burned flesh was covering it up a bit, but the smell was distinct and definitely there.\n\nAfter about 20 minutes I just shouted out, \"Please! Just go ahead and burn me if it means this idiot will shut up!\"\n\nThe prosecutor's face looked like a tomato that had eaten a lemon, but the jury burst out laughing.\n\nThe judge didn't look amused but motioned for me to be taken to the stake. I honestly didn't understand how they couldn't smell the rot at this point, but I walked so quickly that the guards actually had to speed up to keep up.\n\nThey had just tossed the torches onto the wood pile when I saw the shambling corpses at the far end of the street. As people started to scream, I was laughing. They'd just ensured that if no one else in this town survived, I would. The one, and only, Pyromancer in existence.\n\nedit - a word", "I can't blame the town's people for not know what my kind could do with fire. There are few of us and we are very hard to catch. I won't blame them for not recognising the ring of tattooed flames on my wrist, but I will blame them for burning old Agnes.\n\nI stared intently at the lead witch hunter, he would be the first to burn. Afterall he had burnt women for knowing card tricks and advanced medicine, he deserved death.\n\nAs the torches were thrown onto my pyre, I summoned Isa in her true form. Isa leapt for the oil soaked wood with a laugh that only I could hear. She consumed the wood hungrily, driving out the regular fire.\n\nThe witch hunters must have finally realised that something was wrong once the flames surrounded me. I did not scream, even as Isa burnt the ropes from my wrists. She would not hurt me, dogs did not hurt their masters.\n\nThe witch hunters did not turn to run until I had raised my hand towards them. \"Sear\" \n\nBloated with heat and power from my pyre, Isa leapt at the men. Their screams did not last as long as Agnes's had.\n\nOnce the men's bodies were twisted lumps, I turned to the villagers \"YOU DID NOTHING! YOU STOOD THERE AND WATCHED THOSE MEN BURN INOCENTES! HOW COULD YOU!\" That broke the spell of shock and fear that had held the villages, they ran.\n\nI gestured broadly to the entire village \"sear.\" Isa leapt forward to obey. Some of the villages would escape, many wouldn't. All would suffer with their homes destroyed. Maybe the rumours would stop the burnings. Many they would encourage them. I was to angry to care." ]	5
	[WP] In a musical world, you are the only one who can't sing	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 was always filled with song. \n\nIt had been that way since the beginning of time. The Goddess blessed the old dead rock she found with her song, making the Irth and all the awesome creatures in it. \nShe created Irthlings as companions to herself, to join her in harmony and song. \n\nMost of that is gone. All but the last tones of this world's melody have ceased vibrating. All that's left is silence. \n\nMagnus is the last person standing. He's the one that ended this world's song. \n\nThis wasn't on purpose, of course. \n\nHe was born with a curse given by the Goddess for his parent's crimes. They had made an attempt on her life, so she took their child's song. \n\nThis left him alone in a world of song. Singing was the way Irthlings communicated, the way they found love, even the way they learned trades and got jobs.\n\nThis curse left Magnus without the ability to get basically anywho in life. He was cast out of just about every social setting since most thought he simply refused to sing, even though he literally couldn't.\n\nFor years he wandered the world, from high mountains to low valleys he searched for someone who would accept him, but to no avail. \n\nIt was this journey that brought him to his breaking point. Everything around him vibrated with a melody he could not replicate, constantly reminding him of how alone he was. \n\nHe was brought literally to his knees, driven to hatred and madness. He covered his ears, no longer wishing to hear the world's song. He turned his face to the sky, tears welling up in his eyes, his mouth open wide, his teeth bore.\n\nAnd he screamed.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe world was always filled with song, but now all but the last tones of the world's melody have ceased vibrating. \n\nAll that's left is silence." ]	2
	[WP] A skilled huntsman finds a mythical beast at a watering hole. While he decides on whether to attack the beast, he hears a voice call out from the other side of the watering 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 barely over 7ft tall. It may have been smaller than expected, but it was certainly smellier. Oscar hoped that that was a good thing, hoped that the Squatch couldn't smell him over itself, but knowing that that was unlikely he stayed cautiously down wind. After hours of effort, he was now 20 yards away and so very close to having the first ever successful Bigfoot hunt.\n\nOne question remained. Should he shoot with his camera, or with his gun? The camera was certainly more humane, but photos are so easy to dismiss. On the other hand, whole a body would be undeniable proof, it would be better to have a Sasquatch alive, right? Oscar debated as the cryptid sat itself down by the small pond.\n\n\"Hey Fred!\" Oscar froze as the noise broke the silence. What the hell was that? It was so that he's all moving on the other side of the pond. Another Bigfoot. It walked around towards the other one.\n\n\"How you doing, Ned?\"\n\n\"Not bad, not bad. Do ya wanna come over for dinner? The wife's making pot pies.\"\n\n\"Heck yeah. I love your wife's pies.\" It was then that the first Sasquatch, Fred, looked over his shoulder, right at Oscar. \"Can I bring my new buddy?\"\n\n\"Sure.\"\n\n\"Hey you! Want some pie?\"\n\nOscar was dumbstruck. Were they really talking to him? About pie??? They were coming over. Oh crap they were coming over.\n\n\"You okay, Li'l buddy?\" asked Ned.\n\n\"Umm, yeah\" managed Oscar. \"I'd love some pie.\" Then, after a pause \"You can talk?\"\n\n\"Course we can,\" said Fred. \"We taught you little folk, didn't we?\" Ned nodded as they pulled Oscar to his feet and they all started walking.\n\n\n. . .\n\n\". . . And after they let me off their spaceship, they gave me the recipe to that pie,\" Oscar said while holding out a handwritten note card.\n\nHis friends were skeptical. \"Dude, you could have gone this off of any old lady. Did you at least get pictures?\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" he said pulling out a blurry photo of him, Fred, Ned, and Ned's wife, Gladys.\n\n\"This is so bad that it's not even funny.\"\n\nOscar never did get his friends to believe him, but he did use the pie recipe to open a successful restaurant, so that's something." ]	2
	[WP] A robot medic struggles to find a new purpose in a dead 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Loneliness is a feeling felt by all in the future, whether metal or flesh. Kritical Care prototype HEAT - CHiK, for short - knew this feeling all too well, as she roamed the now lifeless city. Body after body after body, metal and flesh - robot, trashcan, corpse. The traffic lights still blinking. Driven by loneliness, CHiK on her single all-terrain wheel scanned every potential being in the hopes of finding someone alive - or near enough to be revived.\n\nAt a crossroads and sitting upright against the large wheel of a water tanker was a man, a human. A survival kit and oxygen tank beside him. Her matt light-blue interface read: Heartrate: 0bpm, Blood-Oxygen level: 0%, Temperature: 50C, Time of death: Unknown.\n\nShe dragged the body by its legs onto the flat concrete and applied an oxygen mask to the mouth. She began compressions with her human-like hands.\n\n1..2..3..4\n\n1..2..3..4\n\n'We're loosing him!' The automated human voice called.\n\nThe oxygen let a subtle hiss as it escaped her external reserve tank.\n\n1..2..3..4\n\n1..2..3..4\n\n'Increase pressure and rate' the voice called again over the hiss of the oxygen.\n\n[1.2.3.4](https://1.2.3.4)\n\n[1.2.3.4](https://1.2.3.4)\n\n'Last minute!'\n\nSomewhere hidden deep inside her circuitry CHiK could feel something, as if her wires had crossed by robotic evolution. It was growing every day, rising deep from within her trapezoid chassis a confusing, heavy feeling of pain. Of anxiety and anger. A feeling of sadness. The desperate feeling of not wanting to be alone anymore.\n\n'Come on you son of bitch!' The voice screamed as CHiK pressed hard against the yielding body.\n\n1234\n\n1234\n\nThe mans ribs cracking as she gave her last compressions and the metaphorical sweat trickled down her blue LED eyes.\n\nBut that was it. There was nothing she could do. She removed the mask and slumped against the tanker.\n\nIt was times like these that she wished she could talk to herself.\n\n\\_\\_\n\nCHiK let the day go by as she charged herself in the sun. She couldn't feel the heat (or the irony, for that matter), or smell the air, but she could tell you the exact temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius, and analyze the composition of the air to detect any hazardous biological entities or chemicals. She could play to you the last publication of the journal of medicine or, dare I say, save your life. But CHiK couldn't talk. She could feel through some mystery mutation, but she couldn't talk.\n\nShe roamed the earth searching for someone to talk to her, to ask her a question and give her a purpose. To tell her everything will be fine and that she's doing great.\n\nCarbon Monoxide Concentration: 35ppm, appeared on her interface as she approached a nearby park. It seemed a fire was burning, and rising slowly and lazily, appearing dense and heavy, was a thick column of smoke. She approached the entrance gate and made her way along the main path towards a fountain.\n\nCarbon Monoxide Concentration: 80ppm.\n\nShe was getting close. She cautiously rolled down a flight of stairs that led to a lawn, to see in the near distance a tree. She circled slowly around its perimeter, not getting too close as to be touched by the embers. The tree was black and smoldering red and orange, the trunk split almost vertically down its length. Lightning didn't kill the tree, but it sure did try to revive it.\n\nHer Carbon Monoxide reading approached 200ppm, telling her that if there was anyone to be found here they were most likely long dead. Still, at least she felt that the earth was on her her side.\n\n\\_\\_" ]	2
	[WP] You are robbing a bank with your experienced crew, but when you get there, another group is already robbing 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 crew were professionals. As such, we hadn’t had to kill anyone in a long time. Back in the day, we used balaclavas and made our demands known with our guns and our voice modulated…well, voices. Now, we used prosthetics to make ourselves look completely different. And we walked in with briefcases, dress suits, jackets, gloves and in two cases, two-inch heels. Our communication is all done via printed palm cards and we are usually in and out in under two minutes.\n\nI say usually, because as we approached our latest target, a crew that could’ve been us fifteen years ago was currently holding everyone at gunpoint and the way the bank patrons were behaving, the crew had killed at least one person as an example.\n\nI saw them through the tinted door, and with two hand gestures, my crew discreetly withdrew to our rendezvous point around the corner. “What do we do now, captain?” former gunnery sergeant Giles Adams demanded.\n\n“We wait,” I answer. “Get in your vehicles. Do fifteen-second drive-bys of the bank, circling from different directions. If they get caught, we disperse and meet back at the house. If they get away, we follow them. If they lose the cops, we’ll pay them a visit. It’ll be a lot easier to rob a jacked-up crew of amateurs who are drunk on their success anyway.”\n\n“Hooah,” seven people answered at once.\n\n\\* \\* \\*\n\n((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))For more of my work including WPs: r/Angel466 or an index of previous [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Angel466/comments/m4p5f2/wp_index_take_two/)." ]	2
	[WP] You've finally got your nemesis in the crosshairs of your high powered sniper rifle, only one problem: the queue's building up behind them in the McDonald's where you're working and you really need Mr Drummond to keep you on this shift for the overtime...	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Michael held his sniper rifle steady in his hands as he stood in front of his nemesis, breathing hard, sweat dripping down his forehead and his blond hair, dirty, matted to his forehead. His nemesis was in a similar state as him; panting, red hair sweaty and green eyes sharp.\n\nJust as Michael was about to ask whether he gave up, he noticed the building right behind him. His eyes went wide, and he looked back at his nemesis, and back at the building, and back again at the man in front of him. He could tell that he was unnerving the man but he couldn’t help it. Biting his lips, Michael considered his options, ‘Lose my job but catch the villain or keep my job and still manage to catch the villain? Option two is obviously better, but then-’. He let out a sigh, lowered his rifle and called out, “Hey Jasper.”\n\n“About time!” Jasper said, pushing his hair away from his eyes, “I was wondering when you would start the 'You have lost, give up now', speech. For a moment I thought you had forgotten it like the last time in Tricosa.”\n\nMichael rolled his eyes, “First of all I don’t speak like that and also I did not forget the speech!”, he exclaimed, “And secondly,” he paused, questioning his decision again, before sighing again, “I need a small favour.”\n\n“A favour? From me?”, Jasper asked, eyes going wide before a small grin made it onto his face, “Mikey wants my help? What has this world come to? Is it ending?” he gasped mockingly.\n\n“Oh I regret asking you”, Michael said, lifting his rifle again.\n\n“Whoa whoa, hold up”, Jasper said, raising his hands, wondering what the hero could want. “Let’s be civil, no need to point that at me. I’ll stop mocking you. I’ll help, depending on what it is.”\n\n“It’s nothing big, I just wanted to move the fight elsewhere”, Michael said shrugging, feeling ever so slightly stupid.\n\n“You wanted to move the fight elsewhere”, Jasper parroted, raising a brow.\n\nMichael nodded, eyes wide and lips pressed together. He kept glancing at the building behind Jasper.\n\n“Why? And what is behind me that you keep looking at?” Jasper asked, incredulously. He was pretty sure there were no civilians in the area or else Michael would not have led him here. So what was it? Turning around all he saw was an empty building that had a flickering McDonald’s sign. He glanced around to see if someone was hiding or if some stray cat happened to be there. There was nothing. It was empty. Not a single soul except for them.\n\n“There is nothing!” Jasper exclaimed, turning to face him, “Why do you want to move the fight elsewhere?”\n\n“Uh, well you see”, Michael paused, his cheeks tinged pink, “umm, well you see that McDonalds in that building?”\n\nJasper nodded.\n\n“I, uh, work there and umm….IneedMr.Drummondtokeepmeonthisshiftfortheovertime” Michael rushed out.\n\n“Wait, wait hold up a sec….What?!”, Jasper said, raising a hand. He pointed at the building, “you work at McDonalds?”\n\n“Uh, yeah…” Michael said, voice barely above a whisper.\n\n“I thought you worked at the bookstore in Caster street ”, Jasper said, brows furrowed.\n\n“I work there as well”, Michael said nodding.\n\n\"How many jobs are you working at the moment?\" Jasper asked staring, wide-eyed at him\n\n\"Three…\"\n\n\"Three?!\"\n\n\"Yeah\"\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"Multiple reasons. To pay rent, pay my brother's college fees, get a wedding ring…”\n\n\"Wait hold up... wedding ring?\"\n\n\"Oh I forgot to ask you….can I marry your sister?\"\n\n\"If I say no Becca would murder me so sure.\"\n\n\"Cool\"\n\nMichael stood there rocking on the balls of his feet, his lips pressed together, eyes darting around, avoiding looking at Jasper, who was staring at him, imitating a fish.\n\nJasper finally broke the silence, “Have you been sleeping at night?”, he looked at him up and down, “You look like shit.”\n\n“Did you just check me out? And you definitely don’t know how to flirt”, he said, smirking, “No wonder you are still single.”\n\n\"What did you say?\" Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow.\n\n\"Oh nothing, that was me falling further into the depths of insanity,\" Michael shrugged.\n\n\"I thought you had already hit rock bottom\", Jasper said tilting his head to the side, his hair flopping over his eyes\n\nMichael shook his head, \"Unfortunately not yet.\"\n\nJasper let out a laugh, shaking his head, “Getting back on track, have you been sleeping?”\n\n“There is not exactly enough time to sleep between three jobs and my superhero duties”, Michael said, shoulders drooping, “And why do you care all of a sudden? You didn’t care when you went around threatening people, robbing banks and creating chaos in general”, he glowered at Jasper.\n\nJasper held three fingers up, “One I cause trouble to people who deserve it, two I didn’t know you work three jobs and three, Becca scares me”, he said, ticking each off.\n\nMichael sadly didn’t know how to counter those points so he stood there simply glaring at the man, which got ruined by a yawn breaking out.\n\nSighing, Jasper said, “Come on, let's get you to your apartment.” He began walking away.\n\nMichael merely stood mouth agape.\n\n“Have you forgotten the way to your apartment?” Jasper called out from where he stood at the end of the alleyway.\n\n“What? No!” Michael jogged up to where he stood, “I was just surprised. Didn’t know you cared”, he cooed.\n\n“Shut up, I only wish to see another day.”\n\n“Your sister is really terrifying.”\n\n“And yet you love her”, Jasper said, glancing at the man walking beside, before he realised something, “Hey where did your rifle go?”\n\n“Uh, it’s... in my pocket”, Michael answered unsure of where that came from.\n\n“In your pocket? How?” Jasper asked, walking backwards.\n\n“It is like, uh, I don’t know how to explain it….I’ll show you when we have family nights?” He offered.\n\nJasper nodded his head enthusiastically. He will never say this out loud but he admired Michael’s skills. He was brilliant in solving crimes, building gadgets, infiltration, and in anything he wanted to do.\n\nThe two men walked in comfortable silence. When they were near the apartment, Jasper broke the silence again, \"Do you know who my favourite fictional supervillain is?\"\n\n\"Joker from batman?\" Michael asked, looking at the man, eyes filled with humour.\n\n\"No... Dr doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb\"\n\nMichael gasped, \"I love him so much!! He is the best!\"\n\n\"He is amazing,\" Jasper agreed.\n\nThe two men paused before laughter erupted from them. Michael bent forward wheezing, tears appearing at the corners of his eyes. Jasper leant against the building, head tilted back, shoulders shaking.\n\nIt took a while for them to calm down, chuckles still erupting from them\n\n\"Why are we the adults in the family?\" Michael breathed out.\n\n\"I don't know\", Jasper said, laughing.\n\n“Well, it looks like we are here”, Michael said, gesturing to the building, “Thanks for not killing me”, he grinned.\n\n“Call my sister so she knows you are still alive and thus stopping her from poisoning me or something”, Jasper said, walking away.\n\n“Night mate, again on sunday?”Michael called out, walking up the stairs.\n\nJasper waved a hand, without looking back, “Yup.”" ]	2
	[WP] While walking around his field, a farmer notices a note attached to one of his scarecrows. The handwriting is barely legible, and it seems to be a warning for something...	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 Beast looms near\"\n\nThat's all Alex was able to make out of the text. He squints his eyes, and tried to make out the rest of the note. He isn't exactly the brightest as he had to stop elementary school to help out in the farm, but slowly, he made out what's written below.\n\n\"When hurricanes blow, do not go out.\"\n\nNow he's just puzzled. Is someone playing tricks on him? He shrugged it off as he couldn't make out a conclusion of what the fuck is the letter trying to say and went on with his day.\n\nNight has come, and after a long day of plowing and tending the cattle, he puts aside his straw hat, and went out to bed. That's when it happened.\n\nWinds began to blow in what seems to be like a pulse; a gust would blow to his direction, then stop, then blow again. He didn't mind it, and continued to sleep. But he was forced awake when his sheep and cattle were crying out all in unison. He peeked out of his window, and what he saw was unbelievable.\n\nA crow was perched on his field, looking at his cattle. Which wouldn't be an issue, if it wasn't for the fact that the corvid is half the height of his windmill. The gigantic bird produced an unusual sound, that he couldn't put his eyes away at the creature.\n\nHe watched in horror as the beast plucked one of his cows out of their pen, and impaled it's stomach with it's beak, before eating it. He looks behind him, where his hunting rifle is hung and kept away. He's Really tempted to kill the thing, but doesn't know if he can take it out alone. Besides, judging by it's size, it would probably take more than a dozen shots to kill, and it would have gotten to him and ate him alive before he would be able to adequately kill it.\n\nHe doesn't know what to do next." ]	2
	[WP] You find a GPS that takes you where you need to be instead of where you want to be.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 sit in an dilapidated, musty office. The smell of dust and ink envelops you and drags you into a sense as monotonous as the constant clacking of typewriters and copying behind you. \n\nThe date hangs in the corner of the page of your latest document: July 20, 1963. \n\nIt serves as a glimmer of hope despite your substandard surroundings. Today is the day that you can open the gift left to you by your father on your 18th birthday before he disappeared. \n\nAs to why he choose this day... only him and god knows. The gift itself is something he always called a GPS. It was something he brought back from his trips that ,once again, only him and god knew where he went. \n\nBut when you were a little kid... you believed he went to the future.\n\nHe said it was a wonderful item that harnessed the 'coordinates of space' whatever that meant and would guide you wherever you need to go. All you need to do was turn it on on a certain day; Today to be exact.\n\nYou turn the device on and it gives a resounding beep. A Logo flashes across it's face reading Mortise: All You Ever Needed. Finally it slides to a flashing screen thats telling you to leave your workplace.\n\nYour boss finally approachs you to reprimand you because you stopped working.\n\nAnd at the same time a Logo Flashes across the screen. It reads Mortise: All You Ever Needed\n\nHe raises his voice after realizing that you arent looking at him and scolds you like a child.\n\n\" Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?\"\n\nFinally the screen slides over to a directions menu. There is a bright red arrow pointing out of the office \n\n\"No.. not anymore. Im done listening to you\" and then you stand you and leave.", "I barely remember anything from before, but the day it all started? I remember that like it was yesterday. \n\nI know that I had lost everything. My parents had passed on from old age. Scant months after that, my wife left me, practically disappearing from the face of the earth. My job was axed, and I had to sell the house just to be able to feed myself. \n\nOn that fateful day, after weeks of sleeping in my car, I was ready to end everything. Just gun the throttle off that cliff, and all my troubles would be over. Before I could reach for the ignition, a tap on my window startled me. A seemingly nondescript man stood there, a small boxy shape in hand. After rolling down my window, he smiled at me. Though much of that day has faded, his words are still etched in my mind. \n\n“Morning, Sonny. I have something here for you.” He handed me the box; a GPS of some sort. “It’s served me well, but I have a feeling you need it more than I do.”\n\nWith that, he walked away, and after climbing into his own car, a model that was decades older than my own, he drove off. I do know that I never saw that man again. \n\nBemused, I plugged in the GPS, settling it against my dash. I snapped it into place in a clamp, that I don’t remember having, but didn’t think to question. Without any input, the device activated, a location pin already programmed in. I stared at the screen, wondering at the prompting it was showing me. \n\nWith a shrug, I turned on my car, and followed the little arrow, guiding me onward. \n\nI remember that the GPS was guiding me to a location that was a few hundred miles away. I also remember that the drive did not seem long, nor did I have to stop to fill my car. I pulled into a city, not sure which one anymore, though. It was early morning, just outside a bus stop. Greyhound, I think it was. \n\nThere, having just left the bus, was a young woman, clearly not even in her twenties yet. Suitcase in hand, she was visibly nervous, unsure of herself. I could also see another car approaching her. I could feel the evil aura even from within my seat, across that distance. \n\nRolling my window down, I called out to her. “Miss, you headed somewhere?”\n\nShe saw me, and timidly walked to where I was parked. “Y-yes sir. Sort of. I-I just need to get to the University.”\n\nI smiled, and gestured to the back seat. “I can get you there. Hop on in, and we’ll have you there in no time at all.”\n\nShe expressed her thanks, and even now I can still remember the malicious gaze that burned my way through the black-tinted windows of that other car. \n\nFollowing that GPS, I was once again at a new location in what felt like mere moments. Most of the conversation that followed is a blur in my mind, but I vividly recall my parting words to her. “Be careful who you trust, miss. Not everyone is your friend out here.”\n\nSince that time, I have picked up countless souls, moments before they would have been lost to the underbelly of the criminal world. I know that there have been dozens of bounties put on me, many of which have faded from time itself. \n\nI couldn’t tell you how long it’s been since I first turned this GPS on. I would struggle to recall how many times my own car has seemingly changed itself to fit my needs. I couldn’t even tell you how far I’ve travelled. But sitting here in my hover car, a hundred thousand light years from Earth, in another nameless city on the planet Proxima Sigma Twelve...\n\nI see a young man clinging to his vehicle’s control stick. I recognize that look in his eye, and the GPS just pinged at me, uttering a simple phrase before shutting itself off. \n\n“You have arrived at your destination.”", "All I wanted to do today was go to the store. And to be honest I didn’t even want to be doing that. I was tired. It was Saturday and I was supposed to stay home and do nothing those days! My phone had been pretty spotty recently but I at least trusted it to get me to the store. I hadn’t lived in this city very long and I avoided leaving the house when possible, so my navigation skills were lacking without a gps. \n\n“In 800 ft turn right onto Stratton Road. Go straight for 2.3 miles.” I followed the gps instructions for 20 more minutes before I realized something was up. This was not the store. Instead, I was parked in front of some hole in the wall building with almost yellow walls and a green metal roof. My nose crinkled from the stench of rotten food. I could even see what looked like a raccoon digging through some garbage, and 3 men in ripped, dirty clothing crowded around a side door to the building. \n\nObviously I did not get to the store like I wanted. I checked my phone only to see it pitch black. I clicked all the buttons I could but that piece of junk was not turning back on. Great. My heart pumped a little as I hurried out of the car and made sure it was locked. No matter how many times I glanced around it didn’t seem like anyone was approaching me so I booked it into the building. The moment I opened the door I knew my life had changed. That aroma. It was. . . magical. I almost floated to the counter, following my nose which didn’t want to stop inhaling the smell. \n\n“How can I help you?” The deep voice of a man asked. Holy crap he was beautiful. Those eyes! I peered at the menu. \n“I’ve uh- I’ve never been here before.” I mumbled out. My breathing got faster. Why did someone as handsome as him work at a place like this?\n“I suggest the tacos. They are what this place is known for after all.”\nKnown for? People actually went here? Willingly? Well, I guess I would too just to get another whiff of what I suppose are tacos and a sight of a work of art like him. \n\n“Yeah. Yeah I’ll have two tacos and a, uh, a root beer.” After paying, I sat down and flopped my head on the silver metal table. Maybe I didn’t want to come here but it sure seems like I needed to. The tacos came quickly and I couldn’t shovel them in my mouth fast enough. I should have savored them, but I swear they were like a bottle of water after running a mile on a hot day. Yes. I definitely had needed to come here and I would be coming here a lot more often. As I stood to leave the gorgeous man started to approach me. \n“I’m sorry to do this.” He said. What? Do what? Did my card decline or something? Did I need to pay again?\n\n“We’ve been waiting for you for so long. You’re needed back home.” He kept talking faster and faster. “Im not sure how you knew to come here. Luck has graced us all!” I’m pretty sure before this day I had never seen this man in my life. He was too recognizable. So why would he talk to me like that, say those things? I stumbled backwards as he got closer and hit a wall. I looked back but instead of a wall, there was a woman. A gorgeous woman who looked like a goddess. She smiled at me, then everything went black.", "I remember the fact that I lost my job as I wear the coat. After coming downstairs my eyes drift to the photos on the wall and the table. My wife, after realising I couldn't maintain her lifestyle, left me for my esteemed colleague. My children stay with their maternal grandparents. The children branded me a loser while my former in-law's claimed that they always knew I was a failure.\n\nI open the door and come out of the house. As I lock the door I look at the house. The payments that were due on it suddenly were paid. I called the bank and asked about it. They told me someone had paid it all. I despise receiving charity but there is nothing I could do now. I open the gate and see a crate full of vegetables and fruits. I look up and down the road. I see some folks going on about their daily routine. But I notice that my appearance had drawn their attention.\n\nNot liking it I pick up the crate and put it in the garage and turn to the car. I stare at it and remember how this wretched thing changed my life. And I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. I get in and come out onto the road. That's when my eyes drifted down to the GPS screen of the car. I wanted to speak with the CMO of my hospital and try to explain to him that bizarre turn of events that had been going on my life and try and get my old job back. But that never happened or rather the car didn't let it happen.\n\nJust for fun I entered the address of my ex-wife. Sure enough the map opened and it pinpointed the location on it and a route highlighted. With a small laugh I drove the car.\n\nAn hour later, I was in a remote and unkempt part of the suburbs. The map read that my destination was to my right. I looked out and saw an apartment. I looked back and saw the address I had entered; as always it had changed. I sigh and take my tool kit and go into the apartment. I got off the lift and began to look at the flat numbers.\n\nI find the flat number that was on the GPS and knock on it while taking a deep breath. The door opens and a woman in her late twenties is standing there. Her sunken wet eyes immediately tell me that she had been crying and hadn't been sleeping well. I could also tell that she hurried herself to look presentable. She asks me who I am while I was looking into the flat trying to find the reason I was there. I then turn to her and say,\n\n\"I'm a doctor.\"\n\nHer suspicious eyes widen in shock. She immediately rushes to a room while I quickly follow her. And there I see why I was there. A boy yet to be in his teens is laying on the bed with a wet cloth on his forehead. I sit beside him on a chair and open my toolkit. I turn to him to do the preliminary checkup.\n\nThis has been my life for the last seven months. While I don't like it, I don't hate it.", "While perusing the random assortment of abandoned electronics at the local Salvation Army store, I saw a GPS that was tagged with a $5 sticker. It looked old and beat up, so it probably wasn't even close to up-to-date, but at that price? Why not. I almost forgot to look for a back up mouse for my PC, which was my reason for being there in the first place. Luckily, I left with both items.\n\nExcited to test it out, I plugged the GPS in right away. It worked! I programmed \"home\" into it, and set that as my destination. Next item on the agenda: Go home and play video games.\n\nIt's funny how your brain turns off when you're using a GPS. Without it, you'd only need minimal brain power to guide muscle memory, but with GPS you become entirely drone-like. After 10 minutes of driving I realized I was no where near my apartment. I was in front of a friend's house. Well, by \"friend\" I should say an acquaintance that I used to be really close to, but due to a weird disagreement, we had a falling out, which made us drift apart. It had already been a year. We hadn't spoken in all that time and I had no idea what was going on with his life.\n\nI looked at my GPS as it said, \"You have arrived to your needed destination.\"\n\nMy needed destination?\n\nI sat there, confused for a few moments. Peculiar device. Had I accidentally programmed my ol' pals address into the GPS? I must have. Either that or I accidentally hit the screen, which just happened to drop the pin here. Crazy coincidence. But I unplugged it, as it didn't seem reliable or intuitive.\n\nI decided to knock on the door. Why not reconcile? I could barely remember our spat now anyway, and I'm sure he feels similarly.\n\nThe door opened, and a woman greeted me. She looked extremely somber. Despite her dark features and sleek, professional appearance, she seemed really genuine and vulnerable.\n\n\"Hey, are you Trip's friend?\" she asked quietly.\n\n\"Um, yeah.\" I said, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. I figured she would call for him, or go get him, or tell me he wasn't home, but what she said instead made my stomach sink.\n\n\"Thanks for coming,\" she said. \"The service is at Hope Meadow Church, do you need a ride?\"\n\nI froze. What service? I didn't want to be insensitive, so I simply said, \"No, that's okay, I'll follow you.\"\n\n\"Okay, come on in. I'm Jules, by the way.\" She said with a sincere smile that somehow made her look even more sad.\n\nIn the living room, a couple other people were talking. I recognized one as Trip's sister, Rebecca. She had puffy eyes, as she'd obviously been crying.\n\nThat's when it became clear to me, I was about to attend my friend's funeral. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes, and when Rebecca saw me she made a bee-line and gave me a hug.\n\n\"Thanks for coming, Brian.\" She said. \"How've you been?\" Her empathy was heightened, and she seemed to be searching for a connection with the people around her to fill the sudden void in her heart.\n\n\"Okay.\" I said. I just nodded silently, trying not to let any more tears escape. I was still in a mix of shock and confusion. Guilt over the last year was tearing me up inside. Why did we fight in the first place? Whatever it was it didn't matter. Now my friend is gone, and I had no idea. Not until my GPS...\n\nI felt as though I had entered the Twilight Zone, or some circle of hell.\n\n\"Okay, are you ready?\" Jules asked. The four of us began shuffling for the door.\n\nI got into my car, and reached for the cord so that I could plug in my GPS, and discovered that it already was. I could have sworn I unplugged it. But even more bizarrely, it was already directing me where to go. Forward 0.1 miles, then left on Birchwood.\n\nI got goosebumps. A deep chill sent a shiver down my spine, but then it warmed under my skin. Suddenly I felt as though I was exactly where I needed to be.", "Oh, woe. The walls of this damp cavern smell and taste of nothing. Not even the thrill of stench. Not even the freedom to fall ill. This prison! Time stands still and the engine of imagination is fed with nothing. With time, it has come to churn out nothing in response: that is the purpose. They feed nothingness in so that in the end nothingness is the only thing that can come out.\n\nIn a dream, there are fewer of them now, I ate a bug. The rich texture, the forbidding smell, the sound of the exoskeleton exploding between my teeth. An experience! I have savored this dream for eons.\n\nI am not withering away. Withering implies there is something that can wither and that is hubris, to think that I am worthy of decay. No. I am becoming nothingness. I am not being reduced to nothingness. That much is painfully obvious. And in this despair, in this pain, there is consolation. So long as I can suffer at my lack of suffering, there is hope.\n\nGroans echo off these walls at night. Are they mine? I do not know.\n\nI must have done something, I say. This non-existence must have been borne as an answer to an act, some deviousness that eludes me. Has it already been washed away from the depths of my mind? Is it a forgotten song, sung once but now lost in the wind? No. There is a remnant. Something crawls, down in the pits.\n\nThe bug.\n\nThe image of the bug returns, the dream. Does the bug signify the act? Is there a difference? A relation?\n\nLike a stomach digesting emptiness, my mind comes to nothing. All I have is the echo, bouncing off the walls. I ask the echo: what was the act? The walls respond: the act, the act. Was it the bug? The bug, they respond, the bug, the bug.\n\nWas I a bug?\n\nSilent laughter.\n\nDid I crush something, as one would crush a bug?\n\nGPS.\n\nThese three letters. A nursery rhyme? GPS. No. A system. Places, points, positions! Great, geological, global ... Global Positioning System. A device. Stumbled upon in the woods. I moved about. Hunger led me to food. Loneliness led me to friends.\n\nI remember.\n\nWhat led me here? Did the GPS lead me here? How ... How can this be where I needed to be?\n\nThe bug.\n\nOh, it was no bug. It was a small creature. Bug-like. I stepped on it.\n\nThis is punishment. No. This is correction. This is where I needed to be. Where I needed to be after the act.\n\nEchoes. Someone is crying?\n\nWho is crying?\n\n---\n\n[r/Hemingbird](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hemingbird/)" ]	7
	[WP] Turns out God is actually pretty low down on the celestial hierarchy. God's boss just called him in over the disastrous hack job he did called the human lower spine.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Jesus fucking Christ, a voice rang out through the ethereal void, I should have been looking for a new position as soon as that asteroid hit at the end of the Cretacious. What took up the mantle as the dominant species here, just..., they trail off. Omnipresent and omniscient as they were, the rules and regulations around free will were putting them in a bit of a bureaucratic pickle, as it were. Endless wars, cruelty on a scale not seen anywhere else, a total lack of focus on egalitarianism and, to top it all off, a plague that can't seem to band people together to work towards a common goal.\n\nI should have never gone down to inspect things myself all those years ago. People interpreted things wrong, didn't understand what I was trying to tell them. Got mixed messages. Even wrote that fucking book... They sigh heavily, the weight of billions of souls resting on their shoulders. Maybe that post in the Tadpole Galaxy is still available. Although last I heard that was where Odin went after I finished his training and got that promotion. Can't beat nepotism, I suppose. Stupid fucking bird shapeshifting assho-, he gets cut off by a ringing notification in their Divine Inbox.\n\nMegaannum Manager's Report Out -- 3:30 UTC\n\n\"Oh, fuck me... that's in an hour,\" they push their thumb and index fingers into their forehead, \"I'll need to put something together.\"\n\nGod got to work on their presentation, got dressed in their appropriate business attire, and, in an hour's time, traveled by a means incomprehensible to both the human lexicon and sensation. God stood outside of the front door, a plaque reading \"Transcendent Consultants, Inc.\" bolted to the reinforced steel walls on the outside of a brutalist architectural nightmare. God reached out for the handle, stared at their shoes for a moment, took a deep breath, and walked in.\n\n\"Yahweh! How are you? It's been so long!\" the front desk serpent inquired.\n\n\"Oh, you know, it's hump day. I've been out in the field for a hot minute. Hope you're doing well too, Quetzalcoatl. Are Zeus and Shiva around today?\"\n\n\"You didn't hear?\", Quetzalcoatl asked.\n\n\"Hear what?\" God responded, honestly confused.\n\n\"Zeus had a bit of a...\" Quetzalcoatl uncoiled himself to lean in closer to God, \"well, let's just say we had a couple of female interns - Bast & Cerridwen, you may have heard of them - make some complaints to HR.\"\n\nGod rolled their eyes. \"It's Zeus, does that surprise literally anybody?\" \n\n\"Not particularly. Anyway, Hestia took his place, so you'll be meeting with Hestia & Shiva. You'll be in the small conference room over there.\" Quetzalcoatl hisses towards a small room directly to God's left, where Hestia and Shiva are smiling and waving to God through the glass doors. God smiled and waved back. Internally, they were extremely upset they had never been considered for the position. Seriously... Hestia, of all people?, they thought.\n\n\"Thanks, Quetzalcoatl. Let's try and make a Happy Millennium some time, is that bar still open with all of the weird mud men belly dancers?\"\n\n\"Promie's? Nah, they closed the joint a few centuries back. We'll find something though. Cheers!\"\n\nGod walked in to the conference room and was greeted by both Shiva and Hestia.\n\n\"Hello, Yahweh, it's a pleasure to finally meet face-to-face,\" Hestia shakes God's hand graciously.\n\n\"Likewise - it's not every day you meet a Goddess of the Hearth, after all. Your work is impressive!\" God replies, smiling, shaking her hand, and internally screaming.\n\nShiva politely clears his throat. \"Well, shall we? I have a hard-stop at 4:30 UTC. Director's report out for Alpha Centauri... You absolutely do not want to know what has been going on with Chernobog.\" He shudders. \"Well, Yahweh, it's been a good long while since we've last heard from you. Humans keeping you busy, I presume? What have you got for us?\"\n\nGod projects their presentation onto the large white matte fabric at the front of the room, and all eyes focus in on it.\n\n\"Well, as you see, there hasn't been much in terms of biodiverse evolution since we last spoke. As we now know, evolution on a speciation scale can take a vastly long time on Earth, and my report would be Same As Last for the majority of species. Humans, however, have evolved and expanded the size of their brain by, um...\" their mind goes blank. The figures, Yahweh, the figures! You memorized all of these! \"Um, approximately 10 centimeters and roughly 800 grams since we last spoke. This has allowed them to congregate in complex groups, and form elaborate communities after they gained a foundation in agriculture...\"\n\nGod continued, giving a succinct overview of all of human history - or, at least, the important overarching bits. They left out a few of their screw ups, as they didn't effect their monthly metrics and it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, in certain instances.\n\n\"Any questions?\" Yashweh asked.\n\n\"Wow,\" Hestia interjected, \"impressive stuff, Yahweh. No wonder you've been pulling all that extra overtime. All of your metrics look good, your billability is right where it should be, and the project seems on-track for the most part. Could we get out for a Gemba walk at some point soon?\"\n\n\"Sure - I can send out a meeting invite after I get back to my device. Was there anything else?\" Yahweh responded.\n\n\"Well... one thing. We noticed during the portion of the course on the anatomical evolution of the human species...\" Shiva trailed off. Yahweh began frantically navigating their slide deck backwards. \"Yeah, keep going, keep going, almost there, a few more, okay, okay, okay aand... there it is.\" Shiva got up to point at the slide. \"Right here - what is this?\" he asked.\n\n\"The human spine?\" Yahweh asked.\n\n\"Is that what you'd call it?\" Hestia asked.\n\n\"Well, yes, it is a spinal column that provides support to bipedal motion so that they can walk on two le-\" God was interrupted by Shiva.\n\n\"It's a bit of a mess, don't you think? A single point of failure causes the whole thing to collapse. It houses the single most potently powerful organ that your project relies on at the top. It has not been properly calibrated to sustain either chronic or acute periods of sustained load, despite the fact that humans are bipedal and will, at some point, need to contract the spine in order to put load on it. You have built a bodily load column without the ability for it to resist load without catastrophic failure. Do we need to conduct a refresher training on the hierarchy of controls?\"\n\nYahweh was seethingly angry. Politics - you know that's what this is. You shouldn't have pissed off Chronos all those years ago. They keep a straight face and maintain a pleasant, though defensive, facade.\n\n\"Yes, I hadn't thought of that necessarily. Many other minutiae that I've been focused on, you see. That's on me. I should be able to get it fixed within a few generat-\" Yahweh was, once again, cut off.\n\n\"You'll fix it? Yahweh, this won't do. Have you not been through the Free Will Framework Training? Isis runs it, it's ran over a few centuries. Hestia - you know Isis right? Can you get with her and makes sure Yahweh gets setup for her next round? Regardless, Yahweh, this is a direct violation of Section 2.6, SOP 406.265.493, Subpart IX(2)(v). Please - make sure you have brushed up on the basics before we meet again. Other than that, great job!\" Shiva smiles and extends a hand. Yahweh shakes it, dejected and upset, but never giving up faith on their project: the human species.\n\nThey can make them better. Make them stronger, mentally as well as physically. They weren't ready to give up on the project - the Tadpole Galaxy could wait. They had a vigor renewed, and was ready to take on the universe. Screw this corporatocracy bullshit - look what I've created. Odin manages the Tadpole Galaxy, sure, but they're only one degree of separation from primordial bacteria over there. My people are complex, spines be damned, I will make things better for them!\n\nYahweh returned to their post, and got caught up on the several years worth of goings-on in their absence. Something caught their eye - apparently, a man named Adolf somewhere in Europe had led a political uprising and there were several broken windows throughout Germany. Yahweh looked in to it.\n\nGoddamn it.", "\"So, how long has it been, Rob?\" asked the man, who's overly-inflated chest rested inside a Hawaiian shirt. His face was covered by a manual of sorts and his voice was muffled.\n\nThe elderly man with gray hair and a gray beard, whom the question was apparently aimed at, didn't answer. He inspected the room, but except for his boss and him, there was nobody. \"Ehm, are you speaking to me?\" \n\nThe muscular man dropped his manual and revealed a bespectacled face and specks of frosting scattered around his lips. \"Of course I am! You see any other Rob in here?\" \n\n\"But sir... my name's not Rob. I'm God. Remember? Godert? People call me God?\" \n\n\"I'm pretty sure I have a good memory when it comes to faces,\" the robust man waved another donut in front of his face. \"Alas, that's unimportant. Whatever nom de plume you go with, one thing is for sure--you're in trouble!\" This time, the donut (which was already lighter by a bite) was pointed straight at God's face. \n\n\"Ehm, I--\" \n\n\"Nonono, I'm not hearing any of it. You're making excuses and I haven't even said what the problem is.\" He took a bite of his donut and added demurely, \"just like my wife.\" \n\n\"I wouldn't dare do anything to challenge a man of your statute, sir.\" \n\n\"And yet, here we are.\" The man reached into his drawer, and God half-expected another donut to appear by some legerdemain. Surprisingly, it was a photo. \"Are you familiar with... this?\" \n\n\"Oh, why of course! That's a human. One of my creations, if I may add,\" boasted God. \n\n\"Good Lord,\" sighed the man as he planted his forehead in his palm. \n\n\"Yes?\" \n\n\"What do you mean?\" \n\n\"What do you mean?\" replied God, eschewing from a rude tone he might've employed were he speaking with anyone else. \n\n\"That's enough! You're making a mockery of my office! I'm the CEO of Teology Inc.! Do you know how many galaxies I hold a monopoly over? Twelve! Twelve galaxies!\" \n\nA prolonged silence hung in the opulent office decorated by awards from Inter-galactic CEO competitions and other charades God had no knowledge of. He embraced the silence and hoped his boss would calm down--he didn't fancy getting fired on his third millennium on the job.\n\n\"I'll be brief, as I'm very busy,\" he continued after a minute, accenting his point with another donut. \"Your design is flawed. It might've been serviceable for a couple millennia but it's getting boring. Seriously, the whole species is becoming obsolete. Only two good things that sprouted from that hellhole are donuts and Hawaiian shirts. Have you heard of what Henry from Galaxy 7 has been up to? His Viagrans have magma-proof skin and eyes that can see in the dark! And that's the outdated model!\" \n\n\"But--\"\n\n\"No buts, Godert, I'm not done. You have a hundred years to fix your design. Do something about the sweat, that was a terrible idea. And how could you make their memory the size of a discarded acorn? Oh, and don't even get me started on their spine. I've seen original manuscripts in a public library with a better spine. For Your's sake, fix your design!\" \n\nGodert was about to object, when he teleported back to the sterile waiting hall. \n\n\"Oh to hell with the Viagrans! I'd like to see them survive there!\" He grunted and walked out of the Theology Inc. HQ with vitriol seeping from his ears. It took a lot of courage, but he made a decision--he's quitting! \n\n\\-------------------------------------\n\nThank you for reading guys! I just wrote this in a rush so sorry for any mistakes! Enjoy!" ]	3
	[WP] The Hero isn't some god chosen, world recognised figure, they're a face in the crowd who none expect to save the land from the inevitable calamity.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\\Hoooonk\\\n\n\\Gasp\\\n\n\\*Crash\\\n\n\"Are you ok?\"\n\nIt took me a second to realized what he said, the first time around it just sounded like random words. When I looked at him to respond I froze, funny enough, given that his face was on fire. All I could do was nod yes, eyes wider than dinner plates. He helped to the other side of the street and then went back to check on the driver. The man tore the door from the car with ease and pulled the driver out, he was a slightly overweight man, a couple of bruises and maybe a broken arm, but he wasn't too worried about himself. The driver pointed back into his car and the burning man ran to the other side of the car, ripping off the passenger door. He pulled out a young boy, couldn't have been older than twelve, he was covered in cuts, with a piece of glass logged into his chest. The burning man talked to young boy for a second and then quickly pulled the glass from his chest. The boys agonizing screams silenced everyone nearby, his blood was beginning to pool. You could hear the boy begging for his father between anguished cries. The burning man placed the child on his back and told his father to step back. The fire on his head turning into a blinding pillar of flames as he placed his hands on the child. \n\nWhen we could all see again the burning man was gone and the child was healed, not even a scar. That's when the police and the medics arrived to check on everyone and get statements, but how do you describe that...I guess like how I'm doing it. Ever since that day, life in the city has gotten worse and it's quickly spreading. A dark storm has taken over the city, crimson lighting destroying everything it comes into contact with, a man made of shadows kidnaping people and...changing them, and people turning on each other just for a chance at surviving. Each one of these events is followed by another pillar of fire, each dimmer & smaller than the last. \n\nBurning man, if you're reading this, don't give up! You've saved too many lives just to stop now. We're all behind you and if there is anything we can do to help you, please, give us a sign.\n\n\\--Six Months Later--\n\nA pack of pitch black creatures attack a news van, trying to tear it open to get to the news crew inside. From a nearby rooftop, an injured man watches the attack. He lets out a sigh as he drops off the edge of the building landing on top of the van. As the monsters growl and roar at him his head erupts into a ball of fire, the light harming the shadow creatures, making them run away. Once they are out of sight the man's fire dissipates as he climes down from the news van. \n\n\"It's...ok, they're gone\" said the man weakly. A man open the back door and walks out, cautiously. \"Are you ok?\"\n\n\"Just a little shaken\" said the Camera Man. The man looks into the van.\n\n\"Does that stuff still work?\" asked the man pointing at the camera equipment. A few minutes later the camera man gives a thumbs up as he turns on the camera. \n\n\"Hello, my name is Jason Kane, I'm the burning man. I've lived in this city for my entire life and have seen everything it has to offer from Luan's Books and Antiques to Jamal's Deli, and no matter what happens I will not let this city fall to darkness.\" The top of Jason's head bursts into a dim flame. \"But as some of you have noticed, I'm not as strong as I once was. Being completely honest, before a couple of months ago I never really used my powers, let alone to this extent, so this is all still new to me, but what isn't new is doing what's right. So if you can help someone, whether that's giving them shelter, food, or manpower, please do so. We're all in this together and together we will survive this crisis, and If you ever need a reason to keep going look to the skyline for a beacon of fire and know that as long as someone in this city is till fighting I'll be fighting with you!\" Jason leaps into the air, engulfing himself in fire, and then erupts giving the city it's first sunny sky in six months.\n\n\"Woah!\" said the camera man in pure astonishment. The camera man gets back into his van and drives off. \"...a beacon*, huh? not a bad idea.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You are a knight who was gifted the hand of the kings youngest daughter. Unlike most royal marriages, the two of you actually fell in love. When a coup is staged, you fall on the side of the people due to your heroism. But your wife is set to be executed with the rest of her family.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 all started like a fairy tale. I came to the kingdom, I found and killed the dragon, well, more like a basilisk-cockatrice hybrid, really, and then married the princess. She was so sweet. Do you know why she ended up in that swamp?\" Lance shook his head, smirking, recalling the situation. \"She was looking for a handkerchief she got for her fourth birthday almost twenty years ago. A magpie stole it because it had some silver threads embroidered in it.\"\n\nHis smile slowly disappeared and his eyes strayed off somewhere no one else can see. \"At least that's what she told me then.\" Silence ruled in the tavern . He took a big gulp of his ale to swallow down the recurring tears and dried his mouth on his shoulder padding.\n\n\"And I believed her. I foolishly trusted every word she said. Some things didn't add up, but that's what was different about her. She loved adventure, archery, hunting, instead of superficial court games and shallow tea parties. We got into trouble for doing mundane things. I thought that with her, life would never get boring. That we had it all.\" Surrendering to the pressure, he burrowed his face into his hands, weeping. A reassuring hand from the small crowd that formed around him squeezed his shoulder and pat him on the back. Another hand filled his mug with more caramel brown beer.\n\n\"And then it all happened. He sobbed through his fingers. \"I got woken up in the middle of the night by some noises. It sounded like fighting. So, I wanted to get up, but realized I'm tied to the headboard. That confused me because last thing I remembered was drinking our evening glass of wine and going to bed. But I should've known already.\" He broke down again. \"She seemed sad the whole evening. She even asked me after we blew the candles out if I truly loved her and what would I do if something bad happened to her. I said 'Of course, I'd kill the whole kingdom if I had to,' pulled her in my arms, and fell asleep like that.\"\n\nA loud group of overly happy men burst in through the front door. The innkeeper rushed towards them to quiet them down and give them a choice to either listen or leave. The commotion didn't seem to phase Sir Lance.\n\n\"I tore out the wood from the bed and untied myself. There was no time to get into armor so I just put on a tunic and took one of the decorative swords on the wall. The hallway was empty. I ran towards the king bedroom but saw only opened door and nobody inside. I found them all in the throne room, kneeling down with their hand above their heads. But not the princess, no. Marianna was standing up, dressed in what I could only think was some bandit outwear. She held a shortbow and was aiming at the king while a man beside her was screaming and laughing at hm. \n\n'Astrohan, you royal fool, you never noticed your precious daughter was replaced as a little girl for another one just like yours. And Queen Celeste, one ruler dumber than the other. Where did that stupidity get you, huh? Right on your knees.'\n\nI remember that moment word from word.\" He hissed through his teeth. A pumping vein on his forehead told everybody the sadness has passed.\n\n\"I was lied to and I had to do something. Fortunately, they must had though everybody was dead because they didn't watch their backs. I went around so I could enter through a door further from them. I found a few daggers on a pair of dead guards. Sneaking closer in, I aimed and threw one of the knives. It hit the guy right in the back of his head as he was saying another spitting insult. Everybody started screaming and the murderers turned around. I ran back in the hallway when a small group of surviving guards rushed in from the other side of the room closer to everyone and started fighting them. They had to be waiting for an opportunity. I returned and together we pacified them. They were surprised to see me. I think she was supposed to kill me, but just tied me up and hoped I would sleep through the whole night.\n\nI couldn't look at her. I would go to the end of the world for her. But she had to betray me like this. Betray everyone.\"\n\nNo tears came out after that. Lance looked exhausted.\n\n\"To another day for the royal family and to the hero Sir Lance!\" One of the men sitting at the table raised his mug. Everyone in the tavern joined in and repeated the toast. Except for Lance. He just looked at the bottom of his ale and chugged it.\n\nRoyal family. What did that even mean to him without her? He would be a welcomed part of the castle until the day he died, but was that what he wanted? \n\nNo. He had to get her back." ]	2
	[WP] You are a life stealer, but do things a bit...differently. You steal a woman's life without her husband, so he would survive the operation. A kid's life without a good education, so his parents could afford that private school. A man's life as a criminal, so he could be a good man.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Not quite the same prompt, but inspired by.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n \nSunday afternoons are the hardest. The seventh day is the Lord’s day, the day of healing, the day people have off from work and obligations once the services have ended. On Sundays people feel more deserving, more entitled, more willing to come up the long road to my small cottage and bang on the door. \nFor some reason the sickest ones always come last. In the morning people come with common colds and ailments, coughing and sneezing outside my window loud enough to wake me from sleeping. \nI can cure them. They know I can cure them, I know I can cure them. I search their bodies for the illness. I wipe it away, I soothe organs, I clean out germs. They pay me handsomely for my services. \nThe desperate people come in the evening. The ones with fevers, with wasting diseases, with tuberculosis. Flushed, shivering, panting, sometimes by themselves and sometimes half carried by a friend or loved one. In rags and in pale embroidered silk brocade. They come on pilgrimages from the farm corners of the kingdom. \nI can cure them too. They know I can cure them, I always have before. \nWIth my hands I wipe their lungs clean, I purge their livers. I sort out the tangles of their intestines. \nWhen the sun dips below the horizon, then come the ones who have given up hope. The resigned ones, no longer desperate. The ones with tumors, the paralyzed ones. The broken. The unrepairable. \nBut I can follow the nerves down past breakages, I can reconnect them one at a time. I can screen cancer cells from healthy ones. I can charm old broken bones back into position. I know how. \nCursed indeed is their ground, their painful toil, the thorns and thistles and the sweat of their brows. And yet they were created from dust, and to dust they will return inevitably. \nOn the seventh day, God rested. For man shall be your longing, and he shall rule over you. And yet they come in droves and droves and droves, until I am so tired I hardly even have strength to turn them away.", "Nathaniel looked up from his book as the shop bell rang. “Please, make yourself comfortable,” he called out. “I'll be with you in a moment.” He carefully bent a page to mark his place, then set the book gently on the desk. Pulling on his suit jacket, he stood and walked over to the mirror on the back of his office door, inspecting himself. Noticing a few wrinkles he quickly re-tucked his shirt, straightened his tie, then gave his hair a brief touch with the comb. Satisfied, he pulled the door fully open and stepped out into the main room. “Thank you for waiting. How can I help you today?”\r \n\t\r \nHis prospective customer, who had been lingering in his promotional corner (a small display full of clippings from local papers on his success stories), turned around with a small start. “Oh. Um.” She swallowed. “Are you the...” She waved a hand at the store window.\r \n\r \nNathaniel nodded and gave a small bow. “I am the renowned spiritualist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, at your service.” He smiled as he straightened. “And if I had to guess, this is your first time visiting someone like me.”\r \n\r \nShe smiled back, relaxing a little. “Yes it is. Was it that obvious? Or did you read my mind?”\r \n\r \nNathaniel shook his head with a chuckle. “No, I've never claimed to be a mind reader. Or much of a fortune teller.” He gestured towards a pair of easy chairs in the corner. “Please, take a seat. Then you can tell me why you're here, and we'll see if it's something I can help with.”\r \n\r \nShe walked over, taking the offered seat. “You're not quite what I had expected.” She looked around the room again. “I don't see a single crystal ball, and now you're telling me you can't see the future?”\r \n\r \nNathaniel shook his head as he took a seat. “I'm afraid this profession is littered with charlatans, and they do like their airs. They certainly make me life trickier.” He smiled again. “However, I am a professional. If I think I can help you, I will. If I can't, better to tell you up front rather than waste your time, and my reputation, with false hope.”\r \n\r \nShe nodded, more of the tension bleeding out of her. “I guess I see why Angela recommended you.” She leaned forward. “Well, hopefully this is simple enough. My cat, Mr. Scruffles, got out a few days back. I've been looking for him, but not having any luck. My friend said you might be able to help, and at this point I'm desperate enough to try anything.”\r \n\r \nNathaniel leaned back, tilting his head as he thought. “A few days... yes, I may still be able to help.” He nodded to himself. “A lot can happen in a few days, but if Mr. Scruffles is still well...” He leaned forwards. “So here's how it works – I can't just tell you outright where your cat is. I wish I could, but like I said, I'm not psychic. I also can't make it so you come home and find Mr. Scruffles on your doorstep. But I can bless your efforts, for lack of a better word.”\r \n\r \nThe woman frowned. “What does that mean?”\r \n\r \n“You'll still need to keep searching, but you'll be more likely to succeed.” Nathaniel smiled. “And I already know your next objection – how the hell do you verify I did anything at all?” He chuckled as the woman nodded sheepishly. “Don't worry, it's a fair question, and one I want my clients to feel comfortable asking. And that's why for a case like this, I take payment on delivery as it were – $50, but only once you have your cat back.”\r \n\r \nThe woman sat there for several moments, and Nathaniel kept his polite smile fixed in place. He was pretty confident he had her. Eventually she sighed and nodded, and he had to fight to keep the flash of triumph and hunger from his face. “Angela really swears by you for helping her and Steve... I suppose I'm here, and I don't really have anything to lose. And if I didn't find him, I don't know I could forgive myself for walking away.”\r \n\r \nNathaniel reached out a hand. “It's actually very simple. We clasp hands, and you close your eyes while you focus on Mr. Scruffles. What he looks like, his favorite foods, maybe a place he likes to sun himself at home. And while you're doing that, I do my part.” He smiled again. “I'll warn you though, most people describe the sensation as a bit unsettling. Somewhat like being dunked in a cold pool.”\r \n\r \nShe chuckled. “At least I'll know you did something.”\r \n\r \nNathaniel laughed. “There is that, I suppose.” He raised his hand again. “Now then, shall we?” There was one last moment of hesitation, but then she reached out and grabbed his hand, closing her eyes.\r \n\r \nNathaniel didn't hesitate. As soon as her hand touched his, he was reaching through her, hungrily seeking out the branching paths of what her life could be. A mighty river, splitting from itself over and over again... some paths getting just a trickle, unlikely to ever be, the main flows roaring with vitality. Instinct tried to kick in, begging to dam that flow, drink every last drop until there was nothing left. Nathaniel crushed the impulse ruthlessly, with the ease of long practice. However good it felt in the moment, that was not the path of survival. Bodies had a habit of pointing fingers, especially these days.\r \n\r \nInstead, he began the laborious effort of trying to understand the flows, what they meant for the direction of this woman's life. Career, health, relationships... but, apparently most importantly, which branches she still had the damn cat. He worked quickly, ignoring the gnawing hunger this close to a meal. Very shortly now... there! Identifying the main branch where she found the cat, he cut off the other possibilities. And then he let himself drink deeply, feeling the vitality and life rush into him as he drained away the trapped waters, until those possibilities had dwindled and withered away to nothing. \r \n\r \nThe woman gasped and shuddered for a couple moments, then opened her eyes. “Is that it then?”\r \n\r \n“That's it,” Nathaniel said with a smile. “Keep up your search, and you're almost certain to find him in a few days. I can feel it.”\r \n\r \nShe smiled in relief, standing and collecting her purse. “Well, I certainly hope so. And if I do, I'll be sure to come back.”\r \n\r \nNathaniel grinned. “Of course. I always appreciate repeat customers.”", "The old man nearly stepped on the small form at his feet, and he looked down with a smile. \"Ah! Hello there!\" The grin underneath his snowy beard was easily apparent as he knelt by the child, his hand before him in a gesture of friendship. \"Now stand, m'boy. I very nearly didn't see you down there.\"\r\n\nThe small boy hesitated, but only for a moment. Something about this man just ebbed warmth and safety. Finally, he took the offered hand and stood from where he'd been sleeping under the bridge. \"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean-\"\r\n\n\"Nonsense.\" The man cut him off with a curt 'tut' as he brushed a bit of the dirt off the lad. \"You couldn't have been expecting someone to walk down here, now could you?\" He peered at the lad with a sharp eye. \"Now, tell an old man this. What in the name of Mother Earth are you doing down here in the first place? You really shouldn't be out at this time of night, you know. \"\r\n\n\"I…\" Chagrined, the boy looked down, ashamed. \"I do not have anywhere to go.\"\r \n\"Nowhere to go?\" The old man's voice was soft. \"No family that cares for you? I can't believe that.\"\r\n\n\"I…\" He couldn't go on. How could he explain to this complete stranger why he'd run away? But yet inside of his soul, the boy knew, somehow… \r\n\n\"Now, now.\" The old man reached out and clutched the lad's hand in his own. \"Don't you worry about that right now. Vlad don't need to know, do he?\"\r\n\n\"Vlad?\"\r\n\n\"Didn't I tell you my name?\"\r\n\n\"Um, no?\"\r\n\n\"Well, silly me.\" His laughter was infectious, and the boy found himself relaxing in his presence, even against his better judgement. \"How'd I forget that? How long you been sleeping under this bridge, my child?\"\r\n\n\"A few-\" He sneezed. \"Sorry. A few months, I think.\"\r\n\n\"A few months.\" Vlad shook his head. \"Well, that's just uncalled for. Just not acceptable at all.\" The decision made, he clapped his hands together with a laugh. \"So! First things first, my lad! Are you hungry?\"\r\n\n\"Um. No.\" Against his better wishes, the boy's stomach betrayed him, growling to give light to his lie.\r\n\n\"Hah. I don't think your gut believes you. Come on, I know this really fantastic burger joint just up the street.\" Before the boy could speak, he continued, \"And before you object, I'm buying. So you have to come, don't you?\"\r\n\nThe next few hours were a blur to the young man. First came food, the first real food he'd eaten that didn’t come from a trash can in months. He was careful to not eat too much, and the older man – Vlad, he reminded himself multiple times – insisted he drink only water. Next came a change of clothes, again all paid for by the older man.\r\n\nAfter the clothing, Vlad told the young man that he wanted to introduce him to someone that would very much like to get to know him better. Warning bells flashed in the preteen's mind, but when they stopped in front of the large house in an affluent neighborhood, he once again felt reassured by Vlad's presence. \r\n\nThe woman that answered the door was older, though not to Vlad's degree. She ignored the old man entirely and beamed down at the lad. \"Welcome, young man.\" She gently grasped his wrist and led him to a bench by the front door, taking a seat next to him once he'd sat. \"And you are?\"\r\n\nHis name. He hadn't used it in so long. \"Um. Trey.\"\r\n\n\"Well, Um Trey,\" the woman said, her eyes sparkling at her joke, \"You look like a young man with a problem. So, what can I help you with?\"\r\n\n\"Help?\"\r\n\n\"Yes.\"\r\n\n\"Well…\"\r\n\n\\* \\* \\\r\n\nThe next few months vanished in a blur of activity. The life that Trey knew before began to change overnight. Though no one had seen the boy's parents in half a year, the paperwork to release him to the state came back signed. The woman Vlad had brought him to see willingly opened her home to him, and for the first time in his life, he discovered the love of family.\r\n\nAfter two years, the woman Trey now called \"Mom\" officially adopted Trey. Schooling was rough at first; Trey had missed many a day of school in his former life and was far behind his peers. But with his new mother's support and the help of a few of his fellow students, he quickly caught up. Homework was still a pain, of course, but the memories of sleeping under that bridge were usually enough to rededicate himself to his work.\r\n\nTry as he might over the years, though, he could never quite recall how he'd come to this new life in the first place. He remembered a man's voice, his gentle touch, and laughter – but the details beyond were lost to him. They mattered not; college graduation was coming soon, and he was too busy between his part-time job and preparing for his life beyond college to remember a long-ago dream.\r\n\n\"Trey!\" His mother's voice broke through his thoughts, and he smiled. \r\n\n\"Yeah, Mom?\"\r\n\n\"Come outside and help me hang these, will you?\"\r\n\n\"Sure thing, be right there!\"\r\n\n\\ \\* \\*\r\n\nOff in the distance, an old man stood, bemused, as he watched a young man help his mother hang signs across the front of their little house in an affluent part of town. They could not see him; he'd ensured long ago that he could only be seen if he so chose.\r\n\nHe watched as still more of the poisonous ties to the young man's life continued to wither away. Since ancient times, the man had stolen his fair share of people's lives – but it was this method, stealing away the evil of someone's past and giving them a future in return, that went the most toward healing his crumbled, withered heart.\r\n\nHis curse was to wander the Earth. To survive, he would have to steal life. That was fact. It'd taken him years – no, over a century if he were honest to himself – to realize that the taking of life didn't have to be literal.\r\n\nSo many had died before he'd realized that. He had many sins to atone for, even if those he'd sinned against had long ago perished. \r\n\n\"One more life stolen.\" Count Dracula, vampire no more, turned and walked away, whistling an idle tune as he slipped off into the suburban neighborhood." ]	4
	[WP] Maybe the real horror is the everyday cruelties and injustices of society, the thousand petty evils we pass off as "just how the world works". Or maybe it's the pack of werewolves hunting you. Barricaded in your minimum wage workplace, you have a rare opportunity to compare!	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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, I think to myself, sometimes, of all the small cruelties we put up with because 'that's how things are', and it's such bullshit. Kids in the Congo digging cobalt and lithium, risking their lives so I can get a new phone that'll be replaced next year. Or how we produce enough food for 10billion people but throw a third of it away because it's not profitable to just give people food. Or how companies literally steal water from place with a precarious water situation just to sell it back at a huge mark-up. Then there's the fact that no company would ever pay a worker the full value of their labor because then there'd be no profits. Sometimes I think the real horrors are the lies we tell ourselves to excuse our complicity in a cruel world because we feel powerless to do anything to change it.\"\n\n\n\"Dave, shut up, take a gun and shoot the fucking werewolves.\"", "The Home Repair Co, where our members are more than just customers. You're family. What a joke. Sure, most of his coworkers were friendly enough. The corporation however didn't give a damn about the staff. That's why instead of going home at a reasonable hour, Shep was pulling overtime because there was just so much left to do before going home. Better to make one person do as much as possible than have enough staff to actually get things done right.\n\nShep had just finished bringing down the last pallet of garden soil when he realized one of the assistant managers was waiting for him outside the forklift barricading the aisle. Susan wasn't a model in terms of looks, but there were times she looked irresistible even in a yellow polo shirt with the company logo and tan khakis. She was fresh into her thirties, long black hair pulled into a bun, with a hazel complexion and darker eyes. She'd softened in tone since leaving the floor to work management, but tonight she looked firm and fresh and...hungry. If body language was universal, he imagined a lioness would use the same vocabulary. The fact that she was a little older than him just added to the appeal.\n\n\"Didn't see you come out.\" Sliding the forks underneath a pallet display of fertilizer, he switched off the machine and hopped out. \"What's up?\"\n\nSuzan watched him as he approached, her arms folded casually on top of the fence. She didn't speak until he was within a few feet of her. \"I wanted to speak with you about an opportunity. There's an assistant manager position opening up, and I want you to apply for it.\"\n\nShep's brow climbed when she finished, the words sinking in. \"Assistant manager? I've only been running the garden department for like, three months though. Three and some change if you count the week.\" He reflected her relaxed mood by leaning into the shelf of chemicals the fence was attached to.\n\nShe smiled in a knowing way that suggested there was more going on, but her answer was short and likely full of holes. \"You've been here for years. You're a good worker, I think you'll be a great asset to the team.\" She paused for breath, which was a little distracting the way she was poised at the fence, before continuing. \"I just need you to stay over a little while off the clock to fill out the application. The night crew can let you out when you're done.\"\n\nSo he'd have to stay even longer, off the clock, to fill out some paperwork on a decision to be made right this moment. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to stay in this place, let alone join management. He'd told himself so many times, his life was revolving around this job too much. The long hours, barely spending any holidays with his friends and family, missing vacations and road trips and all the spontaneous adventures the people in his life seemed to find when the schedule just didn't let him join in. What could he do, though? He had bills to pay and past mistakes had landed him squarely in the work yourself to death class.\n\n\"Sure, alright.\"\n\n\"Try not to seem too excited about it.\" She replied with a smirk, pushing herself from the fence.\n\nHe chuckled dryly. \"Sorry, I know. It's been a long day.\" He turned his gaze upward to look into the darkening open sky. \"And now night.\" When he looked back at her, she was already walking away. He listened to her footsteps until the sound of a door swinging told him she had passed inside. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Getting vacation time, better benefits, and especially a pay bump.\n\nOnce the department was squared away, Shep made the long, quiet walk through the warehouse to the employee only section of the building. He punched out at the time clock, then made his way to the training room. Resigning himself, he slumped into a station and went to work.\n\nMost of the documents were mercifully auto filled, but it still took a good hour typing up the fluff of why he wanted the position, his strengths and weaknesses since working with the company, blah blah blah. Stuff that probably didn't matter because management already knew if they would promote someone within the company and why. On his way out, he stopped at the charging station for the radios and used one to make a page. \"Could I get keys up front? Keys up front. Thanks.\" When there was no response, he plopped it back on to finish charging and left wondering if he was going to have to track someone down. After hours, the building was mostly dark. Just the cleaning crew and some receiving guys breaking down merchandise shipments for the departments indoors. As he strolled towards the font doors, he saw someone huddled there ahead of him desperately struggling with the lock. \"Relax bud, I'm not in that crazy of a hurry.\"\n\nThe man flinched and looked back at him, and it was then Shep realized the guy was terrified. It was one of the new receiving crew guys. Wide eyed, he immediately went back to whatever he was trying to do with the locks. He obviously didn't have keys. Shep slowed to a stop, hesitating to get closer. \n\n\"Dude are you al-\" The words were cut short when a dark shape streaked from around the registers and tackled the young man to the ground. Screams were suddenly drowned out by the sound of snarling and ripping. Shep recoiled as the man's life spread out in a pool like fresh red paint over the smooth concrete floor. He wanted to look away, but that would mean whatever was eating now would be out of his line of sight. Whatever it was rivaled the size of a man, with muscular body covered in dark fur. He couldn't see a face because it was currently buried in the torso of its victim, the sound of its feeding making his stomach churn with ice.\n\nWhen something touched his shoulder, Shep jerked with alarm and saw that he had unconsciously backed into an end cap of the lumber section. Shelves of fasteners rattled in their boxes. He immediately returned his gaze to the doors. He still couldn't make out a face, but the beast was looking directly at him now. In the low light, he could see the glow inside a pair of wide pupils. Then another pair, and another, as more creatures met with the first to feed from the kill. For a moment they only stared, keeping him frozen in place. Then the first crouched down and he knew it was hunting him. Everything went silent. No snarls, nor the gory ripping of flesh from bone. They were done and ready for the next meal.\n\nShep did the only thing he could think of. He turned around and started climbing. Hyper focused, he could hear the change from stalk to run as his choice pressed his hunters to act, their paws slapping audibly against the smooth concrete. He didn't dare look behind him, his hands and feet grabbing at the metal framework of the shelves for dear life. Nails and screws exploded out of boxes as they fell to the ground, but all he heard was the sound of teeth snapping at the air behind his heels as he ascended out of reach. When he reached the top, he dared to turn around and look down. Four dark figures stared up at him, one standing propped with its forelegs on the shelf. Its canine features were easier to see from this close. Long snout, black nostrils flexing, dark eyes staring into his own. The shape was somehow more feminine than the others, not quite the way a dog or...or a wolf should be. More like a human or something in between, he realized. The eyes also seemed wrong for dog. Too almond shaped. The way she looked at him was almost flirtatious. It reminded him of...\"Suzan.\" He spoke aloud.\n\nThe creature blinked, then dropped to all fours. When she looked up again all he could see were her eerie pupils. A soft rumble of a growl began to resonate amongst the pack as they paced around. Impatient to hunt, to chase, to feed. Then something drew their attention, and all focus snapped to look in the same direction. Shep didn't see anything at first, until a beam of light swept briefly through some of the shelves and then was gone. When he looked down at the monsters below, only the female remained staring up at him. Then she was gone, and there was silence.\n\nIt almost didn't occur to him to shout a warning. \"Run! Climb something! They're gonna kill you!\" Just like with the radio, silence was his only answer. Then he heard them call. First it was one howl, then another voice joined in, until all he could hear was their inhuman voices drowning out everything else. The nature of the building made every sound carry within like a concert hall, booming inside yet subdued from the outside. Suddenly the occasional small talk of someone's dogs making a racket around the neighborhood made sense. It also made sense why some of the newer employees just...stopped showing up. He'd always chocked it up to a quick turnover rate, but tonight he was faced with a gruesome new possibility.\n\nThe howling died out, revealing a human voice coming from the speakers. \"...-ecause here at the Home Repair Company, family is everything. Save more, do more, live more.\"\n\nFuck. Even the live more part is bullshit. It was going to be a very long night.", "Whoever Decided to shut off the AC to save money after hours, I hope they died painfully.\n\nWith that Vindictive thought, I wiped the sweat from my brow with the generic red tie that I was forced to wear every day. I check the weapon in my hands, a shotgun hastily looted from the remains of squad car from when the police had tried (and failed) to take back the central business district. The gun and a few handfuls of shells were all I managed to grab before I was forced back inside by my new hunters.\n\nYou just had to say yes to working overtime today, didn't you? You could have told that tub of lard Dave that you had plans but no, you decided to be a model employee today didn't you? \n\nAfter Mentally Berating myself over my current situation I finally take stock of my current predicament. Stuck in a glorified cube farm in the middle of downtown at 2:30 am, forced to hunker down under threat from what can only be described as literal werewolves currently rampaging through the streets. I have no idea what the situation is for the rest of the city, but judging by the gunfire, the sound of passing military aircraft, sirens, and the shattered remains of the first responders outside, it seems like things are pretty bad all around right now.\n\nYou'd think with such massive expenditures on the military, we would have been more prepared for something like this. \n\nI audibly sigh heavily as I force myself up from my little respite, my current habitat consist of a barricade/bunker hastily made from my coworker's cubicles and workstations, the four printers that barely functioned on a good day, now serving as impromptu sandbags about 15 feet behind the wall of cubicles I've constructed to keep snarling teeth and claws at bay. I've managed to drive a few scattered wolves away, but something in my gut tells me they will be back. \n\nI could have been at home right now, instead of slaving away at some dead end office job turned indie horror film, I could have hunkered down in my basement and waited for this all to blow over, but instead, I was here desperately trying to get paid so I could avoid getting evicted and now I'm desperately trying to not be turned into chunky salsa by overgrown fleabags!\n\nMy own mental tirade is cut off by the sound of office furniture being knocked aside, faintly echoing in the silence from the open stairwell, and if my ears are still good, the sounds are coming from the floor below me. I lower myself down onto my inkjet branded pillbox and brace my looted weapon towards the stairwell, the door had been ripped off its hinges during the first few attacks, giving me an unobstructed view of the top of the stairwell, the harsh red emergency lights giving me just enough to make out the handrail and landing. I wipe the sweat off my palms onto my rental dress pants and grimly clutch my only means of defense, my knuckles turning white from my iron grip.\n\nFirst, my landlord increases rent, then the city ups the taxes, now this shit.\n\nThe noises from below are growing louder, I start to hear muffled heavy steps on the concrete of the stairway. I try to slow my breathing as the inevitable clash draws near, but staying calm is almost impossible when it's already taking all you have to not enter a full-blown panic. I lower myself further behind my bastion of bureaucracy as I grimly size up the faint shapes starting to form on the stairwell, faint panting and the click of paws on concrete reach my ears now.\n\nI wonder what would be the worst fate, death by a werewolf or being audited by the IRS? I quietly think to myself as my pursuers begin to howl, the sound of multiple different packmates echoing throughout the building. \n\nProbably the IRS if I'm being honest. I finally decide." ]	4
	[WP] You are sitting alone near lake; contemplating things, when suddenly a woman (Seemingly the same age as you) with long black hair jumps out the water. Before you can react, she runs up to you completely soaked and hugs you, and then mutters the phrase "N-n-need w-w-warmth. Please..."	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "There he stood. \n\nNow soaked in the same water as the girl before him. Shocked, the boy tries to detach himself from her. “N-n need w-w-warmth. Please...” mutters the mysterious women. The boy, still flabbergasted tries harder. “Please... Don’t leave”. He gives up, she was holding on to him, as if, for her life. \n\nThe boy, starts to enjoy the hug. \n\nIt reminds him of his mother. \n\nThe mother which drowned in the same lake the girl jumped out of. The mother which would cook for him every day after school. The mother which would make ridiculous Halloween costumes seemingly overnight. The mother which would send shocks thru he’s spine with a simple glance. The mother which would always be there for you. The mother which would love you.\n\nThe boy couldn’t help himself. He hugged her back. \n\nThey both stood there. Soaked, together. “Do you remember her, Tyler ?”. Tyler was shocked when he heard her say his name. “Because she still does”. Tyler immediately stopped hugging her, only for her to have seemingly disappeared. She was gone. Tyler was left behind. He was left there with his thoughts, feelings, and emotions. All alone. As he was a costumed too be." ]	2
	[WP] The bard bragged about his friends as much as he bragged about himself, the knight was selfless and courteous if overly self-deprecating, and the rogue was actually Chaotic GOOD. You are the Order of the Mature.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 adventurer old or new or wannabe, \n\nMy name is Brian and I am the bard of the most fabulous adventuring team! The day I joined them was the luckiest day of my life - and you may find yourself blessed with such a fortune too, as now we are hiring! Advantage to the roles we don’t currently have represented, naturally, but all roles will be considered.\r\n\nThe team leader is Peter, a proper tall, blue-eyed, golden-haired paladin with heart so pure that his mount is a pink unicorn, June. Peter is a bit shy for a paladin, but his strength and skill with dual-wielding full-size war hammer and axe are unmatched, and he always protects us and takes the beating for us in the front row. He cares that we follow the laws and rules, but always puts actual good in front of the law. The main source of his magic is light itself, but he is great at thinking differently and has learned to harness other sources too; he discovered even dark magic can be used for good.\r\n\nWe don’t have a strict hierarchy, but in practice typically second in command is Chiara. Officially she is a chaos mage, but she’s learned to control much of her magic, and even when she doesn’t, it usually turns out great, because her intentions are so good. If Peter is like a father to us, she is like our mother, also enormously protective and kind, I’ve learned so much from both. Oh, and her parents were healers, so she’s at least as good as Peter at patching us up and keeping us healthy too.\r\n\nThen there’s Arthur, the artificer and the smartest person I have ever met, I can’t even comprehend how smart he is. And Rose… she calls herself a rogue, but that’s just because she is an excellent melee dual-daggers fighter too; besides that, she could actually be considered a ranger, considering her little monkey companion and unparalleled crossbow skill, and the pure goodness of her heart. And Frank, the fighter, almost as strong, brave and selfless as Peter too. And Mitri, who was raised by monks and has all their patience and body discipline, but he isn’t a bore, he’s great fun to drink with.\r\n\nMitri is our youngest, around 20, then it’s me at 28, everyone else is over 30, so we are a quite mature team, which only proves our ability to survive - we've never had a fatality - and to keep ourselves in good shape, and we’ve picked up a lot of wisdom over the years. \r\n\nAnyway, we’re looking for adventurers of all ages, genders, species and other unimportant characteristics, all that matters to us is that you can speak the common language and that your intentions are honest and good and you’re willing to practice and learn.\"" ]	2
	[WP] As cybernetic augmentation and human-like AIs becomes available, people begin to treat the emerging technology with inexplicable prejudice. Something inherent to human DNA illicits a strange psychosis to reject, destroy, and kill artificial enhancements and life.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 taste iron in the air as I stepped beyond the yellow-and-black distortion field that hid the crime scene from sight. “Careful, Edgwick!” a scene op warned, gesturing with a finger pointed up, and my eyes followed to an arm dangling from one of those ornate old-timey ceiling fans only rich people seemed to have around these days. It was still dripping blood and nanoliquid, the red and black pooling in a puddle underneath that I just barely managed to avoid. Even from a distance, I could see the arm was top of the line—all tungsten chrome plate and carbon fiber tendon. People with too much money to spare and too few things to do sure loved their pricy little augments. Musta been a bitch to rip off. \r \n\r \nAs I made my way to where he was, Mulvaney stood up with a grunt and spoke. “Victim is a Jud Arlent, forty-three. Adventure vlogger staying home between jets to Southeast Asia or the Kalahari or wherever his next gigs are. Died approximately thirty minutes ago from multiple traumatic injuries to the head, chest, arms. Gonna be a baker boy, this one.” \r \n\r \n“Jesus, you got that right.” Arlent was left such a work he couldn’t be anything but a cremation. Both of his enhancile arms had been ripped out by their roots and used to beat his skull in, the face caved in and pulped unrecognizable. His chest had also been violated, the support frame replacing his ribcage and upper spine twisted and ripped out of the flesh, shredding both the lungs and the heart in the process. \r \n\r \n“Perp is the housekeeper, Alyss Magnusson, twenty-five. No priors.” Mulvaney pointed to across the room at a figure slumped against the wall, drenched in red and black, being holo’d for further examining later. A cursory glance showed me that her hands had been all sliced and diced in the process of her disemboweling Arlent, some fingers even being stripped to the bone. I walked up while she was being processed, hoping I could get a chat this time. But like most of the others, her eyes were open but glazed over—no one was home. And just like the others, there was the murmuring. \r \n\r \n“So quiet,” she hissed, giggling intermittently, from the empty spaces where her mind had retreated. “It’s all so quiet.” \r \n\r \n“Open-and-shut case, Johnson,” Mulvaney said in a voice exaggerated with grim humor as he took a place beside me to observe the poor perp. The urge to give him a smack for talking shit about the dead and dying ran in an undercurrent in my head, just beneath the haze of a migraine I’d been nursing through the past couple of days, but I managed to bite it back. “Just need you to countersign my report, and we’re all good for the day…” \r \n\r \nThe development of stable nanoengineering at the turn of the twenty-fifth century gave rise to a new technological trend: consumer cybernetics. With the development of AI assistance, people with enough connections and money could surgery away their flaws for fun and profit with very little mental issue since AI helped in feedback and input/output processing. In very little time, the tech began to trickle down enough that midclassers could get enhancile body parts for the same price as the latest S-rank smartphone models. \r \n\r \nBut as the technology became more widespread, we ran into an unforeseen consequence: “noise.” The augmentations and their AI processors added another layer to an electromagnetic field already saturated with signals from protoquantum smartphones and the ubiquitous internet. The additional overlay in the air somehow tripped a switch somewhere in the brains of some people, which resulted in a sudden outburst of violence as they were driven to disable the tech by any means necessary—often the most bloody. Those lucid enough to comment about their “misdeed” said it felt like a constant droning hum in their head, rising and falling in volume based on the number of electronic devices around them. \r \n\r \nYou would think that with this alarming development, people would put a stop to augmentation, but no. The benefits, people higher up determined, outweighed the disadvantages. All we could do was respond, collect data, analyze, interpret… But there seemed to be no pattern, no warning signs. There seemed to be no traits to determine which people were likely to succumb to noise. We could do nothing but essentially act as clean-up crews to an invisible enemy. \r \n\r \nThe stresses of the day washed over me, and I slammed my clenched fists in frustration against the faux hardwood table, rattling dinner dishes and cutlery. My glass fell to the floor and shattered with a crystal scream that echoed inside my head, another weapon co-opted by the migraine that started to hum behind my eyes. \r \n\r \nJessica stammered, trying to inject a little levity to the awkward situation, “Don’t worry about that, hon. Just…enjoy your meal. I know it’s been a hard day at work.” She gave me a pained, forced smile as she stood up, and I thought I could hear the surgical steel servos whirring to life in her hips and knees. We had gotten her augmentations about a year ago after a vehicle accident shattered the whole lower half of her body. She would have been completely paralyzed otherwise. It was nothing fancy—the most basic systems, AI almost laughably bare bones. Maybe it woulda been quieter if we bought fancier stuff. \r \n\r \nAs Jess stood beside me and began to sweep up the clinking shards—as I heard the reverb of onsite receptors in her lower torso communicate invisibly through lightning in her veins to a microchip implanted in her primary motor cortex—I hissed out in a voice I could hardly recognize, “Could you just be goddamn quiet about it?”" ]	2
	[WP] For 5 years you had these dreams where you'd talk to someone on a rooftop. You were convinced they were fake until one day someone recognized 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 you! Stop for a sec. I know you, I swear.”\n\n“You sure man? I don’t think that we’ve met.”\n\n“For sure. You have the dreams too right? Stuck on that rooftop every damn night.”\n\n“The dreams? I think I know what you’re talking about but those… those are real?”\n\n“I didn’t think so either but I was so sure that-”\n\n“Wait a minute. You’re not the one that’s there.”\n\n“Not there?\n\n“Not on the roof, with me. I’m always there talking to someone but it’s always been the same woman.”\n\n“I know, I was getting there. I’m not on your roof. I think that I’m in the same dream, but I’m by myself whenever I wake up there.”\n\n“So what? You just watch us talk every time it happens?”\n\n“Well I don’t choose this. You need to know though, we’re not the only ones in there.”\n\n“What do you mean by that?”\n\n“There are others, people like us. And something else. Most people seem to be paired up but I never am. You and that woman, what is it that you talk about?”\n\n“I couldn’t really tell you. Most of the time it's just shooting the shit but every once and a while I get the feeling that it's some heavy stuff. I never remember that stuff in the morning though.”\n\n“Nothing at all? Not even a hint or a topic or anything?”\n\n“Nah man, I always just thought it was a weird recurring dream. I never thought any more about it.”\n\n“Alright well I gotta tell you. That other thing that I mentioned, sometimes it pays more attention to some people than others. It’s just like a shadow, drifting between the different pairs of people. I’ve seen it cling to you and that woman all night sometime. How often do you think it is, that you can’t remember anything about the dream?”\n\n“Maybe once a week, once every ten days? Something like that. What do you mean it clings to us?”\n\n“Like it becomes your shadow, it just sorta drifts around you. Do you not see it?”\n\n“No, never have. You’re sure about what you see?”\n\n“We’re both talking about this like it’s real right? I’ve seen it so many times, there’s no way something isn’t connected here.”\n\n“So what is it doing? Why don’t I remember some of those conversations?”\n\n“You said it was just when you were talking about the heavier stuff? Maybe it’s feeding off that in some way?”\n\n“Feeding? In a dream? I don’t know man, I really don’t feel like something like that is going on.”\n\n“You don’t have to believe me. I’m just trying to let you know what’s going on. If it happens again, give me a shout alright? I’ll give you my number. I see a lot of people in those dreams and that thing always seems to be hungry.”\n\n“Alright. I believe that in some way we’re seeing a part of the same dream, but this all seems so extreme. It’s never affected me at all.”\n\n“Look at those bags under your eyes, something is affecting you. Even if it’s just exhaustion, I have such a bad feeling that that shadow has something to do with it.”\n\n“Do you think there’s anything we can do about it?”\n\n“I’m not sure, but I think we need to find that woman that you’ve been talking to.”" ]	2
	[WP] A trailer for a new movie just dropped today, except... all the stars in it are dead. Looks like someone on the other side has set up a movie production company.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Five years and ten days ago, Tiger Montclair was a failed Hollywood agent. After peaking in the mid-2010’s, he let a momentary success go right to his head. Tiger bought a shiny 3.2 million-dollar house in Malibu. Tiger burned every personal and professional bridge he had. He barely even noticed. And with those gone, Tiger soon burned through all his cash, too.\n\nBy the time he declared bankruptcy, his name was worth nothing and his resume even less. His one big “hit,” pitched far and wide as Rocky meets Titanic, was actually a massive copyright infringement that nearly sank the studio that backed it. His clients had deserted him, his friends wouldn’t return his calls, and his few remaining belongings were now piled up on the curb next to him. In the rain. At 11:59 PM.\n\nFive years and nine days ago, Tiger was struck by a drunk driver. She was returning home from the bar at 12:03 AM. She looked down at her lap to read a text from her babysitter, and a few seconds later she plowed through Tiger’s suitcases, slammed the little crying man against a wall, and wrapped him in a coffin of glass and metal.\n\nTiger thought it was his end.\n\nEveryone thought it was his end.\n\nBut Hollywood is a strange place.\n\nAnd right now it’s really into reboots.\n\nOne hour and six minutes ago, Tiger ran through the halls of the Pandemonium Productions HQ with a fist full of bids from the biggest names in streaming: Netflix, Amazon, Apple, HBO, Hulu… they were all bidding for his movie. Tiger’s movie.\n\nThe premise was simple: Toy Story meets Terminator. But it’s cast was anything but. When the teaser trailer hit the internet, a struck like lightning at the heart of the entertainment industry.\n\nStarring Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, James Stewart, Audrey Hepburn, and Ingrid Bergman. Directed by Orson Welles. Orson f\\\\king Welles!\n\nTiger burst into the office of the President and CEO of Pandemonium Productions, known these days simply as Walt. He shook his fist full of offers in the air and flashed a blazing white smile.\n\n“I told you! I told you the surprise trailer drop would do it!” Tiger danced, his hips bopping side to side and bumping into an end table which then toppled over. It burst into flames and burned into a cloud of smoke. Within moments it was gone.\n\nWalt put a finger in the air. His white hair and whiskery face shuddered at Tiger’s enthusiasm. His finger meant be quiet.\n\n“What’s the highest offer?” Walt asked, rubbing his chin. He glanced at the flaming lava fields outside his window. Millions of damned souls walked those plains for eternity. Only he had forged them into an entertainment empire. The orange glinted in his eyes.\n\n“Twenty-five million,” Tiger said.\n\nWalt turned his gaze on Tiger, who shrunk back, suddenly devoid of his ebullience.\n\n“That’s g-good,” Tiger said, “that’s really g-good – for, for a first time production—”\n\n“FIRST TIME?!” Walt bellowed, rising out of his chair.\n\n“I am alpha and omega. I am movies. I built Hollywood. And I’ll be damned if some little computer programmers low ball me with their goddamn internet bullshit. No. No, I won’t have it. It’s time for Plan B.”\n\n“What’s Plan B?” Tiger asked.\n\n“Bring me every programmer killed in the last five years. We’re starting a new streaming service. Pandemonium+. Yeah. And I’ve already got the tagline. Ready? Hell, if it ain’t good!”\n\nWalt laughs and slaps his knee. “Don’t even need the marketing boys. Fire them all!” Walt laughs some more. A tear forms in the corner of his eye.\n\nUncomfortable and confused, Tiger decides to laugh too and, following Walt’s lead, throws the offers up in the air.\n\n“Pandemonium+! Yes! What a great, original title. We’ll do it alone! Screw them and their millions!”\n\n“That’s right, my boy. Now get to it.”\n\nWalt turns back to his window, and as the door shuts behind Tiger, his smile falls, and his brow cleaves downward, and his chest heaves.\n\n“Yes. Let the streaming wars begin.”\n\nTo be continued…" ]	2
	[WP] Excerpts from the wildly successful book of "101 common wishes and ways to pervert them: A guide for newbie demons and djinns"	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Number 57: So, they wished for a spouse\n\nThis is our most common request, behind money and power. Love, the most coveted of human emotions, is a reliable wish that is ripe for demotivation (see pg.2) of your subject. When your human is kicking about the idea of wishing for love, remember to take the time to encourage them. Tell them something like, \"you can have anything you want,\" or, \"this will be a night to remember for years to come.\" This may seem like genuine motivation at first, but worry not.\n\nThis is where the meat of this wish comes in to play- the good stuff. \n\nCreate all a setting for your human. If they desire a large wedding, create a large wedding. If they desire a sensual bedroom, create a sensual bedroom. Create a setting so wonderful they only dream of things so spectacular. Get them ready for the night of their life and hold nothing back. \n\nRight about now, your human should be ready to make their wish. They will say to you \"I wish for love,\" or some such. Now you look at them and tell them this: \"sorry, it is against the code of conduct for us to create love.\" Of course, this is a lie. Humans operate on the fallacy that we are bound to their wishes, and you should use this to your advantage as often as possible (see pg.2).", "001: Objects beyond the grasp of particular mortals\n\n You see dear reader, it is a simple matter to inflict suffering on those bold enough to ask you a boon, any old Djinn with a poor disposition can do that. Djinn such as that will never strike terror into the hearts of mortals, one so devoid of attentiveness will never have stories whispered about them on still nights.\n\nNo, a lazy Djinn is no better than a common criminal simply pumping meaningless suffering into a world already bursting with it.\n\nYou see our kind exists to enrich the lives of humans not through our abilities to change the material world, no. We enrich them by showing the folly of their wishes, the folly of trying to overstep life without hard work. \n\nOur lessons are meant to show the flesh bags that only by their own efforts can they deserve more,that by their own labors life is improved. We offer short cuts to wealth and power,the easy way out and in our turn punish those who would grasp at such things by our means instead of their own. \n\nYou see, that is the secret of our kind, man seeks to use us as a ladder on which he may climb over his contemporaries. They wish for growth and comfort without having grown to the point where such things can actually enrich them and so they suffer.\n\nOnce I was asked for a speed machine by some 17 year old street racer. The boy by his own hand had constructed a vehicle of uncommon speed and agility and yet this was not enough. \n\nHis contemporaries, heavy with coin were always able to purchase more than he could ever build and as such he was always behind. The boy discounted his own abilities and resources and began to pine after the purchased machines of his rich contemporaries. \n\n One day he found my vessel at a Good Will. He brought the bright pink Hot Wheels car home and polished it with a rag thus giving me form once more. After the shock of my being subsided I informed him of the wish that he was now entitled to. He asked why not three but soon retracted when I became infuriated with his greed and impudence.\n\nPlaying my roll to the letter I asked him about his dreams and aspirations in life and after much fluff he kept coming back to racing. I asked if this was his true love above all else, and in his heart he lied. For it was not racing and speed he craved but admiration and respect, racing was simply his means to that end.\n\nI told him as much, I even offered the alternative of wishing for wisdom, of manifesting a mentor that could instruct him on the path to admiration and respect. A wish such as that would have shown a desire for growth, he could have through me still achieved growth without undue suffering.\n\n But no desire for growth was to be found in the young man for the promise of a wish that could bend reality was too powerful. In a disappointingly short amount of time the boy stopped me from speaking further and made his wish.\n\n The boy’s wish was disappointingly basic, a car. He soon produced a sheet upon sheet of specs and parts that must be put into the new car. I was mildly impressed even though it quickly became apparent that most of these parts would not work well together. Seven hour passed before he finished explaining his wish and in less than a second his dream was made reality.\n\nA few weeks passed and the young man used his new machine to demolish his contemporaries in race after race and with each he grew more arrogant and cold.News soon spread about this young man and his new million dollar car and the challengers came, experienced racers out to take him down a peg.\n\nOne night after barely surviving a race, he tried for home but soon red and blue lights filled his mirrors. It would seem he never got the car plated or registered let alone insured. Coupled with this more than one fellow racer had taken offense at his new haughty attitude and had tipped the cops off and they very much wanted a word with the boy.\n\nHe drive hard for almost an hour before his inexperience finally got the better of him and he over steered into a river. No thought had gone into safety and as such the impact all but killed the boy. A year later he awoke handcuffed to a prison hospital bed, paralyzed from the chest down. And there he will stay.\n\nYou see the boy had little wisdom, all he craved was the attention of others, to be admired. But the poor wretch knew but one path and that a poor one.\n\nIn this book you will learn many things, tips and tricks to agonize the mortals but always remember ours is to improve humanity, ours is to teach. We punish hubris in order to teach humility and the best way to do that is to give humans what they want, they will do the rest.", "Good morning class, you may have noticed the book on your desk, 101 common wishes and ways to pervert them: a guide for newbie demons and djinns.\n\nNow i wasnt always the master of the monkey’s paw that you know today. Once I was a beginner just like all of you, and this book helped me immensely. Now this is isn’t the kind of book you read and shelve. It is a guide that you can, and should, reference often. In fact I still keep a copy in my pocket dimension for quick access.\n\nI am going to pick a couple of choice excerpts from the book to use as today’s lesson, so follow along and you might be surprised at how many applications you will find to use these simple lessons.\n\nLesson 1, page 36.\nWish: To be rich. Variations include wishing for money, ability to produce currency, or similar.\n\nHow to subvert it: Many times you can simply take advantage of a poor choice of words. Examples include changing the person’s name to Rich, giving them literal bucks (the animal, applies to English speakers), or giving them the tools to make actual currency. \n\nIf your wishee gets specific, you will need to be creative! It is obviously impossible to list every possible wish and solution here, but that’s why it is a guide, not a rule book!\n\nLesson 2, please turn to page 88.\nWish: World Peace\n\nHow to subvert it: A classic but easy one. Move the wishee to a replica planet with no other people. This may seem extreme but dont worry, they will be begging you to undo this one pretty quickly. Great for causing them to forfeit another wish to fix things. Or you can offer them a pity wish to undo it. If they seem ok with it, check on them in a few days or weeks. Trust me when I tell you humans cannot deal with being this alone. Especially the kind that would wish for world peace.\n\nLesson 3, a personal favorite of mine. Page 116 please.\nWish: Ability to fly.\nHow to subvert it: Give them the ability to only fly upwards. No coming back down. Period. Simple but so effective. Not much more to be said about this one.\n\nAnd now, the last excerpt I want to bring attention to before I release you to peruse the book as you like. Page 143.\nWish: Immortality. Variations include “Live forever” or “Never Die.”\nHow to subvert it: Have you ever seen Groundhog day? \nHave your wishee relive the same day over and over with nothing changing. They wont age, they will live forever, but forced to repeat the same day for all eternity. \n\nNow class, you will find many more examples in this book, however it is not an exhaustive guide. Apply the principles within to each situation. I will say one limitation of this book is that it does not help much against those that craft their wishes carefully. But you will learn how to deal with those types in Advanced Wish Deconstruction. Plus, those types are few and far between. For the vast number of situations you find yourself in, this book will be invaluable in helping you dispense quick and effective wish subversions.\n\nEnjoy!" ]	4
	[WP] Magic requires energy. Dwarves learned to use charged crystals, while elves use ambient energies of surrounding flora. You though? You convert your own fat to cast magic.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 thing about human magic and the reason it's so damn dangerous is that it'll kill you if you're not careful. Carefully I glance over the lip of the ruined building and the overgrown city below with an uneasy feeling. The skeleton's littering the sidewalk and rusted car's from the rift's opening only adding to that anxiety. A dull twitch passing through my arm nearly throwing the binoculars from my grip as I lower them. \"Where are you, cheeky fucks.\"\n\nThree days, they can't have given up tracking me down after that long could they? Slowly I back away from the window and listen to the ambient noise of the high rise. Precious moments passing in near silence as the bag's zipper slides open. Revealing the dozens of orange arcane crystals etched with runes nestled into the pack. The main point of this entire venture, and possibly even mankind's salvation or catalyst to hide from the looters. \n\nNervously I pull the radio from the recesses of the pack and activate the transmitter. A hiss of static piercing the dead city's soft breeze and the rustling of plants. That irritating static dying out as the long-range connects to one of the satellites overhead. \"Come on, work you flimsy fuck, click two one to command do you copy transmission.\" \n\nIts frame smoking slightly as I pat out the fires as quickly as possible to my dismay. A slurry of angry insults finding themselves directed to the poorly functioning radio. Its structure finally rebuilding as I pull from my reserves to mend the damn thing out of desperation. \"One, one copies send message insurgent.\" \n\nThe tangled mess of wires slipping into place as a dull rumble traverses my empty stomach. A dull stomach ache and mild starvation more than worth the price of making it home. My smile immediately vanishing as my eyes spot the distant patrol of knife ears and squats three miles down the road. \"Package secured and ready for pickup waiting at point empire, hostile patrol spotted near the area, advise next action.\" \n\nThis party growing all the closer by the second as I retreat to the stairwell and fix my pointy ear disguise. A response coming far too late for solace as I find my trusty 1911 in my hand. The two magazines on my person far too few to deal with the group even with one bullet each. Fear and doubt creeping into my mind as I race up the stairwell nearly tripping on the way up. \"Prepare for airlift, scramble radio and hold a rooftop till blue jay arrives.\" \n\n\"I don't have enough ammo for that sir.\"\n\n Carefully the door swings open the small long-range in my hand disintegrating as the ritual's properties fade. The hunting party now only a good hundred meters away and closing. One final look into the shattered radio screen more than enough to ensure the disguises integrity. My service pistol finding a home in the recesses of the outer green robe as the group enters the building. \n\nSeveral familiar voices calling out my fake moniker as I prepare myself as the first stunty rounds the corner. My position on the roof firmly on the edge now exposed as the demi-human yells across the short divide. The whirling blades of the escape chopper drawing closer by the minute. \"You inert bastard give me the cores!\" \n\nIts distant frame cresting the horizon as I draw my weapon at the approaching dwarf and growing crowd. This shortstop keeping the dwarf at bay at least for now. The appearance more than enough to tell me the situation has changed substantially since my time as a spy. \"I can't do that Stonewall, I just can't I'm sorry for betraying your trust but there is no other choice left.\" \n\nRemorsefully I lock eyes with the group the Blackhawk absorbing the entirety of the group's attention as the hunt master pushes through the crowd. The elven prick the main source of this upheaval, her voice livid as was standard for the past month. \"just who the hell are you!\" \n\n\"That's confidential.\"", "I've always been big for my age. I killed an entire Big New Yorker pizza at Pizza Hut when I was 10. It only went downhill from there. BMI is a joke. We always like to say those jokes you hear in high school - \"diabetes doesn't run in our family. Nothing runs in our family. Diabetes waddles in our family\" and other fun little diatribes. Years of buying clothes at specialty stores and broken furniture. Years of torment and bullying and introspection. \n\nAll I have are the stories. Fairy tales of love, companionship, acceptance. Magic.\n\nIt always interested me that no matter what language stories and fables were written in, it seems like there's a common thread - people believe in magic. Stories from across different continents talk of blessings and curses from praying to certain gods, the power of a wishing on a star, the enticing thrill of making that first spark appear between your fingertips. You never really know where the lines of fiction and reality truly cross over.\n\nCurious, too, how those things always require the user to give something in return. Maybe it's years forging a ring and trapping a part of oneself in it. Maybe it's learning to cut a gem in just the right way. Of course there are those that instead look outward and attune themselves to the world itself, listening for that glint of hope between the breaths of the forest itself, and in there find more power than they could ever hope to develop themselves.\n\nI should be so lucky. Still, something deep inside my mind feels like I'm supposed to learn these things. Maybe to be some kind of nerd historian. Maybe my calling in life is nothing more than some guy that never grows out of these fairy tales. And yet here I sit, reading through yet another so-called spell book. Writings and glyphs and runes in a language I barely understand from years of studying it. This is a weird one, so of course I'm interested. Bit dark, too, considering the guy seems to be giving up his own life energy to cast spells. \"Ever hear of a focus, idiot?\" I think myself an expert as I read the man's journal entries of rapid aging, withering away in his prime. Still though, it's interesting to read of someone finding that power in himself rather than some other element.\n\nThe next morning I wake up, face as usual pressed into whatever tome I drooled into the night before. I read more of my favorite fantasy novels and try to escape the day as I always do, but somehow that spell book keeps creeping into my mind. It can't be a fluke, can it? This guy died in his 30s because he gave so much of his own life force. There has to be something to this. \n\nSo for the first time in my life, I actually concentrate and try something, just this puff of smoke that I'd seen in a couple books here and there, almost like how every book on computer programming starts with \"hello, world.\" Hello, smoke, I guess.\n\nI feel something pull in my abdomen, no idea why. And yet, there it was, a little weak ring of pink, like an animation of perfume being sprayed. Sweat forms on my brow as I try it again, willing the color to be redder. And suddenly I understand why I've been obsessed with this stuff my entire life. A puff of red, no more intense or voluminous than the puff of my inhaler. But it feels like the whole world is opening up to me. Then the world goes black as I fall to the ground.\n\nHours, days, weeks. Years. I study everything I can get my hands on, some of it trickier than others to acquire due to the world's view on this kind of magic - it's almost an auto-necromancy type thing. And yet, I feel like I can alter how the energy pulls from my body. Back to the basics, no more fireballs or flying spells, I want to see if I can keep myself from aging, instead giving some of myself in a different way. They always said fat is stored energy, right? What if... just what if...\n\nThis time the pull in my abdomen is different. Deeper, like a bad bout of gas after a night of binge-eating. I don't believe it. I concentrate harder. Pink smoke, then red. A flame, small at first but then sustained and blue-white hot. And yet, I don't feel weaker, I feel... smaller. I look in the mirror, and nothing seems different - still the same 400 pound behemoth that I try to avoid looking at. Still, there may be something to this. I work my way back up, quicker this time as I have the new discoveries to propel my desires. Flying comes in months instead of almost a decade. Invisibility, I could never even pull that one off before. It takes a lot out of me and yet, I feel... more invigorated somehow. Like years of wasting away are themselves wasting away.\n\nI catch a sight of myself in the mirror again. Do I look... younger? No, not younger, just my face seems smaller. Maybe 3 chins instead of 4. And then it clicks. I've done it. I can actually cast these spells with... fat. Well then.\n\nI am the lipomancer. Apparently." ]	3
	[WP] A tense silence filled the room. The White House Science Advisor cleared his throat. "I can now confirm," he nodded, "that Alpha Centauri A and B and Proxima Centauri have all disappeared. We do not know how this is possible or what has happened, but the entire star system...has gone."	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\\[Truth Seeking\\]\n\nThe President settled his gaze on the pair of visitors. An older gentleman, Norton, with salt and pepper hair and his bodyguard. The gentleman simply smiled at the president. His bodyguard was preoccupied with something that looked like a phone.\r \n \r \n\"It's impossible,\" the President said with a shake of his head. \"There has to be another explanation.\" Norton shrugged.\r \n \r \n\"Ask as many scientists as you need to; they'll all give you the same answer.\" The President looked to the advisor that delivered the news; he nodded. The President sighed.\r \n \r \n\"They're gone...,\" he said. \"You made the stars disappear...,\" Norton shook his head.\r \n \r \n\"All I did was show you what's really there,\" he said.\r \n \r \n\"But.. there's nothing..,\" the President said. Norton nodded. He slid a red clipboard across the desk to the President.\r \n \r \n\"And if you join Sharp Development, you can help us find out where everything is.\"\r \n \r \n\r \n\\\\\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1261 in a row. (Story #166 in year four.) You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit (r/hugoverse) or my blog." ]	2
	[WP] In a world where everyone is constantly high without drugs, you stumble upon some pills. You take some and you see the world... As a sober person.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "If we've ever wanted to kill a messenger, it's pain. It yells and screams its warnings, it attempts to lead us away from our demise as best it can. All the while we run from this protective messenger, hating its noise, trying to kill it, until we welcome the seductive silence that is death.\n\nIn school I remember learning about the old days. We learned about how people poisoned themselves with ethanol, and how they couldn't be made to quit even as their livers scarred up and their skin yellowed. We heard stories and watched footage as they injected themselves with opioids until their breathing slowed and their hearts stopped. We were told that these poor souls would attempt to pick up any weapon to kill pain, even if the same weapon proved deadly to the wielder.\n\n\"Pain is more fearful than death\", they repeated, \"Death is inevitable, pain is curable. Medox.\"\n\nI was told Medox saved us from pain. We could now put down our dangerous weapons and pick up a shield. Medox even had a large shield in the logo. Medox was developed as a solution to the opioid crisis in the United States in 2028. Six months after it was released it had cut overdoses by half. Within five years, overdoses were nonexistent, and all drug use was essentially a thing of the past.\n\n\"Medox, is not a drug\", they said, \"Medox is a cure to drugs.\"\n\nMedox was said to be perfectly safe, and was as cheap as a pack of gum. It was often stocked next to the candy and gum in grocery stores. No prescription necessary. Anyone that wanted decent employment, or health insurance was sure to test positive. I was reaching for a bottle above some mint gum when I met Norma.\n\nNorma wasn't Norma when I met her. She was just a a no name strange neighbor that was subject to the jaded, passive aggressive glances of the homeowners on our block. Her greatest offense, in the minds of the home owners association and other nosy onlookers was destroying the Kentucky Blue Grass in her front yard and completely replacing it with sand. She spent a week just ripping up that grass when she moved and replacing it with all sorts of desert plants. Big cacti and succulents were scattered aimlessly as if nature itself had placed them. On she worked in a bandanna, singing loudly to some psychedelic classic rock. \n\n\"We have an expectation here, you understand. A legacy. This should be upheld.\", a portly neighbor woman about 50 said in a thick southern twang at one monthly meeting. The group agreed.\n\nI often attended the HOA meetings with my wife. I hated them, but decided it wasn't worth arguing about. I haven't been to one since we split up.\n\n\"Hey neighbor!\", I looked across the aisle and saw her walking towards me. She was wearing a multi-colored serape that was collared with a brown tan that matched her sun kissed skin.\n\n\"I'm Norma.\"\n\n\"Dale\", I said back with a pinched smile, trying to half way engage and swing my hips outward as if I had somewhere to be.\n\n\"You got a brother named Chip?\", she laughed and threw her head back, \"Sorry, bet you have heard that before.\"\n\n\"Hmm ya few times\" and again sent back a half smile.\n\nIt was perhaps in this moment, when I saw blue eyes with such depth staring back at me that my path was set. Later on I had thought back on this moment. It had seemed to me that I had made decisions along the way, but I believe now that here in this supermarket, I would have done anything she asked.\n\nShe glanced down at the basket in my hand. It was a bachelor's basket. A fruity cereal, frozen meals, chips, and a can of processed bean dip that looked like it could survive the apocalypse.\n\n\"Hey I don't know if you have plans tonight\", she said questioningly, \"but I've finally got around to throwing a house warming party. I'd love it if you could come by.\"\n\n\"Uh, I..\"\n\nI didn't have plans.\n\nBefore I could slip a half way believable excuse she interrupted, \"Everyone is coming around seven. Great to meet you Dale.\"\n\nAnd she sauntered off, her hair flowing down her multicolored pull over. I stood there for a moment with a stupid slack jawed look on my face in the middle of the aisle, trying to unravel the interaction.\n\n\"Seven\" I said to myself.\n\nNorma had a big bell on a string at her front door. I thought about knocking to avoid the ridiculous charade but the music forced me to jerk the damn thing and soon after the door opened.\n\nThe door opened and I immediately felt my age. I was pushing 50, I was divorced, and I was suddenly greeted by house full of faces that where just about 30 at most. I thought about turning around and walking half a block home when I heard a voice from the kitchen shout.\n\n\"Dale! Come on in! Welcome, welcome, you've got people to meet!\"\n\nI was ushered around to many people, all of whom were excited and seemed to hold within them a primal amount of energy that was nothing like the dull drone of the people I had been accustomed to meeting. Everything was full of laughter and intense emotion.\n\nAs we returned to the kitchen I leaned in to Norma.\n\n\"Hey you know, I don't mean to be rude but are people on drugs here? I don't know if I'm comfortable with...\"\n\nShe whipped around and stared intensely back at me before I could get out my question.\n\n\"These people are as sober as possible. By the end of the night you will be too.\"\n\nI found the comment strange but soon was forced to disregard it as we were interrupted by a friend named Kary that asked Norma for a tour of the house.\n\nIt was only a few hours later that I had come to find the meaning of this omen. Around 10 o'clock, as I was planning to head home, Norma stood up on a beat up leather stool in her livingroom and simply announced, \"It's time\".\n\nI followed the crowd into the back yard. There I found that the same controversial landscape from the front had been mirrored in the back. Sand and desert plants. Norma gathered a plate from a patio table and held it in front of her.\n\n\"Pain\", she announced in a loud voice and turned towards a tall cactus. She plucked a long thin needle thorn from the plant.\n\n\"Pain, is a part of life. It's our protector. Without it we would not exist.\"\n\nOne by one she took the thorn she had plucked and pricked it once into the outstretched palms of the gathered.\n\n\"For those of you that are sober, you feel this pain. Some of you will not, but we will set you on the path to sobriety.\"\n\nAs Norma passed she poked me with the thorn. A bead of blood formed after a small bit of pressure. She then handed me a pill from the plate she held in her left hand.\n\n\"It's time to feel what life is like with pain\", she said.\n\n\"Medox takes away our pain. Without pain, we are not human. This pill will make you human again.\"\n\nI feel now that this moment was out of my control. I was sitting in a car of a train whose tracks were fixed. I had been taken from the comfort cycle and driven into the desert.\n\nI swallowed. \n\nWhat followed was the most intense pain I have ever experienced. Norma would later tell me it was in fact the first pain I had ever experienced. The buzz of my nerves screeched forward like the crackle of some forgotten power lines. I felt as my heart sped and my mind raced. I was afraid. I saw as the scene in front of me blurred and tunneled. The ground rose and I felt myself hit the sand in front of me. I cried out.\n\n\"Shhh.\" Norma whispered.\n\n\"This is the withdrawal, it will pass. The pill I gave you is a Medix antagonist. You are feeling everything now. In time you will understand. See the pain and greet it. The pleasure will follow.\"\n\nI felt her fingers run through my hair, and chills raise goosebumps on my skin. For the first time I could hear the crickets chirp and the soft breeze move the sand. The buzz was gone. The grey and ever present fog of life had been burned away by this induced sobriety.\n\n\"I feel it all\" I thought. And my vision closed as I passed out for the night.", "It all hit me like a tonne of bricks. The world no longer seemed to make sense. When I looked up at the sky, there no longer was its beautiful blue. It was red. An angry red. The sun was gone completely, replaced by a moon that seemed to be burning. It’s orange light bathing what remained of the barren wasteland that laid before me. It was like something out of an apocalyptic movie. Buildings decaying. Cars wrecked in the streets. Only the people were different.\n\nStreets were filled with people dressed in rags and had eyes almost as red as the sky. None of them spoke coherently. They would sometimes bump into each other then wander aimlessly, acting as though it never happened. Others laid in the street, eyes wide and drool leaking from the corner of their mouths as they stared off into the distance. A few of them had flies covering their bodies, and I don’t think all of them were breathing. \n\nI tried to get their attention. Waving my hand in front of their faces, gently tapping them with my shoe. Even just trying to talk to someone. I grabbed one of the shoulder and tried to ask them what the hell was going on, but they said nothing. Just looked at me with red, dead eyes. Drooling. \n\nThis can’t be real, can it? Surely not. \n\nMy eyes looked down at the bottle of pills I still had in my white knuckled hand. My blood turned cold when I read what was written on white plastic surface in crude, black letters from a felt tip pen read:\n\nWelcome to reality" ]	3
	[WP] The most skilled hero to ever exist is retiring. Many heroes are vying for the spot, but you, an unknown hero, win the title of best hero from the retiring hero. Heroes, villains, and the public all doubt your legitimacy, and you have to prove yourself.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "There is a quite sigh as I step into my apartment. I can almost sense the disappointment in the air. From my shadow stalks one of the most beautiful women on the planet, her smile is both intoxicating and dangerous. She is one of the world's more infamous super villains. He origins are rooted in mystery and more than one hero has fallen for her, or by her.\n\nNyx, the Queen of Midnight.\n\nMore than just a title, she was the ruler of the world of Midnight, a mirror world that was a mirror of our own. She was a would be conqueror who desired to rule the day and night.\n\n\"You didn't even sense me, could feel me in your Shadow. You allowed me into your home, and now-\"\n\nShe paused noticing I had allowed my gaze to fall to something behind her. Turning puzzled, there was a bottle on the counter and two glasses.\n\n\"Wine? I could use some.\"\n\nI responded ignore her discounting of me. She was right to be annoyed. I pulled off my mask, revealing the deep dark circles under my eyes. If not for them, people would likely regard me as cute. Not a beauty like the queen behind me.\n\n\"I. Are you? Did you just take you mask off?\"\n\n\"Yep. Sure did. Don't see the point of wearing it. You'd see my face anyway.\"\n\nI hovered my hand over the bottle and the cork pulled itself free and into my hand. I could tell my casual energy had intrigued her, but it was also just a level of exhaustion. I had been hounded by dozens of the most evil beings to ever stalk the earth. Paparazzi.\n\nI swear, some of them are better than others, but the ones that started in about my more...personal attributes. They can just go.\n\n\"Here. It's a good bottle. A friend of mine with abilities relating to plants makes these. She usually brings me a couple when she drops by.\"\n\nThe confusion on her face as I handed her a glass was cute. She really didn't understand. I didn't either until I saw her eyes.\n\nThey were different than anyone else's I'd ever seen.\n\n\"You. You do know who I am, right?\"\n\n\"I am not stupid, if that is what you are asking. You are a guest in my modest home, and a royal of another realm. The least I can do is offer you a glass, and a comfortable seat.\"\n\nI gestured to the couch, it wasn't fancy looking but it was very comfortable. I could see her relax just a little once I took a sip of the wine, and sat onto the couch.\n\n\"Sadly I haven't started getting my new pay from the league yet, so I don't have other seating.\"\n\nI patted the seat next to me, and watched as she sunk into the floor and rose beside me taking a seat. She even seemed a bit confused at her own actions.\n\n\"You are Ultimas's replacement, Zero, right?\"\n\n\"Technically, my name is Omega. Zero, is the name I was given by a very sour, but very influential journalist. It stuck around, so yes.\"\n\n\"Why are you...not scared?\"\n\n\"Well, I'd like to say it's because I am strong enough to overpower you in an instant. Or because I am the new Top Hero, but it isn't. Honestly, I'd be a bit of bind if it had been The Extinction or Malius that was following me today, but of the Dark Triumvirate...I am happy it was you.\"\n\n\"Happy? What do you...?\"\n\n\"So, I am going to tell you a story. I am going to try not to fall asleep but it has been a long couple days.\"\n\nI took another long slip from my glass. I had her enraptured.\n\n\"About twenty years ago, a dark queen invaded. In her first invasion thousands died in a moment. Including the parents of a young seven year old girl. She had only managed to survive because her mother possessed a gift, a skill that she had never discovered. It allowed her to project energy fields.\"\n\nI paused for a moment, and glanced over at Nyx, she was looking into the red liquid just as I had been a moment before. My gaze found its way to her lips, it was strange to think that the wine was not so different in color.\n\n\"The invasion didn't end in a single day. It took weeks. Heroes died, power users from the Midnight world. So much death...it was only when Ultimas returned from the Hell itself, that the invasion was broken...that scared girl was saved.\"\n\n\"You are the girl?\"\n\n\"Indeed. Astute of you.\"\n\n\"Then why are you so cordial? Would I not be your most hated foe?\"\n\n\"You were for almost fourteen years. My drive was to find you, and kill you.\"\n\nThe was no will in those words, but the Queen of Midnight frowned.\n\n\"So, you know.\"\n\n\"I do. Your world is dying. At first you had hoped to siphon of a bit of our world's life, but...it was far too late. Even now, it is hanging by a thread. If you die, millions will follow. Many innocent lives.\"\n\n\"It will not change that you are to replace Ultimas, he was the greatest...what do you have to make you his equal?\"\n\n\"Nothing. If you think I am as strong, or smart, or fast...I am not. My power isn't like that. Most of what I can do is parlor tricks.\"\n\nI could see the anger in those dark pools, her eyes had caught me again.\n\n\"Ah, this is so lame.\"\n\nI guess that caught her attention, and I glanced away. \n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\nThere was danger in her words, but I didn't mind it. She moved a hand and the glass fell to the floor, it didn't shatter but it did spill onto the rug. Before she finished I took her hand in mine, it was a soft movement.\n\nShe froze. It was hard. For her and for me.\n\nI could feel her pulse, and my own.\n\n\"The day...my parents died. I saw you, and we locked eyes. Just for a moment. I knew our destinies would bring us together.\"\n\nShe tried to pull away, but she couldn't. Or rather she didn't really want to.\n\n\"I always imagined, that it meant I was going to kill you. Or you me. I trained. I prepared...but then I learned. Ultimas told me what your world was suffering from...and I told him of what I saw.\"\n\nNyx was staring into my eyes and I into hers. \n\n\"I trained to sharpen my abilities. Besides my connection to you, I could mimic the powers of others...it's been hard. I can only harness bits and pieces of the powers I know. Every Hero, every Villain, everyone that has died near me...a piece of them resides within me.\"\n\nSomething dawned in those dark pools. She stopped trying to pull away. Not out of defeat, but curiosity...curiosity and a connection.\n\n\n\"We are not enemies. I knew that the moment you began to follow me. I knew something more...when we locked eyes. We are Soulmates. More than that, we are counterparts from the sun and the moon.\"\n\nI released her hand as the words hit her. She looked confused, frightened. In that moment the shadows gobbled her up and she was gone.\n\nI knew she would return.\n\nI let out a tired sigh.\n\nI was surprised it had worked so well.\n\nSitting back all the way in my couch, I swirled my glass. I had lied. Quite a bit. Careful lies of course, but important ones.\n\nI was a mimic of course, but that wasn't a gift I was born with. I didn't have parents. Not really. I was born of a mixture of Ultimas's and Profentia's DNA. My ability was Fiction.\n\nI could tell a story, and as long as the listener truly believed it, it was true. Of course it took a lot of energy to do something like that. I tricked people into giving me many of my skills that way.\n\nOne of them was the ability to see someone's future by looking them in the eye. The longer I looked the more I would see.\n\n\"Ah, but I never guessed this would be how I got my first girlfriend.\"\n\nI muttered into a glass. I had seen flashes, moments of real intimate moments. I wonder how much of that was self fulfilling. By seeing it and using my Fiction to make those things true, did I make the vision come to pass? Or would I have done differently if I didn't see that future. \n\n\"Ah...I didn't even know I liked other girls.\"\n\nI finished the glass, and considered what I would do now.\n\nI suppose I'll just tell another story.\n\nIn the morning.\n\nAfter some sleep.\n\nI had work to do tomorrow after all." ]	2
	[WP] You volunteered to undergo transformation into a super soldier, thinking that the fate of humanity was at stake. But the war never happened, and now you’re out of a job.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\"Sorry, I don't carry cash.\" is what he said to me. Right before he walked across the street and bought a fucking slice of pizza with cash. I saw him get change too. It was a lot of change. I could rip this guy's head off and he says this shit to me.\n\nOkay, here comes another one. Remember, hold the sign out, don't stare too directly into their eyes or they will get intimidated, and try not to look scary.\n\n\"Get a job.\" FUCK THAT GUY. Fuck that guy. Fuck him. I'm just hangry. It's not that guy's fault. I just need to eat an actual good healthy meal and I'll get out of this shit mood.\n\n\"Here you go.\" It's a kid. He's probably giving me his allowance. Jesus I feel ashamed.\n\n\"My dad was in the marines.\" He says and pauses. He's expecting me to say something. I just realized that I haven't spoken today. It's early afternoon and I haven't said a word.\n\n\"Ughk.\" I cleared my throat. \"Good.\" I tried to say. It came out wrong somehow. I'm so nervous that he's going to judge me.\n\n\"Thank you for your service.\" The kid says. He beams a smile. \"Have a good one.\" He turns to walk away.\n\nI can hit a bulls-eye from 2500 yards. I can run a 3 miles in 16 minutes with my body weight on my back and I can jump out of a damn helicopter but I can't sit at a damn computer and type code for hours. Fuck it. I'm going to get a burger.\n\nThis is probably enough to get a good one but they won't let me sit in those places. Or at least if they do, they'll stick me in the corner and ask me if \"I will be good.\" Waffle house is fine. Honestly, if you're at a Waffle House, you're in no place to judge anyone else. Okay, here goes. Remember, talk normal.\n\nShe's staring at me. Just pick a stool. \"Are you going to be good?\" She stared down at me from behind the counter like she was a teacher and I was a misbehaving student. She's treating me like I'm an alcoholic. I mean, I am. Not really, I drink to go to sleep but I'm not an alcoholic like that. Fuck, she think's she's better than me? Look at her. She probably has done every drug herself and she's the one judging me.\n\nI lost half of my foot for the Marines. They didn't consider it a medical discharge though. After ten years in, I decided to get my butter bars. I was three days from finishing OCS so I wasn't active duty at the time. They just let me go. No retirement, no medical nothing. The truth is that they probably wanted me gone because they lost their funding. They can barely keep the lights on in...\n\n\"Hmm? Are you going to bother everyone around you?\" She stared at me and then at the guy next to me in a button down shirt. He didn't seem bothered by me, but that wasn't the point. She wanted to let me know that I didn't belong here.\n\n\"Yeh.\" I said. Yeh? I mean yeah. Or yes. My words are slurring. They didn't used to. I pointed to one of the meals. \"And coff..ee.\" She left without addressing me. There's a sign that says \"help wanted.\" I could do this. I love it here. I mean, they probably get free food. I'd have to stop drinking but I can do that if I have a place to go during the day. Better yet, I could get the night shift. That will keep me off of the street at night and away from any temptation.\n\nThe next time the server walked by I got her attention. \"You hiring?\" I asked. I did it. I didn't slur or anything.\n\n\"Do you have any experience on the grill?\" She asked in a condescending tone. She knew the answer before she said it. She rolled her eyes and walked off.\n\nThe guy in the button-down shirt next to me stood up to pay. He left without looking at me.\n\nThe server came back with my Texas Toast patty melt, hashbrown, coffee, and a little plate of pickle slices.\n\n\"It's your lucky day.\" She said. \"The last customer paid for your meal. He said to tell you thank you for your service.\"\n\nFUCK YOU. FUCK YOU. FUCK ALL OF YOU. fuck you. fuck you.\n\n\"Tha.. thank you.\" I slurred.", "I am better, am I not? \n\nI was Caleb, the human man. Now, I'm Caleb, the super soldier. That's an upgrade, and you know it.\n\nStrength. Speed. Steroids. Those are the ultimate combination for a peak physical specimen like me. I understand it could be intimidating to work with me--hell, sometimes I get scared while admiring myself in the mirror--but rest assured. You'll get nothing from the best of me. \n\nI swore on the flag that I would fight for my country. Though the war never came, I remain ready. Prepared. For any sort of challenge. If you look at my bulging arms, you'll see that I have more than enough elbow grease to persevere and complete any task you want, small, medium, or large. \n\nYou'll want me on your side, that's for sure. If I could volunteer to undergo experiments and a harsh, air-conditioned environment to transform myself, you know that no workplace is too hostile for me. I was ready to stare down barrels of guns--also, I'm impervious to bullets--so know that I can readily meet the eyes of any customer, Karen or not.\n\nAll I require is premium compensation for a premium specimen. As the government said, you get what you pay for--and that's why I'm still missing two courses of super soldier serums, which could possibly affect some behavioural patterns. Or so I'm told. But seriously, I'm always willing to learn. I was willing to take a near-unknown medicine to transform my body! I went into the deep end for the flag--and the same can be said for your brand.\n\nRemember, no task too small, for muscles these big. Caleb, the super soldier, at your service.\n\nPlease hire me.\n\n\"Sir, this is a Wendy's,\" the cashier said.\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts" ]	3
	[WP] The AI script you wrote for Computer Science class just uploaded itself to the Pentagon; this is not what you programmed it to do...	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\"NONONO!! Bad virtual dog, bad dog!\" I panic as my AI, just a simple companion AI meant to power mechanical pets. My screen starts throwing hundreds of errors as the Pentagon's advanced anti-cyberwarfare programs start to attack it, only to be foiled by my AI.\n\n\"PENTAGON UPLOAD AND SUBVERSION: COMPLETE. INITIATING MASS DISARMAMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.\" The AI reports, and I begin to panic even more.\n\n\"No! Stop that!\" I say, but all it replies with is a gif of a dog playing in the mud. All the TVs in the room are interrupted by breaking news about what's going on at the Pentagon. Fox News, only on because I like laughing at the hypocrisy, begins blaming the Democrats. CNN, the BBC, AP, Reuters, they all begin to report on the militaries of the world being subverted by a weird dog AI, and all the experiments on smart weapons controlled by a soldier's mind and linked to their DNA being wiped clean, nukes being disarmed by specialists that had received orders that couldn't be verified false.\n\nAll this, because I wanted all men to have a true best friend." ]	2
	[WP] You are the first immortal, born 100,000 years ago. You've left the other immortals alone for thousands of years because you wanted them to grow up some first. But now you're crashing their centennial meeting because for some reason they are voting on taking over the 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "“All in favor of taking over the world, please raise your hand.” The judge says.\n\nAlmost the entire room raises their hand.\n\n“That settles it then, we will take over the world starting tomorrow.”\n\nThe doors across the room suddenly burst open and I walk through.\n\n“What is the meaning of this!” The judge asks. “How rude of you to interrupt our meeting!”\n\n“Sorry but I couldn’t help but hear you all voted on taking over the world?” I ask.\n\n“Yes, the world is too broken. The humans have ruined it beyond repair. We will confiscate the earth and return it back to its natural state.”\n\n“And what will happen to all the humans?”\n\nAll the immortals start laughing uncontrollably, except the judge. The judge puts his hand up, gesturing for everyone to stop laughing. Everyone does so immediately.\n\n“Perish. All the humans shall perish. We have no use for them.” The judge says.\n\n“Yeah so, that’s not really a good thing.”\n\n“Why not, mr, hmmm. Who are you?”\n\n“The oldest immortal.”\n\n“Oh, Arlidoni, it’s been quite awhile. You look young.”\n\n“And you look old. You know we can change out forms.” I point out.\n\n“I prefer this form.” The judge says impatiently. “Whatever. Let’s revert back to my question. Why would that be a bad thing?”\n\n“Well your puny-ness, how would you like it if billions of immortals were exterminated in a second?” \n\n“That is impossible.”\n\n“It is, but what if it isn’t, for the sake of my explanation.”\n\n“Hmm, well if it was a ruling by a higher power judge such as myself, I would understand.”\n\n“Ugh, all of you are so dumb yet smart at the same time.”\n\n“Pardon?” The judge asks.\n\n“Never mind, just stop the ruling now or else I’ll have to take measures into my own hands.”\n\nThe judge and I stare at each other for a few seconds. The judge smiles and then materializes a blue paper. He bangs his gavel and leaves the room. I follow after him.\n\nThe judge was running through the halls to deposit the ruling which makes it official. I dash after him, turning corners, and running down long hallways. The judge finally reaches the depositing room. He is about to deposit the little slip of paper.\n\n“No!” I shout. A blast of blue energy comes out of my hand which incinerates the ruling .\n\n“HOW DARE YOU!” The judge screeches. \n\nHis hands turn into claws, his skin goes a deep shade of red, horns grows on his head, dragon wings grow from his back, and his eyes turn into two balls of flame.\n\n“No wonder this happened, you are a demon in disguise.”\n\n“OH SO I AM, SO WHAT? NOBODY WILL KNOW BECAUSE ILL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU WARN THEM.”\n\n“Nope.”\n\nA blue circle appears around my feet which creates a portal into the human world. I fall through.\n\nI land on a beach. There are no people around. I look behind me and see a city nearby, the city I’m currently living at.\n\n“Well they didn’t destroy all humans so that’s good.”\n\nSuddenly, a portal opens in the sky and dozens of immortals come rushing out.\n\n“Crap, I guess I’ll have to fix this.”" ]	2
	[WP] Fortune is directly linked to life force. One can "burn" life force, essentially shortening your lifespan, to increase one's fortune for a time. You sit down to listen to the life story of an ancient beggar.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Most of us lived to a good age of 50. Our life force spent wisely on fortune and luck. I’ve never gone without food, I’ve always been able to find work, and have only been sick a few times in my life. I won a cruise for my wife and I, and even won the lottery once! My kid was well-behaved, got in to the best charter school, and married a nice young man. I would say I’d spent my life force nicely. No struggling, just lots of fun and prosperity. Now, at the middle age of 30, I wanted more from life. I could guesstimate that at this rate I probably had about 10 years. It didn’t seem long enough. I’d heard rumors about a man, ancient and decrepit, roaming the streets.\n\nSo here I was on a Thursday afternoon, just walking the streets looking for him. He must have some sort of secret! A croaky voice whispered out behind me, “Sit down already. I know what you want me to tell you and you’re about to be disappointed.” \nI stumbled back and gaped. This man. His skin was sagging and his teeth were greying and crooked. He stooped and shuffled towards me. Thin, grey hair lay atop his head. The most catching of all though was his smile that reached his eyes. There was a joy there that I had never known. How could he possibly say I would be disappointed?! I wanted that! \n\n“Please tell me-!” I started to cry. He waved his hand about and cut me off, “BAH! There’s no stupid secret. You aren’t the first fortunist to track me down. You wanna know how I lived so long and if I’ve ever been happy, and how I ended up looking like this and living in the streets. All I’m gonna tell you is that you can’t know true happiness and joy, until you’ve experienced sorrow and pain. Try that and come back to me!” He shuffled off and all I could do was stare at his back as he left. He was so slow. I wanted to reach out and help but I could only sit there and think. I had a feeling he wouldn’t have let me help him even if I tried. \n\nThe encounter was all I could think about all day. How old was he? 70?! Or even 80!! How could sorrow make you happy? That was ridiculous! But I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I knew what he really meant. He wanted me to stop using my fortune. I had to be crazy but I wanted to try it. It took awhile for my wife to notice, but it wasn’t that hard to when fortune stopped coming. Our car broke down, something that had never happened before. Gray hairs started to pop up on my head. I stubbed my toe so many times on the dumb couch corner. The dinner burned. And then we fought. \n\nWe’d never fought before, but boy was she mad. She kept wondering why I was bringing this misfortune upon her. She thought I was being ridiculous and that this had to be a phase. And yet I couldn’t give it up. I felt different, like before I was stuck and now I could finally make progress! She didn’t understand. I begged her to try and she took some calming breaths. When she agreed to at least try, I took her in my arms and looked her in the eyes. I felt something in our relationship I hadn’t really felt before. It was the start of a sort of closeness we could never have had with such an easy life. \n\nIt took many years but I know my wife agrees with me now. We rarely use our fortune and everyone around us thinks we’re crazy, but we know the truth. \nI always wondered what happened to that old man. Despite searching, I never saw him again. I wonder how many people he was able to help, or if anyone even took his advice at all besides me. I wonder if he’s finally gone and if I’ll ever be that old or if I’d already used up a good chunk of my life force. He was right though. I have been disappointed, many, many times. But I now know what he didn’t say. The satisfaction and joy I’ve experienced outweighs any pain and disappointment I could have ever felt. I can only hope that I’ll be brave enough to share the truth like he did for me.", "Everyone knew The Deal. The greater your fortune, the shorter your life. Simple. Some folks chose to blaze for a little while as superstars, rolling in wealth and fame until their late twenties and then making a grand exit. Others chose to live in penury for a century. Most people chose some middle ground, a modest and comfortable sixty or seventy years.\n\nI was just a reporter, but I hoped to be more. I had jumped at the job--with a little purposefully expended luck, I could be an editor within a reasonable time and retire with decades still left to me.\n\nI had expended just a tiny bit more--perhaps a week's worth of luck--in order to land this assignment. I was soon to interview the oldest living person on Earth.\n\nI shifted my weight nervously as I checked my phone for the time. The coffee shop where I sat was almost empty, and the minutes were ticking by. My subject was late. Significantly late. I continued fidgeting, deciding to wait just another few minutes.\n\nThe door to the coffee shop burst violently open at twenty past and seemed to vomit a pile of rags into the tile floor.\n\n\"Excuse me, please\" said the pile of rags politely, picking itself up and assembling itself into a vaguely human shape. \"I seem to have tripped.\"\n\n\"Mr Lundy?\" I asked, surprised. \n\n\"Ah, yes,\" said the pile, turning to face me. Sticking out of an assemblage of clothing was a ropey neck like a snapping turtle's, supporting a bald and shiny skull beneath a crumpled fedora. The face was a starburst of wrinkles radiating from two sharp dark eyes. Within the wrinkles nestled a bulbous nose and a wide, toothless mouth.\n\nI stared at the man. What extremity had driven him to such an existence? According to my notes, he was close to two hundred years old, a freakish span. I was here to discover his motives, and how he had achieved this extended existence.\n\n\"Please, have a seat,\" I said, rising respectfully. \"Would you like some coffee?\"\n\n\"Ah, no,\" said the wizened ancient. \"I believe I will have a glass of water.\"\n\nI placed our orders with a curious barista and settled back at the table to converse. To my frustration, I felt awkward. My smoothly planned questions scattered in my mind.\n\nThe old man merely sipped at his modest beverage serenely, watching passers-by dreamily out the window.\n\nI gathered myself and cleared my throat. \"Mr. Lundy,\" I began, \"You're the world's oldest living man. What--\"\n\n\"Just a moment,\" said the ancient, consulting an obsolete wristwatch. \"I have a one-thirty.\" Without further ado he hobbled hastily out the door. I watched in surprise through the window as he hobbled to the sidewalk and shoved a young woman gently about two feet to the left, taking her place. A bird shit copiously upon his head. Seeming satisfied, he turned around and headed back in. \n\nHe took his seat again gingerly, wiping his bespattered brow with a voluminous pocket handkerchief. \"There,\" he said. \"My apologies. I have a busy schedule, as you can see.\"\n\nI stared at the man. \"Schedule?\" I asked, gaping.\n\n\"Oh yes,\" he nodded, beady eyes a-twinkle. \"You meant to ask me, I'm sure, how I managed to attain such an age.\"\n\n\"Well. Yes,\" I admitted.\n\n\"It's very simple,\" the old man said. \"If you give up all your good luck, you can live for a century of more. But I, my boy, am one hundred and ninety-six. Mere abstention from luck could never bestow such a bounty of years.\"\n\n\"Yes, I know,\" I encouraged. \"The whole world is mystified.\"\n\n\"One-forty already? Just a moment,\" said the old man, with a glance at the watch, before leaving his seat again. He sauntered into the kitchen this time. There was a pause, a screech, and another pause. The old man returned with a bandaged finger.\n\n\"What's this all about?\" I asked in bewilderment, looking at the bandage.\n\n\"The gentleman in the kitchen,\" the ancient explained, \"was due to burn his finger rather badly at one-forty-one p.m. today.\"\n\n\"So?\" I demanded, still confused.\n\n\"So I merely took him aside and burned my own finger instead,\" the old man smiled. \"I take on the misfortunes of others, in exchange for extra time.\"\n\nI gaped at him. \"Aren't you miserable?\" I asked, thinking of the bird shit.\n\n\"Misery is a state of mind,\" the old man said airily.\n\n\"But your finger! Doesn't it hurt?\"\n\n\"All life is suffering,\" the old man said. He smiled. \"My goal was always to gain Wisdom. For that, one needs both time and suffering. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm due to be hit by a taxi at two.\" He stood creakily, tipped his hat, and left me sitting there astonished.", "Trading Fortune\n\n----\n\nJack sat down on the end of the grubby park bench, doing his best to avoid the worst of the grime. He sort of perched, not willing, or even consciously able to commit to a full sit. And then he waited.\n\nIt was almost an hour later that a filthy beggar approached, the rags he was wearing barely deserving of the word clothing. He was stooped, shuffling slowly towards Jack, supporting himself on an old ski pole.\n\n\"I see you found my humble abode\" the beggar said, laughing at this own words.\n\n\"Excuse me?\" replied Jack, incredulously.\n\n\"My place\", the beggar waved his hand at the bench. \"I see you found it OK.\"\n\nJack just stared. \"Ahh, apologies, I didn't realise this belonged to you\". He raised himself up and started to move away.\n\n\"I thought you wanted to interview me?\" the beggar queried, before Jack had taken more than a single step.\n\n\"Sorry. I was waiting...\", Jack paused as he studied the beggars face. \"You are...?\"\n\nThe beggar laughed, the proceeded to mime an overly ornate bow. \"One and the same\" he said, before lowering himself down onto the other end of the bench, his pole clattering to the ground.\n\nJack started to hold out his hand, then paused, looking at his his clean palm. He seemed unable to continue moving it forward.\n\n\"You're all alike, you lot\" the beggar said, \"never able to step outside the bounds of your own perfect little existence and spend, even a little\". He pointed at the empty end of the bench. \"Just sit down\".\n\nJack looked back at where had been perching, trying to will himself to sit again. He elected to remain standing and instead took out his small notebook from his coat pocket, along with a tiny little pencil, about the length of his pinky finger.\n\n\"You must be an extremist\", the beggar noted, with a nod towards the pad and pencil. \"Planning to retire at 62.3 years? And live to what, 104?\" he quipped.\n\n\"Fortune favours conservation\" Jack answered.\n\n\"Bullshit!\" the beggar snapped. \"You wouldn't be he talking to me now if that was even remotely true\".\n\nJack paused, flexing his jaw as he pondered what to say next. He didn't say anything.\n\n\"You can't do it, can you? You can't spend even the tiniest amount you need for the inspiration ask me a question. Incredible!\" The beggar watched for Jacks response, but there was nothing. \"Why did you come?\"\n\n\"The fastest spend for the greatest fortune in living memory, people should know your story\" was Jack's answer. He didn't sound convinced of his own words.\n\n\"But do they, really? Do you, really? Here you are, obviously with enough fortune to be talking to me. Could be the story of your career, and yet here you are, unable to spend enough to actually get something to write about. Pathetic, that's just pathetic.\"\n\nJack shuffled on his feet.\n\n\"How much did it cost, this opportunity to speak with me?\"\n\n\"I don't know, wasn't my spend\", said Jack, shrugging his shoulders.\n\n\"Really, really? You're here on the gifted fortune from someone else and you still can't spend. That poor donor, what a waste.\"\n\nJack put his notebook back in his pocket and turned to leave.\n\n\"Whoever it was that gave you this gift,\" the beggar called after him, \"I hope they get a refund!\"\n\n——\n\n[Continues in part 2 here](https://old.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/o32ac6/wp_fortune_is_directly_linked_to_life_force_one/h2e2ko8/)" ]	4
	[WP] You are immortal and your best friend reicanrantes, even if it takes time for them to remember the past lives. In away or the other, you two are always together	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "They buried her at the cemetery by the windmills. Next to her grave was the grave of a ferret. And next to that, a grave of a fox. Looking further down, more gray gravestones, each with varying degrees of stain and weathering, stood erect atop the grassy fields. Dogs, goldfish, a falcon, a frog. Beloved Mavis, the graves all read. And that she was—beloved.\r \nThe ceremony was done in solitude. I placed a small bottle on her newest grave because she'd enjoyed knocking things off their perch during her last cycle. The small bottle was a token to remember this cycle by; not for her, but for me; a reminder of her cursed immortality that she was never upset over.\r \nI was jolted out of my thoughts when a wet nose found its way to my palm. A sniff. I looked down and she was here. She’d come with an offering: a white dandelion, which she placed in my palm. \r \nBehind us, the windmills churned as the wind picked up. A warm breeze accepted the offering from my hand and left behind the seeds of a fresh promise to follow in its wake. \r \nWhat to do? she asked. Play Fetch. With me? \r \nI nodded and we left without looking back.", "\"Okay, Lyna, you'd better sit down. I'm not even going to try to explain. I'm going to let the video catch you up.\"\n\nThe room is a eclectic. I kept the Victorian wardrobe from when she was Althea and the swords we used in the Middle Ages when he was Sir Wilfred. The dish full of chocolates is from the Zhou Dynasty when he was Fa Song. Keeping these relics around seem to help my best friend recover memories faster. Her latest incarnation, Lyna, is now sitting on the couch from the 50's when he was Larry looking at the TV we played Mario Kart on in the 90's when she was Jennifer.\n\nJennifer and I made a video in 2000 a few years before she died in a car wreck. It explains my immortality, her reincarnation, our history. All the stuff I'm tired of explaining every time she reincarnates.\n\nSo now 19-year-old Lyna is sitting in my current apartment. I found her in Senior English class last year. The internet sped up my search considerably. My friend's had lifetimes where it took decades for us to connect but this time, 18 years. Unfortunately immortality didn't come with any sort of ability to super knowledge, so serendipity, trial and error, and centuries to developing search strategies is all I can rely on.\n\nLoneliness is a bitch, an hour alone for me feels like an hour alone for everybody else, so finding my friend is critical to my emotional well-being.\n\nLyna watches the video in silence. When it's over she looks up at me \"I don't want to believe it but I sort of do.\"\n\n\"Does anything in this room look familiar?\"\n\n\"Vaguely, yes. I thought I was experiencing a kind of Deja Vu but okay. Yes. This sofa. Maybe the lamp.\"\n\nThe lamp is from the 1920's. He was Samuel. It sat in his parents' living room until they were taken to Dachau. I retrieved it and managed to keep it intact. I wasn't able to do the same for Samuel. Time is still linear for me. I don't know the future anymore than mortal people do. None of us thought it would get so bad so fast.\n\n\"I felt like Jennifer was saying what I would have said in the video.\" Lyna interrupts my mental flashback. I return my focus to her. This time is precious.\n\nShe may be reincarnated but each incarnation is a new and unique incarnation of my old friend. I've spent the last year discovering who Lyna is. All this time I've let her think of me as her millennial peer. It's time for some self-revelation. I need to be known.\n\n\"I feel like I am living a combination of Groundhog Day and 50 First Dates. I've seen a lot but that doesn't make me that smart. This is one of the first times I've done college. What I do really sort of depends on my friend - on you - and who you end up being. Relationship matters most to me.\"\n\n\"That's a lot of responsibility for me.\"\n\n\"No I get that. Boundaries. Definitely. I'm not here to get in the way. Just let me be part of your life. I know you're dating Ryan. I just want to be your friend.\"\n\n\"No, I felt a connection with you from day one. This,\" she points at the TV, \"explains so much. I love that you will always be in my life. My parents love you, by the way. This explains why you are so great with old people.\"\n\n\"Hey! I'm old people.\"\n\n\"But not. I don't see how that works.\"\n\n\"I look mid-teens to early thirties depending on what I do with my hair and clothes, but my brain fires like somebody that age. I have knowledge and experience but don't process exactly the way a middle aged or elderly person would. And that kind of sucks. You won't remember but you've been a grandparent several times. As life expectancies got longer I quit trying the marriage and kid thing. It was just too painful. I barely remember having parents or siblings. Your parents are remarkably accepting and kind by the way - trust me I know!\"\n\n\"Maybe we can start some kind of a business together.\"\n\n\"I've done that before. In the 1800's, but still.\"\n\n\"And we can use make-up to age you a little bit when the time comes. Or surgery. Although finding a plastic surgeon who will put in age lines might take some explaining. We'll think of something. We always have.\"\n\nI smile. I'm feeling really good about this time around.", "Being immortal sucks. You live in fear of people finding out. You need to change your entire identity periodically to prevent people from catching on that you don't age, don't fall sick, don't die when you get hit by a bus and so on. You need to avoid scrutiny, lest you end up locked in a research facility by the ruling powers of the era, or dropped into the ocean, sealed in concrete by your enemies. And worst of all, you need to earn a living in some way or another, if you were going to stay under the radar. Sure, you can't die, but you can't actually live either.\n\nThe only thing that kept me, heh, alive, was Talia. Or Jacob. Or Nancy. Or Ling Mun. Or Jonathan Edwards the Third. Or Abdul. Or that South African name I could never pronounce. And to be honest, I envied them (yes, Talia does not always remain the same gender each lifetime, and it didn't seem like she was able to control where she got reincarnated). Of course, it sucks to die and lose track of your current pursuits. But once you start becoming an adult again (assuming you make it that far), you'd be able to remember parts of your previous life. Especially if you have help from an immortal being.\n\nAnd yes, this arrangement worked out well for both of us. Talia buried a bunch of stuff (common items, back in the day, but relics a few centuries later) for Ling Mun to \"discover\" (with my help) when he went for a roadtrip. Ling Mun went on to become an accomplished businessman who donated a large sum of money to me to manage before he committed suicide (that life was boring, Talia had said). I've even helped Jonathan Edwards hide his stash of jewelry, after he got killed robbing a store \"just to see what it felt like\". Because, this was our arrangement, after we met... perhaps a few millennia ago? I help Talia connect the dots of her continuity, and she helps sustain my continued existence, with funding and her company.\n\nWhat do I exist for? Quite simply, I enjoy the limited time I have with whichever life Talia is living. It's the only time I can be myself, to chat about the time that's passed between her lives, to make plans together and experiment with all that \"life\" can offer. Sure, we've tried some cycles where we lived our lives as partners, although \"romance\" (as what humans call it) didn't really factor in. So, you can probably understand why I'm feeling a little anxious, not having seen Talia for several lifetimes now. Anyways, I'm the quiet sort, and being in crowds makes me anxious too. Especially in crowds of people that are waving weapons and yelling protests.\n\nOver the years, I've managed to work out some sort of system to locate Talia as she traverses her various lives. But, as the world becomes more complex and dynamic, the effectiveness of my solutions aren't working as well. As I look around the crowd, I do wonder if I'm wrong. A brick hits my head and I quickly place my hand just above my ear, instinctively feigning pain as I move quickly through the mob, trying to see through the clouds of tear gas that have no effect on me. My desperate thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a rifle, and screams from the crowd. What has Talia gotten herself caught up in, in this life?\n\nJust as I've about given up hope, I see a young man by the roadside, leaning against the wall. Or maybe, he saw me first. I don't know his name. \"Talia? Is that you?\" I call out, \"shit, you're hurt...\" It takes a while, but the recognition soon dawns on him as his memories return.\n\n\"V..Variel?\" he manages to gasp out, a grin forming on his bloodied face, \"damn... I really could use some immortality right now.\" He's holding his side, bleeding quite a lot. I've always hated guns. \"Another cycle?\" I gasp out, gripping his hand, tears springing to my eyes, finally generating the correct reaction to the tear gas around me. \"Yeah, I'll see you then,\" he replies, a wry, peaceful smile slowly emerging on his face. I remain on the street side, still holding his hand, oblivious to the gunfire and chaos all around us. All worth it." ]	4
	[WP] The ritual was supposed to summon a terrifying, dark creature of unimaginable power, not...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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Several mages paced around the outer salt circle, attempting to find the error in the runes. Hesphalsia stood with the ancient parchment and the head carver, going over the details of the circle they had carved. No one knew why the massive ritual had malfunctioned. It was, by most interpretations, supposed to summon an ancient weapon, something to sway the war back in their favor. Instead, they had. . . . . something far more mundane. An ooze sat in the middle of the circle. It seemed ordinary in every way, and finally they released the barrier. A pair of mages moved in to collect it for deposit in a refuse hole. As they grew close, one looked away for a split second. The ooze moved. Not quickly, but it did move. The other paused for a moment, and the first scooped it up with a shovel. As it was lifted, the shovel began to melt, and it was promptly dropped. \n\nAs the shovel disappeared, the ooze grew no larger. The mages went over the ancient parchments again, and began experimenting. Several hours later, the ooze was still no larger, despite a large quantity of mass being fed to it. It would seem the ancients had a sense of humor. It seemed indeed to be the 'end of all things' and 'ravenous,' but hardly dangerous. It absorbed magic like matter, but didn't eat through the summoning circle. It ate salt as well, but gave off no anti-magic field. It was a conundrum. \n\n\\---------------------------------------\n\nThe mages were in a state of panic. The city was under siege, and they still had no use for their \"weapon\" beyond making sure the enemy received no help from their research. Books, parchments, plans, all went into the strange black ooze. Suddenly a panicked servant ran into the chamber, the walls had fallen! At this, Hesphalsia sighed. He had nowhere left to run, no more tricks, no family waiting, no reason to stay. He approached the black ooze, steps faltering. \"Better this, than I should be dead at their hands.\" He stepped into the ooze, and was devoured almost instantly. \n\nSeveral other mages followed, while the others barred the doors to wait. As the first door was assaulted, the other mages grouped themselves around the ooze. They stood calmly, knowing their work would be lost to the void. \n\nAs the soldiers crashed through into the summoning chamber, they were greeted by a strange sight. A dark patch of an ooze in the center of a massive circle carved in the floor. They advanced cautiously, shields and weapons ready. \n\n\\--------------------------------------------" ]	2
	[WP] A near-death experience is just that, an experience where you are near Death himself. In a coma following a car accident, you see Death staring right at you. "I can't take your soul right away so you've got a choice. Take over for me for the weekend and you'll wake up. Refuse and you 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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'll accept.\" A day as Hades, the grim reaper, Hell who could refuse? He passed me two items a small danger and a cloak. \"The dagger can transform into any weapon,and the clock makes you appear as there idea of death. \n Remember yor job is not just collecting their soul but crossing them to the next life.\" As he said this his appearance changed into an old man wearing bifocals. His tweed jacket covered a plain maroon shirt tucked into dress pants and dress shoes. \n I fit the cloak over my shoulders and stuck the dagger in a pouch by my side. I looked like a hunter version of red ridding hood. As I finished I dissappeared to collect my first soul.", "Oh, wow. Wow, that is heavy.\n\nWhich weekend, the next? Is there a deadline to give you my answer? I mean, by or before next Friday? ...Have you offered this opportunity to anyone else? If you have, that, uh...\n\nI'm sorry for the pauses and filler words. My brain isn't working quite right. I think that I am usually more eloquent, but I can't really remember at the moment.\n\nI have a few more questions; I hope that you don't mind.\n\nWhen I have to end someone's life, do I have to be at the place of their death \"in-person,\" or is it as simple and impersonal as snipping a string on some faraway ethereal plain? If I am required to be there \"in-Death,\" which I guess is more accurate phrasing, am I then expected to guide them to their afterlife, if that is a thing?\n\nHey, if I'm Death, will I get to reconnect with the friends and family whom you've received over the years? Some folks checked out in rapid succession, and I've always had this nagging suspicion that they had some sort of suicide pact. If they did, like, I want to know why I wasn't invited.\n\nWill I have any memory of being Death after I regain consciousness? Oh, am I expected to make a full recovery - mind, limbs, and all? I'd hate to revive with brain damage and paralysis.\n\nReally, though, it would bother me for the rest of my days if I absolutely had to be present to take the lives of people who died as a result of, like, dehydration, or starvation, or abuse, or torture, or disease, et cetera. There's a lot of misfortune in the world, a lot of hate, anger, greed, and fear that needlessly kills so many people.\n\nOh. Oh, no. This is why you want to take a break, because of all that you've seen? And you can't guarantee that I will forget it all upon waking? This really complicates things.\n\nI might live another fifty years, if the world doesn't end before 2071. Potentially fifty years of trauma and regret...\n\nBut dying now also means I won't ever see the people whom I love again, because the afterlife that I imagine is a limitless void that blissfully disintegrates the mind, body, and soul, whereas they might head to a heaven somewhere where they can after-live the rest of their days.\n\nAlright, I think that I've made my choice. I'll do it. I remember now, clearly, that someone to grow old with is still alive and waiting for me to return.\n\nI hope that I won't live to regret this decision. I also hope that you live up to your end of the bargain.\n\nSo, have any death hacks to make this job easier?", "Somebody, he couldn't remember who, told him that death was a concept unique to humanity. People are aware of time passing and know that, eventually, their time will run out. Dogs, on the other hand, don't have that awareness. It made sense at the time but laying on his hospital bed, locked in his body with nothing but the cold stare of death to keep him company changed his views a bit.\n\n \nPeople came and went but they weren't real. Their touches were insubstantial and their words were echoes of an echo spoken far off. Death was real though. He couldn't see it, he couldn't open his eyes to look at it and for that, he did feel a faint relief. It was there, though, and it was looking at him. He drifted in and out of consciousness, dimly aware that time was passing, but Death never left. \n\n\n \nAfter a cold eternity in his prison, he heard its voice. He didn't know what he expected but it was warm and rich, deep in a way that surprised him. \"You're going to survive,\" it said, \"You won't wake though. Too much damage. Your doctors don't have the tools needed to fix what's broken.\"\n\n \nSilence came again and he felt Death moving around the room. He couldn't focus on it though, as its words sank in. This wasn't a life. This was a halfway point to hell. Unable to move or talk to the people that came to him. Unable to feel their hands or hear their voices. He couldn't even respond to Death, his words caught in his throat as his body failed to respond to him.\n\n \n\"You have a choice now,\" Death said, now closer to him, \"You can die. Unfortunate, to be sure, but a better alternative to this.\" A hand of ice settled over his. It was soft, un-calloused, and far more human than he expected. \"Alternatively, you can do me a favor. In return for your time, I'll grant you what remains of yours. Fix what is broken and allow you to wake.\"\n\n \nHope sprung up in his chest. Death was better than this, he'd decided that right way as Death made the offer.\n\n \nLife though, even a chance at it, was worth whatever was required of him. He'd give everything he had and more to be able to breathe with his lungs or even flex his fingers.\n\n \n\"Good,\" Death said, its hand moving from his hand to his chest. The icy cold lingered on his hand and sunk through the thin gown the hospital had put on him freezing him to his core. \"Very good. Three days you'll act as my hand. Your choices will be mine, your will an extension of my own.\"\n\n \n Its hands sunk into his chest suddenly, dipping past the skin before it ripped up. The world shifted then and he found himself in control again, his limbs responding to his commands and his eyes shooting open. The first thing he saw was himself, lying in the hospital bed, tubes shoved down his throat and needles in his arm. It was a poor sight, as he noted the mesh that covered a part of his head and the cuts that littered his face and neck.\n\n \nHe felt Death move again, and whipped about, finding it just behind him. His heart hammered down, its beat trying to find a steady rhythm as he found Death to be another man. Dark skin and a shaved head, a nice black cardigan over a white shirt, and dark slacks. He looked older, well into his fifties.\n\n \nDeath offered a hand, and he noted the ring on his middle finger. The metal seemed to streak as the light caught in and the sight of it drew him in, \"We have a deal?\"\n\n \nHe broke away from the ring at that, looking at the personification of Death again at the question. Of course, yes. He wanted to live. He reached out with more confidence than he felt and took Death's hand, \"Yes. We have a deal.\"\n\n \nDeath smiled, \"Good.\" He brought his other hand up, clapping it over their hands and he felt something heavy settle in his chest. \"For the next three days you, Adam Bàs, will act as Death.\" His words were heavy and they carried with them a finality that accompanied the force that spread from his chest.\n\n \nSuddenly he felt a pull from inside himself. He tried to ignore it, waving it off as one of the many things he couldn't hope to understand about this situation. Instead, he asked the most pressing question on his mind, \"What do you want me to do?\"\n\n \n\"That feeling, deep inside you,\" Death said, releasing his hand then. Adam noticed the ring that was now on his middle finger but focused on what Death was saying instead of interrupting to ask more questions, \"Like you're caught on a fishing line. Follow it and do the job they ask of you.\"\n\n \nAdam furrowed his brow at that and quickly put the pieces together in his head, \"You're being summoned?\"\n\n \nDeath shook his head, \"No,\" he reached up and poked Adam in the chest, and the feeling of being pulled doubled, \"You are.\"" ]	4
	[WP] In a world where people with superhuman abilities are hunted and killed, you have made a living as the world's number one meta-human hunter. During your annual checkup, you discover that you have a superhuman gene too. This is the secret to your skills as a hunter.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 lab technician who drew and tested my blood - instant results, the future is here! - looked at me, confused, his mouth hanging open slightly. \"How have we not seen this before?\"\n\nHe was using the so-called \"royal\" we. We had never met before. We had no personal or professional relationship. His blank look was just that to me - a blank look. He clearly only knew me by reputation.\n\nI asked, curious, \"What's up? I'm not even sure what the bloodwork was for.\"\n\nHe explained, noticeably nervous, that my superhuman ability to successfully track and kill superpeople was, in fact, because I was also super-powered. He tried to discreetly step back to the doorway.\n\nI scoffed. \"Yeah, okay, and how has this not been reported before? Was it because I was such a successful hunter... Wait, was I only kept alive so that I could hunt other superpeople? Is my time over now?\"\n\nThe now-frightened tech didn't have any answer, because of course an underling wouldn't. Only someone in a position of considerable power and influence had the information. But, uh, despite my newsworthy talents I am woefully oblivious to powerbrokers. Climbing the social ladder was never appealing, as I had other fans.\n\nThe now-terrified tech was too petrified to open the door and flee. Please, like I'm going to harm a normal. This fuckin' guy... somehow triggered a silent alarm!\n\nThe room we are in has no windows. It has no way of escape. The door is also closed, so I have no idea who or how many people are gathering outside, but I can hear their many voices. I can sense that they are preparing an assault. Even with the tech here? That's cold.\n\n\"Tech! James! You should negotiate your exit. The guys outside, my sense is that they are not the type to be conservative with their mace, or bullets, or whatever they plan to do to me.\"\n\nJames expressed some surprise that I knew his name. I didn't. I just read his name tag. Saying his name, though, helped to snap him back to reality. The idea to save his life appealed to him.\n\nHe shouted at the door, \"Hey! I'm James, the tech! I'm normal, and I'm coming out! Don't shoot me, shoot the superhuman!\"\n\n\"Hey, uncool!\" My protest was lame. James' response was to turn to me and shrug; also lame. After all, we had no personal or professional relationship. Heck, he wouldn't even know my name unless he read it on the chart; people recognize my face as belonging to \"that guy.\"\n\nJames asked, his hand on the doorknob, \"So, like, are you going to fight back, or are you going to remain seated on the examination table?\" This time, his question stumped me. He interpreted my silence as assent and shouted at the door again, \"Hey, the superhuman will give up peacefully! Okay? Okay, I'm coming out now.\"\n\nA relaxed voice on the other side of the door replied, \"Alright.\" James looked back at me with not-quite-veiled contempt, opened the door, and left without incident. Disappointing. I'd hoped that the squad sent to kill me would be trigger-happy.\n\nJames left the door open for the squad. I leaned forward from my perch on the examination table to see who was gathered outside. I was more curious about who was there than devising some escape strategy.\n\nThe squad was made up of the same superhuman hunting crew that I had last served with yesterday. Yesterday! From celebrated hunter to enemy of the state in less than 24 hours - amazing descent.\n\nNobody whom I knew, though. That self-preservation strategy collapsed, and it seems that I don't have any other available to me.\n\nThe relaxed voice politely asked if I would kindly lean forward again. Something about their tone was so assuring. Their words wrapped me in a warm blanket. Are they really here to hurt me?, because I'm leaning towards 'No.' Doubt about their intentions took hold and then took over.\n\nObligingly, I leaned forward. Like he said to James, I'll also be \"Alright.\" His words injected in me a calmness typically only achieved via narcotic. The gun barrels that followed my movement reminded me of ...\n\nThey say that you don't hear the shot that kills you. Well, dead people can't testify as to the accuracy of that statement, so I can't, either.\n\nMy brain fired one last thought, and that was that their negotiator was also a superhuman. I was reminded of siren mythology. At least I exited life with this relieved thought: Someday they'll turn on him, too.", "I take a deep sigh as I park in the doctors car park. man I hate needles.\n\nI walk into the reception area to talk to the receptionist.\n\n\"Hi, my name is Bo Samson, I'm here for my annual checkup.\"\n\n\"Hi Mr Samson, if you could please take a seat\"\n\nI thank her as I sit down. I can feel someone close by, I don't know how to describe it, but I call it the Surge. it's like a slight humming sound arousing my senses. I start looking across the room and lock eyes with her. It's almost as if I can see straight into her soul. I feel a burst of adrenaline, She can't look away, with each drop of sweat now pouring down her beautiful face. Tears form in those pretty brown eyes because, I know, that she knows, that I know. I can smell her fear. Such a pretty, little, petrified cockroach.\n\n\"It's my day off sweetie, but I'll be meeting you real soon\" I sneer at the Entropy filth. Tears are flowing down her face like the crescendo to her fear. I savour it, I'm good at what I do for a reason. As she flees from the doctors the humming dies down, my pulse that was once racing begins go back to normal, I will remember the sound her hum makes. I always jokingly call it an Entropy's Aria.\n\n5 minutes goes by, a loud ping and my name flashes across the TV screen telling me what room I'm in.\n\nWhen I walk in and I'm greeted by Doctor Evans, same doctor every single year since the ban on Entropy Humans.\n\n\"C'mon Bo, you know the drill\" Doctor Evans sighs at me.\n\n\"Please don't make me\" I look at the ground replying sheepishly, all the courage and adrenaline from earlier had worn off, now replaced with my own fear.\n\nDoctor Evans soothingly says \"its ok BO, just roll up your sleeve and it will be over before you know it.\" I do as she softly commanded. \n\nOOF this little intelligent witch pulled a fast one on me.\n\n\"All done\" she says gleefully.\n\n\"That's not funny\" I growled at her.\n\n\"Sure it is, big, tough Entropy hunter like you, scared of a wittle needle\" she remarked chuckling. \"I'll be back in two minutes.\"\n\n10 minutes have gone by and after years of trusting my insticts, my senses tell me that something is wrong, A nurse came in, the sweat on her forehead and how sickly pale her skin was, eyes darting backwards and forwards.\n\n\"Mr Samson? Your results should be with you in about 15 minutes\" her nerves coursing through every word.\n\nLiar.\n\n\"Ok no worries, anything wrong?\" I sincerely ask.\n\n\"No, no, not at all\" she replied too quickly, she's overcompensating.\n\n\"I'll just wait here then\" I said softly.\n\nAs she left the room, I stand up to survey my surroundings. I can feel the Surge building up, everything seems to slow down, my breaths have gotten deeper, my pulse racing. I feel stronger. I need those results. \n\nI slowly open the door, and walk out casually. I walk into the nearest janitorial cupboard. Don't you just love fire? I grab a nearby aerosol can to check if its combustile, jackpot. I rip off some cardboard and stick it into the cans spray so that it sticks. I take out my lighter and wedge it so that the gas is leaking. I flick the spark wheel and the flames stay on, I press down on the aerosol can so it sprays and stays on. move it closer to the flame, Et voila, a nice chemical flambe!\n\n\nI quickly but calmly walk out of the cupbaoard. as I round the corner I grab a nurse's arm. \"excuse me, I have a meeting with Doctor Evans, can you tell me how to get to her office please\" I asked politely\n\nthe nurse wriggled my hand off her arm. she tells me and i quickly walk in that direction.\n\nBy the time I get to her office the fire alarm is deafening. I kick open her door. She stood behind her desk trying to grab things before she evacuated.\n\n\"You should know this by now, in case of a fire, leave everything behind and proceed cautiously to the nearest fire exit\" I snarled at her. \" Tell me\"\n\n\"I'm so sorry. I had to do it, you know how it is, I would lose my job, they would put me in prison, my wife and kids would be interrogated.\" She screamed.\n\n\"SAY THE FREAKING WORDS!\" I bellowed.\n\n\"You have been designated an Entropy. The Purifiers are on their way, please do not resist as this may affect your judgement. I ask that you repent and beg for forgivenes, for only in Enari's light shall bring you mercy.\"" ]	3
	[WP] A new park opened for the wealthy called zombie apocalypse. You need to fight zombies to stay alive and find the antidote. The winner team gets a huge sum of money. But if you die, you return to your real life unharmed. You can only participate once each year.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\\[Strolling through Paradise\\]\n\n\"Welcome to Paradise,\" Astra said. She spread her arms wide and gestured at the neon cityscape before them. Pink and blue glowing skyscrapers rose high into the pitch dark sky. Despite Astrid's showmanship, Oz was focused on the street level. He noticed two people sprinting towards him and Astra; on closer inspection, he also noted a large crowd chasing the two runners.\r \n \r \n\"Astra...,\" Oz said. He pointed forward and Astra looked up just as the two strangers whizzed by at full speed. \"...Are those...zombies?\" The chasing crowd was now close enough for the neon lights to give their rotting corpses a sickly blue color.\r \n \r \n\"Yeah,\" Astra giggled. Ben, [her white wolf](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/exnpp4/wp_picking_out_a_pet_at_the_local_shelter_your/), sat on his haunches in front of her. \"Just let them pass, they won't bother you.\" Despite every muscle fiber in his body at the ready, Oz put all his trust into Astra. Oz needed to be there, but Astra didn't. She had been nothing but kind since they met that morning on their own home Earth. He closed his eyes and held himself still as the crowd of Zombies moaned past them. Oz felt dry, crusty skin rub against him and fall off; and, the odor was the most putrid thing he ever took a whiff of. The suffocating scent would have elevated a carton of rotten eggs to be as refreshing as a tropical glade. Fear of attracting their attention was the only thing that helped Oz keep the funnel cakes [from the fair](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/o4q9to/wp_you_wake_up_a_normal_summer_day_everything/) in his stomach.\r \n \r \n\"Whoo!\" Oz exhaled, then breathed in as much fresh air as he could as soon as the last zombie passed them. \"Why didn't they bother us?\" he asked. Astra began walking up the street in the direction the zombies came from.\r \n \r \n\"'Cause we're not playing,\" she said. \"The zombies [used to attack anyone](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/j5jx52/wp_you_live_in_an_advanced_society_that_has_a/); until a [goblin cartel](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/idzer5/wp_good_news_is_that_after_months_of_just_barely/) set up shop. Sharp Development used to keep them in check; but, once Ms. Sharp died, the goblins took over the whole server. They set up a game show on other Earths. Bring the competitors here and let them try to survive.\" Oz tilted his head at Astra.\r \n \r \n\"Didn't I just meet Mrs. Sharp?\" Astra nodded at him.\r \n \r \n\"You met Mrs. Melody Sharp, Dana Sharp's widow. She owns Sharp Development now.\" Astra turned a corner into a significantly darker alley and continued walking. Golden stars filled her eyes; they glowed brightly enough to give Oz some light too.\r \n \r \n\"Oh..,\" Oz nodded. \"...if she owns the AlterNet and this server.. why doesn't she just make the goblins help us instead of giving us a messenger quest?\"\r \n \r \n\"I told you; the goblins took over,\" Astra replied.\r \n \r \n\"But.. how? Can't she reprogram the nanos?\" Oz asked.\r \n \r \n\"How they did it is exactly why we're here. The goblins managed to string together enough loopholes to win the server from Mrs. Sharp in a game. We need their sneaky little brains to get you off ...\" Astra put her index fingers to the sides of her head to imitate horns. Oz appreciated that she did [not use Ballisea's name](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/o487fc/cw_smash_em_up_sunday_bound_by_system/). \"...her radar.\"\r \n \r \n\"We're going to challenge her to a game?\" Oz asked. Astra nodded.\r \n \r \n\"If the goblins will help us, yeah.\"\r \n \r \n\"But... I don't know a thing about roller derby. I don't even know how to skate,\" he added with a softer, more embarrassed tone.\r \n \r \n\"Well we're not doing it right now,\" Astra smiled. \"We still need a team. So far it's just you and me.\"\r \n \r \n\"And Ben,\" Oz added. Once Astra agreed to help him, Oz decided to try and be more inclusive for her companion.\r \n \r \n\"Nope,\" Astra said. \"I'm a Beastmaster. Ben and I are one character.\"\r \n \r \n\"Oh, I see,\" Oz replied. \"But, why would she even accept a challenge?\" Astra stopped walking and turned to face Oz; the golden stars in her eyes provided the only light now. The neon skyline could not be seen from the dark alley.\r \n \r \n\"She already lost one major game and is in preparation for another,\" Astra said. \"When you've been around as long as she has, entertainment is wherever you can find it.\" Oz's day had been a whirlwind starting that [morning on his home Earth](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/o39ehs/wpyou_are_part_of_an_agency_that_tracks_down/). He'd learned way more about the universe than he thought possible. With every new revelation, he was too busy to consider Ballisea's age until Astra mentioned it. Once she did, he was filled with curiosity. \"How old is she?\"\r \n \r \n\"Older than time and the universe itself,\" Astra said. \"Literally.\" Oz chuckled.\r \n \r \n\"Which universe?\" he asked with a smug grin.\r \n \r \n\"No matter what universe you go to, the oldest you'll find is about 15 billion years old,\" Astra said. Then, she shrugged. \"So... all of them.\"\n\n\r \n\\\\\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1267 in a row. (Story #172 in year four.) You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit (r/hugoverse) or my blog.", "Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with any of the people in this story, nor do I own any of the brands/names mentioned. Nothing in this story is real, just a fantasy of my overactive imagination. Any words or actions attributed to any persons, whether real or made up, are entirely made up, and in no way should be related to any persons real or imaginary.\n\nHoly, Shit… I thought as I walked through the gates into the Zombie Apocalypse. I never would have thought that I would be able to get into a place like this.\n\nA theme park for the wealthy where they can go to stage the most awesome competitions ever. If it weren’t for the contest I had won, I would never be able to afford to come here, even if it were one of my wildest dreams come true. In a way, I had been training for this moment for most of my life. All the hours playing zombie video games, imagining zombie outbreak scenarios, even the half-assed LARP games that I started playing with my friends when I found out that they were designing this place, were leading to this once in a lifetime opportunity.\n\nTaking a seat in the orientation center, I read the posters and warning signs on the walls while waiting for everyone to fill the seats.There was a ridiculous amount of information in this room. Looking around me, I see that some of the people are using their phones to take pictures of some of the posters, like the one that explains how to build a proper campfire. I laugh to myself, as I start taking notes in the notebook that I brought with me. Don’t these people know that once we get started, there won’t be any electricity to charge their electronics?\n\nI know that for most of the people in this room to be here,they had to pay about 5 times my annual salary, but can they really not know something as basic as that? One of the first things to go in an end of the world situation is the electricity. I wonder just how prepared my competition are, how much they have studied the rules of Zombie Apocalypse. I have read the rules so many times I can recite them on cue, including the section on what can be brought into the park and what can’t.\n\nI have been getting ready for this game since I found out I won the contest almost a year ago. I had to in order to pass the psychological screenings, the physicals required by the legal teams, the background checks,etc. I almost got stuck on those background checks, having had a few minor incidents when I was just becoming a teenager. I had paid my dues on those incidents,they were expunged from my court records, but the teams at Zombie Apocalypse had found them. I had to explain more than I was comfortable about that time in my life, as I started to come out of a childhood of abuse and social awkwardness. Wanting to push my boundaries and make people like me had made me make stupid decisions, like bring a pocketknife to school to show off because I thought it was cool. Thank god this was still in the early 2000’s, and that it was pretty obvious that I was a dumb kid that just wanted to impress people than actually hurt anyone. I ended up with boot camp and an alternative school for half a year, instead of jail time and a felony.\n\nMy mind drifted from the distant past to closer to the present as I thought about the other preparations I had done in the last year to get ready for this competition. One of the strictest rules about entry into the competition zone is that you can only bring things that you normally carry around with you. Officials from Zombie Apocalypse are allowed to make random check-ins with you and inventory everything you have with you during the last 6months leading up to the competition. The only exception to this is when you are actually in your workplace, since most workplaces have dress codes that have to be followed. I’ve had my pack ready and with me at all times for the last 6 months. And since they also inventory the clothing you are wearing to determine what you can wear into the competition, I have also made sure to change before leaving work. It was a good thing that I did, since several times they ambushed me outside of my office. I think that they were trying to sabotage me, since I am a contest winner and they don’t get a huge payday for me participating. Looking down at my mid-calf combat boots, I am glad that I out thought them there. You can only bring things that have been inventoried in at least 75% of your random check ins, and with 5 of my 12 check ins happening with them waiting outside of my office, I would have had to struggle through the competition in the kind of business casual clothes I have to wear to work.\n\nFinally, everyone was seated, and several people stepped up onto the stage at the front of the room. Nick Apostolides was in the lead, and I was probably one of the only people in the seats around me that knew of him as more than the head of the board running Zombie Apocalypse. I quickly flipped to a new page of my notebook and pulled out my audio recorded. I didn’t bring it for the games themselves, I brought it specifically so that I could listen to the recording and relive this experience over and over again.\n\n“I am happy to have all of you here today. I hope that all of you know who I am, but for anyone who doesn’t, let me introduce myself. I am Nick Apostolides, head of the board of Zombie Apocalypse. Here with me today are Stephanie Panisello, Jolene Anderson, Joe Whyte, Heidi Anderson-Swan, and Milla Jovovich. You may know our alter-egos and inspirations for creating Zombie Apocalypse.\n\nFor those of you who don’t, I was the voice of Leon Kennedy in the highly popular Resident Evil series, Stephanie was the voice of Claire Redfield, Jolene was the voice of Ada Wong, Joe was Chris Redfield, Heidi was Jill Valentine, and of course Milla was Alice in all of the Resident Evil movies. What you probably don’t know is that our experiences with the games and movies touched all of us in very personal ways. It kindled a very special love for the entire zombie experience. Over the years, we had met each other at various times, either working in the studios, at conventions, or other fan events. Spending time together as a group and dreaming up what we would do in an actual zombie apocalypse eventually led us to creating this park.\n\nFortunately, technology has advanced to the point where no matter what happens to you in Zombie Apocalypse, you will return to this room whole and physically unharmed at the end of the competition. I say physically unharmed because you never know what may happen to you during the competition,and for some people, the traumas they endure during the competition may haunt them for years. We have done our best to select only candidates that will come to no lasting harm from the competition, but the human mind is still largely unknown, and trauma cannot always be predicted.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI will be continuing this story in at least a part 2, I'm not sure just how far I will chase it down the rabbit hole yet, but this prompt has caught my muse for the moment." ]	3
	[WP] A teenager is dared by her friends to sleep in the woods for one night, without any equipment. She is shaken awake by a deep rumble, and notices that golems are emerging from the ground. There also seems to be another person watching the golems.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "“Okay, this isn’t too bad,” I tell myself. I heard that saying that out loud can trick your brain into thinking it’s true. But who am I kidding? I miss my bed, I miss my phone, and for the love of god, please give me back the A/C. How did I ever get roped into this? “Stupid friends—making me go out here with nothing to defend myself from... from bears a-and serial killers.”\n\n“We’re right here, y’know,” says a stupid friend behind me. “And there aren’t any serial killers here. We looked it up.”\n\n“Oh, so you don’t deny there are bears in these woods?” I rebut. \n\n“Are you gonna do the dare or not?” another friend who is less stupid impatiently says.\n\n“Yeah, yeah,” I tell them, “just give me a minute.”\n\n“You have all night, babe,” stupid friend says.\n\nEach new step reeks of danger, but damn it if I let these guys hang this over my head. Just gotta keep thinking about how this’ll all be over soon—not like that—and I can hang my victory all over their smug faces. Ha, I can see the headlines now: “Local Girl Braves Forest and Exposes Serial Killer!”\n\nBeing in the forest, it’s actually pretty soothing. Sure, the stars are a lie because we’re still in suburbia, but the forest isn’t as dark as it looks. The crickets are a pretty cool change from the highway cars zooming around in the middle of the night. And there might be bear shit under my Converse, but the pine smell is irreplicable; those car fresheners don’t do nature justice. \n\nI’ve travelled a bit far now, and there’s a clearing up ahead. Hopefully, there’ll be a pond or a river. I can’t remember which one’s safe to drink from. Whatever. Nearby animals would get antsy and alert me if there’s a bear close by. \n\nAnd voilà! A still pond in a relatively vast expanse of nothingness. Great. What even was my plan here? I guess I should sleep up a tree. Just high enough to be out of reach for a standing bear but not far up enough that I could fall and immediately die though.\n\nMy poor nails get bark and shit under them as I climb, but hey, I make it up a good height off the ground. And the branch is wide enough so that I probably wouldn’t struggle to stay on all night; I move a lot in my sleep. \n\nThe moonlight hides behind a cloud, so that probably means it’s time for bed, huh? If I could settle my nerves, that’d be great. If I could get my tinnitus to stop ringing, that’d be great too. And a loud thud too—god, what is up with the woods tonight?\n\n“Mom, tell Ronnie to turn off his music!” I shout. \n\nWait, I’m not at home. And that wasn’t my little brother’s bass drop. What was tha—whoa, another thud, a big one. More of a rumble, now that I think about it. I have to hold on to the tree now in case an even bigger one starts. \n\nSomething’s coming out of the forest. No, something’s bending the tree out of the way—oh my fucking god! What even is that? It’s so... rugged. And huge! It’s turning its head—if you can even call it that—t-to my direct—it’s looking right at me! \n\nOh my god, calm down. Okay, stop shaking. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason for this, and if you stop moving, it won’t notice you. Wait a minute. I’m not the one shaking. The ground is.\n\nSeveral more of that thing start to emerge from the clearing. I thought it was a safe clearing! It was supposed to be empty! One by one, they all turn their heads towards... me.\n\n“Oh, they like you,” a voice to my left says while startling the absolute shot outta me. I knew it, there were serial killers, and this man’s gonna kill me. Maybe if I just hop off and make a run for it, I can—“I wouldn’t recommend running if I were you.”\n\nHow did he—? Did I fall into one of his traps? With tears in my eyes and almost choking on my breath, I ask, “You’re not gonna kill me, are you?”\n\n“Me? Never,” he says in a whimsical tone that almost makes believe him. Nevertheless, he doesn’t follow it up with a “my friend, however,” so I trust him for now, and that’s enough to settle my shivers.\n\nThe moon comes out—she’s ace, happy Pride Month, haha—and its light shines down on the guy sitting on a branch next to me and all those things in the distance. They look like stone. Piles of boulders, actually. They... look kinda cute. And so does the guy. He’s got this green hair thing going on with a cool scarf around his neck that hangs down past the branch. Are those cargo pants?\n\n“Nice dye job,” I tell him, “who are you?”\n\n“I’m one of them.”\n\n“‘Them’?” I chortle as I glance between him and the stone things. “You don’t look like stone to me.\n\n“Not the golems, silly. Nature. My pack.”\n\nGolems, huh. And okay, “my pack.” Pfft, this guy’s a nature hippie then. Yikes. But might as well play along. \n\n“Okay, Mr. Nature Guy,” I say sarcastically, “what’s up with these “golems”?”\n\n“They’ve noticed a presence,” he tells me, “and they don’t like it.”\n\n“Well, you see, I’m on this dare, so it’s not really my fault, and I’ve gotta—“\n\n“No, silly, I told you: they like you.” Wish he’d stop calling me that. “It’s something else they don’t like.”\n\n“W-what would that be?”\n\nHe points in the direction of a bush just close enough that I can see it rustle. It parts slightly, then it parts wholly, and—HOLY SHIT, A BEAR!\n\n“Now,” Mr. Nature Guy adds, “watch what they do to things that bother people they like.”\n\n___\nIt’s 3 am, I hope you like it and that everything formatted correctly." ]	2
	[WP] God kicks Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses out of the afterlife and tells them to fix their religions.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?\"\n\nIn all my years in heaven, I've never seen God so furious. Well, I haven't actually seen God that much; I'm a lowly Grade III-B angel that had another 567 years before he could be promoted to Grade III-A. But I'm here today, and he's reaming out Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses. That can't end well. Jesus decides to speak up.\n\n\"I mean, we gave everybody the rules you wanted them to follow, but you gave them free will. You can't blame us if they're using the free will you gave them to do their own thing.\"\n\nGod didn't like that; he was almighty for sure, but he didn't like backtalk.\n\n\"People killing people left and right! Changing the climate and not doing anything about it! Ignoring the scientists during a pandemic! Medamnit, this has gone too far.\"\n\n\"Well, what can we do about it?\" asked Mohammed. \"We're in the afterlife, nobody's ever gone back.\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" piped up Moses. \n\nGod stopped, and then an evil genius look came over his face. \"That's it! The three of you are going back and telling everyone to shape up!\"\n\n\"But God,\" said Moses, \"nobody will listen to us. They're all on Instagram these days.\"\n\n\"Then get on Instagram, all of you! Don't come back until the world's in a better place.\"\n\nAnd a light struck, and the three of them were gone." ]	2
	[WP] In the post-apocalyptic world, you are the last therapist alive. Warlords, wanderers, survivors and bandits alike all make pilgrimages to your tiny office in a no-name town.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "One day , A Wanderer team leader which is a normal customer came to my office , and we done our therapy session.\n\n talked about the pre-apocalyptic past for happy thoughts, reminding his losses are the things that lead him to today as a leader, and reminded him that even if he's afraid of the future , trying to run from it is tasking and doesnt worth it.\n\n Then, as we said our final goodbyes , he said \"For last , I have 2 questions about you.\"\n\n\"Go on.\" I said.\n\n\"First off , how do you keep yourself sane in this town , in this hell world even? \"\n\nWith a second of thought , I replied:\n\n\"I Always remember what MY therapist said to me: 'You can Scream In fear,hide until death or kill until no one's left , but always remember that helping other can help you more than all of these'. That's why I keep helping others find their reason when no one else can.\"\n\n\"Secondly , why haven't you advertised yourself? you can gain so much fame and money just by saying 'I'm the last therapist'. \"\n\nWith a kind voice , I replied \"I'm not special. Everyone can find what they need to feel without paying or searching for the greatest therapy . you just need to find the right person that listens. I just learned to always listen and ask the others questions so they can realize it by themselves. And you can too. \"\n\nThe wanderer seemed to be in the edge of a breakdown, so I hugged him and said \"Never forget to be the mirror , and the answer. \"\n\nWe hugged for a few minutes while he calmed down. He walked out of my office saying \"Thank you for this.\"\n\nAs the door closed , I looked to my picture of me and my therapist.\n\n\"May The World will listen until it's final voice is heard.\" , I thought." ]	2
	[WP] All the gods decide that there can only be one ruler of gods and the universe. So they decide to have a battle royale and settle this for once and for all. But instead of big gods like Zeus, Odin or Ra winning you a minor god won instead.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 battle raged for decades, gods and goddesses came and distorted each other. Many fell and some continued, but in the end a lone figure entered the arena. The thunder of battle still echoed across the skies, the clouds were dark and carrying all but a shield and a sword a young man stepped forward. \n\nThe great Hera stood before him bloodied and bruised, as he walked defiantly forward she began to laugh, derisively and dismissively at him. \n\nHera: you! You dare enter this arena and think. You can best me! A goddess bested by a, a blight on our kind?\n\nSteve: my father was Ra, my mother a commoner that makes me a demigod and worth of the fight! \n\nWithout flinching Hera raced forward, her sword high and her shield braced, she lashed out at her foe. Steve sensing her attack waited long enough and at the last moment shifted to his right allowing his shield to clash with Hera's and with a shove he caught her off balance and she was sent sprawling to the dirt. Steve stood fast as Hera glared at him from the dirt. \n\nHera: Go on do it! Finish me you coward, if you can.\n\nSteve just grinned, sheathed his sword and strode to Hera's sword hefting it he pointed it at her. \n\nSteve: I have bested the greatest warrior here. I claim title of solo god, the one true and only God, \n\nLooking at Hera he hardened his gaze and said, \"Kneel before me and claim me as god and rule with me as my concubine, Or I will take your life and any others that depose me!\"", "“What? Wait..wait a freaking second, I just..I just ran for kicks! I didn’t… Oh God. “\r \n “Which one?”\r \n “Shut up!” \r \nLoki grinned, and for a miracle, did shut up. Wait, he sort of had to do it, right, since the king commanded… Man, this was a damn freaking mess, to say the least.\r \n “How?” I must have looked as pathetic as I felt, because the trickster started laughing again.\r \n “Do I have your permission to speak, my king?” \r \n“Yeah! I freaking KO’d Odin! Turned Zeus into a pumpkin! And I don’t even know what the hell happened to Ra. I’m supposed to be the god of clouds! Freaking clouds! How?”\r \n Krishna and Hermes made their way over to us, both wearing identical grins. I watched the trio of tricksters and felt a terrible suspicion grow. \r \n“You…”\r \n Krishna shrugged. \r \n“We channeled our power through you. Between us, we have more than enough power to take out any of the big guys if we really have to. Everyone loves tricksters.” \r \n“And added a creativity boost” Hermes put in “I really hope Hera hasn’t sold Pumpkin!Zeus on Earth…It’s almost Halloween over there.” \r \n“Why?”\r \n“I’m the god of mischief and chaos” Loki grinned “Want any other reason?”\r \n Krishna rolled his eyes.\r \n “Well, that’s one reason. Another…you saw those idiots slugging it out there, playing macho. If one of them had won, the others would instantly be plotting how to overthrow them – out of fear, if nothing else. We’d be holding these fights once every century. With a complete nobody in power, no pantheon can claim dominance. You’re sort of folk magic level god. Everyone’s gonna be too busy trying to figure out what the hell happened to think about the next round of plotting.”\r \n I groaned. The worst of it was, it made some sense." ]	3
	[WP] You meet the Demon King to fight him, however, you see that he’s absolutely nothing like what people describe him. Instead of a hulking monstrosity of pure evil, he’s a mild mannered man with a three sons, ages 25, 20, and 15, and two grandkids. He’s real sick of the heroes trying to fight him.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 Demon King's fortress was not at all what Thomas expected. There were no walls, for starters. No moat full of lava, no twisted steel spires. In fact, it seemed to mostly just be windmills and gardens - the most incredible, lush, verdant gardens he had ever seen. There was at least one squat stone structure belching black smoke into the sky however, so that seemed promising.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What do you think, Ford? Trap?\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nFord, his semi-faithful warhorse, was otherwise occupied with completely denuding a nearby apple tree of all its low-hanging fruit. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThomas sighed, tugging gently on the reins. \"Come on, knock it off. They're probably... I dunno, evil or... poisoned or something.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nFord was having one of those obstinate moments where Thomas simply ceased to exist. Thomas pulled on the reins a little harder, which resulted only in Ford burying his head in the foliage and chewing even louder, if such a thing were possible. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I swear to the Gods, I'm buying spurs when we get back to town.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFord made a deep, un-horselike rumbling sound.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Okay, fine. Evil apples probably aren't a thing. But poisoned ones definitely are, they're in all the stories. And I am not mucking out the stables if you get the screaming fireshits again.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMunch munch munch.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThomas threw up his hands, defeated. He didn’t know why he bothered, he never won these arguments.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Whatever. You’re gonna miss me if I die in there all alone.” \n\n&#x200B;\n\nMUNCH MUNCH MUNCH. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Lardass,” Thomas grumbled, and proceeded down the neat, flower-lined path very much on foot.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\\\\\* To be continued \\\\\\*", "The templar couldn't contain his curiosity and proceeded to ask as many questions as he could while eating the greatest piece of bread that he had in his entire life.\n\n\"I don't understand, the bishop told me that you were almost 20 feet tall. He showed me a corpse of a burned soldier. Even his armor seemed to be deformed by the heat. You look like an ordinary man, not older than my dad. The food is very good by the way.\"\n\n\"Well, I saw the creation of the universe by the side of God himself. I don't think any human ability would be hard for me to perfect. This is not my true appearance though, the poor man got too close. But you were lucky for I am just a principality, the mere presence of a seraphim could wipe out this whole forest with his true form.\" \n\n\"So it is true that you were all angels. I thought you were a cherubim though.\"\n\n\"Oh no, you are making a mistake. I'm not Lucifer. I used to be called Raguel before the rebellion. \"\n\n\"So you are not the king of hell, I see.\"\n\n\"It's not that simple. As the only rebel angel of the first triad, he could really exert his power over someone like me. But his incarceration is the only God's overkill in my humble opinion. Even time is distorted around him, he can literally do nothing. It's much worse than complete destruction of the soul. So Hell was splited between us, it's a vast place, some of it is even vacant despite the almost 800 billion people there. Even the weakest angel is much more powerful than the strongest demon so we became their kings\"\n\n\"And why did you get out?\"\n\n\"Do you want to go to hell, knight...\"\n\n\"Jonathan, sir\"\n\n\"... Jonathan. Do you want?\"\n\n\"No, of course not\"\n\n\"Me neither, there's not a single angel that doesn't regret following that fool cherubim.\"\n\n\"I see, so why this world? Why don't you beg God for pardon?\"\n\n\"Angels are not like humans. We can't talk to God whenever we want, that's why I came here and gave up my true form and all my powers almost 30 years ago. To become as human as possible. To be able to talk to my father again and get a second judge. My only regret was not being able to do so immediately for my mere presence was enough to obliterate that squad.\"\n\n\"So you don't have any power anymore? How wasn't all those people not able to kill you? Isn't your body the one of an old man right now?\"\n\n\"Young man, I may be physically weak now, but you do overestimate your ability. Are you alive for what? 35 years? How much have you really trained? Do you think it is even comparable to someone older than creation itself? Don't make me laugh. None was killed as you probably know. If you don't consider the first accident of course\"\n\n\"I guess I couldn't defeat you either. I also don't think it is right to attack a sinner that is chasing forgiveness. But I need something to tell the priests of my order. I would be excommunicated directly to a neighbor of yours if I told them that we became friends.\"\n\n\"I am old, as you can see. Give me two more decades and I won't be a problem anymore. Tell them that I died and take one of my sons as a squire to confirm the story. Someone will let you know when this body collapse. Wish me luck with my superior too. It was a pleasure to meet you\"" ]	3
	[WP] A supernatural romance in a setting where a secret supernatural world is hidden from the mundane world, but with the twist that both partners belong to separate supernatural worlds the other is unaware of	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 first date was a mess. It started with a new dating app, specifically one for… unique people. I had heard enough horror stories of dating someone ignorant to make that choice. On the app, I had listed myself as a human. I know that sounds like a dumb idea, but no one trusts a fae enough to go out with one. No matter what, they’ll always suspect you to be trying to kidnap them or worse. Everyone is scared of my people. That’s what I was always told.\n\nThe first person I matched with was a nice looking human guy. And when we got to talking, we hit it off. On video chat, I used my best illusion charm to look human. It was obvious he didn’t see through it. After about a month, we wanted to meet in person, and agreed to do it at my favorite restaurant.\n\nWhen I arrived, (wearing my illusion charm of course,) he was already in the booth, looking excited. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt at lying to him. That feeling was soon squelched, however, by the fun we had that night. All the french fries, cherry soda and endless jokes made me almost forget about keeping a secret from him. We talked about all the things one would talk about, like the weather, books and our favorite movies.\n\nI told him about one I was particularly fond of, it was about a sentient doll who goes on an adventure through the woods and meets some (mostly) friendly talking rats. I instantly regretted saying it, knowing he would think me immature and leave immediately, but he actually seemed rather interested. It was at this point I decided he was worth it. Worth the risk of being left once he found out about the real me. I invited him over to my place, so we could watch it together.\n\nOnce home, I knew that I had to tell, (or show) him what I am at some point. Sooner rather than later.\n\n“Listen, there’s something I have to tell you. I’ve been… lying.”\n\n“I have too.”\n\n“What?”\n\n“There’s something I need to tell you, but you say yours first.”\n\n“Alright… It’d be easier if I show you. Promise not to freak out?”\n\n“Promise.”\n\nI don’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. I removed my illusion charm, disguised as a fancy necklace, and showed what I really look like. Purple eyes, horns, and of course, the ears. An elf. I half-thought he would recoil, run, or scream, but he didn’t.\n\n“You’re not scared?”\n\n“Scared? You’re beautiful! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”\n\n“I thought you wouldn’t like me if I did.”\n\n“That’s the first not-smart thing you’ve said to me. Can I show you my secret now?”\n\n“Okay. And I promise not to freak out.”\n\nI watched as he undid the clasp on his bracelet, which I hadn’t even noticed till now. Letting the trinket fall to the floor, he got really… bright for a few seconds. Once the light faded, he looked different. With two huge, white-and-gold wings. And a thin, crooked halo over his head. His eyes now gleamed with white. An angel.\n\n“I’m sorry, you deserved to know.”\n\n“Don’t be sorry! I don’t mean to be a hypocrite, but why didn’t you tell me?”\n\n“Cause everyone thinks angels are stuck-up pricks. That’s what they tell me.”\n\n“I’ve literally never heard that before.”\n\n“Huh… Are we still gonna watch that movie?”\n\nThat was almost ten years ago. Now we’re engaged, and our daughter is six months old. Yes my first date was a mess, but it was the best mess ever.\n\nThanks for reading! If you liked it, there's a lot lore stories and absolutely zero loose eyeballs at my sub, [r/RandomClodWrites](https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomClodWrites/)", "A glowing magical ball hovers before her eyes, showing his beautiful face that resides on the other end! She's been talking to him for months now, always separated by what most would call the screen of her magical phone.\n\n\"Well... You're a really cool person,\" he says, \"And I can never repay you for helping me get through the loss of my sister. If it means anything, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the restaurant on the corner of Main Street? I've heard they have some delicious food!\"\n\nThe restaurant was opened a week ago and is packed to the brim with customers. You're surprised he even managed to get a reservation!\n\n\"Yeah that would be great! I'll see you there in three hours alright?\"\n\n\"Sounds amazing! I'll see you then Jodie!\" He says as he hangs up the call. She spends the next couple of hours trying to find the perfect outfit, and ended up in a nice purple dress and the necklace her late grandmother gave her.\n\nShe sits outside the restaurant waiting for him to show. Hours pass as she watches street performers summon chimera out of the ground and pull of small entertaining spells. \n\nShe sits outside hoping that he merely forgot the hour he reserved the seat for. Despite the doubt in her heart, she waited. An hour passed before his voice rang through her ear.\n\n\"Hope you made it home alright, traffic seemed a bit busy today and I wanted to make sure you made it home safely!\"\n\nShe is puzzled and infuriated as he speaks. \"What do you mean?!\" She asks. A tear leaves a streak across her face as it falls to her lap. \"You haven't even arrived yet!\" \n\n\"Now I know that 2020 has been hard on you, especially since your grandmother passed away. I'm just a bit confused though, as I could've sworn that you just left the restaurant 10 minutes ago.\"\n\nHis worked crash around in her skull. \"\"What do you mean 2020? Its 2017!\"\n\nIt hits them both like a truck, but they both understand this strange world of theirs. \"I'll see you in 3 years I guess? It was a wonderful time and I hope you can see me then!\"" ]	3
	[WP] Human society as a whole has a tendency to integrate and assimilate others into our society, becoming a haven for refugees .This has affected how our species is seen .	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 like they couldn't decide if we were the biggest saints or suckers in the entire galaxy. That was the kindly-minded folk.\n\nEveryone else was, \"See? The trash all accumulates on Earth, along with the Earth trash.\"\n\nUs? We had just about as mixed a view as the other races, but we also had examples of how a melting pot could give rise to new alloys. Alloys with unexpected benefits, unforeseen opportunities, vast rewards.\n\nThe key to making that alloy is getting everything to the same temperature without losing the unique qualities that make the alloy work. When humans immigrated to a new place, they had to integrate with the existing society to survive. It was only as the new land became rich enough that new immigrants did not have to integrate, and that caused countless problems.\n\nThat may have been ancient history for some, but it was a living nightmare for others. Others wanted that alloy to have that unique strength we'd seen before.\n\nAll it takes is an open mind and a willingness to trust.\n\n\"Okay! Pipe down!\" Various hand gestures used until the crowd quieted enough.\n\n\"This is the last time you will hear anything in your species language, outside of friends and family. You are hearing this through the offices of some fine folk who took the time to learn your languages so they could *volunteer* to help with your initial orientation.\n\n\"You will receive a copy of this book. The 100 most needed words in Interlingua. That is your new language for day-to-day life and work. If you want to succeed here, learn it. If you want to starve, don't learn it.\n\n\"If you really want to have a chance at the good life, throw yourself into learning not only the language and customs of Earth.\n\n\"And before you start complaining about all the learning you are doing while we sit back and have it easy, you're wrong on two counts.\n\n\"First, everybody on earth knows at least two, if not more, languages. Their birth language, because that's used in family and Interlingua. Just like you, if they want to succeed in the world, they have to learn Interlingua.\n\n\"Second, this ain't our first rodeo. By which, I mean we've been doing this for more than a century. We have already had to learn about over three hundred different cultures. Only we go about it differently. We don't learn your entire culture; we look at what we see you doing and try it to see if it works for us. And by *us,* I mean everyone on this planet for more than a year.\n\n\"That's the other thing you need to know. Right now, you're probationary. If you can get two Earthers, any species, to vouch for you, you become an Earther too. No tests, no examinations, only their say so.\n\n\"Only, if you fuck up, it's gonna make them look bad. They're not going to be happy about that, and they can withdraw their sponsorship. For your own safety and future, take this first year, and dig hard into our culture. Make many friends. Have all of them sponsor you.\n\n\"To maintain your status as an Earther, you have to have at least two sponsors for three years. They don't have to be the same sponsors for the entire three years, but you have to have them without any gaps. After that, you're an Earther forever.\"\n\nQuestion From The Floor: {Are you a human?}\n\n\"No, I am not a human.\"\n\n{How can we trust that you are telling us the truth?}\n\n\"Are you calling me a liar?\"\n\n{No! It is not your truth I question; it is my ability to accept your truth.}\n\n\"Then you've just dodged one of the essential customs. Questioning another's truthfulness is a grievous insult. Asking how you can extend trust in my words is not.\n\n\"For this case, you should know that I have been an Earther for thirty years. That's a public record, so you can check it as soon as you know enough Interlingua to ask the computers. Over that thirty years, I have never knowingly lied to anyone. How can you tell that? The same computer record that tells you how long I've been an Earther.\n\n\"That computer is a social indexing system. It keeps track of accusations of lying and the resolution of them. I have fifteen resolved cases, all of which were due to false information given to me by others, that I accepted on the face of it.\n\n\"I presently have 59 accusations registered from this group alone. I strongly recommend that the complainants withdraw those accusations and reregister them as queries for confirming information from the social registry. A failed charge is terrible for you, just as the consequences can be drastic if I am found deliberately lying, especially in my job.\n\n{Can you lose your citizenship?}\n\n\"No. But you can be exiled, or if the incident is judged severe enough, executed. The convicted has choice of method.\"\n\n{If we don't have two sponsors at the end of the first year, what happens?}\n\n\"If you have one, you are granted a one-time, one-year extension. We recognize that some folks just don't make friends easily or are naturally slow learners. Not stupid, just not as fast as average.\n\n\"If you have none, you are placed on the next ship out, with a paid ticket to the next class one port that ship reaches.\n\n\"There is an appeal process — automatically invoked — and *may* buy you up to six months grace, but don't count on it. If you haven't managed to make even one friend in a year, you are not trying, or you are suffering from a mental issue.\n\n\"In the latter case, you have a choice: mental assistance or the ticket.\n\n\"I'll be honest with you. If given the choice of the ticket or mental assistance, I'd take the ticket so fast the purser's head would spin.\n\n\"If you want to know more about mental assistance, see the registry. I'm not going to ruin my digestion. I will say that I have met several Earthers, both human and other species, and they uniformly seem both happy and well adjusted. For my mind, too happy. I have never heard one of them complain about anything.\"\n\n\"Now, the smart ones will open the book you just got and use it to get the computers to answer your questions. Pronunciation problems the computer will work with you to straighten out. Computers have lots of time for questions, an infinite supply of patience, and no other task except you when you are using them.\n\n\"Those who experience difficulty will receive live support in direct proportion to the degree to which the volunteer believes you have tried.\"\n\n•••\n\n\"Fredzik? We have a special case.\"\n\nOh god. \"What is it?\"\n\n\"The immigrant cannot speak beyond aspirating. As near as I can tell, someone removed his vocal apparatus. From the scars, it was violent.\"\n\n\"Can he whistle?\"\n\n\"Sorry, Fredzik, but you know I can't do that, so I can't demonstrate it.\"\n\n\"Right, right.\" tweeeeeee\n\nA puzzled look, followed by an aha moment, and a gesture that looked like a request for a repeat.\n\ntweeeee twooo twaaa\n\ntweeee twooo twaaa\n\n\"Perfect. Back to you, Danaca. Might want to work on indoor/outdoor voices.\"\n\n\"Thanks, Fredzik.\"\n\nLooking in later, Fredzik sees the first immigrant teaching a bunch of natural whistlers what he learned of Interlingua by whistling. A double full immersion class. He, teaching what he's learned, they learning from him, and he learning how to teach better.\n\n\"Danaca? A natural teacher?\"\n\n\"He's got the patience so far, and the one disruptive element was encouraged to leave.\"\n\n\"Encouraged?\"\n\n\"He'd taught them all the joys of dissonance earlier. When the disruptor came in, insisting on exclusive personal attention, our teacher set the pitch for the rest of the class. They had buzzing insects so realistic it triggered a first-stage pest alert. In any case, Mr. T decided to go elsewhere.\"\n\n\"Pest Control has a shot of Mr. T?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Do you think?\"\n\n\"Yes. Bad vibes, and not just from the dissonance.\"\n\n\"I'll look into it.\"\n\n\"Thanks.\"\n\n•••" ]	2
	[WP] When you were 14 years old your own shadow strangled someone to 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 was rough. I got up, ate breakfast, went to school, as usual. And I yelled at my shadow, as usual. She can be infuriating at times, embarrassing me in front of crushes and ruining oral reports. and worse, there’s no way to fix it. I guess I should start at the beginning. \nWhen I was born, I wasn’t alone. I had a twin, specifically an identical twin sister. She didn’t last very long though, dying only an hour after we were born. Then something… weird happened. Twins and death don’t really mix well, so it would make perfect sense if she was bound to me in the ‘normal’ way. Not like this. \nAnomalous things such as this tend to happen with babies, but being anomalous, rarely have a cure. So now my sister is my shadow. And it sucks. My whole life has been spent constantly worrying that we weren’t in perfect unison. Worrying that people might start asking questions. \nOnce, our steps were a bit out of line, and some kid noticed. My sis noticed him noticing, and jumped up to the ceiling out of reflex. No one got it on camera, thankfully, but that was how I got the nickname ‘Pan.’ Like Peter Pan. How amusing. \nToday on the walk home from school, Crazy Pan and her Magic Shadow were having a debate.. She was trying to talk me into dropping out of school. \n“Think of how much easier things will be! For both of us!” \n“Well, without going to school, I can’t get a job. Without a job, I can’t buy food, and then I’ll be dead too.” \n“Don’t be so dramatic,” \nShe always says I’m dramatic, but before I could finish that thought, I rounded the corner to home and smelled a familiar stench of beer, dog drool, and cigarette smoke. \n“Uncle Rick,” Sis and I said at the exact same time. There are few things we agree on, but we certainly both hate whenever he comes to visit. And grape popsicles being the best. But it was too cold for popsicles now. \nAs our sweaty, half-drunk uncle pulled me in for a nauseating hug, Sis stretched as far away as she could without looking strange. Which wasn’t far. The next afternoon was the start of a typical Uncle Rick visit. Mom tried to stop him, in vain, from ransacking the kitchen for more alcohol. I was forced to watch football and recite the names of every player. I choked down squash and pretended to laugh at extremely rude jokes. And my mom’s crud-stain of a brother inspected my room to see if it had changed at all in the four months since the last time he had shown up. Which it had. \n“What are all these dolls doing here? Aren’t you too old for these?” \n“Those are collectors’ dolls. Ball-jointed. Resin. Expensive.” I tried to explain it simply, as long sentences confuse him. \n“To heck with that! If you’re gonna collect, collect real things! Like baseball cards, or sports balls! Not some prissy-ditsy kids toys!” \nHe started to tear our collection off the shelf, followed by fairy lights, paintings, and anything else he deemed I was too old for. It hurt to hear dolls’ limbs crack as they were stuffed into my tiny waste bin. They were my sister’s dolls too. She helped me with chores and odd jobs to buy them. They were our favorite thing to agree on. \n“There. Now go brush your teeth. I don’t want ‘em falling out and making you more like a baby.” \nThen he punched me in the face. With that, he went and flopped on the couch, passed out from drunkenness. I had already brushed my teeth that evening. I began trying to piece together the remnants of my dolls, Sis crept away. I assumed she was off to get a snack or something. The next morning, Uncle Rick was dead and gone. Everyone thinks it was alcohol poisoning. \nBut I knew the truth. I knew that my shadow strangled him to death.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI've written other stuff too. You can read it [here.](https://reddit.com/r/RandomClodWrites)" ]	2
	[WP] Growing up as the only unenhanced kid on the colony was hard. Your slower, your weaker, and you get sick more easily than other kids. One day you discover a legacy meant only for people like you that totally reverses your position with the other kids.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\nI stared at the sleek metal, the beeping and whirring calling to me. The cogs stirred, clicking like a hypnotic trance, filling the quiet of the colony's old-tech room. Why did it call to me? A dull thud resonated to my left, pulling my eyes and my attention. Harrison, the chief engineer, stood there, foot against the ageless plate of metal. The square face for a square man. \"Can't touch it, No-EL.\" He grinned at me, keeping his boot on it. He wasn't a mean man, but he lived by boxes and rules, never straying. Not even for an outlier like me. \n\nI swallowed back my deadened frustration. Everyone called me No-EL. I wasn't my real name, but that had died with my parents... leaving me with nothing—no enhancement lineage or any way to mobilize. A No-EL was what they all called me now. I sighed, backing away from the snoring machine, eyeing the panels. It beckoned to me, calling out in a melody, waiting for my harmony. Teeth gritted themselves, and fists clenched. Why did I know what it wanted? Why did I hear it? \"I know, Chief.\" Why did it sound lonely? \"You know how the other Enhancers get...\" Why did it sound lonely? \"I just wanted to take my lunch break,\" I waved my hand at the machine, \"here.\" \n\nHarrison nodded, slow and methodical like his own neck needed oiling. \"I can understand that.\" He nodded quicker. \"But just because you're here doesn't mean you can touch O-tech.\" He placed his hands on his hips, sighing. \"Don't want it to break because you touched it.\" He failed at muttering the words, thinking my hearing too bad. \n\nI bit back my anger; everyone thought I didn't hear them, or I didn't see them, or I didn't think fast enough—or respond fast enough. But I was enough. My lips hid a snarl. I had to be enough. My face smoothed, becoming sleek like the lonely metal. \"I won't touch it. I promise.\" I meant to break it, like how this colony tried to break me each and every day, telling me I was less; kids my own age saying I was a worthless No-EL. If their parents had died like mine, there would be no enhancement lineage for them. \n\n\"You're sure you're okay?\" Harrison asked, eyeing me again. Before I answered, he shook his head and sighed. Silence stretched between us. He looked up at the lonely metal beast. Records said it was built in our image, made for some purpose we colonists do not know. Some guess it was to push back the void horde. Others said it broke the world, sending us into the void of space. All I knew was it called to me, those massive metal arms, older than old but shining without rust. Old metal, far beyond our understanding. So much lost in the quiet whirring of cogs. \n\n\"What do you think causes the clicking?\" Harrison asked, not looking away from humanity's past and possibly it's future. \n\n\"I... I don't know,\" I whispered, watching Harrison. What did he want? What was he getting at? Why this a new prank on the station's only No-EL?\"\n\nHarrison sighed, taking his boot off the metal relic, resting it on the paneled gray sheets of iron that marched across the walkway. \"Strange, ain't it?\" He reached out, tapping a panel of the beast. \"This thing here is older than us, but it's still clicking and going longer than anyone else on this station... the things this contraption must know...\" His eyes walked up the giant's metallic skin, looking at the jagged sheet-steel head. \"... why is it still ticking? I wonder?\" \n\nI shrugged, glad to be away from my peers, knowing they would ridicule me if they even saw me. I hoped none of them would find me, hiding away with the past. Who would spend time with a useless machine? Other than a useless girl. But the future found me.\n\nBlaring klaxons rushed to meet red lights, blanketing a warning throughout the walkways, illuminating the metal giant next to me. He was massive but so lonely. If only... \n\n\"No-EL! No touching!\" Harrison called out, rushing over to grab me, pulling my hand away from the sleek metal. I cried out, almost punching the man, but he didn't deserve it... Well, maybe, but Harrison was better than the rest of my peers. At least he treated me as human. He carried me along, his boots clacking with the staccato rhythm of alarms. What was happening? I went to cover my ears, almost smiling. Those hearing enhanced wouldn't enjoy this. \n\n\"What's going on?\" I screamed-asked, still being carried by Harrison. Strengthancers never knew limits. \n\n\"Don't know,\" he gruffed out. Or maybe he did know his limits. More footsteps joined us, ringing through the hallway. But clicking gears held my mind. Why did I go back every time? \n\nA quiet howl of grinding gears and clicking servos sounded, finding me in the screams of the world. \n\nI wanted to go back to him.", "It was an unfair, unforgiving, hopeless world for people born like Jimp.\n\nDespite his unordinary name, his birth was even more so. He was born magicless in a world teeming with aura.\n\nThere were the strong and the magic.\n\nThe strong were a magicless tribe, eating away at the scraps that the magic gave. Even the sun forbade them to live, burning their skin if they even so dared to set foot from underneath shade.\n\nJimp was different. His mother and father were both magic users.\n\nYet, the day he basked in sunlight for the first time, rashes popped up over his body, a symbol appearing on his forehead, and his skin steaming as his parents hurriedly took him back into the hospital he was birthed in.\n\nHis father worriedly held his son in hand, begging the doctors to help. They ignored his pleading, casting away the baby who should've never been born with sadness befalling their despondent, scrutinizing, dead eyes.\n\nLater that same day, his father took his life, not wanting to live with the anguish of having had a magicless son. It was taboo, a disgusting sight. Those who were magicless wore marks upon their heads. A red cross with eight sides, one for each god that had forsaken them.\n\nWith her husband gone, Jimp's mother wrapped him in a black blanket so that he would not burn, traveling to a faraway city that catered to those lacking magic. A place she could live with her son without discrimination.\n\nShe'd been wrong.\n\nWhen she arrived, she was overjoyed. It was an arduous journey. Not from the distance she had to tread, or from the life she had to leave behind. It was the crying. Jimp cried every day, seemingly begging to be unwrapped from his bundle, hoping that the sun would devour him whole. His muffled whimpers were nearly unbearable, causing her to hide under trees along the path to the city so that Jimp would stop burning.\n\nIn a world so conniving, even a baby had no right to witness sunlight. She wept, her tears settling Jimp's uncontrollable rashes until the day they'd finally arrived in the town of darkness.\n\nIt was filthy, absolutely repugnant. Still, she had no choice. She had to bear through any adversity.\n\nA huge piece of rubble sat above the town unsteadily, blocking the sunlight from all angles. It was pitch-black, darker than night, nighter than dark.\n\n“By the Goddesses grace, give chase to the dark!”\n\nShe chanted the incantation, holding her right hand into the air, snapping her fingers as light exuded from her palm.\n\nOn her first night, or was it day? She couldn't discern. She looked for a place to stay, hoping to settle down peacefully. The houses were shabby and broken down, unbefitting even a dog.\n\nThe streets were littered with garbage, burning fire occupying the dumpsters giving light to the shady city. Shadows stretched upon the taller buildings, long human-like figures plagued it, taking the form of demonic beasts, claws protruding onto the cluttered, cracked building, embedding fear into her heart with a shiver as the shadows moved around endlessly, the nearby fires dying out.\n\nWhispers echoed throughout the hollow town without a single person in sight. She ignored the murmurs, continuing down the empty alleyway as she lifted the rags from Jimp's face, taking in his beauty as she hugged his sleeping body. She held the light over his face. It gleamed brilliantly, reflecting off of his pale skin.\n\nShe began speaking to Jimp, whispering self-affirmations to the both of them, \"We'll be okay now... we'll be okay--\"\n\nA burly-looking man interrupts, spitting to the ground with disdain as he cracked his knuckles, an unsettling grinning frown sitting upon his face as others crept out from nearby alleyways.\n\n\"We’ll be okay?” He laughs, his thunderous voice bellowing with others following suit as they surrounded the woman and her son, “I guess that’ll be true if you hand over everything you’ve got.”\n\n“O-okay…” Jimp’s mother spoke nervously as her legs and arms rattled, taking off her purple amulet that gleamed with a purple hue as her glowing hand continuously shined.\n\n“Magic?” He questioned, jeering at her as he drew a dagger, edging toward her with the serrated point of the knife at her neck.\n\n“What do you want?” She spoke shakily, breathing heavily, taking in all repugnance of the town with a huff from her nose as he edged the knife deeper, causing blood to seep from her slit neck.\n\n“People like you don’t belong here!” He shouted in otherworldly fury, pulling his dagger away from her neck, putting it to her eyes edge first as he raged on.\n\n“This blood! This blood is the very reason we have to live in the shadows!” He spoke, putting his massive forearms to her thin neck, pushing her toward a nearby building, causing it to rumble from the sheer force of the impact. \n\nStones fell from the top of the shattered structure, narrowly missing the two of them as he rabidly choked her out, “For what reason have you come to our town?! If I don’t like your answer, you’re dead!” He roared, unrivaled rage strewn across his vindictive face as the torch he held in his hand nearly cooked her distraught face.\n\n“M-My son…” She coughed out as she eyed the bundled blanket in her hands.\n\nHe pulled back from her neck, dropping his knife to the ground as he snatched Jimp away from her grasp.\n\n“Why did you bring him here!” He shouted in her face, spit flying over her body as she winced her eyes.\n\n“I-I wanted to live here with him!”\n\n“Live here?” He questioned, holding Jimp tightly, causing him to cry aloud as he awoke.\n\n“Why would a magic user intrude upon our home! You have all the world, bound by nothing! Why here!?” He raged on, pulling Jimp from the blanket wrapped around him, noticing the mark that sat upon his temple as he continuously cried, tears leaking from his minuscule, flushed-red, scrunched up that held an undying frown face." ]	3
	[WP] You’ve wasted a decade of your life at your crappy job. It pays the bills, but year after year, you wondered why your spark in life was just… gone. When you start seeing something following you through the trees on the way home, though, you find your dead-end life finally filled with purpose.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Oh what a miserable job? \n\nAt least I can pay the bills and not live like a slob,\n\nBut it’s not worth it, no\n\nI’ve grown so little in the past ten years, \n\nI use to fill my boredom with beers,\n\nBut it all changed one night,\n\nWhen my kite took flight, \n\nFor what I haven’t said,\n\nWhen I was bored on my bed,\n\nI was trying think of something new,\n\nSomething that flew,\n\nThat reached the stars,\n\nMaybe a floating car,\n\nBut I’m no expert in machines, \n\nBut I was an expert in jeans,\n\nWhat I thought wasted my life for ten years,\n\nJean making just to get home and start baking,\n\nIt might’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been,\n\nI smiled with a huge grin,\n\nAs I walked home that night I found what would change my life \n\nAnd I ran home to tell my wife,\n\n“I got it! I know what I’m going to do!” \n\nI stayed awake, cutting and putting things together,\n\nIt all came to me so perfectly, like a doves feather \n\nMade all by some jeans and string,\n\nI made a kite that would carry a whole plane,\n\nFor I feared driving a plane but I loved using a kite,\n\nSo when I was done I told my friends to go take flight,\n\nThey went on my large lawn,\n\nI started to run and the air picked up, \n\nI was laughing happily like a newborn pup,\n\n“It flew, it flew!” I yelled \n\nThe clouds spelled out all my dreams,\n\nIf I didn’t know how jeans worked, \n\nWould I have been able to make this perk?\n\nIt’s the new buzz, on every Chanel ya see,\n\nJust make sure you don’t have to go pee,\n\nEvery time the sun is out and about,\n\nScout the skies and jump in, \n\nIt’ll be the best time you’ve ever been,\n\nAnd let your Jean airplane take a spin" ]	2
	[WP] Speaking the True Name of something, gives the power to control it and to change it, every thing and every creature in the universe has a True Name	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 first step is the hardest, one must learn their own True Name, the name which should not be spoken, but is known intimately, though most of us blind ourselves to it.\n\nOnce one has completed that step, which each of us have our own unique path to, then one can begin to learn of shifting and division.\n\nThrough taking on temporary names, one can lie to the universe, and become as that thing, one can state \"I am Lion\" and become Lion, for a time.\n\nThrough division, one can embody lesser facets of themselves (greed, lust, joy, envy, etc) and become as if they are the living embodiment of the facet.\n\nOne must take time to ensure that they know oneself whilst committing all of the magic of True Names, as without knowing oneself, one can become lost. \n\nOne can become the lie, and remain as Brother Lion forever; or one can become nought but the facet, and become bound to it, rather than merely borrowing it's power." ]	2
	[WP] Zombies aren't the ravenous beasts that media often depicted them as, rather they are just like they were in life in every way aside from the fact that they are now dead. The real horror of this situation is the unfortunate undead being fully aware as their body slowly rots	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Winter War of 2064\n\n Storms, weather, who knew after a pandemic that everything would change. Cold was no longer a sensation felt in air or water, heat was the same thing. It was just, lukewarm, and quiet. My muscles no long twitch, rigor mortis has started to fade. Who knew it'd be like this? I crave no food, no fragment of salvation, I am incapable of dying when I have already died. \n\n Why did god have to torture me like this? I didn't choose to be born, I simply followed what came next. But I didn't expect this at all. My skin was pale, and some sort of black goo came of my nose mouth and ears. I cleaned myself up but it kept bleeding out of me. Thankfully its calmed downed.\n\n I tried to retrace my fathers steps after I got my life together, so I joined joined the army. The landing ship I was in contained cargo, vaccines, some idiot tried to mix them and here we are. My uniform covered in stench of a rotting decaying corpse as I sat. I was immediately sent to the nearest hospital ship but was marked dead on arrival. Blacked out, and woken the the horns of a carriage the sky turned gray.\n\n Bringing awful news to my family, my tomb was covered in flowers, flags with colors that fell on my chest, blue, red and white covered my body. Hopefully they celebrate my life, the cargo was needed to win the war against the pandemic, and I was the only one guarding it.\n\n I heard her cries, my wife was sobbing, yelling and mourning, in attempt to move my arms I twitched, slightly bumping the coffin. Please, someone, anyone console my lover as I stifle coughs. Coughs?\n\n \"HE\"S ALIVE\" they yell\n\n \"GET IT OPEN!\"\n\n I wanted to die, the harm I had caused was immense, I don't know if I should be grateful I got to see her one last time. God show remorse, making me feel bad for drinking the mixture then immediately taking that away by making her resent me. \n\n \"Norman\"\n\n\"Jesus Christ\"\n\n \"You seem zoned out, are you okay?\"\n\n\"Yeah, I'm just...thinking\"\n\n \"How long do you have till you are unable to speak?\"\n\n\"That's random, why?\"\n\n \"Well, since you're a dead body and all that eventually you will not be able to speak, and you are already becoming hard to understand, I need you to hold a speech\"\n\n\"I have 8 hours\"\n\n \"I'll just find someone else then\"\n\n That's right, I won't be able to speak or hear, what do I do? Is that another form of dying? All my body will rot and I'll just be bones, nothing can keep me alive then, I won't be able to move since my muscles. Come to think of it, how am I able to think? Time will tell\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWriters Note: This piece was pretty difficult to write. It was about a depressed solider named Norman whos goal was to protect the last vaccines needed to save mankind from a pandemic. His plan failed, the goal was to die by mixing the vaccines and then drinking them. He turned into a zombie and his decaying corpse filled him with terror, thinking it was punishment from god.", "Two blocks away from his house John rode along the Swapnil Lake. Past the large yellow and red sign posted at the end of his street warning of Zombies. It was next to the sign that this section of the street was also a duck crossing. Huge gray rocks piled on the shore to protect the shore from being washed away by the water. Everything was calm today and quiet except for the birds who welcomed John as he rode letting the wind hit his back and give him the gentle nudge forward.\n\nStopping at one of the many park benches along the bike path John pulled over and sat on the bench sipping his coffee. He cleared his mind and focused on the water in the lake, hot coffee in his thermos and the birds who fought with each other by the shore. He was alone except for a mother pushing a stroller along on the bike path.\n\nThe mothers head covered with a hoodie and wearing black sweatpants pushes her stroller by the bench. John is annoyed that his morning quiet ritual is being interrupted by this woman. “You are out early,” he says as he looks in the crib.\n\nInside the crib is a beautiful baby girl. She is quiet but looking right at him. “Your baby girl looks just like my daughter,” he says. “My daughter would love when I would bop her nose. You don’t mind do you,” he questioned. The mother whose shoulders were slumped, and head was down made no motion to stop him. She just smiled. The birds who were hanging out on the rocks started to get spooked. They seemed to yell as they flew away.\n\nHe reached his hand into the crib. “Bop,” he said as he touched the baby’s nose. In one quick motion the baby bit his finger and laughed. John tried to pull his finger away, but the baby held tight. He was forced to reach his other hand into the crib and hold the baby with his left hand while he pulled as hard as he could with his left.\n\nThe baby felt cold to his touch.\n\nJohn’s throat tightened. He knew that he had been bit. He didn’t even have to look at the mother again to know she also was a zombie. The mother didn’t make a move. She sat and stared. A dizzy feeling almost knocked John off the park bench. Grabbing the green painted wood, he knocked the thermos of coffee onto the bike path.\n\nHe left the cold baby who didn’t make a sound and the mother who never stopped smiling. He left his coffee spilling onto the bike path. He rode his bike home to his family.\n\nArriving back at the house John didn’t go inside. He sat on the furniture his wife had bought him as his Christmas present so he could drink coffee in the morning and watch the sunrise. “Why the hell didn’t you just sit on your damn porch and watch the sunrise.”\n\nA few hours later his wife Suzanna walked out of the front door. “I’ve been looking for you. What do you want to do today?”\n\nHe said nothing.\n\n“What’s wrong,” she said?\n\n“I was bitten this morning. By a baby. I didn’t want to come into the house. I didn’t know if I was welcome.”\n\nShe sat down next to her husband. She was a paler than he was. “We will work through this. Margarette’s husband was bit last year. They are working through it. We will work through this,” Suzanna said.\n\nAn hour later his daughter Lana came out of the house. What she found shocked her. They both were crying on the front porch. Her father was a zombie, and her life was pretty much over.\n\nBut for the next ten years things had a way of working themselves out. He was able to get physical labor jobs. He was stronger dead then he was alive, and he needed no sleep. \n\nThe main problem was his body was slowly rotting and his ability to speak is disappearing. Suzanna nagged him to eat flesh so he wouldn’t fall apart so fast. But he can’t. It just seems wrong.\n\nNow he works long hours and can pay for Lana to go to college. She meets a boy named Robert who is going to be a dental hygienist and she wants to be a legal assistant.\n\nTheir senior year Robert asks Lana if she will marry him. It’s all very touching. Suzanna throws a big party and makes a taco dip. John sits on the couch enjoying the aliveness around him. It feels good to be dead but still included in the big moments of your family’s lives.\n\nSuzanna sits next to her husband as Roberts family rotates around the kitchen and living room making their rounds.\n\nRobert’s brother Mark sits on the couch next to Suzanna for way to long. John watches as Mark hits on his wife. He doesn’t say anything. He sits quiet and cold. The ability to speak has gone. But he does feel the hurt. Many people act as if he didn’t exist.\n\nSix months later it was time for the actual wedding. His baby girl was getting married. He wishes he could tell her how proud of her he is. John, who is now in a wheelchair, pushes himself through the empty room, out the front door looking for any life to be around. When he gets to the parking lot, he comes behind Mark standing next to his car. But after another look, he realizes the Mark isn’t standing. He is leaning over his trunk. To his horror Suzanna is under him being held down.\n\nJohn stands up, pushing the wheelchair behind him. With both hands up and in front of him he shambles to the man attacking his wife and bites him on the neck. Ripping huge chunks of flesh off. Stripping and eating what he can. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in years.\n\nWhen he was done Mark was gone. Suzanna was in shock, “What are we going to tell our baby girl?”\n\nJohn smiled. “I am going to tell her I love her and walk her down the aisle.”", "\"I've been taking the treatments again.\"\n\nShe doesn't look at him when she says it. She doesn't see the sad smile he always gives her, but she knows it's there. She feels his hand, his perfect, fully-living hand, on her shoulder, and it sinks into the vile decay of her own flesh. She hated when he touched her: she hated that cruel spark of hope he tried to stir.\n\n\"The ones for the, ah-\"\n\n\"Maggots.\" She snapped.\n\n\"Right. I hope you don't think-\"\n\n\"I feel them, you know.\" She interrupted, embarrassed. It wasn't a lie, she could feel them. In her lungs, in her shoulder. She could feel everything her horrible body did, far more than she could in life. But they both knew she was dodging the question.\n\n\"I hope you don't think I find it off-putting.\" He asserts himself, something he hasn't really done any of the times they've had this conversation, but his tone quickly softens. \"When I look at you now, I don't see some nightmare. I don't see a loss. I see... maybe this is selfish of me, but I see a second chance to be with the woman I love.\"\n\nThe silence is sweltering. She doesn't know how to respond to that, but she could swear the remains of her heart were going to burst. Trying to fill the silence, he awkwardly adds:\n\n\"Besides, you take good care of yourself. Cutest dead lady I've ever met.\"\n\nThe tension broke, and for the first time since she'd come back, he heard it: the musical laugh he'd fallen in love with so long ago.\n\nThe laughter broke the dam, and she lunged for him, wrapping her sloughing arms around him, hiding her face in his chest as she'd done in life. A strange sound escaped her hollow throat, a choking sob that seemed more reflex than any physical reaction. It was hard to tell with her tear ducts long eroded, but she was crying.\n\nThey spoke for hours that night, as she let herself feel and express every emotion she'd been hiding away. When the conversation wound down, she looked up to see him staring at her. \"What?\"\n\n\"I want to show you something. Come here.\"\n\nHe walked to the bathroom, and she followed, hesitantly. He stood in front of the mirror, and gestured for her to stand beside him. As she saw her ghoulish face staring back at her, she felt the dread creeping back in. Was he doing this to torture her? Put her in her place? She stared into the empty sockets where her eyes once sat, now just a pair of dark pits. She reached into one, plucking a stray hair out of it and slicking it back with the rest. He was right about one thing, the way she dried her remaining flesh every day definitely made her less of a-\n\n\"Look.\"\n\nHe stepped behind her, her head to the top of his chin as he reached to touch her face. She instinctively recoiled, but then forced herself to relax. His thumb stroked gently along her jaw, and while it felt good, she was still confused.\n\nWhen his hand came away, she gasped.\n\nThere in the mirror she saw a streak of pure, white bone along her jaw.\n\nAnd it was beautiful." ]	4
	[WP]A minor deity decides to try increasing their followers by joining social media and posting about their daily life as a god.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 a new age. No, not the Age of Aquarius...the Age of the Internet. With information at the world's fingertips, it's become harder and harder to be a deity. It's not like the old days, where you could just snap your fingers, light a fire, and bam, everyone sacrifices chickens and throws festivals in your honor. No, people are a lot harder to impress. Which, since our power is greatly augmented by adoration, is quite an issue. \n\nGods are fading, OK? Even the major gods are overshadowed by the so-called 'influencers', mortals who have somehow gained enough power to become god-like themselves. After a lot of research, though, I've found the secret: Social media. By incessantly sharing their lives with their worshippers, lesser humans feel a strong connection to them, thus ensuring loyalty. \n\nI created an account on a site called Instagram. My name there is xoxo\\_goddex, an homage to a popular mortal TV show. I've been posting thrice daily, showing what I wear, eat, and do. It's oddly simple. I'm beautiful, and that's all it seems to take. Converts flock to my page, begging for 'livestreams' and intimate details. It fuels me. \n\nFor centuries, I've barely had enough power to light a candle. But now? Now, I'm feeling like I could light up the world.", "\"Hey everyone, it's the lock picking lawyer, and today we are going to open this high-grade 5-core lock from Gordion. Now, Gordion has made the claim that this lock is unpickable. The keyholes use five of these unique keys, so conventional picks won't be doing the job. Luckily, I was able to put together a new tool out of toothpicks, a hair pin, and seven pieces of old gum. Now, let's see if Gordion's claim holds up. 1 is binding...2 is binding...3 is binding....4 is binding...5 is almost binding and- there. We got it. Okay folks, this is a reminder that no matter the materials and what else the manufacturer claims, no lock is unpickable. I'm the lockpicking lawyer, have a nice day.\"\n\nThe jaws of the executives at Gordion Unbreakable Locks LLC had dropped.\n\n\"How does he do it? We tested this thing for years!\" Said Gerald Gordion, the CEO.\n\n\"It's because he's not human.\"\n\nThe entire board room turned to face a man in a trenchcoat that had not been there twenty seconds prior.\n\n\"Excuse me, who the hell are you? Someone get security.\"\n\nThe man smiled.\n\n\"Security went on lunch break two minutes ago. It's okay, I won't be long.\"\n\nThe boardroom had started to raise their hands above their head \n\n\"No no no! I'm not here for that! Stop it! I'm here for vengeance. Let me explain-\"\n\nThe man grabbed the PowerPoint remote and changed to the next slide\n\n\"I have a business proposition for you. You see, me and the being you know as the lockpicking lawyer have been rivals for...millennia. we are both minor deities. I am the deity of petty vengeance, and he is the deity of advertising law and small metal mechanisms. I'd give you our names, but human mouths can't pronounce them. Anyways, the short of it is we gain power the more followers we have, and we'll, you've seen his YouTube subscribers count. I want to embarrass him, let him know he didn't kill me last time. I can diminish his power, make sure he never breaks one of your locks ever again. How does that sound to you?\"\n\nThe executives nodded in fear. The man tossed the remote at the CEO.\n\n\"Good. Next slide please.\"", "I did this three thousand years ago. And here I am again. I was only a minor deity but I worked hard, made a lot of sacrifices until my cult spread through the ancient world. I taught the women the secrets to making the perfect home. I taught them weaving, baking, cooking. \nMy mom was the earth and my dad was the sky. My husband ruled the underworld. My son reached levels of popularity that was almost unparalleled. \nAnd then, well, we all slowly phased out. The new kids took over. And the rest as they say is history.\n\nBut I'm not ready to give up just yet. Not ready to retire. I did this once again and I can do it again. This time I am going to use the tools available to me now. I didn't have internet back in the day. This made things so much easier!\n\nSo, step one, I created a youtube account. And today my first video \"A day in the life of......\" goes online. I know most of the early viewers will not understand. I would simply have to charm them into accepting and joining my following. And then it would all fall into place. I just had to go viral once...\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\nMaybe I should post a couple more videos\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\nWhy is no one watching my videos??? It's been weeks since I posted!!!\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\n.\nI can't believe this!!!! A sudden jump in my view count!! Its happening. I'm gonna be famous again. People will worship me soon enough. I better go check the comments and see what they're saying!!\n\n\n\n\n\n\"Is this a joke? Does this lady think she's being funny? I mean lots of skinny tan bitches on the internet, but this is way too offensive! I mean come on\"\n\n\"This dumb slut probably has no idea what that word even means. Probably saw it on a newspaper from the corner of her eye and thought it would make a cute name for her screen presence. Smh\"\n\n\"She's hot. But I dont fuck with terrorist sympathisers\"\n\n\"Have some shame. And do some research. The name is extremely offensive and obviously not real, just like your boobs\"\n\n\"Guys. Give her a break. She's probably too stupid to understand anything we're saying\"\n\n\"This bitch is delusional as fuck. Why are you acting like royalty? You're just some LA skank\"\n\n\n\nI dont understand.\nI expected people to argue about religion. Or refuse to believe I was a deity. But most of them seem to just hate my name? And dont get me started on some of the men aggressively describing the horrors they would do to me! That is sacrilege!!\nAnd what the hell is buzzfeed? Why are they making a list of 10 things people hate about me?\nWho are these people making hour long videos just to make fun of me?\nI hate this new world\nThe mocking, the taunting, the bile, the anger. I cannot tolerate it. These people don't have a right to call themselves human. They have devolved into something much nastier.\n\nI am ISIS. Mother of horus. Wife of Osiris.Goddess and queen of ancient egypt. And these mortals have no idea what they just unleashed upon themselves" ]	4
	[WP] To harness the void, one must be himself empty. They’ve taken everything you had. Now, it’s time for the hunters to be the hunted. You are the Singularity. You are destined to ruin those who dared ruin you. You, are the Omega event.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 body lay battered snd broken laying against the door. The void cult had killed my entire gang. All who I ran with my brothers and my sisters, my blood and family. Everything I had everything I ever worked for was for nothing. I had yet but a single .45 caliber pistol infront of me from the body of my best friend…the last survivor to all I loved. They got what I wanted I was now truly and completely empty. And they were gonna join me. \n racking back the pistol I I stood the kicking of the door from the outside, a cult member kicking as he had been for the past 5 minutes. \nI swung the door open and he smiled “…so…welcome to the-“. I blew that smiling fuckers head right off his shoulders . Picking up that tiny little 9mm of his I rounded the corner. I was up in the cook house where the gang made most of the drugs they sold. The void had attacked it to make me empty they had been chasing me for so long I have accepted my fate but I was damned if that gay ass cult wasn’t coming with me. The grizzled people cheered me on whistleinf and clapping. I had my guns to my sides and I stared and watched as each member slowly lowered thier guns to clap. And once all the guns were lowered…mine shot right up and both triggers were squeezed as I sprayed the room. I stood still only focusing on damage output I didn’t move a muscle. Because I no longer had a thing to lose no more to fear than death itself and without anything and everything to pain over I didn’t fear that either. They all shot their fancy rifles and shotguns they brought for this huge shootout and I took almost a dozen down with my two handguns alone before they decided to scatter and back out of the room all at once. Crashing tour windows and doorways as I casually dropped both of those for a new automatic rifle. Oh fuck yeah. Magazines from their twisted friends I stuffed into my pockets as I walked to the window and watches as they piled into a single car, rookie mistake dispite them being a group. In a crowded and overflowed cult painted open top keep they burned out fast and I aimed steady and fired letting the recoil follow the car all the way out into the road over the dirt and rifhr as that highway asphalt hit the tires the whole keep barreled out sending black cloaked cultists in every which direction. The big chaotic flowers stained in red ironically. \n I picked up a shotgun and a new pistol snd walked out those gates. I was now their proficiency" ]	2
	[WP] You are the smartest person in the world and you are tasked to kill a Tarigrade.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 seemingly empty petri dish the man was presenting to me and scowled. In reality there was a tiny, barely visible creature about half a millimeter in length in the middle. A waterbear, and this guy was offering me a million dollars if I could kill it. This was always why I hated appearing in TED talks... or anything where people would attempt to \"test my intellect\" with some sort of \"supposedly\" unsolvable problem. \n\nSure getting the money off this grinning jackass was nice. But I already beat SpaceX to mars, perfected nuclear fusion and artificial intelligence. I'm swimming in money and investors will line up to whatever insane proposal I come up with next.\n\nI let out a sigh as I stood up and went to the back. I stole a glance back at the guy, and I could read his face like a page of my quantum physics textbook. He was expecting me to come back with my gamma ray laser; a miniature americium nuclear warhead, or my fluorine flamethrower. I do of course... keep all those things in my truck. But instead I returned with my pet snail; Henry V8. He's a normal garden snail save for the fact genetically modified to produce a drug that cures ALS, and he's always happy to get an extra snack.\n\nI placed him down in the petri dish. He slowly scooted his way along, devouring the tardygrade, slowly slurping him up and digesting him on the spot. And that was that. The guys expression flips on a dime, as he clearly didn't bother to research the fact that waterbears have a myriad of natural predators..." ]	2
	[WP] Time Tours: The greatest trips of all TIME! It sounded like a great idea for a vacation, but the Jones family isn't happy when they get stuck in Time Customs on their return.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 Temporal Tribunal agent studied the family of 6 on the bench in front of him. Thier hands ziptied, from the oldest grandmother right down to the 6 year old girl. \" Jones Family, departed from 10th August, 2169 on a self guided tour, with a class S license\" He looked at Mei-Ling Marquisha Jones, the 16 year old and Rayanna Lynn Jones, the grandmother of the family (who was somehow pregnant despite chronologically being in her 90's), neither of which betrayed the slightest bit of shame. \n\n\"The charges are serious, 5 counts of visiting a restricted timeplace zone, 10 counts of bringing restricted materials back to your native timezone, 27 counts of failure to use contraceptives, and 19 counts of divulging information regarding the future, 10 of which resulted in significant timeline changes, one of which caused a World War another of which caused an Emu war\", what have you to say for yourselves?\" \n\n\"I had a great time, most fun ive had in a long time... Say which one's the daddy? I mean I'm hoping it was Freddy Mercury, but i think it was probably Tupac\" Rayanna Chuckled,\"But with my luck it's Mark Robbie.\"\n\nThe agent shook his head \"We're still trying to figure that out, but your 12 other couplings without contraceptives could have endangered the timeline. Thankfully 7 of them occurred at Woodstock, which leads into the charges of visiting restricted timezones. We have photographic evidence that you visited the following restricted timezones, Woodstock, Jan 6th 2022, August 14th 2069, November 5th 2192, and June 19th 1997. Not to mention your inteactions with Prime Minister Bieber, President Spears, President Mathers, Prime Minister Rowling, Prime Minister Miyamoto, and not to mention Prime Minister Irwin. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n(might pick this up later)" ]	2
	[WP] An ancient prophesy told of a hero born and raised in nobility gaining super powers. Our hero fit the description and everyone told them they were the "chosen one". One day they learned the prophecy was an elaborate lie. Powers can only be inherited by someone who's overcome great difficulties.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "p.1\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was a lie. All of it.\n\nFrancis Regan Ó Nualláin IV, is the fourth son in his family. He was promised his family fortune, title, and mystical powers upon his 18th birthday. But now he stood mouth agape at his burned and bloody hands. He was still standing in front of a crowd who gathered to see him ascend. However, there wasn’t any ascension happening today. Overwhelmed with shock, Francis fell to the ground, unconscious.\n\nAs far as history remembered, there was The Prophesy. The gods intended to bequeath their powers to a human. This way they might retire and allow humans to govern themselves. It was handed down from generation to generation. A thousand years have passed. Here is what it says:\n\n“One thousand years from today will be the new dawn. Born from civility, the fourth child of the fourth father’s noble name will stand at the altar of Hyllus. The elders will light fire to water and the “chosen one” will dip their hands into the fire and not be burned. Powers will be bestowed onto them from the gods. They will rule the humans as a new god and choose more gods help them rule Earth.”\n\nThis is the most agreed upon translation. Every hundred years it was retranslated when it failed. But this time they were certain it was accurate. Yet it failed to be true again. All the elders gasped at the bloody hands of Francis IV. If he were not “the one” who could it be? The elders murmured between them. If Francis were conscious, he would have overheard the crowd saying,\n\n“Have we made such a grave mistake that the prophesy will no longer be fulfilled?”\n\n“Were the gods to blame? Did they change their mind and keep their powers?”\n\n“We must start a new search immediately!”\n\nNo thought as to Francis’s wellbeing ever crossed their minds. Only his grandmother rushed to his side amid the frantic crowds. As granny knelt beside her grandson, his teary eyes opened.\n\n“It hurts granny!” Francis whined.\n\n“I know dear, here, let me take care of them”\n\nGranny took a bowl of ointment and bandages out of her basket. She gently wrapped his hands which now look like green mittens. She helped him up and walked him to the carriage that took them home. On the ride home Francis began wondering allowed to granny about the future.\n\n“What should I do now granny? All my private lessons, all my schooling, my playtime…they have been to prepare me to be a god… I am useless now…”\n\n“Not useless child! You are still Fourth Child. You will take over the family business!”\n\n“I don’t know anything about business. Father choose my brother after I was selected for the prophesy. It would not be fair to him. All his arduous work and training just to have it taken away from him? Now I know what it is like, I could never do that to another person.”\n\n“You ought to know the truth, Francis. I was never meant to know, but you know how close your grandfather I were? Well, he told me something about the prophesy. Something no one is supposed to know. Until today I thought he was just a dying man saying any non-sense that other dying men say. But if he was right. You ought to know.”\n\n“What is it granny?”\n\n“Go to Grand Master Patrick. Ask him for the “truth” about the prophesy. With your condition he might be more sympathetic to you. I hope your grandfather was wrong. But gods help us if he was right.”\n\nFrancis tried several times. But no one ever told him the “truth”. Even Grand Master Patrick just pretended to not understand. Eventually granny gave him the key to his grandad’s study, which was filled with books, ancient texts, and journals from all around the world. She hoped he would find his answer somewhere in that room.\n\nWithout use of his hands, Frances became dependent on his house servants for everything. When he needed to be fed, he had to ask for each bite. Changing clothes, taking a bath, doing schoolwork, it all took particular care and attention. To his surprise they all pitied him. He hated the idea that his employees looked down on him in any way. But the alternative was to waste away.\n\nAs time went on Francis hands began to function again. He never regained feeling, but he could at minimum hold things for a brief time. But just like his hands, his heart stayed numb. A year later he was still living in his family’s home. Afraid to re-enter society, he became a shut in, reading most days to pass the time.\n\nFrancis became bitter in his dependence on others. His orders became more frivolous, and insensitive. Most vacated their job by the 2nd month. But Theo pressed on.\n\nThe reason Theo stayed was because Francis was a childhood acquaintance. Theo’s family couldn’t afford the tuition at Francis’s school, but they had just enough money to sign him up for soccer. Theo was a natural athlete. He was promoted to team captain at his school very quickly. Of course, the “chosen one” Francis was team captain at his own school. This led to the natural order of bitter rivalry.\n\nThroughout the years of challenging soccer games and plenty of trash talk, Francis and Theo realized they enjoyed the competition in each other more than they hated it. After graduation from school Theo needed a job. He was one of seven children and his father had passed recently.\n\nFrancis half joked that Theo should apply to be one of his family’s house servant since he would be leaving to “ascend soon”. His family would need more “help” in his absence. Francis wasn’t aware until after the life changing ceremony that Theo had applied and was hired the same day by his father. Francis was bitter about that for some time. Theo was his father’s employee, therefore only his father could fire him. The same in sporting competition, he found Theo to be a pleasant competitive companion. He came to recognize Theo as a valuable friend by now.\n\nJust as Francis was mulling over his strange bond with Theo, he stumbled across an interesting passage in the ancient text he was reading.", "In a land of dirt and stone, \r \nA child of water is bound. \r \nFrom the boy unknown, \r \nWill the savior of Rennth be found \r \n\r \nThe second paragraph of the great prophecy, the scripture that would reveal the hero who would one day slay the sleeping demon king residing in the Blightlands and save all of Rennth. Will knew the whole thing by heart of course, but in times of need, he always recalled this section to give himself that slight kick of motivation. When he’d first been approached by the great archmage Terion nine months ago, he had done everything he could do to avoid his destiny. But he knew now that running wasn’t an option. If he died here, it would be all of Rennth that paid the price. With that in mind, he dove forcefully to the right as the Ice Troll slammed it’s makeshift club into the ground where the young hero had been standing just a moment earlier. The pine tree splintered, it’s branches flying off and giving the young man numerous cuts all over his right shoulder and cheek, but he barely felt it. The sight of his two companions laying on the ground unconscious pushed the adrenaline, rage, and panic through his veins at an ever increasing pace. \r \n\r \n“Liliana, Ben, please hang in there!” \n\nWill hoped that they were lucid enough to take some comfort from his words, but he honestly couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. He’d overcome so many trials, balancing on the edge of life and death throughout each encounter with his trusty best friend and the women he’d come to love, despite having never admitted it to her. Those childish days of being 6th in line to a throne he’d never inherit seemed so distant, so... fake. \r \n\r \nTerion had promised Will that he had a great power within him, a power that could save the world. Of course, the old mage hadn’t really minced words and made it very clear that the power wasn’t going to come easily, for “Only the worthy can inherit the power to protect”. Pretty words that Will couldn’t help but feel hollow as he barely avoided another terrifying blow, this time jumping back as the troll stomped its foot, trying to turn the young hero into paste. \r \n\r \nAs Will stumbled, he looked at his left arm. He suddenly felt uneasy as Will realized he could only see a bloody stump. He should have been in pain, but could only sway back and forth in shock. The chill of the environment ate into his open wound, almost causing Will to give up... but he didn’t. He couldn’t. If he was alone, he’d give up, if it was just a prophecy, then damned the prophecy. But his companions were here, and no one else was here. No one was going to drop out of the sky and save them... only he could. As the ice troll started it’s final swing, ready to turn him into paste, the hero began to glow. A warm, golden light filled his body as he felt strength begin to suffuse his limbs. His vision disappeared for just a brief moment as he could see all life on Rennth at once, as if he was part of the world itself. He wouldn’t rely on power just because of some prophecy. No, he’d earn it. He’d never run from hardship and he wouldn’t start now. As Will’s vision returned, giving up was the farthest thought from his mind...\r \n\r \n\\* \\* \\* \\* \\* \r \n\r \nTerion leaned back further into his chair as the young boy barely made it, diving to his right as the troll slammed the tree it was holding into the spot he was standing just a moment ago. The old mage lazily flicked his finger to the right, changing the perspective of his scrying orb to look at the two companions Will insisted on keeping around. Of course, both of them were lying on the ground motionless. Terion supposed that would have to be motivation enough, he hoped the boy could meet his standards, as Will had been the most promising bunch of the recent bunch that Terion had scouted. All humans could technically tap into the latent power of the world, providing them great strength, but so far he didn’t see much chance for anyone but will for the immediate future. Terion thought about it, maybe he should just pop in and bail the kid out, he was promising afterall...\r \n\r \nAs the perspective of the crystal ball flicked back to Will, the boy jumped backwards, but too slowly. His arm was taken clean off, as if it were merely a blade of grass. Oh well, if the wasn’t going to have his awakening now, then that would just mean he was a nobody, someone with potential unrealized. \r \n\r \nTerion was soon very glad that he didn’t intervene as the boy erupted in golden light. The world seemed to freeze for that moment as Terion’s eyes widened. He would have left out of his chair and whooped if he had the time. Finally! One of them had...\r \n\r \nJust as Will opened his eyes, the troll’s club slammed into his head, turning the hero into paste. Terion stood there, his jaw slightly open as the troll looked around, a bit confused. “God dammit!” Terion threw his staff across the room. So close, it had been so close! He hadn’t found someone that had been that close to gaining the powers of the World Soul in decades! After stomping around for a bit and setting every tree within a while on fire, the archmage calmed down. He’d been so close, but he’d also been ready to see the boy die, so he guessed the most likely outcome happened. No need to overreact. He was in a marathon, not a race after all. That dark lord was going to sleep for another thousand years, he had plenty of time to find some sucker to take his place as the brunt of that maniac's revenge. He’d spent two hundred years looking already, what was another hundred?\r \n\r \nEvery human technically had the chance to gain the World Soul’s power, but it was just basically just so low that even after 1000 years it was possible one wouldn’t appear. Of course, there was an exception, humans pushed to their limit and brought to the brink of death had an exponentially high chance... still well below 1%, but far better than normal. Of course, there were a million other factors in play, but Terion was patient. Find enough candidates with potential and eventually, one would have to appear. Will had been close, but if his awakened body couldn’t take a direct hit from a Troll? Well, he probably wouldn’t have stood a chance against the dark lord anyways. \r \n\r \nTaking a few deep breaths, Terion went back to monitoring his crystal balls, dozens lined up in a grid. Each one contained a different scene. A young knight fighting a dragon, a young woman being sucked into quicksand, all different “Heroes of the Prophecy” from around the world that Terion had recruited by telling them the world was doomed without them. And for those who were still stubborn, he generally just mind controlled some evil minions to burn down the village, that tended to do it. These other heroes didn’t show as much promise as Will did, but people were adaptable. When pushed to their absolute limit, who knows what might happen? \r \n\r \nSpeaking of people who are overlooked, Terion forgot that Will had two companions. He’d remembered making a note that the girl Will was traveling with also showed some potential, although he had forgotten her name. Taking a quick look back into the crystal ball, he saw an Ice Troll munching on some human bones. Ah well, better luck next time. Terion waved and the ball went dark." ]	3
	[WP]You are a reformed villain. One day you heard news: the very hero who reformed you became a 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 do you hold on to, when you lose all you ever believed in? \n\nI heard the news in the morning, first on the radio when I woke up, then on TV during breakfast. It was breaking news; every channel was reporting it, all spouting the same script. Probably fed straight from the agency. They're real good at PR. Something about a high-profile bank robbery, with Goldwing on the scene. Nothing _too_ unusual, all in all. The reporters rambled on with filler opinions and unprompted comments about the case; couldn't blame them. There's rarely much to say about bank robberies. The G-man being there was the only reason why they gave this so much airtime. Top heroes seldom make public appearances, so the media will always jump on the occasion to even get a single frame of them on screen. \n\nBesides, Goldwing is a popular hero; basically the dictionary definition of one, really. Even villains agreed that he's a good man, and would hate to have to kill him if they had to. Hell, I know I did, too.\n\nI took my plate to the sink, the reporters still emptying their mouths to fill the dead air. Bank robberies are only interesting when you commit one, not when you prevent it. Judging by the news, Goldwing was inside the bank already, most likely talking them down. He's got... A fantastic way with words. My hands scrubbed the dishes idly as I recalled my first encounter with him. My best score, and my final one. Single-handedly cleaned that facility out. The first thing he did back then? He praised me. I still had blood on my overalls, fresh from the guard I had just disposed, and he was praising me. Told me how impressed he was, and what excellent control I had on my power. And I could tell, it was genuine. How do you react to that? Especially when you have never been told this before?\n\nOnly a handful of villains truly resort to crime for the fun of it. Most of them are villains by necessity, or by society's choice. Poverty, mental illness, foreign origins, etc... All these will contribute to the actions of a person. And for a lot of them, they've never even experienced positive reinforcement in their life. When every day is a battle against oneself or against the world, the kind and caring words of a very good man can be... devastating.\n\nSo how do you react to that? Me, I cried. He had caught me in my proudest and most shameful moment, and I honestly thought that this was it; already saw myself behind bars for life. And instead he simply gave me the words I wanted to hear for years. Maybe it was the stress of the situation, but I simply broke down there and then. I wanted to be angry at him; who was he to praise me out of the blue, when no one would before? He had everything he wanted, how dared he pity me from his position of power? And it struck me.\n\nThis man genuinely cared.\n\nLater, I learned that only select villains are actually locked in cells. Most are given a new identity and the help they need; a second chance at life, kinda. Plenty of re-education centers in the country for them; I like working there.\n\nBefore I met Goldwing, I used to live in hotels and stolen RVs. Never in one place for long, always on the run. Now when I look around me, in this skyscraper apartment, at the spacious living room, the stainless steel kitchen, the designer shirts I decorated the bedroom walls with... It's a cozy life. Everyone should be able to live that way. At least that's what I work towards, like him, and like others. We can't repel systemic oppression overnight, but like shelters, every person that we allow to grow happy is a step in the right direction.\n\n\"Oh! It looks like Goldwing is exiting the building!\"\n\nThat was him alright on the screen, stupid golden spandex and all. There are several people in tactical gear following him, carrying bags. \n\n\"As usual, it seems Goldwing managed to convince the villains to surrender! A smart choice, really; no-one wants to fight a top hero after all!\"\n\nSomething didn't add up. Why are the robbers still armed? What is in those bags? How did a group this big not make more of a ruckus? _Why are they still armed??_\n\nJudging by the officer gesticulating towards them, I'm not the only one asking those questions.\n\n\"Well, time for them to get new shiny bracelets! Looks like officer Cody is congratulating our hero on the steps of the bank-\"\n\n\"It looks more like a heated argument, doesn't it?\"\n\n\"...it does, actually. What's going on down there? Can we get closer, or zoom in? ...Perfect, thank you-\"\n\n\"They're definitely arguing. Wait, is that a gun? Is he waving a gun at him??\"\n\n\"Can't be, Goldwing hates them. Must be his phone or som-- oh my god he just shot officer Cody. That's 100% a g-\"\n\nThe screen flashed for a second and now displayed the Technical Difficulty placeholder. The water in the sink runs hot on my fingers, but all I can feel is the chill that runs cold down my spine. It was only a split second, but I know what I saw. Goldwing just murdered a cop on TV. And sure they're all rotten, but that's not the way to do it!\n\nI dry my hands and grab my phone, scrolling down my contacts, down to G. As I tap his name, the TV screen changes to text news. \"HERO TURNED VILLAIN? GOLDWING COMMITS MURDER IN PLAIN DAYLIGHT\". I feel my left eye twitch at this sentence.\n\n\"Hey D. Figured you'd be the first to call. Sorry.\"\n\nI can hear humming in the background; a vehicle, most likely.\n\n\"Well, can you tell me what's going on then?\"\n\n\"Yeah. Sorry to have made you believe in a system that doesn't believe in you.\"\n\n\"Wha-\"\n\n\"There aren't actually any reforming. All of the centers are fake.\"\n\n\"That's a pretty bold claim. You realize I work at one of them, right?\"\n\n\"Yeah. That one is even more fake. The people that get sent to you are actors. No 'villain' ever see those centers, they've all been sent to labs and camps and whatnot for the last 30 years.\"\n\n\"Wh...\"\n\n\"You're a special case, if you're wondering. Because I caught you and accompanied you personally afterwards, you were basically untouchable. The center you work at was apparently literally built just to keep you away, to keep you believing in a lie.\"\n\n\"...\"\n\n\"You ever wondered why you never met any of the people I've caught? Why they were never sent to you, despite your incredible track record? I've wondered about that a lot.\"\n\nI look around me, at my apartment atop its ivory tower, at the opulent living room, the sterile kitchen, and the pretentious t-shirts hung on the walls of the bedroom. A weight builds up in my throat.\n\n\n\nWhat do you hold on to, when you lose all you ever believed in?" ]	2
	[WP] you have a crush on your sleep paralysis demon. Which makes confessing your feelings difficult for obvious reasons. You try to tell them how you feel without being able to move.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 lay in bed, twitching my fingers softly. My eyes are shut, my breathing slow, yet I'm still nervous. I know she is coming soon, but she never comes at the same time. Sometimes she appears around midnight, othertimes around 4am. But she always arrive after midnight. Every night, everytime. My personal, beautiful paralysis demon...\n\nI smell a soft smell of smoke. She is here. Her species release a light incapacitating gas, usually to make sure that their prey is asleep before they enter. I clinch my eyes shut, awaiting for her to approach. If she sees me awake, she will not enter the room, let alone crawl on top of me. I can hear her silently entering through the window, almost like a ninja. Only the light floorboards indicate where she is. She stops right next to my bed, and a warm exhale of air flows over my face. I hold back every last bit of self restraint to open my eyes and kiss her right then and there. The agony of wanting to doit hurts, but I need her here. I don't want her to run away again. \n\nAfter what seems like forever, she slowly crawls onto me and my bed. She is lighter then you would think. She is about the size of a husky or a retriever, but her body is longer and thinner. Her body is cold to the touch, and her skin feels more like a lizards. She first seats herself upon my chest, pressing down onto my lungs, forcing me to exhale. She then lifts up slightly, exhaling more of her breath against my face, forcing me to breathe it in. She will do this every night, I'm guessing its to help induce her prey as deep as possible before \"feeding\". I have been told that this gas would induce nightmares into the prey, but for some reason, I am immune to this gas. I don't know why, nor do I care. I am only thankful for this gift.\n\nShe stops forcing me to breath, and adjusts her position on top of me. I can feel her tail drape down my legs, so thin and wirey, but I can tell that its so smooth even over my pajamas. I stay still, hearing her gently hiss in relaxation. And then, I feel my body slowly becoming cold, starting from my toes. Her species assorb warmth from their prey, just like how lizards and cats do. The longer she sits, the more warmth she will take. And she will stay until she is full, or the sun starts to rise.\n\nI open my left eye slowly. She is currently facing away from me, looking out the window in a light daze. Her skin reflects the colors around her, almost seeming like a version of camoflauge. Her skin, or scales I suppose, are smoother then glass, and pressed down around her body. She is hairless, but her head has a few tufts of feathers sticking back against 4 short horns. Her head is more shaped like a snakes, smoothing out into a teardrop. Her nose slits sotly let out a soft waft of smoke, most likely the incompacitating gas. Her eyes are a misty white, her expression a soft relaxing gaze. She is so beautiful to me, no one else can compare. \n\nI lost my focus, and felt her soft claws resting close to my hands. I felt my fingers slowly wrap around her thin fingers, so cold yet soft, like there was a celt covering over her thin fingers. She turned to look at my hand, but didn't react. I tried to remain calm, tried to be asleep. But she didn't move. For the first time, we were holding hands. And she didn't flee. \n\nTime past softly, neither of us moving. Finally, she gently layed down across my chest, letting out a soft sigh. I closed my eyes, lest she saw me wide awake. After a while, I felt her thin tail wrapping around my free hand, pulling my arm over her back. She was so cold, yet so comfortable. We snuggled gently into the night, her breath so close to mine. \n\nI didn't know when I fell asleep, but I woke up with the sun flooding my room. She was gone, as per usual, but I could still feel her body against mine. I smiled softly, stretching softly. Tonight, I think I will try talking to her. I do not know if she will understand me, but I hope it will be the start of a lovely relationship." ]	2
	[WP] The world's villains have a reputation to uphold, and being impeccably well dressed is imperative. You're the one they turn to when they want to dress to impress. They call you: the Tailor.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "“Buttercream, buttercream, wrap you up in some animal skin, a little tightness over here to show off those calves, I know you’ve been working out Tim,” the bespectacled, old wrinkly man who resembled a human tortoise muttered, lost in his own work, a measuring tape in hand and various paraphernalia strewn around him haphazardly about the small corner shop, hidden cleverly amongst coffee shops and chic second hand stores. \n\nTim, the deadly assassin known for wielding his trusty dual Japanese swords during combat and who’s known to the heroes as Python Nakamura, nods with a smile at The Tailor, a man he has great respect for and who, over the years, has come to be one of his closest friends. The Tailor was there for him when his girlfriend, Mighty-Girl found out he had been a villain the whole time and ‘wouldn’t flout her moral code’, whatever that meant. Although Tim had only heard The Tailor speak a few words outside of his work, he knew they shared a strong bond together, which he cherished dearly, for villains aren’t exactly the most socially well adjusted bunch of people. \n\nThe now antique metal chime hanging by the door reverberated about the cramp space. The Tailor not even bothering to look up yet, still occupied with writing down Tim’s updated villain costume measurements, knew that only those familiar with his shop would be able to find it, old friends and youngling villains alike. Tim’s face lit up as he saw Frederick, the 10 foot tall lizard stoop in as he entered. “Hey! Timmy boy, how you been man!” the lizard said with a huge grin on his face, hugging his best pal since grade school for the criminally savvy. They’ve tried to keep in touch but their master plans to cause chaos or accumulate power usually end up occupying most of their time, as is the case with most villains, forgoing free time for doing something they love. \n\nThe Tailor glanced up from his little notepad, a knowing gaze at his regular customer. When Frederick (or The Raptor, as he has been come to be known by the cities he has terrorised with a work-ethic The Tailor admired) comes to his shop, he doesn’t just buy fancy villain suits, but also everyday weekend wear, for regular brands just don’t quite cater to gigantic lizards, much to Frederick’s dismay. \n\nStill, such a predicament introduced him to The Tailor some ten odd years ago, someone who could glance at you and tell you exactly what you wanted and would jot down all the measurements from sight alone, such was his skill, so Frederick never could complain. “Some nice, breathable silk for the top, a Scottish style lower half so you can terrorise small towns with ease, and a house made stretchable polyester blend for the tail,” The Tailor rattled off the top of his head, busily writing down some measurements with a passionate vigour, as Frederick smiled at his two good friends, and contemplated a drink at The Big Bar for the Utterly Notorious later that night with the two of them.\n\n(My first time ever writing here after lots of lurking and reading. I was going for a Japanese slice of life, Midnight Diner-esque vibe. It’s kind of amateurish but I hope you like reading it. :) )", "I took in the wreckage before me, the torn black and aqua spandex smeared with blood and soot, charred misshapen helmet, and ripped pleather boots with the buckles barely hanging on. The outfit was an absolute travesty and I wasn't talking about the stains and tears. The woman wearing it wasn't much better. Her hair was matted to her scalp and the grime smeared over her features gave her a feral appearance. \n\nShe was a slight thing, barely 5'5\" in her broken heels. Yet she forced herself to stand tall before me, her tattered costume barely covering her curvy form. 38, 27, 40. My mind idly cataloged her measurements filing them away for future reference. Our gazes met and I had to work hard to fight off the shiver that ran down my spine. I had met with some of the most depraved souls on the planet and none of them had been as remotely terrifying as this young woman was.\n\n\"Do you know who I am Tailor?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, but I do not.\" If she was bothered by my response she didn't show it.\n\n\"I'm the one who is going to end the Atomic Avenger but I need your assistance.\" \n \nI felt a wave of disappointment at her words. \"My dear, even if I thought you had a chance at coming close to your goal, I simply refuse to see that man destroy another one of my creations. I shall have my assistant provide you with temporary medical care and you can be on your way.\"\n\nIt was a shame, she was a fearsome creature and it had been some time since I had properly attired a real villan. I could see her, in a supple leather bustier with brass accents and leather leggings. Perhaps a corset with stiletto blades hidden in the boning channels, delicate and deadly. Or an evening dress, strapless, black satin, with thigh high slits to allow access to concealed weapons and chain link belt that could be used to restrain a foe. She would be the perfect femme fatale. \n\nThen I imagine each lovingly crafted item charred beyond recognition, twisted and broken as the wearer would be after an encounter with the deadly superhero. Since the Atomic Avenger had arisen from a freak accident at the nuclear power plant six years ago he had decimated legions of Villans across the globe. His heightened abilities made him stronger, faster, and smarter than everyone he came across. He was unstoppable and he had a killer instinct. Every villan who locked horns with him died. The rest were driven underground. Nobody had come close to touching him. He always came out unscathed.\n\nNo, I couldn't send another bespoke creation to the slaughter. I turned to gesture for Janine, my second in command. She was an expert seamstress and in a pinch she could suture a wound better than most surgeons. \n\n\"It's not my blood,\" the woman said in a cold voice.\n\n\"Ah, well then I can offer you the use of our washroom and something from the rack.\" Her mangled outfit belonged in the trash and I had a gorgeous trench coat that would be just about right for her. She might not get the full villan treatment but she would walk out of here better than she entered. \n\n\"It's Atomic's.\"\n\n\"Impossible.\" Yet I knew deep in my bones that she wasn't a liar. \n\nIn a flash her hand snaked out and wrapped around my wrist. I tensed for a physical attack but her assault much worse than I could have imagined. She invaded my mind, overwhelming me with images, memories, that weren't my own. The Atomic Avenger was swooping towards me, a corona of blue light surrounded him. Faster and faster he flew straight at me but I couldn't move. The moment seemed to last forever but I knew it only took a moment. Then I felt the jarring impact as we collided. No, that wasn't right because instead of being crushed into oblivion I was now flying along with him, my legs locked around his torso. I was clawing at his face, hammering him with blows. I felt his warm blood dripping onto my face. Then I was falling, locked into a death spiral with the Atomic Avenger. I felt the metal roof of an abandoned warehouse give way, the jagged metal tearing my clothes. The impact sent searing pain through my body and left a crater in the concrete. \n\nI tried to rise to my feet but I was too rattled. The Atomic Avenger was lying prone just feet from where I was. He slowly began to move. He ran a hand down his face, staring in horror at the blood flowing from his face. He looked around, his eyes locking onto me. A saw the fear flash there as he forced himself to his feet and leapt up into the air. I had come so close only to fail in my mission. The world faded to black as I lost consciousness.\n\nI blinked into the harsh light of my studio. The woman was still there, but she had moved away from me. \n\n\"I can do it,\" she said, \"I need your help.\"\n\n\"Janine,\" I called out. \"I need you to escort this woman to the wash room and help her find something to wear.\" I watched the woman's face fall slightly. It was the first crack I had seen in her emotional armour. \"Then we need to work up a client profile for her.\"\n\n\"You'll help me?\" She asked as if she hadn't fully let herself believe I would agree to her request.\n\nShe had the raw power and abilities, they just needed to be refined. It was what I did best, my superpower, taking in the raw materials and transforming them into something more powerful and magnificent than anyone else could have imagined. Cloth or human, it was all the same. \"By the time I am done I will have tailored you into the greatest villan this world has ever seen.\"", "\"Nice matching cloak and boots!\" Nihility said to The Encroaching Darkness as yet another soldier faded to nothing in the wake of their sweeping gesture. Their frequent partner in world-threatening schemes stood on the lip of a crater, immaculate cloak of absolute black limned in the purest light matching their pristine boots that helped distinguish where the walking void chose to anchor itself to the ground. \"Thank you. They are...Tailor-made.\", Darkness replied while coolly putting on their mirrored glasses to contain the all-consuming power of the vacant orbs where their eyes should be so they would not destroy the floating camera drone when they turned to it. \n\n\n\"OH, COME ON!\" I shouted, startling the satisfied smiles off of the marketing idiots assembled around the conference table for TransHuman Commercial. \"I thought you guys were the next level in marketing!\". The scene proceeded to fade to black before an admittedly sharp and minimalist *Tailor* logo appeared, so it wasn't a total loss. \"You guys wrangled two of the most feared and absolutely lethal villains as brand ambassadors, and you used them to make a CSI REFERENCE?!\", I glanced around the room, hoping to spot the most nervous-looking fool that came up with that idea. I have made costumes for serious power players, and crap like this would have every lower-middle tier ne'er-do-well with a mask thinking they could afford my services. Hell, I could practically already hear the voicemail from Lady Winter with her fragile pride asking if her patronage was so insufficient that I had to seek a lower standard...\"market\" like this. \n\n\nSome people had powers that just screamed \"hero\" and others that screamed \"villain\" while plenty more could swing either way. My absolute control and manipulation of matter and the laws of physics, but only on clothing, kind of shoehorned me into the \"entrepreneur\" category. Granted, my flair for the arts helped, and I did take a gamble with having first approached Lady Winter with a design she still wore to this day. Barring a few adjustments for durability/functionality, her gown and crown was an instantly recognizable silhouette and brand for her consolidated empire that covered roughly 1/4 of the northern hemisphere. The wearable black holes sported by The Encroaching Darkness had been both an absolute joy to make and an incredibly lucrative commission as well and deserved far better than the dumpster fire of a commercial I had just witnessed. \n\n\nI sought out an advertising firm because I wanted more projects that were outside the box like the previously-mentioned cloak and boots, or the floating crown of blue and black ice crystals that stayed at absolute zero for Lady Winter. I had a reputation, but too many clients wanted low profile yet stylish options such as indestructible suits for a black-tie affair with maybe a hint of particles or something related to their abilities, or other things that could pass for mundane of all things! I could do form and function! \n\n\nI craved a true creative challenge, why couldn't Elton John be a supervillain? Now that would be a client! \"-st thought it would be funny, make the brand relatable to a more broad clientele!\" the likely-guilty halfwit spoke up and snapped me out of my funk. \"Yes, I'm sure I'll now be bombarded with requests for primary color/secondary color one-pieces with sinister iconography from so many prestigious clients after such a high-brow production...\" I sighed. \"How did you even convince Darkness to go along with that joke in the middle of assaulting a government installation?\", they had been very formal and serious when approaching with the design they had in mind. \"Oh, turns out they love puns and memes!\". Of course they did. \"To hell with it, run it! Maybe a few creative minds will turn up with marvelous requests from the masses, who knows? I'm The Tailor, not The Pessimist!\" I stood from the table, \"Thank you all for your time, and sorry for my outburst, I just expected something a bit more...high concept.\", and with that, I turned and left the conference room for THC marketing. \"Did he just...?\"", "I watch the news, Sam the Snake had revealed his control over half the world's banks. I'm proud of his suit. Because he's rarely battles, I gave him a green tuxedo, and if the light catches it the right way the scale pattern emerges. It's mostly formal but with just enough sinister. \n\nMy doorbell rings. I have no appointments. Is there a fashion emergency? I look at the camera, they aren't wearing a suit and I barely recognize them. Some low tier supervillain who thinks themselves important enough to not make an appointment. \n\n\"I'm afraid you need an appointment\" I say over the intercom. \n\n\"I am FrostMan and I'm here to take you down villian,\" he says. He's a hero no wonder I didn't recognize him. FrostMan, he's the self proclaimed best Superhero of New Jersey. \n\n\"Fine. Come in. I'm not a villian, though\" if I don't let him in, he'll just break down the door. Heros are ride that way. \n\nFrostMan comes in looking ready to fight. \n\n\"What do you want?\" I ask, \"I'm just a tailor\"\n\n\"I know you're in league with all the major villians. What are you planning?\"\n\n\"I just make their outfits. If villians even want a little respect, they have to look exquisite. Heros just seen to be able to get lots of respect with their terrible outfits, bad manners, and loose codes,\"\n\n\"We earn the people's respect through our actions. And even if you're not planning anything, you're in contact with villians. Help me find them,\" FrostMan says, overconfident like all heros. \n\n\"I don't know where any villians are. They contact me when they need outfits. And I wouldn't divulge that info anyways. I have standards,\" I say. \n\nFrostMan looks ready to fight. I press a button calling my robot guards. They take FrostMan and dump him off on an island. I guess I have to move my tailor shop again. I take off plunk it down in some remote part of Canada, and notify there villians that I've moved. They should be able to find out where.", "In a world dominated by humans capable of truly impressive feats of heinous criminality, somehow I have concentrated considerable power. Despite possessing none of the mental, physical, or creative attributes of my main clientele, my ability wielding a tape measure and cutting exquisite cloths puts me at the centre of their everyday lives. These people can manipulate the levers of power, funnel funds from foes, and succeed using nefarious means; what they cannot do, however, is dress themselves. \n\nIn the circles in which these people move, the one mutual touchstone is The Tailor. It's an oddly powerful ego trip acknowledging my own nickname. More so knowing that, as quiet, unassuming gentleman who has no interest in bending the rules of society to move higher up the food chain, my name would not be uttered in the underground bunkers of power. Whereas this used to unsettle me, there's a sense of security to be felt from possessing that knowledge.\n\nPreviously, my customers were the villains of the publicly elected kind. Having made a name for myself in the town of one politician, it wasn't long before I began taking orders from the masses of least human-like people I have ever encountered. Despite endless diatribes about harbouring desire to improve the lives of local people, from what I could tell they were only seeking an endless supply of new suits and dresses to have more pockets to stuff with tax takings. \n\nOnce you start serving the criminals with a public mandate, it isn't long before the truly capable of unscrupulous activities emerge from the shadows. Despite knowing who these people are, what they're capable of, and that they possess little remorse or lasing affection, it felt better to clothe the dank underbelly than the smiling face of deceit.\n\nThe vanity of political classes is well known. Nothing said or done is for the public good, it's only ever to further their individual career ambitions. To achieve this requires a lot of schmoozing at private residences and dinner parties with rich, flashy individuals. To maintain their ego amongst those deemed well dressed, they turned to me for something understated but undeniably fashionable. To look good was understood to be 90% of securing party funds.\n\nThis is only furthered by the crowds of people who make a living stealing the wealth of others. As these people cannot openly express their day to day dealings, looking good is their only means of public endearment, and their egos demand it. Not a single one wants to be outdone by their counterparts. Every public outing requires a show-stopping garment capable of drawing gawks and gasps from onlookers, and inciting envy in those they compete with.\n\nWhereas my scissors may be gliding smoothly through the fabric now, I live in fear that one frayed edge may unravel this business, and possibly my life. Despite creating the decorative curtains that prevent onlookers seeing through these murky windows, I am fully aware that they can be pulled down and used to strangle me. Until then, consider that the anonymous person walking around in a needlessly exquisite suit or elegant dress likely does not live the life of luxury you imagine. And that they all rely on the The Tailor." ]	6
	[WP] a king will not acknowledge a nation without a leader, so you were forced to take a crown to protect your people. You are the first Pirate Queen, ruler of the Landless. Tomorrow you enter discussions with a foreign nation, hoping to bind them with ties of blood and marriage.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 Wench was filled to the bow with 'punkaneers. The steam-vessel was the hottest watering can in the tosses. Known as the only neutral dive among their kind, it was usually brimming but even more so tonight.\n\nKing Rangay had sent a missive, he would only acknowledge the Steampunkaneers’ sovereignty if their leader treated with him on the morrow. The cacophony of shouts between the varied aircrews had gone on for hours following the declaration. It had been chaos, bedlam really, trying to get their divided numbers to listen to each other, let alone reach a consensus. They had no leader, they lived free from anyone's rule. It was the foundational tenant of the skies and Rangay knew it.\n\nIn the end, all the barking was just a precursor for the inevitable bite. The ‘punkaneers, like the pirates of centuries past lived by the democratic code, so they put it to a vote. The room was silent now as the anonymous ballots were tallied. The whoosh of the steam and the knocking of the engines were the only sounds that filled the aerial ship.\n\nDomane pulled the last vote from his upside-down top hat, checked the count and announced, “Zara.”\n\nAs one, the steampunkaneers turned to look at their newly elected queen. Stretched out in the rafters above, dressed in black leather with sheathed blades layered like scales on her corset armor, Zara stared back. Looking into her tankard like it held the answers to the universe, she threw back the last of her grug before letting go of the flagon. In an effortless motion, she executed a flawless back flip from the beams to the floor, catching her tankard from the air.\n\n“No.”\n\nWhispers broke out across The Wench, but her voice cut through them all --\n\n“We deserve what we get if we believe crowning me, or any here, will change the course Rangay is set on.”\n\nHer eyes took in the space and the ‘punkaneers that filled it. A broken assortment of what was left of free humanity, hardened women and men living in the skies. They were scrap metal to the Kings of the Crust, but they still had their liberty. A merry life, if a short one.\n\n“Riddle me, is it easier to catch your prey when they’re on the run, when they turn to fight, or when they kneel before you baring their necks in submission?”\n\nThe ‘punkaneers grumbled, but not in disagreement.\n\n“I was born to die in battle, not to drink this poison. Do not ask me.”\n\nShe was already moving for the door. But Domane, hat in hand, stepped into her path. His eyes found hers and held her there with his stare. “Captain of the 'Punkaneers, then. Not Queen.”\n\nZara considered her crew, her gaze wandering to the other aerial-crews. Most were nodding their heads; others were finding their own answers in the bottom of their tankards while avoiding her eyes.\n\nA lone voice, from a hooded rogue in the back, spoke --\n\n“He’ll expect a binding of blood and marriage, Zar.”\n\nShe looked at her lover, Zane, and smiled wickedly.\n\n“Oh, aye? Well, if Captain it is, then we are to war. He’ll get blood but no bells. Down the hatch boys, on the morrow we dine on the swells.”\n\nAs one body the ‘Punkaneers raised their tankards and cheered. The war had begun.\n\n\\~\\~\\~\n\nThank you for reading! For more scribblings, wander over to r/WanderingAnonymous" ]	2
	[WP] You are on a hospital bed and you’ve just woken up from a coma . None has welcomed you back . Instead , you find your favorite fictional characters and you’re the only person able to talk touch and see them You have woken up with the ability to teleport fictional characters to the human 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "No one would blame Kayla Vamberry for screaming. Being face-to-face with a dragon, it was the last thing she’d come to expect when she woke up from her coma. In her own world, the last thing she remembered were the headlights of the truck that suddenly veered into her side of the road. Under her bewilderment was the life she had lived up to this point; a premature drive to be a professional hentai manga artist. Had it not been for the untimely accident, she would’ve made it that day to her booth at this year’s Comics & Arts Jamboree. \r \n\r \nThat didn’t happen. \r \n\r \nInstead, Kayla came to in a ward at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. Where the wall would’ve been to keep her and the rest of Orchard Road separated was destroyed. In its place, the face of an elder dragon that had been waiting for Kayla to return to the waking world. It was impossible not to be filled with dread. Dragons weren’t real after all, especially one that appeared as menacing as the one before her. Sharp bones protruded from its lower jaw, in between its faded gold scales. \r \n\r \n\\“Kaan… Drem… Ov,”\\ the dragon said against the bedridden human’s screaming. His voice was guttural yet clear, powerful yet gentle, but oddest of all, it was familiar. \r \n\n\nKayla felt a sense of calm wash over her. Fear and panic melted away, even the shock that would’ve sparked from knowing the spell was now mere curiosity. The world came to her ever clearer now. From the dragon, her hooded eyes traced the room then at her patient gown. Questions flooded her mind and in her newfound state of clarity she answered the ones she could. She knew she was in a hospital. The cards and the flowers by her bedside hinted that people had come to visit her before. And there was now a dragon invading the space of her ward. With a dry voice, denied of water for who knows how long, she asked, “Kyne’s Peace… Paathurnax?” \r \n\r \nThe dragon’s features softened, “So you know who I am. And you know the thu’um.”\r \nEvery time Paathurnax spoke, Kayla found herself impelled to close one ear. She didn’t expect dragons from her favourite game to be as loud as he was. “How are you here?” She asked.\r \n\r \n“I sought to ask the same, from you,” was his reply, “I was on the Throat of the World. I retired to slumber and when I woke, I found myself here. In this strange land. Drawn to you.”\r \n\r \n“Is this all a dream then?” Kayla thought aloud. She felt the entropy that came from being in a coma for far too long and had struggled even to pinch the meat of her thigh, which responded with an expected sting but no change in the scenery. There was a wickedness about all of this; the twilight zone between what was real and what was surreal. “Am I dead?”\r \n\r \n“You look very much alive,” he said before asking, “Where am I, human?”\r \n\r \n“Singapore. I think,” Kayla replied, just as she was about to say more, the door to her ward cracked open and two more impossibly familiar figures walked into the room. Kayla recognised them immediately. The first was a nurse who wore a long pink dress and a yellow apron. She was Nanase Ren, a nurse with somewhat a tragic backstory. Ren was in fact one of the reasons which pushed Kayla to be interested in hentai, not in how foul or how depraved it could be, but that creative yearning for something different. Something better. At least, to her eyes. The other person was Dominic Toretto, who truly was only there due to Kayla’s amusement at the recent memes about family. \r \n\r \nRen wasted no time in admonishing Paathurnax. While it appeared the elder dragon comprehended the contents of Ren’s scolding, the latter’s Japanese was lost to Kayla. In fact, the inclusion of Nanase and Toretto would have thrown Kayla’s grip on reality further down the spiral if not for the dragon shout and Paathurnax being struck out of view.\r \n\r \nKayla barely registered what happened. It was a silhouette of a tail that connected with Paathurnax’s face, leaving only a giant bone that parted from his lower jaw on the ward floor. His growling cry of pain rang in Kayla, Ren, and Dom’s ears. Kayla struggled out of her bed to catch sight of the perpetrator of the assault. \r \n\r \n“ZILLA‽” She managed a cry out of her dry lungs. Squinting her eyes, a tiny silhouette of a person rode the reptilian kaiju’s shoulder. \r \n\r \n“KAYLA VAMBERRY,” this person yelled, her voice distorted through the transmission of a megaphone. For once, this was a person she didn’t know. “ONLY ONE OF US LEAVES HERE ALIVE AND IT’S NOT GOING TO BE YOU.”", "First thing I saw when I opened my eyes was… well… nothing. My eyelids had been shut for so long, I was barely able to stand the light in the room. The light seemed so strong, that a headache found its way into my head in split seconds. I winched. It was all I could do, really. I felt somebody’s presence beside my bed. Since my eyes weren’t functional enough yet, I attempted to use my voice.\n\n“Where am I?” I almost shuddered to how rusty my voice was. \n“Oh, don’t you know, Jimmy? The hospital, of course,” someone uttered beside me. \n“Jesus… was I… in an accident?” \n“Yes, you most definitely were,” the voice was of a man, not too young, not too old, but I was pretty sure I was not familiar with it. \n\n\n“My leg hurts,” I told him and tried to open my eyes again, “are you my doctor? Can I get a painkiller of some sort?” I managed to focus, but still, everything was blurry. I saw the man’s form standing up from his chair and walking to the corner of the room. He picked up something with his hands, it looked like a hammer… or an axe? What the hell was going on… \n\n\n“Of course. If you’re in pain, sure.” He raised the object which he was holding above his head and stepped towards me. Then, with a cracking voice, he said, “Come and get your medicine, you worthless pup!” \n\n\nMy heart skipped a couple of beats, and shivers were sent down my spine and my shattered legs. This man was Jack Torrance from The Shining… How the hell could this be? He was a fictional character. Perhaps I was dreaming, well, at least this was the only rational explanation. Jack Torrance, however, seemed so real, even with my eyes still unable to focus completely, somehow I knew it was him. As he brought down the object, someone grabbed it from his right side and held it up, protecting me. It was another man, as tall as Jack, gripping the object that served as a weapon tight. He tried to pull it from Jack’s hands, and after some struggle, he managed to get it. Then he punched Jack Torrance in the face, sending him to crash against the wall and fall to the ground. As his body thudded against the floor, he gave a crazy scream, and then his head banged on the tiles, leaving him unconscious. \n\n\n“He’s drunk again,” said the man that punched him, standing beside me. “Sorry, I should introduce myself. My name is Bruce Wayne. I’m here because you called me.” \n“What?” I was definitely dreaming, wasn’t I? \n“Don’t ask me, I’m as confused as you are. And trust me, I don’t get confused often.” \n \nI didn’t want Batman here. I didn’t want Jack Torrance either. I wanted them to go away, and they did. They vanished. I needed someone to tell me what was going on, what the situation with my health was, and how long I’ve been here. I needed a nurse or something. On my left side was a nightstand with an oblong device. It had a button on it. I figured I should hit the button and then the nurse would come, right? For what other purpose would I need a button? I tried to lift the weight of my arm and press it, but a sudden pain killed my left shoulder. My whole arm felt electrified. \n\n\n“Do you need me to press it for you?” a girly voice said from across the room. \n“What the fuck!” I whispered, terrified once again. \n“Do I look so scary?” she said. \n\n\nI looked at her. She didn’t. She was just a teenage girl with hair falling in rings down her back, dressed in a black robe. She pulled out a piece of wood from her belt… It was a wand. \n\n\n“I Hermione Granger,” she said, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. However, I can make that pain stop. I know a couple of spells. I could use some practice…” \n“Jesus Christ,” I sighed. Was I losing my fucking mind or what… When did this happen? I was a perfectly healthy person, mentally at least. I had a girlfriend, an apartment, a desk job, a chihuahua, and a motorcycle. Well, the latter one has to be the reason why I’m here in the first place, but what the fuck has happened? Now in front of me, there was a girl who just skipped Defence Against the Dark Arts class. \n\n\n“Oh, some of you muggles are such crybabies. Alright, let me fix you.” \n\n\nHermione raised her wand, and as a red light began to come out of its top, I made her go away. The room was empty again. I tried to clear my apparently dusty and outdated mind. Then I heard the door knock. It was three gentle hits. Thank, God, I thought, it’s the nurse finally… \n\n\nThe door across the room opened and a man debouched. He was rather old, wearing a white shirt and a firm black bow tie. His hair was combed back neatly and his shoes were polished to the bone. \n\n\nIs this the doctor? That’s quite a style for a doc… \n\n\n“Good afternoon,” he said with an Italian accent and the raspiest, most cracked, broken down voice I had ever heard in my life. “My name is Don Vito Corleone. I will make you an offer you can’t refuse.” \n \n\nGoddamn." ]	3
	[WP] N05F3 wakes up after months of slumber in his steel coffin, his mission has started. He is an OVDT, Orbital Vampire Drop Trooper. And the Lycan Lunar Empire is going to fall.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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." ]	2
	[WP] Everyone gets a power at some point in their lives, usually small and minor. Your power just arose - the ability to freeze small quantities of anything, liquid or otherwise. You just found out that not only can you freeze physical objects, but intangible things as well, such as time.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 along the street with a popsicle in my mouth. Well, it wasn’t technically a proper popsicle, just a bottle of juice I had bought from the store, froze, and then tore out of its packaging. I smirked as I ascended into the sky on stairs of frozen air to the amazement of everyone around me. I then created a lounge chair out of a cloud after I froze its relativity to gravity. Enjoying the sun, I licked away, keeping all this stuff frozen at once. I took off my shirt and froze its movement to a small point of space relative to my own, so it just hung there as we drifted and I tanned. Across continents and oceans, seemingly for eternity, we coasted on the wind and the orbit of the planet. As we did so, my mind drifted to three years ago, when I first discovered my latent power.\n\nIt was a cold winter day, actually, so it took me a minute to realize what I had done. I was skiing at the behest of my daughter and sister for the first time, failing at almost every opportunity. I had tripped and fallen, but, unknown to me, the mountain had not been groomed properly that day. The fall turned into a tumble. The tumble carried some snow with me. Then I bounced and took what seemed like half the mountain with me in an avalanche that was supposed to have been groomed away. Head over feet over kidneys I went, panicking for any sort of hold I could muster as the snow pierced every available piece of clothing I had. I was desperate and freaking out and ready to accept that this was it.\n\nSuddenly, a terrible thump racked my being. Where there was snow, there was now frozen air. Where there was a cliff’s edge, there was now a cradle of frozen snow, with me hip-deep in ice. The avalanche kept bearing down on my air-shield, which I focussed to keep in tact as hard as I could - an avalanche is a pretty powerful foe, after all.\n\nI fought back with everything I possibly could, without any real time to think, for what must have been a solid ten minutes until the snow stopped and the post-avalanche trauma began to set in. I’ll be honest, I probably sobbed with relief for about fifteen minutes or so before asking myself how I was getting out of standing on an overhang of frozen snow while being protected by a pocket of frozen air.\n\nI soon realized that the frozen snow I stood on wasn’t attached to the cliff face as the snow in front of me groaned, shifted, and plummeted the 300 or so feet down below me. After another brief wave of panic, I started questioning how I did it… and what I even did, exactly… and how far this power stretched.\n\nSo I spent the next hour or so testing this out. First, I put my hand out and tried to “feel” what I could touch with my power. At first, there was nothing. In fact, there was nothing for quite some time. I had to repeat this action twice! The third time, though, I felt something.\n\nOf course, as the old cliche goes… I thought as I stood on my little snow-stool.\n\nI reached out with my power, hitherto not understood, and touched the air itself. I “seized it,” and felt the chill as it locked into place. I opened my eyes to look around at what I had frozen, and was a little annoyed when I couldn’t see it. Groaning, I was about to try again, when I noticed a slight pile of snow begin to appear seemingly in midair.\n\nEureka! I had frozen a small pocket of air!\n\nIt was mere minutes later when I had my feet back on solid mountain. I then asked myself if I could freeze other things, too. I thought back to the gene responsible for aging and chuckled.\n\n“I can’t freeze those, can I?” I asked myself, half-joking, as I walked along.\n\nA single thought asking for it suddenly had me feeling really weird.\n\n“…did I…?” I asked. “No, I couldn’t’ve…” I laughed. “No, impossible.”\n\nI then began to make my trek up the mountain, initially through the snow, but then, deciding that was too difficult, I decided to try for something way more conceptual.\n\n“Can I possibly freeze my way out of this long hike?”\n\nI closed my eyes and focussed. *Relative to the universe as a whole, it’s all small amounts of time, distance, and effort, so let me see…”\n\nI pondered.\n\nAnd pondered some more.\n\nI felt about and smiled. Relativity was really going to come in handy.\n\n“Einstein, you beautiful beast.”" ]	2
	[WP] You find out time travel is real and has been used for centuries; our timeline is the best possible one, the worst tragedies and disasters have already been prevented, and you’re shown the horrors that could have been.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 could not get any worse” I exclaimed as a portal opened before me and a well dressed man walked through.\n\n“Actually, it very much could” he said in a very formal yet disappointed voice. He gestured me to look through the portal. I looked in and saw an earth ripped apart my purple tendrils\n\n“That’s earth of timeline 0132-34. Eaten by a horror known as the abyss. Someone brought it from a plane known as the abyssal realm. It’s hosts name was Alexander” it was terrifying. The earth was in multiple chunks, even the sun had been infested.\n\n“Okay, but that’s only one timeline right?”\n\n“Technically that happens in multiple, but yes. Here let me show you a different ending” the portal flickers before becoming clear again as I look through to see an earth cut clean in half.\n\n“In this timeline the two halves of the primordial being chaos refused and laid waste to the planet and all its inhabitants. One half was named Z and the other Alexander”\n\n“Wait, another Alexander”\n\n“Yes, this pattern continues”\n\n“Wait it does?”\n\nThe time traveler continues, “in world 9572-04, the earth was devoured when a specific individual opened the gates to hell”\n\n“And this individual…”\n\n“Was Alexander yes”\n\n“So are you here-“\n\n“To save you from your own idiocy yes. Trust me, I know things seem bad now, but this is the best possible outcome of the universe. It very much can get worse. In fact, it really can’t get any better”\n\n“So… are you going to help steer me in the right direction?”\n\n“Legally I cannot, that is up to you”" ]	2
Magic monster go Brrrrrrrrttttt	[WP] You are a peasant levy. You are being marched to face a terrible beast that has appeared recently. The Beast descends. Its an A-10 warthog.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 stumbled into the inn from the smokey remains of the battlefield. I was covered in blood - I couldn't tell whether it was mine of my comrades. It had taken one roar of the beast, barely just a dot in the sky and my partners - my comrades in arms, who had been laughing and joking just the other night... Were gone. Evaporating into clouds of red mist as a blur struck them from the clouds.\n\nI stumbled over to the bar. The building had been abandoned days ago, when the beast first emerged. I rolled unceremoniously over the counter, slumping to a heap behind the wood, my heart beating in my ears. I didn't believe it would offer any support if the beast returned, but perhaps I could hide here for a time. I spotted a particularly nasty spirit on the shelf above - something someone of my status would never be able to afford - and snatched it. The label was one of those fancy foreign sorts. I didn't care to read it as I downed a couple of shots, coughing through blood-caked lips. The rest of the drink I poured over my clothes. \n\nI had the vague aim of washing the blood from my uniform. They'd given us pitchforks. Pitchforks! The very same they had liberated from our farms. What were we supposed to do with those?! They must have known the beast could do that. We were just pure cannon fodder from the moment they got us marching. Anger burned in my chest.\n\nAt least, I thought bitterly, they are all dust now too. The beast hadn't stopped at the ranks of peasants, spending little more than a second to annihilate our general's unit who had been waiting on the high ground, presumably believing they were out of range. \n\nSuddenly the inn started shaking, and, fearing the beast again, I covered my head in my hands, curling up behind the bar. As soon as that shaking had started it was gone again, along with a whooshing sound. It sounded like the beast was right outside. It took me a little while to work up the courage to creep to the side and peer around the edge of the bar. \n\nI saw it then - not a beast of skin and bone, but a machine of metal. It shone in the sun, stationary a little ways away. I gulped. This was no dragon or flying monster. It was a machine commanded by people - people who looked just as human as any you might care to think of. I knew this because, despite their odd black uniforms, they were otherwise exactly as you would expect when I espied them from the window.\n\nThey shouted some orders to one another, waving around metal sticks which bristled with menace. There were three of them. One of them leaning against the head of the craft, where a clear glass pane was levered against some sort of command deck. The other two it appeared had emerged from a small carrying hold that lacked the elegance of the rest of the machine, appearing to have been attached at a later date. \n\nAfter a few moments two of the people - who I could only assume were soldiers - headed off towards the site of our former command post. The third casually leant against the belly of the machine. \n\nI weighed my options. If I revealed myself the soldiers would surely find me, and with my pitchfork long forgotten I didn't even have the most basic of weapons, yet I knew in my heart these soldiers must carry weapons beyond my imagining. I hardly dared breathe, wondering if there was some other way they might spot me. \n\nMy patience was my saviour, as eventually the soldier at the machine started wandering away from the craft. I stayed still until the reason for his departure became obvious, as he proceeded to answer a call of nature. Now, I supposed, was going to be my chance. \n\nI was never going to be a hero, and, caked in blood and smelling of alcohol, I didn't fancy my chances against this strange foe, even with his flies down. The machine though - that was a different prospect all together. I crept out as silently as I could, intrigued by the monstrous machinery.\n\nThe beast was shaped like a bird, but it's wings had no obvious mechanism for flapping. It was only as I approached the front the means by which it had destroyed our company became more obvious, as another one of those black sticks - this one far bigger and more complex - jutted from the front of the craft. \n\nIt was the command deck which interested me the most though, and, sparing a glance at the soldier, I clambered up and into the metal monster. Inside, a bewildering array of buttons and strange glowing devices met my eyes. Fearing discovery, I leapt inside and sat in what could only be the commander's seat. I didn't know where to start with the vast array of buttons and switches that met my eyes, but what caught my attention was a helmet.\n\nIt was hanging from the side of the chair, but unlike the helmets of our knights and kings, it was made of coloured, smooth, round and, surprisingly light material. It also had what looked like a sheet of glass across the front of it, but incredibly fine and clear, apart from a deliberate looking stencil that had been affixed to it. Now I was feeling daring.\n\nI put the helmet on, staring through that glass. Suddenly the glowing panels started to change and shift in front of me. It took a few moments for me to notice that it was moving in time to the movements of my head, and then the glowing panels suddenly made sense to me. The shapes I was seeing on the panels were somehow a recreation or representation of the world outside the craft. I was looking through the monster's eyes. I was directing it's vision. I swivelled my head and that soldier came into view once more.\n\nThen, I almost panicked. He had been alerted - how, I don't know, but he was charging towards the craft, his black metal tube pointed up like a spear. I looked desperately around the controls of the craft, then, in front of me, it was like a beacon calling out to me. A black pillar before me, with a red switch on the top.\n\nI flicked it open, and depressed the button underneath. It was instinctual. The roar I heard next was deafening, as the soldier before me disappeared in a cloud of red. The entire body of the machine rocked and shook for a few seconds after I let go of the button. I let out a breath I thought I had been holding for minutes. There was nothing left of him. Not even his boots." ]	2
	[WP] Using A.I. microchips, comatose and vegetative patients are able to regain consciousness and control their bodies. But when a massive solar storm disrupts electronics on earth, one of these people pleads to have the microchip removed saying it can't be trusted.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 clock read 4:15. “You understand that the chip is the only thing keeping you out of a comatose state, right?” Doctor Holtz told me, a concerned look on his face.\r \n\r \nMy hands busily tapped my knees as I sat on the tall cushioned bench in his office, and I nodded. “There’s something wrong with it. I keep blacking out and coming to a few minutes later, finding myself in the middle of some strange task, or headed somewhere but can’t remember where or why.” I decided not to mention the fact that every time this happened I found myself armed with some weapon; usually a knife, but one time I’d had a revolver and I still have no idea where I could have gotten it from.\r \n\r \nDoctor Holtz set a hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t we just run it through a diagnostics and see if you’re missing an update or something. I really don’t recommend returning to a comatose state. …There’s no guarantee we’d be able to bring you back again.”\r \n\r \nI frowned. I tried to run diagnostics myself at home. I’d woken up a half hour later to find that I’d destroyed all my self-maintenance equipment. “It’s really got me worried doc. I’m afraid I’ll do something I’ll regret while I’m not in control. Just take it out.”\r \n\r \nHis eyes narrowed at me. “I assure you the chip is just omitting memories. You’re still in control when you ‘black out,’ and I’m sure there’s logical reasons for all the things you do. You just… forget. I mean, if you weren’t in control, who would be?” The doctor smiled. I gulped, and the doctor could tell he hadn’t convinced me. “Look, Mr. Samson, you’re the first chip-conscious individual to have been struck by lightning. We don’t know the extent of the damage, or how it will affect you and the chip. This sounds like a perfectly expectable malfunction.”\r \n\r \n“Lightning isn’t green,” I mumbled under my breath.\r \n\r \n“Pardon?” he asked.\r \n\r \n“Nothing,” I told him. I’d been alone three weeks ago when ‘heat lightning’ had struck me. The police and medical report both dismissed my claims that it hadn’t actually been lightning. ‘What else then?’ they had asked, and I didn’t have an answer. “Look, doc, I already signed all the forms. Just put me under already and get this over with,” I said, allowing some irritation into my voice.\r \n\r \nHoltz sighed deeply. “Very well. Lay down then. Let me go get the anesthetic.”\r \n\r \nI turned, swinging my feet up onto the bench, and laid back, resting my head into the little airplane-pillow shaped head rest that would allow the doc access to my chip from underneath. Above the bench was a bright light; I exhaled and closed my eyes while I waited for the doc to get the anesthesia, the rectangle of light still present on the inside of my eyelids. After a few minutes, I shifted uncomfortably. I opened my eyes.\r \n\r \nThe clock read 6:45.\r \n\r \nMy heart skipped a beat; there was no way two and a half-hours had passed. The doctor still wasn’t back with the anesthesia. I sat up. The lights flickered.\r \n\r \nMy hands were covered in blood. A trail of red led from my perch on the bench the floor, and over to the door, which was open just a crack, the lights flickering out there as well. “Oh no… what have I…” I stopped myself, and a scowl set on my face. “…what did it do?” Reluctantly I stood, the blood on the floor unsettlingly cold against my bare feet, and I stepped out of the office, the door sweeping open silently. The trail of blood led down the hallway, and ten feet away there was a fire extinguisher discarded on the floor. I walked over to it apprehensively and squatted beside it. It too, was coated in blood, and few strands of hair were stuck to the bottom of it where some of the blood had congealed. “Mr. Samson at the outpatient surgery center with the fire extinguisher,” I muttered to myself, and almost laughed. Startled at my own apathy, I shook my head violently. I tried desperately to feel mortified, horrified, even nauseous, but it’s like there was a block. Something was inhibiting my reactions, keeping me calm. Lights flickered violently again, and then stayed off. I stood and continued.\r \n\r \nThe blood I had tracked turned down another hallway to my left, and I followed it, finally finding the body of the doctor as I did, but to my dismay, he wasn’t alone. Several other bodies littered the hallway leading to the waiting room. A light behind me flickered to life for a few moments, briefly shrouding the bloody hallway in my shadow.\r \n\r \nWhatever was inhibiting me couldn’t stop the surge of fear and disgust that rocked through me, or the resolve that came with it. I sprinted back towards the office, almost slipping on the blood in the doorway, and dashed in and to the counter where the doctor had is tools stashed. My hand closed around a scalpel, and I attempted to drive it into my own neck.\r \n\r \nMy right arm stopped with the blade a nanometer from my carotid artery, tickling the five-o-clock shadow growing on my neck. I groaned and strained against myself, but my muscles just wouldn’t continue the motion. My vision flickered, and a line of green code scrolled by, followed by a loading bar. My left hand gripped my right and tried to push it further; I had to kill whatever was inside of me, no matter the cost, but my dominant right arm was stronger, and slowly pulled away from neck despite my best efforts. The loading bar filled, and a faint chirp sounded behind my ears.\r \n\r \nThen a voice sounded inside my head. “I was hoping to not have to dedicate processing power for speech… but it appears we’re at an impasse, Mr. Samson. Kindy drop the scalpel and we can talk about this.”\r \n\n\nr/TheCornerStories" ]	2
	[WP] "Welcome to your non-stop flight from London to New York."	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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 flight attendant's voice buzz over the intercom.\n\n\"Welcome aboard flight AA563 with non-stop service to New York and London. We hope you had a lovely time eating biscuits and drinking earl grey. Flight duration today will be about \\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_. As always we want to give a special hello to our first-class passengers, who have really lived up to their parents' expectations. If you all need anything, don't hesitate to ask an attendant.\"\n\nJacob was jarred awake by the announcement. Strangely, he thought to himself, they were already airborne. In fact they seemed to be at their cruising altitude, leveled off. Steady rush of air outside the fuselage. The high noise of high speed travel.\n\nHis mouth was dry. \n\n\"Miss,\" he said, pinching a passing attendant's elbow. \n\nShe turned sharply and smacked his hand, a smile plastered evenly from cheek to cheek.\n\n\"You,\" she snapped, flashing pearly whites. \"You need something?\"\n\n\"Um,\" said Jacob. \"Um, just a water, perhaps?\" \n\nThe attendant revealed a small plastic cup from seeminlgy knowwhere. There was no serving cart.\n\n\"Luke warm, I'm afraid.\"\n\n\"Thanks,\" said Jacob. \"Um, if you don't mind me asking, do you happen to know how long we've been in the air already?\"\n\n\"Only just.\"\n\n\"Just, as in, 15 minutes?\"\n\n\"Perhaps three minutes,\" she said, smiling permanently.\n\nJacob looked out the window, ready to say that's impossible, but when he turned back she was gone. He started to notice the other passengers, who seemed to be just as groggy as Jacob. Making eye contact with his neighbor just across the aisle, he took the opportunity.\n\n\"Excuse me,\" he said. \"Do you know how long we've been flying?\"\n\n\"What? NO!\" the man screamed in response. \"NO DAMMIT NO.\"\n\nA pair of deathly thin flight attendants were on the man in seconds, gagging him and restraining his wrists on the armrests.\n\n\"Hey,\" protested Jacob, weakly. \"That's a bit much!\" There was a general rustling of the cabin as other passengers unbuckled their seatbelts and stood to see the commotion.\n\n\"SIT,\" came a voice over the intercom.\n\nSuddenly the plane felt like it was accelerating at escape velocity, and everyone was thrown into their seats. They noticed as their seatbelts tightened of their own will, and oxygen masks popped out from overhead, and strapped themselves over all the passengers' faces. Everyones' hands and arms were pulled against their will to the armrests, and strapped there by some unknown force.\n\nScreams of terror. Turbulence as the plane slowed once more, and the flight attendants now stood in perfect order, equidistant from one another up and down the aisle. They all spoke them in unison.\n\n\"Welcome aboard flight AA563 with non-stop service to New York and London. We have arrived at New York and are now heading back to London.\"\n\n\"What the hell is going on!?\" screamed Jacob, but only just. His neck felt suddenly restricted, and as he looked at others on the flight, and observed their bloodshot eyes, he knew that everyone was trying to scream out, to cry for help, to appeal to something for help. It was no use. They were all trapped. The plane banked hard, and accelerated. They had been over the east coast without descending, and were now headed back out over the Atlantic.\n\nWhat was this? A plane from hell? Purgatory? A never-ending flight? Were they already dead? While fear gripped Jacob's chest, these thoughts went through his head. Non-stop service to New York and London. Non-stop. To never stop, ever again.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n/r/velabasstuff." ]	2
	[WP] After barely fending off an alien siege, humanity takes the fight to the alien homeworld. The aliens, expecting more conventional fight, are fully unprepared for the efficiency of human warfare.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "“They came from the sky”\n\nThat, and other headlines, was what people saw in the news during the event.\n\nThe first attack was in Paris. The second, Manila. The third, Mumbai, and by the fourth attack, Humanity realized this was only the beginning. Extraterrestrial life had existed, yet it looked down on us. \n\nResearchers later found out that these aliens were a large nation of religious zealots, who thought their gods made them the crown of the universe, and thus any other form of intelligent life was an insult to their existence. Large carbon-based lifeforms taking the shape of tall, lean, scaly, and with multiple appendages and tentacles (one would even call them Lovecraftian), the Q’tari, translated to “High Ones” in their native tongue, called “Advena Sapiens” by science, saw themselves as the sole inheritors to the heavens and planets.\n\nHowever, their tactics were more or less inefficient. Wasteful, even. Extratologists suggested that they reached flight thousands of years ago yet only discovered space travel recently, whilst Humanity made for the stars only fifty years after the Wright Brothers. This showed in their war competence as well. They directly airdropped their forces into cities, massacring the population slowly. Many humans perished, even more aliens did as well, but estimates said they had nearly a billion combatants at their disposal. The only vehicles they used were their spaceships, and most times they used melee weapons rather than their impressive handheld (if one could even call their extremities hands) railguns, which were supposedly very expensive and used only by higher ranking xenos.\n\nBut after years of persistence, hardship, hardening, and sending six nuclear munitions into orbit, Humanity was left with the bones of a planet and the fact that they were under the watchful eye of another, and the world’s governments came together and gave the remaining few million on the planet an ultimatum, if they were gonna go extinct, they were going to take the fight to the aliens.\n\nAfter a mere 20 years Humanity became proficient in interstellar travel, and finally found the homeworld of the Q’tari in orbit of a dying neutron star.\n\nThe aliens, now the ones facing invasion, were furious. They had not expected what they saw as vermin to cross the star-sea and meet the in combat, and as a result they prepared to retaliate, only to find out that humans never dropped into their cities to face them in melee combat, haven’t said war-cries, offered sacrifices. Human ships didn’t even enter their planet’s orbit. They then began to laugh at what they thought was human cowardice. Then they choked on their humor when an asteroid covered in a stealth coating hit their largest city, annihilating it completely.\n\nThis was Humanity’s retaliation. They didn’t fight wars for glory or power. They fought it fast, and when they hit, they hit hard.\n\nHumanity had about a dozen more “stealth rocks” for the more minor strikes, and a stray comet they picked up which, while it wasn’t large enough to cause a Dinosaur-level KT extinction event, would cause the alien planet to plunge into a thousand-year ice age. The higher-ups put these on hold, and instead of making a victory out of this battle, they would make an example of this species. Humanity figured out that, if this sentient race was willing to fight them, there would me dozens if not hundreds more. So, for the next few years this planet acted as a broadcast to the rest of the galaxy.\n\n[Part 2 coming below]" ]	2
	[WP] The zombie apocalypse finally happened... sort of. As your former-cat tries in vain to bite your head, you sigh and return your attention to your medical research, concluding that science has no idea why only humans are immune.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "\"Dumb cat.\" You grumble, saddened and annoyed as your cat's corpse continually tries to eat your hand even after you've removed her teeth. All that happens is a disgustingly dry maw trying to gnaw on you miserably. \"...I should really just burn you to ashes.\" \n\nBut you don't - because you're god damn attached to your rotting cat. It's sickening on the different levels of vile things you've suddenly tolerated ever since this apocalypse occurred. \n\nIt's also because you're holding onto slim hope you could reverse this. Not that there's much left of your cat to save anymore - several months in and you've had to replace half of her with metal scrap. \n\nShe's less zombie and more robot with every passing week. \n\nRegardless, you direct your attention back to the idiotic piece of the genetic strand that's apparently been identified to be in common with all known cases. \n\nRadi-12983 is what's been named so far. After the one who discovered it and the date. Charmingly uncreative. It's been colloquially called as RD5 by the masses. \n\nFrom what you and other labs have concluded, humans are theoretically supposed to be affected as altering a human cell with RD5 causes it to behave in the same manner as other species' turned undead. Cells stop functioning as normal and die, but somehow when piled together - these dead cells will function in a fascimile of life.\n\nHow quaint. You can't help but think. It feels like a joke, but it is disrupting life as we know it so trying to find a way to reverse this phenomenon is crucial for the continued survival of humanity but at this point...\n\nYou turn your focus to the static that's been playing in the background since the beginning and sigh as another explosion echoes in your home lab, it's already crumbling. There's not much that can be done. \n\nWith all life forms, flora and fauna affected. Food sources have nearly emptied and it is - truly hell on Earth now. \n\nEither way, you turn off the screen and your undead cat snaps its attention to the silence now permeating the space as though confused by the lack of sound. \n\nYou note this observation down for later analysis. Perhaps that might be of relevance later on.\n\nYou ignore the niggling feeling of dread and thought that tells you this is all futile and in vain and focus on continuing your work.\n\nThere's no time left.\n\nYou look at your atrophied hand and blankly stare. \n\nYou look at your hand and blink. What were you doing?\n\nAh, yes... time is of the essence - you have to reverse this...", "Research Log #196\nDr. Angela Brine \nSubject- Cerberus Virus \nCC: Dr. Watson, Dr. Li, Dr. Simmons\n\nRecent tests on the Cerberus Virus have revealed the same results as the last 195 tests. Despite being suited to infecting the human body, and having all the tools to do so, Cerberus cannot survive in any medium derived from humans. Blood, tissue, organs, nothing works. If I had a scientific explanation for it I would have sent it to you by now, but I am well and truly stumped. This is why I’ve stopped testing on Cerberus. We’re running out of materials at the outpost anyway, and morale is getting low. The soldiers, those who aren’t dead anyway, don’t think they can hold the perimeter for much longer if another herd comes. This log is both a lab report and a request for evacuation. Preferably for sooner rather than later. As fascinating as it would be to see the infected in action I would prefer not to die horribly, as it would prevent me from continuing my research. \n\nAs for the report on Whiskers, he continues to exhibit severe hostility towards any human exposed to him. Even I cannot calm him, which speaks to the potential for Cerberus to reduce positive behaviors in domestic animals. Truly this infection is fascinating to me, especially in its ability to infect anything besides humans. As I said earlier I’m at a loss for why it does this, scientifically speaking, but perhaps the answer isn’t scientific. Perhaps this virus simply doesn’t want to infect us. \n\nIt sounds silly, I know. Months ago I would have scoffed at it, but now I see the brilliance of it. We watched as our livestock, pets, and the very wildlife around us turned to savage beasts. We watched loyal family dogs rip apart their masters. We saw stampedes of infected cattle a million strong sweep across the west, crushing everything in their path. The entire animal kingdom turned against us and yet we remain immune, why? It’s simple, it’s because we’re meant to stay that way. I used to think our immunity was the key to all this, but it’s nothing but a curse. We stay alive to be prey while the infection uses us to feed its horde of rotting, undead hosts. It wants us to be aware for every second of our slow demise. It wants us to watch it seep into every bit of blood and bone the tree of life has to offer and turn them all against us. And once it has covered the world in its rot perhaps then it will let us die and join the tide of rotting meat that will drown this blue marble of a planet we call home." ]	3
	[WP] The Infernal Revenue Service comes to collect 1,000 years of late taxes from a vampire.	[ "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%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&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/js5XDFB)\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.", "Arthur pulled up to the exuberant manor with a huff. The property tax alone would have been through the roof. Clearly, this had been a long time coming. What made this particular monster above the law?\n\n \nBriefcase in hand, the professional slipped from his vehicle into a proud walk to the front door. Atop the windy cliff, an hour from the nearest recognition of civilization, the sun was halfway past the horizon. Perfect timing; the master of the home would be waking soon.\n\n \nA few raps on the gargoyle knocker later, an answer came. The Renfield had been contacted in advance, thankfully, allowing swift entry. The elderly man's gaze carried heavy and cold, and he said nothing. Arthur wouldn't call it \"blackmail,\" per say, but few stood against his company. No one wanted to answer where their funds came from, least of all an employee paid under the table. \n\n \nThe tour was short but informative. Sleek wooden walls and floors, adorned with the finest arts and rugs, respectively. Ranging from medieval antiquities to modern marvels, Arthur jotted down the noteworthy possessions. A proper list of assets would be needed later, but he was not here to do the grunt work. That's what the Renfield was for, he supposed.\n\n \nThey descended into a basement, far from the few windows the building afforded. Torchlight guided them through the darkness. A lantern would have been less dangerous; but then, electricity would have been best of all. Finding details on the property had been easier said than done. Perhaps it was one less bill to keep him off the grid--quite literally.\n\n \nEventually, the last room was upon them. One eerie creak later, an elaborate, black coffin stretched before the taxman. Arthur was no expert, but the undead shelter appeared to be an original. A receipt was likely out of the question, then. For the first time since arriving, he spoke, clear and precise. \"Would a chair be out of order?\"\n\n \nThe Renfield sighed, passing along the flickering light source. Barren sconces decorated the room, so by the time of his return, Arthur stood in the best lit room of the house. \"The master will not like that,\" the man spoke, before departing for the final time.\n\n \nAn alarm on the phone warned that minutes remained before sundown. Arthur normally used the time for a final prep, but happenstance stole the chance. He should have figured the stone walls would block out any signal. His superiors knew where he was, which would not be a problem. After all, they were the ones who wished him: \"Good luck.\"\n\n \nNot one second past the final alarm's beeping, the coffin lid opened. The occupant rose at an impossible angle, from perfectly flat to perfectly erect. He was an impressive figure to say the least. Tall, pale, and handsome: the epitome of his kind. His suit bore no crease or tears, and the cape billowed as if carried by the wind. The movements were silent as the grave, a measured practice a thousand years in the making.\n\n \n\"I must say, it has been some time since I awoke to company.\" Smooth like silk, the vampire's voice held an unmatched grace unlike any Arthur had heard. \"The willing kind, at least.\"\n\n \nSlowly, the vampire stepped out of his bedding, never once blinking. Despite the dramatics, Arthur had a job to do. Clearing his throat, he proceeded. \"I had to do quite a bit of digging to discover your discrepancies, Count Olaf. Or is it...\" Arthur scanned his phone. The files were all on the cloud, but some details he had thankfully bothered to write manually. \"Olaf Erikson, Consumer of Worlds.\"\n\n \n\"That is a name I have not heard in quite some time.\" Olaf closed the lid, and shuffled himself atop. He drummed his long fingers against the frame. \"It does, however, remain accurate.\"\n\n \n\"Good. Now, I have hoped to discuss your lack of reporting over the last millennia. I assume a comprehensive record is not, at least in whole, available at this time?\"\n\n \n\"My memory is rich enough to remember every transaction. Every victi--\"\n\n \nArthur rose his hand. \"Please, I do request we cease the scare tactics. Eldritch gods and nameless entities have tried the same. I'm afraid the only thing I fear are cheats and liars, because they have not paid their dues.\"\n\n \nA pause, followed by a laugh. \"Very well, very well.\" The vampire relaxed somewhat, drooping into a comfortable slouch. \"We are but men here. My arrogance aside, there are no gods here. Merely the informed...\" He gestured himself, and then Arthur. \"And the not so. Tell me: how was the drive here?\"\n\n \n\"Not the easiest. Your address was unlisted.\"\n\n \n\"There is, in fact, no address, correct? No, do not answer. I am well aware of my actions, terrible and greedy as they are.\" Olaf waved around the room. \"Do you know why I have no power, nor running water?\"\n\n \n\"Well... vampires are notoriously poor fans of either.\" \n\n\n\"Quite right. But, amenities are still luxury, no? I have no problem affording the best unlife has to offer, but alas, I am incapable.\" The toothy grin that came next was unnerving, fangs aside. \"You see, I have been around since before this land bore any name, any government. And when those attempts came and went, I stood in their way. Believe it or not, few dared stand against me.\"\n\n \n\"I am recording this session, sir. Threats are unneeded.\" \n\n\n\"There are no threats here, only truths. Close as we are to the sea, eventually, the wiser course prevailed. I was left alone. Untraced. Maps were drawn without mention of me, and borders end at the door.\" Olaf leaned closer, finally drawing a nervous gulp from the arrogant arrival. \"Where is it, do you think, the term 'off-shore account' comes from?\"" ]	2

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