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[WP] Aliens make contact! ...but rather than heralding enlightenment, they bring us into their barbaric collective. Forcing us reintroduce gladiator battles, slavery, wearing the bones of our enemies, etc.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The human had never been given a name by his masters, only a title -- *Gladiator*. Instead, over the course of a dozen years, he had mixed and mingled with various ancient names, from the Greeks to the Americans to the Collective until he had landed on one that he felt connected to. Never did he speak those names aloud, they were not to be said while a man was still owned by another. His name was for him only, a sense of sanity in the darkest of days. Only after he had killed a thousand men, amassed a following, and drowned his masters in riches, was he given the freedom to choose his own name.\n\n\"Marcus,\" he said on his name-day, in front of a crowd of gladiators and slaves and fans. He had long forgotten his age, but he was a legend in the Galactic Gladiatorial games. A human from the backwater planet of Terra, plucked by the Great Etens, and trained in their warrior ways. He did not remember much of his life before the Etens chose him. Some memory drifted in and out of his subconscious, coming to only in his deepest of sleeps. There were great trees, a forest they had called them, and the playful sound of children laughing could be heard.\n\nNow, his memories were filled with the souls of those he had slain. There were no great trees or children laughing, all he ever heard was the sound of steel against flesh, and all he ever saw was titanium and rust-colored parapets in the great city of Coloseo, a dark sky above an even darker city.\n\nHis masters said something in their foreign tongue -- a language he was never fully allowed to learn. But through the years, he picked up words and phrases. They were laughing at him, he knew that.\n\n\"So be it,\" the greatest of the Etens spoke in Marcus' tongue, matriarch of the familial line. \"From this day forth, you shall be Marcus, and your freedom shall be yours.\"\n\nHe bowed his head beneath the great wingspan of the Eten. Her wings spread over twenty feet wide, her teeth as large as his own hands, and her eyes, mysterious and dark, stared down at him. He could sense that. He always knew when they were watching him.\n\n\"I bless thee,\" she said, \"and give thee freedom from my family.\"\n\nHe felt her claw touch his back, slowly combing his spine as she came to his head. She grasped it fully. With one squeeze, she could drain his life from him -- just as he had done to a thousand other souls. But he had proven his worth while so many others had not.\n\n\"Rise, Marcus.\"\n\nHe did as he was told, part of him still entrenched in the notion that the Etens controlled his every move. Yet, as he rose, something inside of him shifted. He felt like he did in his memory. It was not something he had known in a long time.\n\n\"As promised, for your service to the Etens, we have chosen a land beyond this planet for you to toil upon.\"\n\nHe hesitated for a moment, then said with what confidence he could muster, \"Planet, my lady?\" \n\n\"Aye, planet. A retired Gladiator has no purpose to us on Coloseo. You will help aide the Collective in other ways.\" The Matriarch stared down at him, still towering above him. \"No human has reached this stature in our family until today. As such, you are the first of a long line we hope to call upon again one day.\"\n\nHis heart skipped a beat. *To call upon again one day.* He pondered the words. \"And my belongings?\" He said, almost forgetting that as a Gladiator, he had nothing to call his own.\n\n\"Ah, yes,\" the Matriarch clapped her hands, a loud bang reverberating across the stadium. Behind her, the flap of wings could be heard. Another Eten, half the size of the Matriarch and one of her many male concubines, flew down past the walls of Coloseo and landed neatly at her side. In his hands, he carried a single burlap sack and something Marcus did not recognize. \"Your belongings,\" she said, and the male Eten placed the sack at the feet of Marcus. \n\nInside was assorted trinkets, things he had crafted over the course of a dozen years. He dived into it, searching endlessly for the one thing he wanted. A quarter -- a single minted American quarter -- over a thousand years old. It was his greatest possession. The one thing he had when he was chosen.\n\n\"And,\" the Matriarch demanded his attention once more, \"for your service to the family of Zemma, bound by the laws of the Collective, we gift you passage off of Coloseo, and to remember your days, the armor of those who fell beneath your blade.\"\n\nThe male Eten bowed before Marcus -- the first time a non-human had so in his life. Around him, slaves whispered and gasps, gladiators watched in awe as a mighty Eten brought his wings close and bowed to a creature half his size. The fans who had gathered erupted in applause.\n\nThe Eten held the tapestry of his armor, forged by the smiths of Coloseo, born of blood and ruin. It was the bones of a thousand slain souls, crafted by an Eten - he could tell - and fused together by titanium and hardened metals. It was an evil thing, one that would remind Marcus of where he came from. And eventually, he knew deep inside his own soul, he would don it. One day, he would be called upon.\n\n\"Great Matriarch,\" he said, reaching out to his armor. \"I thank thee, and the family of Zemma, bound by the Collective, for this great gift. This chance,\" he touched the armor now, feeling the sharpness of each bone. It was perfectly crafted for him. \"This chance,\" he started again, \"will not be squandered.\"\n\nThe Matriarch knelt now, not out of respect or out of love, but to make him remember. Even kneeling, the Etens would devour a human whole.\n\n\"You are the first Marcus,\" she said, almost at a whisper now, \"you will not be the last. But you are now bound by the laws of the Collective, as we all are. You must prove this was not a mistake.\"\n\nHe nodded ferociously. This would not be a mistake. The only mistake was taking him from his home and training him like any other. They underestimated him -- Etens always would.\n\nOne day, he would know true freedom. Marcus looked deep into her eyes of the void, and said, \"I will prove it.\"\n\nThe ceremony finished, he took his belongings and made way for the port moments later. Some time ago they had taken him here, this city built upon blood. Now, they would send him somewhere else, to toil and bow and serve when called upon. But as he walked away -- from his people and his masters -- something familiar came over him. It was an emotion he had felt each time he had entered the games, each time the steel was placed in his hands, each time the crowd cheered as he cut down another of his brethren. Marcus, the Gladiator, was angry. \n\nAnd now, he was no longer bound by the rules of the Galactic Gladiatorial Games. He was only bound by the laws of the Collective.\n\nThe first law? Take what is yours, with ferocity and blood.\n\n________________________________________"
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give internet points pls
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[WP] - Humans and dragons were both wiped out while they were allied against Orcs, Elves, & Dwarves, who feared their for their dragon-taming abilities. At least, they were thought to be wiped out until a massive dragon-riding human was seen, and boy are they ANGRY.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Dragon on the horizon!\"\n\nI must have misheard that. It sounded as if he said a dragon...\n\nI jumped at the roar in the distance. \n\nI ran towards the wall to get a better look, but was cut off by intense heat and flame. the top of the wall looked as if it might melt at the fire that was bestowed upon it. And atop the beast rode a lone human.\n\nLightning struck his sword.\n\nThen his sword barked lightning and the buildings around me were marred and scarred; burning and melting. \n\nThese were merchant's buildings and apartments. These weren't blacksmiths and armories.\n\nThe human's rage was showing.",
"Humanity scourge of the realms and the winged demons they called kin are dead, they have been for a long time. A thousand years have passed. They are naught but myths, but I couldn’t overlook the sight in front of my lantern. Five statues line the stone cavern, depicting the five races around a central plinth. Each clad in sculpted weaponry and armor from the time of myths.\n\nI set my old lantern onto the central rotunda, marveling at the statues in the throes of conflict. On one side great allies were short, tall, and strong, carrying long pikes sporting ruined heraldry on tattered white cloth. And the other a deadly duo of dragon and man bearing down on the hapless heroes. With a berserk visage just visible under the rider’s stone helm, “Incredible.”\n\nThe soft word echoes throughout the lit cavern as the light falls upon a titanic archway carved into the far wall. Hundreds if not thousands of dwarven ruins litter surface as I cast my attention back to the rest of the expedition. My fellow sturdy companion Luna and the damn knife ear gawking at the sight. “Aye, it is. I’ve seen nothing like it even at the Camelot excavation site, Mr. StoneBlood!” \n\n“Don’t get too excited Luna. We’re here to do a job same is true for you Allithun. We’re just here to inspect the gate, isn’t that right?”\n\n.\n*Timeline fracture detected, secondary story created*\n\nI return my attention to the tall Elven figure absent-running their dirty fingers over the runes lining the archway. Before putting another note on the mental checklist of why I hate the knife ears. That’s why it stung just that little more that our leaf-eating tag along was an expert in ancient dwarfish. “Yes, Dwarf, do me a favor and help me with this, would you?” \n\nI do the dwarf custom of tugging myself away from the statues with my lamp in hand. Noting the way each stone figure’s eyes followed my quick jaunt to the wood lover. tripping on a loose brick of masonry before catching my footing. “What might you need help with? It isn’t like you to ask for help?”\n\nBefore I even know it, I find a bar of iron being shoved into my hand and leveraged into a small slit in the archway. Nestled between a depiction of a dragon and its rider falling from the heavens and an illustration of a ballista. “I think it’s some type of tomb or memorial. Judging from the inscription, do me a favor and help me pry it open.”\n\n“I thought desiccating graves was above ya, Allithun?” \n\n“It is now help me open this bloody thing.”\n\n.\n\nA single trace of faint light appears in the darkness, as the gate grinds open one small push after the next. Exposing a dark cavern carved away from the limestone interior, littered with bones. And sparkling fragments of metal and bleached green cloth clinging to two skeletal figures nestled In a far corner.\nOne a towering nightmare and the other a knight in rusted armor somehow still holding together despite the lack of muscles or supporting structure. \n\nThe subtle twitch of the skeletal knight’s head moving unnoticed as the party ventures into the tomb.",
"\"Yes professor\", said Allithun\n\nI looked closely at the inscription, trying, through all my years of knowledge, to interpret it.\n\nLuna asks, \"what does it say professor?\"\n\nI responded \"from what I can decipher, it loosely translates to, when all seem lost, bring your last hopes\"\n\nI scratched my horns, while following the creases of what I knew to be a door\n\nAllithun asks \"shake we open it?\"\n\n\"Yes, I think we should\" I responded\n\nWe all grabbed our bars, thankfully I brought along my friend and an eager student to help with the hard work. We each drove our bars into a crease, pulled, and with aloud creak, the doors gave way to a wide open dark room.\n\n\"Here professor, take this lantern\" said Luna\n\nI grasped the lantern and carefully lead my companions into the room. Inside the room, there sat a human sized sarcophagus and a bright green egg resting on a stand closely behind it.\n\nIn a quite wisper, Allithum asks \"Is that what I think it is?\"\n\n.............."
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[WP] The villain looked out over the wasteland they created, the world they destroyed, and they wept
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Ivory, marble, and gold. A shining throne. His throne. His right.\n\nA city. Black and ash. Streets he had frolicked in as a child. In his youth he had snuck out and pretended he wasn’t a royal, playing with urchins and pickpocket. No street children remained now. Only bones and ash.\n\nThey had told him he wasn’t ready. The monks. His teachers. But he had called them fools. He was royal. The magic was in his blood. He didn’t need them to teach him for hours, for days, for years. They had taught him enough. The magic was in his blood. They could only find it in books. They would never understand.\n\nHe was ready. He was in control. His people were waiting for him to liberate them from his mad brother. The propaganda proclaimed prosperity, peace, thriving culture, trade and religion. But he understood his brothers ways. The little manipulations his brother used to smear his name to their mother. Making mother fear him. Making his family disinherit him. Unjustly. Naively. They couldn’t see his brother for the manipulative, selfish, weak boy he was.\nBut he knew.\n\nThe day came. His supporters had rallied. The nobles, their knights, their wizards, the few monks who believed he was trained and ready. All those that had also been slandered as corrupt, abusive, and evil by his brother. Even a necromancer from the dark woods came, loyal to their true king in accordance with the ancient treaties. He had an army. He was trained. He knew the depth of the true decay of the kingdom. And only he could save the kingdom from the rot.\n\nThe battle began in the light of dawn, in the fields before the capital, his childhood home. It was a slaughter. The traitor troops of his foul brother were butchered, burned, or turned to undead in a few hours. No traitors survived.\n\nHe marched up to the city alone. A few guards stood atop the wall. An old man and a young boy. They started down at him. At their rightful king. Not with reverence, not with fear, not with joy, not with pride. They looked down with disgust and pity. Over a closed and barred gate. It was the one thing he never expected. Didn’t they know they were free of their oppressor. Perhaps they did not understand. Perhaps they did not realize that he was trained and his brother did not understand the magic in their blood.\n\n“You are liberated. Throw out the pretender and summon the people for a coronation. I am here to rule you with the Justice and Wisdom my brother never could.” He proclaimed with pride.\n\nThe old man laughed. Gafawing with a wide toothless grin, holding his belly with one hand. Wiping a tear from his eye.\n\n“You! Youuuu! You would rule us with WiSdOm and jUsTicE!!! HA! That’s rich you little brat! I knew you as a spoilt little boy who thinks he knows better because he’s RoyAl! You’re nothing now and you can’t accept it. Go home to your mountain and cry to your monks and nurse off their pity!”\n\n“You’re a monster!” The little boy shouted.\n\nSuddenly he realized who the old man was. His teacher. The master at arms. The arrogant old man.\n\nThat’s when the rage took hold of him. The next few hours were nothing but flame, ash, and horror or maybe it was glory. Yes his glory, his redemption. The gate was reinforced with iron bands but the timber was old and dry. It only took seconds. When he rode through the embers and smoke the old man and spiteful boy were already charred bone. Men rushed towards him with spears. But their armour was red hot before they got in range to pierce him. Naive fools. He was their king. But none understood he realized. The rest of the city was like paper above a torch. It simply burned as he approached. Everything. Burned.\n\nPregnant women. Pickpockets. Old men and women. Drunks and merchants. He saw all their bones burst from the ashes of their flesh and fall charred to the streets. Houses, taverns, slums, docks, holy buildings, parks, in all of them he heard the echoes of the old mans toothless grin and the rejection of his family in his childhood. So he burnt them. Every speck of wood, hay, cloth, and flesh. This is how he could purge the voices that plagued him in his dreams.\n\nThen it was over. Finally, suddenly he was before it. A royal hall. Banners flickering gently with flame and glowing embers. Silent but for the occasional faint hot gust through marble windows.\n\nIvory, marble, and gold. A shining throne. His throne. His right.\n\nHe looked down at his hands. Black with soot and ash. His clothes were burnt off. Only the chainmail remained, the leather must have burnt, the leather holding up his breastplate at some point. He looked up again.\n\nIvory, marble, and gold. A shining throne. His throne. His right.\n\nHe looked out the window. The city was black and flickering orange. There were no armies in the plains where he had left them. The sun was rising…. Again? How long had it been. No matter. He didn’t need them anymore. He ruled his city now, his kingdom that was taken from him. He sat down on his throne. Maybe mother would believe in him now. Wherever she was. Surely she is somewhere in the palace. Now that he had a chance to rule with justice and wisdom, all would be sorted out. All would be made right.\n\nWith him.\n\nOn. On his. \n\nIvory, marble, and gold. A shining throne. His throne. His right.\n\n\n\nEdit: Numerous corrections and edits for cohesion’s sake.",
"\"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth\"\n\n\\---\n\nBeneath blackened dandelion clouds he stood with a cane of ivory, and the soft whispers of southbound breezes sent a shiver down Igor's spine.\n\nAround mid-afternoon each day he would wait atop his tower of obsidian and charred bones. He would squint at the horizon in each direction and peruse within his mind the answer to the question, why? Why had nobody come to defeat him? He pictured a lone warrior, shawl dangling, sword craving the taste of his flesh. Perhaps an army, one thousand strong, all beneath a banner created for the expulsion of him. Had all the heroes of the Earth just accepted a life devoid of sunlight? Did they not miss the vegetation? The meat from their fattened calves? To feel love? LOVE! What a concept! They took the things they had for granted with each passing day; and just as the day before, he would determine that he had made the right decision destroying this world. Igor would croak and limp his way into his bunker, fueled by contempt, and collapse upon the granite floors.\n\nHowever, today was a different day. The clouds above had began to break and wander aimlessly across the sky. Igor could see the cracks of deep blues bleeding into his ruination. The very air had began to change, less dense and more breathable. Perhaps his curse was wearing off, or maybe the remaining men had finally found a way to break his spell. Igor no longer cared, he was simply eager to die. He wished To turn into dust and forget the pain of his existence, floating freely and unperturbed. Igor laid on his back and watched as the last of his soot clouds dissipated, and as the sunlight touched his skin once more, he cried out with pleasure. With his dying breath there was a giggle, and with his last heartbeat, a flood of tears; for nobody had suffered quite like Igor had."
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[WP] For nearly a decade, Your hometown had been through a very rough time. One day while coming home from school, you notice a small camera lens inside a tree stump.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"My feet squelch softly on the mud as I return home, tormented constantly by the cursed rain. Cold gnawed at my exposed skin and I couldn't help to jump in fright as lightning exploded above me.\n\nHowever, today was different; I wasn't thinking about my parents, aside from when I passed the graveyard. Painful, for so long suppressed, memories weren't flitting back anymore. I was at peace.\n\nYet this wave of tranquility that wrapped itself around me like the mist was quickly disrupted when I saw cameras in a nearby tree, branches protruding out of it.\n\nSoon after my puzzled expression faded (again, similarly to the mist) my parents - in the flesh - simply walked out from behind it.\n\nMy mother opens her mouth to speak, her familiar blonde hair, jewellery hanging limply from ear, hazel eyes... It was like looking into a mirror, but she doesn't get to say anything before a terrible scream lacerates air.\n\n\"You're alive?\"\n\nThey nod, \"we were going to tell you, but...\"\n\n\"But how?\" I interrupt, close to tears. I pointed to the graveyard, back to them, and vice versa. They were alive.\n\n\"Look,\" My dad explains, \"the check was for a million big 'uns. We couldn't refuse.\"\n\n\"Big' uns?\" I say.\n\n\"A million?\" my mother says, \"I thought it was less. By God's grace, we're rich, sweetie, and all thanks to you.\"\n\n\"R-rich?\"\n\n\"Yep!\" my father cuts in, \"We sold your rights to the American Filming association. You've made us tons o' wonga, baby!\"\n\n\"We'll get a house, and that puppy you were always talking about. We'll even name it Gerald, after-\"\n\nThe producer then also walks from behind the tree, his fat sausage fingers wrapped around his posh waistcoat. He claps twice and the rain ceases. He claps again and the beaming sun awakes from its slumber.\n\n\"So, you're Margaret; our famous actor! Good evening, good evening...\"\n\nI stare at him in more confusion.\n\n\"You'll be receiving your paycheck soon after the ad roll. See you, fair laaaadies (my number is on the screen) and gentle-fellas... Alright, you're free to have your emotional reunion. The cameras are off. I'll be here filming just in case we get any of that juicy, juicy drama! \"\n\nI cannot believe anything that is happening. My life was a... TV show? People subscribed on their devices to watch me?\n\nMy parent's joyous faces turn to face me,\" thanks so much, sweetie pie, you've now made us famous. \"\n\nI finally break.\n\n\"I don't CARE about being famous.\"\n\nThey laugh curtly, and turn to face each other.\n\n\"Come on, sugar bun, come follow us for a luxurious life in paradise. We'll be recorded every morning for a hundred 'K' big 'uns.\"\n\n\"No.\" I utter.\n\n\"No?\"\n\n\"NO!\"\n\nI left my parents - the same ones I had been falsely grieving - and the promised 'life in paradise'. I didn't care."
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[WP] It’s a tale as old as time. A villain wreaks harmless havoc, and the hero catches them and takes them to prison, the villain escapes, and the cycle begins again… Until the hero finally snaps.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Ahahahaha! You might as well give up Gold! All the ham sandwiches in the city are mine!\" \n\nShadowcontroller laughed with villainous glee, as dark blobs containing ham sandwiches floated towards him. You might expect the citizens of Elemetol to be running in fear of the floating villain stealing their ham sandwiches. This was not the case. They got on with their daily commutes and jobs, walking out of the way of the chaos. This was a common occurrence. Not the ham sandwich part, that was new, but Shadowcontroller had often pulled stunts like this. Some of them even gave Shadowcontroller a stink eye, but he was too busy laughing to notice. Some of his four henchmen did notice.\n\n\"Oi, don't look at that way at our boss! You should all be running in panic as he threatens to steal all of your ham sandwiches!\" \n\n\"I don't know if you've noticed, but you guys haven't been threatening since the second time Gold beat you! No-one even sells ham sandwiches in this city!\"\n\nThe grocery store owner was rather calm for someone who's store was being stolen from.\n\n\"Really? Boss did you know about this?!\"\n\n\"Yeah, it's really weird that there are no ham sandwiches in this city! Now, continue ransacking that bread and ham!\"\n\nThe four minions opened bread packets and ham slices and threw them at the empty dark blobs, which reassembled them into sandwiches.\n\n\"Where is Gold?! It's not like him to be late! He always is timely in stopping me! Is he getting sloppy? I guess we might as well start eating these. Hey, catch!\"\n\nShadowcontroller threw 4 ham sandwiches to his minions, and started to eat one himself.\n\n\"It's stuff like this why we do this, isn't it?\" Minion 1 said, enjoying his sandwich.\n\nMinion 2 murmured in agreement.\n\n\"Honestly I thought being a henchman working for Shadowmeister would be a lot more hard work, but all we have to do is steal groceries!\" Minion 3 said, putting one of his bags down.\n\nThe minions continued to chat amongst themselves, right in front of the the person they had stolen their groceries from.\n\nShadowcontroller floated down, continuing to munch his sandwich, the crumbs stuck in his blobby aura.\n\n\"What are my favourite 4 minions up to?\" \n\n\"Er, boss, we're your only minions\" Minion 4 pointed out.\n\nShadowcontroller shrugged.\n\n\"Making you guys my favourite by default, right? Well, it seems like Gold ain't coming. Maybe we can bribe some guys into joining. Hey you,\" Shadowmeister said, pointing at the store owner. \"Do you want a ham sandwich? I'll give you one if you join me!\"\n\n\"That's my bread and my ham.\"\n\n\"So? It's my sandwich. Not convinced? Let's ditch this place. C'mon guys, teenagers love sandwiches, don't they?\"\n\nShadowcontroller floated back up, and coated his minions in the same blob.\n\n\"It sure is weird Gold didn't stop us yet, huh?\" Minion 2 said.\n\n\"Maybe he's sick?\" Minion 1 offered.\n\nA flash of light blinded Shadowcontroller.\n\n\"Ow! My eyes! Stop doing that every time you come here!\"\n\nGold had arrived, golden spandex and all. But something was wrong. There was no sigh of frustration, no kind smile to the citizens and no snappy one-liner.\n\nIn the blink of an eye, Gold grabbed Shadowcontroller by the collar of his costume.\n\n\"Heh, er, that's a little personal Gold don't you, er, think?\" Shadowcontroller said.\n\nGold responded not with witty banter, but by slamming Shadowmeister into the pavement. The glass of the stores nearby shattered. The minions were sent flying. The ham sandiwiches fell.\n\nShadowmeister pushed Gold off, who got back up instantly.\n\n\"Hey, what's with you? We never start a battle without some witty banter, and slamming me down straight into the ground?! And my minions! We always leave them out of combat! Did you forget how this goes?!\" Shadowcontroller shouted.\n\n\"Do you not know what happened last week?\" Gold asked. None of his natural charisma could be heard. Just a dry husk of his normal voice. This was wrong. Dreadfully wrong. Sure Gold had had off days before, but there was always an attempt to sound like the image he presented himself as. If something had happened to change that, it must have been serious.\n\nShadowcontroller silently coated his minions. If something had changed, he didn't want them getting hurt."
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[WP] You're reading a book about your life. As you reach the time you're currently at, you find there aren't many pages left.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"A book that represents your life, a book that can show you memories long lost, a book that in a way defines your life.\n\n\nThat's what I have in my hands, my life printed onto paper and bound with leather. I read through the whole thing and I realized there were only a few pages left. Maybe 20 or maybe 50?\n\n\n Could mean I have hundreds of years to live or a moment since sometimes small things like events when I could barely mutter a word while doing a school presentation could last dozens of pages.\n\n\nBut the idea of this book and knowing when I will die is truly…..uninteresting. Aside from reminding me of things I could barely remember, forgot, never knew but affected me, this book did nothing for me. Even when I changed some lines, ripped some pages, nothing interesting happened. It merely altered who I was according to how I did the alterations. I lost my mother and got her back after she \"fake-died\", never was six, won the lottery, and more. Truly boring stuff.\n\n\nI bet you could probably put \"...and omnipotent\" somewhere and become a God with no consequences….though running out of pages might mean there is a \"limit\". Still boring though.\n\n\nThat's why instead I'll just burn this place down. Can't really remember how I got here but I'm guessing from the small pile of ashes next to me, there's a reason for that. Well I'm off to burn down this whole library and to whoever finds this note, I hope you never stumble across such a boring place like this xoxo ‐ [Xevulstories](https://www.reddit.com/r/XevulStories?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)"
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[WP]for some reason zombies wont go near you, if they are less than half a kilometer from you they will run away, fast. You are one of the most valuble people in the world during the zombie invasion
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I walked along the abandoned road, the caravan following slowly behind me. My job was fairly simple: chase zombies that wandered too close to our traveling camp. In these strange times, my talent was one of the strangest. Zombies feared me, a 110-pound college guidance counselor with a spider phobia. Considering all the strong survivalist men who outlasted the first waves of the epidemic, I was an oddity. “You shouldn’t be alive” was a phrase never spoken to me but communicated clearly through double-take glances and suspicious glares. I knew that they were right; I should have died holed up in my school office fighting hoards of the undead as they broke through the door. But no. Now, in some strange twist of fate, I GUIDE survivors and COUNSEL them on safety. \n\nWe arrived at Springfield settlement. It’s walls were haphazardly stacked cars and sharpened rebar. Several zombie corpses—or, at least, I hoped they had been zombies—dangled lifelessly from the spikes. From the top of the wall, a gun turret repositioned itself and pointed directly toward me. In normal times, I might’ve been scared of having a weapon aimed at my face. But these days, bullets were out of production and so valuable that they had quickly replaced dollar bills as currency. If they shot me, they’d literally be throwing money away. \n\n“Good evening!” Paul called out from behind me, prompting the turret to reposition again. “We’re traders, here to resupply and move on.” \n\nA few heads popped up from behind the wall. “What are you trading?” One asked. \n\n“Liquor, medicines, food, equipment, that sort of thing. Had a fortunate run this time.” \n\nThe heads disappeared behind the stack of ruined cars, and a few moments later, a gate opened in front of us, revealing a segment in the wall’s length to be false. An overall-clad man cradling a shotgun in his arms waved us in and watched the horizon for any undead stragglers who might try to sneak through. \n\n“They made you walk all this way?” He asked me as I was passing him. \n\n“Oh, no. I do it for the steps.” I showed him my watch and his face crumpled in confusion. In most of the world, calories were precious and needed to be retained by any means possible. Zombie movies would have you believe that survival included feats of extreme athleticism and 8-pack abs, but really, it became a lot of sitting around, being quiet, and doing absolutely nothing that wasn’t necessary. So this man’s confusion was understandable: why what going so right in my life that I had a surplus of calories?\n\nWe parked our wagons and vans inside the wall. The crew started unfolding tables and stalls with quiet, practiced efficiency. Inside this settlement was a large trading post, with odds and ends from the old world hanged from carts and awnings, all for sale. Some things were practical and useful, like tents and oil lanterns. But other things held a strange, impractical value. There were McDonald’s happy meal toys lined up neatly over some counters. There were warped coffee table books and Rubix cubes, all for sale. Children, who had never known what it was like to live without the ever-present fear of being eaten in their sleep, gathered around these stalls and wondered aloud about what it must’ve been like for their parents. Some of the older kids served as amateur historians, telling tales of the “good times” to a captivated crowd of enchanted toddlers. \n\nI approached a vegetable stall. Every settlement had at least a few of these, staffed by older women who had suddenly become filthy rich by their backyard garden. \n\n“Good evening, dear,” she greeted me warmly. \n\n“Hello. What do you have in stock?” \n\nThe old woman looked me up and down, noting my muscular frame. A healthy body was a sure sign of wealth and put me at a disadvantage for haggling over prices. “Only the best roots and berries. Good for digestion; great for the skin.”\n\nShe had been growing ginger root, which would make for a delightful tea. She also had a wall of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, basil leaves, and mint. “I’ll have a half pound of ginger, some mint, and… a pound of mushrooms.”\n\nShe smiled and nodded. “That will be 25 pounds of brass.” The conversion rate wasn’t perfect; pounds never really meant weight either. I pulled my backpack around and retrieved several boxes of .45 caliber bullets, some precious jewelry, and a small box of seed packets: various flowers and peas. \n\n“Is this enough?” I asked her. The old woman’s eyes were wide. \n\n“Dear,” she whispered. “This is too much. Are you new to this life?” \n\n“I’ll just take my food and go if that’s alright.” \n\nShe nodded rapidly and scrambled for a bag to put my produce in. She handed me the bag and caught my hand before I turned around. Her mouth opened to say something, but her body had moved quicker than her mind. \n\n“Is everything okay?” I asked her. \n\nShe cleared her throat. “It’s hard for a young woman… Please be careful.” She was right that the new world had been difficult for women. But I wasn’t just any woman. \n\nBusiness had been good for the crew, and we seemed to be able to help a lot of people in the settlement. We intentionally sold out wares undervalue and frequently charged nothing at all, especially for medicine and children’s toys. Thanks to me, the world was ripe for the picking and we had a rare opportunity to do some good. \n\nThe sun rose the next day and we were backed before dawn. The citizens of Springfield waved from the gates as we set off eastward toward the sunrise. \n\nAt noon we stopped at an farmhouse to rest. These buildings had been crafted by master masons and carpenters; built to last. So many structures had toppled over mere months after their handlers turned into flesh-eating monsters. But these country people seemed to know what they were doing. \n\nI found a pile of hay and draped a thick blanket over the top. I lied down and shut my eyes. I think one of the best things about the end of the world is the quickness that sleep find you. There are no phone screens to keep you up, no existential work crisis to run through your head. You get to live day after day, doing what you can, before you lay your head down. \n\nThere was a scream. \n\nI popped up and looked around. It was coming from the house. Before I was on my feet, three of the guys rushed to the barn door. “Cece! Come quick!” \n\nI rushed out of the building and followed them to the house. Inside, they had trapped four of five zombies in a living room. I looked in through the window and saw Paul cradling a bleeding arm and pushing them back with a broom. I ran for the front door and swung it open. The zombies scattered for the walls, clawing at the drywall and hissing panicked breaths. \n\n“Are you okay?” I asked Paul.\n\nHe shook his head and showed me the bite mark in his arm. \n\n“Come outside, let’s take a look at it.” Despite my hopeful tone, we both knew what this would mean: a last meal, a fireside living wake, and a bullet to the back of the head. As was custom. \n\nAs Paul crossed the threshold out of the house, an enterprising zombie reached its arms around his neck and pulled him back in. I grabbed Paul from the other side and tried to free him from the monster’s intense grip. We wrestled with the zombie, but our position was awkward. The doorway was narrow and he had the advantage of higher ground over us. In a split-second, I did the only thing I could think to do: I bit the zombie’s hand, causing it to recoil and fall away. I pulled Paul out of the house and shut the door behind us. \n\nWe bandaged Paul’s arm and put him in quarantine in the barn, chained to a post. \n\nThe rest of us gathered outside the house and began making plans about his last days. Staying at the farmhouse wasn’t in our itinerary, but we were stuck here for a few days, it seemed. \n\nThe front door of the house opened from the inside. The zombie that had grabbed Paul by the neck stepped out and shut the door behind him. We all stood; the men aimed their guns in its direction. \n\n“Wait!” The zombie shouted."
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[WP] You and your friends are all 4th wall breakers. While hanging out, you each realise that you disagree on which media your in.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Jake sat down on the couch with his bag of chips. Andrew grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels. \"What do you guys wanna watch?\" he asked. \n\n\"Turn off the TV for a sec, I wanna talk to you about something\" Jake replied. \"So we all agree that life's a simulation, right? We can break the fourth wall, do whatever we want,\" Andrew and Lily nodded in agreement. Jake continued. \"But what type of media are we in?\" \n\nLily sat straight up in her seat. \"Guys, it's a musical!\" Jake glanced at her, confused. \"How could it be a musical?\" He asked. \"We don't sing!\" Lily was ready with a reply. \"Yeah, but everyone else does. Look outside.\" Andrew pulled the blinds open, and Lily looked out into the street. \"Where'd they go?\" She asked, frustrated. Just a few minutes ago, the neighbors were preforming a full dance routine, but just when she pointed them out, they disappeared. \"What the heck?\" she asked herself.\n\nAndrew chimed in next. \"It has to be a sitcom, with all the crazy stuff that happens in our lives. Prove my point, laugh track!\" He looked up at the ceiling, assuming that's where the laughing came from, but no laugh was heard. \"Oh, of course now it's not working.\" He said sarcastically. \"Must be something wrong with it.\" \n\nJake compared his friend's arguments in his mind. His idea seemed radical compared to theirs, but he still put it forward. \"What if it's a book?\" he asked them. \"What?\" Lily and Andrew said at the same time. They were both waiting for an explanation. \"What if we only exist in someone's imagination? And what would happen if the author just stopped writing.\"\n\nJake was right. I wrote this novel so that things like the laugh track and musical numbers only occur when the characters are alone, leading them to think differently about their world. I'm gonna go take a break, maybe think of some better story ideas tomorrow."
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[WP] A typical enemies-to-lovers story, only instead of the villain getting a redemption arc, the hero spirals further and further into madness...
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It started out normal. How did things ever go so wrong?\n\nLemme explain. I'm not the main character. I'm the best friend, a side character at best. My best friend, Blake's the main character, they're part of a prophecy, have superpowers, natural leadership skills and a small team of allies that eventually end up friends. Then we have my estranged brother and the villain of our story. Evil, cruel and seductive with plans to take over the world. When Blake started falling for Aaron I thought things might work out, that Aaron might better himself for them, but that wasn't the case.\n\nI guess I should've realized when Maya was going to beg for Blake to drop her off the cliff and save themself, they did it with no hesitation. Or maybe when Charlie turned out to be a traitor, instead of showing mercy from the time we spent together, Blake killed him without a second glance. \n\nAll because Aaron decided to fucking kidnap them.\n\nNormally, Blake would play hard to get, having Aaron try and better himself to stand a chance with them. Aaron would show mercy on our allies for a chance to impress Blake, but it seems the opposite is occuring. Blake has been... changing. Blake was once kind-hearted, innocent, trusting. Too trusting, I now realize. When Joseph died protecting them, I tried to comfort them but they pushed me away. They were weak and that's when Aaron struck, kidnapping Blake. They were gone for weeks, we were worried sick. I spent hours, days, weeks even just looking for *some kind of clue,* only to have Blake returned to us, pink ribbon and gift tag. \n\nAfter the kidnapping, they were different. They used to be an open book but then they seemed more like a pathalogical liar. They used to be merciful and cringe at the very concept of bloodshed, but now they killed those in their way without a second though. Man or Woman or Genderqueer, Elderly, Adult or Child. They used to be my best friend. What are they now?\n\nI sob as I watch Christie burn alive. Aaron's final mark before me. He didn't want to kill me, I was his sister and his partner's best friend, but my betrayal of Blake had them so hurt that he decided to end their pain with my life. I was to die last. Christie's flesh-fuled flames causing the wood to splinter being the soundtrack to my own death. Killed by my brother and my best friend's boyfriend. What a way to go. At least I wouldn't die mundanely.\n\nAnd at least my death won't be for naught.\n\nI've planted a bomb in the middle of the log pile. When the flame hits it, the whole place goes kaboom, with me and Aaron both in it. I may not survive this, but I'm freeing Blake from my brother one way or another, and if we have to die, so be it.\n\nIs this my redemption arc? Will Blake get a redemption arc because of my death? Will I even kill Aaron in this blast? There's no way to know for sure, but it's the only plan I have, and the last plan I'll ever make. I stare at the small silver pendant sitting on my chest. My girlfriend, Merida, she's still waiting for me in our home town.\n\nMerida.\n\nI love you so much.\n\nI'm sorry."
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[WP] You've just returned home from the war with a neighboring kingdom and decide to open up a blacksmithing shop. To your benefit, you're able to see the personified spirits of weapons.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“What do you mean I can’t use it?”\n\nThe knight stood reluctantly, holding a shining new sword, chosen out of my collection.\n\n“I mean that it isn’t for you. Its spirit doesn’t match yours, and you will only weaken by it.” Looking at the sword, I saw the spirit of a comrade, fighting through enemy lines.\n\n“You’ve said it about all of the other swords!” The knight grunted. “Please, I know you are a talented blacksmith. Can’t you make one for me?”\n\nI’ve looked at the knight, and with a hesitated breath I said:\n\n“No.”\n\n“But dad,” the knight whined, “I need a sword. I am part of the army now. I’ve trained enough on cheap replacements, I need one I can fight with.”\n\n“I said no.”\n\n“Bullshit.” She yanked the sword she held to the floor, and it clanked with each hit. “You created me armor that fits like a glove, and a shield that I can wield better than I can hold a feather. Surely, you can smith me a sword, even if it isn’t a perfect match would do.” \n\nI looked behind my daughter, at the collection of weapons. Each had their own soul, be it of a friend or an enemy. Each had died in a battle. Each had family and friends that came to a funeral with an empty casket, since no body could have been retrieved. \n\n“I can’t. You can’t fight, an I can’t give you a weapon.” I couldn’t look at her anymore, only at my own scarred hands.\n\n“But I am no pacifist, dad! I trained and I learned and I know all the details of wielding a sword.”\n\n“But I am!” I cried. “I went through a war, and I cannot let anyone go through or cause the hardships I’ve been through! Not my enemy, not my neighbor, and never my own daughter!”\n\nI looked at her and I saw a strong woman, one in her athletic best, and one that relieved herself seeing her old man cry. “I created you your armor knowing it was to protect you. I can not give you a thing that will put you in danger.”\n\n“Dad…” she took the sword off the floor. “These spirits, you say. Do they belong to someone?”\n\nI gazed at the shining sword in front of me, three reflections seen on the metal: my own, my daughter’s, and a young man.\n\n“This was Charlie. He wasn’t the bravest. Oftentimes he’d feel guilty for doing almost nothing on the battlefield - not that that was any true, but he was witty. He would make us grin and laugh each night, even through our worst losses. Especially through them.\n\n“He died on the battlefield, before we could have retrieved him back to camp. He wanted it to be that way, he’d say. So that he could pretend he made a difference. And he did.”\n\nI put down the sword at its place, and took another, shorter one. “This one is Benjamin. At the start he was a warm-headed guy, impatient to do something, to fight; We always thought he and his rushed decisions will be the one to go first. Some of us hoped so. But he stayed, longer than anyone and he himself thought of. And when his friend died, he changed.\n\n“At first his personality showed off when he begged our commander to retrieve the body. He was always angry, always throwing a fit, even with those worried at him. But then he became quiet. He wasn’t the first ready for battle. He didn’t run head first, and barely kept up with the line. He was wounded badly in one of the battles, and though his situation could have been treatable, he had already gave up.”\n\nI held the metallic weapon in my hand and I couldn’t look away, at my own daughter, but I could her weak breath shorten. I turned to a mace. I was weak, and I could barely hold it. \n\n“This one…” I gasped. “This one is Ruth. Ruthless Ruth, we’d call her. She was like you, you know. Ready. She was one of our best soldiers, as she dealt the most damage to our opposite side. We’d often joke about her bloodlust, but it always was with a cheer. All it took was a hit on the back.\n\n“She didn’t die. It wasn’t close to killing her. But it broke one of her ribs, and she couldn’t walk anymore. No prosthetic to fix that. She begged to stay just to help, but even if she did, after the war she’d be sent home. God knows why she ran away from there. But once her request was rejected, she had to run away from camp, too. Haven’t heard from her since.”\n\nI asked my daughter to get the mace back to place, because I couldn’t lift it myself. I saw my daughter’s face, then, and I saw the tears she didn’t shed. \n\n“Dad…” she said, her voice shivering. “You said that you met mom there, too. Can you tell me about her?”\n\n“Yes…” my voice was shaken. “She was a nurse who lived at a small village at the edge of the kingdom. She tended to our wounds. And while she was there, taking care of us as we lie helpless on these damp beds, we’d talk. We’d talk about how life can be so short, how I regret becoming a knight but do not regret being here, how it was for her to care so much about others and so little about herself. \n\n“Eventually we had you. You were something to fight for, for the both of us. You were more to care about, but she didn’t mind. You were a year old when the opposing army attacked their village. And you were a year old when we lost that village. Your mom didn’t survive the attack.”\n\n“Hey…” she said. I hugged her. She hugged me back tighter. I felt her short breaths on my neck. “Do you have a weapon with mom’s spirit?”\n\nI laughed. “All of your armor. Every piece of it. She died protecting you, and she lives through it to do that after her death.” \n\nMy daughter leaned back. “Do you have a weapon with your spirit?”\n\n“No, not yet… but I guess there is no escape from it.” I went to the back of the store, and got my hands on a blueprint. “This was what I used during the war. Are you sure you want it?” \n\n“I am certain.”\n\n“Well, then.” I turned to the machines at the room behind the store, and invited my daughter in. “If we are going to put my spirit into it, we should also put in a piece of yours, don’t you think?” I grinned. She smiled back.\n\nWe stood together, smithing ingots of iron into the shape of a crescent moon. We topped the rod with our own little additions, and carved in our initials. “What do you think?”\n\nWe both looked at the axe in front of us. She’d have to train with it to master it like she is with swords, but god knows she can do it. \n\n“I love it.”"
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[WP]You are a young bookworm with the power to transport yourself into any book you want. Unfortunately, you’ve already read (and traveled through) every book in the library and in your house. In search of something new, you turn to your school’s creative writing club.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"When you've seen everything, it takes a lot to impress. And I've seen everything.\nSeriously. Fiery dragons, deadly wars, glimmering hilltop castles. Even the witch that gave me this gift in the first place- she was the most incredible sight of all, because she was real.\n\nYou see, my life was always pretty dull before. I just was your average kid; now I'm the kid with a secret. I can jump into stories.\n\nAt first it was amazing. Every time I was even a little bit bored, I'd pick up a book and jump into someone else's life. I lived a million lives in the space of a day, then an hour, then a minute.\nTime distorts. Experiences become worthless. Reality fades when nothing you're experiencing is real.\n\nFive years later, I'm standing outside a door I've been through so many times before, filled with a new sensation, one I haven't felt for years. A sensation telling me I'm about to find something new, something different, something to satisfy my craving. Nervously, I thumb the key in my pocket, and when the teacher arrives to start this year's creative writing club, I try to force a smile.\n\"Hey, Ewan. I'm so pleased to see you. You've finally decided to flex those creative muscles, I see?\"\n\nI nod. He's been nagging me since I joined the school two weeks to come along, but it's pretty difficult to come up with a story when you've experienced everything already.\nSmiling, the teacher opens the door for me, and leads me inside. The others at the club look up st me, curiosity in some eyes, amusement in others. The creative genius with no creativity. The joke that's come back for more.\n\nI select a seat at one of the back desks, and after a moment, a girl comes to sit beside me. Bright red plaits fall down over her shoulders, and her blue-green eyes twinkle with something unreadable. \"I'm Lucy,\" she introduces herself, holding out her hand.\n\"Ewan.\" I reply, reaching out to shake it. As our hands touch, something flashes in her eyes.\n\"Are you new?\" she asks. I'm not really sure whether she means to the club or to the school as a whole, but it doesn't matter- I'm new to both. I say yes, and her face lights up.\n\"Me too! It's so great to see someone else like me. There's an element of magic in that, don't you think?\"\n\"Yeah, umm, I guess so.\"\nThe teacher introduces himself, and puts up a writing prompt on the board. WRITE ABOUT YOUR GREATEST FEAR\n\nI shoot a glance at Lucy. Something tells me she's not scared of anything. Even so, pens begin to scribble and for fifteen minutes, the room is heavy with concentration and bursting ideas. Lucy has a slight grin forming at the side of her mouth, and for a moment I wonder if she knows. 'That's ridiculous,' I tell myself quickly. 'No one would believe me if I tried to tell.'\n\nAt the end of the session, the teacher tells us we should take our partner's work home, read through it and write some improvements at the bottom. Personally I thought that's a bit harsh, but I intended to do nothing of the sort. All I wanted was to escape.\n\nWhen I arrived home, I quickly scanned the title, written in a rainbow scrawl across the top of the page: 'Falling into Darkness'. Of course that's Lucy's fear. She seems like everything- it's no wonder the idea of nothing would scare her. Taking a breath, bracing myself for adventure, I reach into my pocket, and turn the key.\n\nDarkness. All around me, suddenly engulfing me like a storm. A black, endless oblivion. \n\nI thought I had worked through my fears, chipped every uncertainty away until I'm just a meticulously designed statue of eternally fulfilled desire. It turns out I was wrong.\n\nFeeling my breath catching in my throat, I frantically fumble for the key. Gone. A faint glint catches my eye, and its falling into the blackness, faster than me, faster than I can reach. My heart beats like a drum as I realise: without my key, I'm stuck here forever.\n\nSwirls appear in the distance, twirling and forming into shapes. Eyes- Lucy's eyes. They stare and stare as I fall and fall, and the realisation dawns on me as insanity takes over.\n\"Someone like me. An element of magic\"\nWhen you've seen everything, you don't always see the obvious. When something is familiar, it gets lost among the new and exciting.\nThose eyes.\nI knew I'd seen them before.\nr/twisteddreamerwrites",
"The ability to read was something a lot of people took for granted; to be able to look at a few shapes and lines on paper or a computer screen, and use sounds to translate it into a message the brain can understand. When one really looks at the world, nothing was truly possible without the ability to read.\n\n*And yet, so many people find it so hard to pick up a simple book to read.* The young man thought, adjusting his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. He walked along the shelves upon shelves of books in the sci-fi section of the Brigham Library. There was something about the place, being surrounded by books that gave Ethan a sense a comfort and calm; books were his escape from reality; a pass time to help him take a break from all the bullshit of life.\n\nHowever, that being said, Ethan's interest in books was not entirely just to read them. No, when it came to Ethan, an escape into books was a lot more literal than most people would think. \n\nEthan could still somewhat remember the first time he used his ability; a power he later called *Word-Walking*. He'd been very young at the time, probably 6 or 7 years old; a lot of what happened during his first word walking was fuzzy, but he could recall enough to get a decent mental image of almost everything that went do.\n\nOne of his favorite television shows, Blue's Clues had been on, and like most episodes, Steve magically teleported himself into one of his books. Being the impressionable kid that he was, Ethan grabbed one of the books from the bookshelf and laid it on the floor. He repeated the words Steve always sang before hopping in a book, and jumped towards it.\n\nThe odd sensation in his chest and the slight ringing in his ears, things he would later become used to after years of word-walking, hit him like a train. The world seemed to slow down, and the ringing in his ears overloaded his senses. The world around him went black, and when he could finally see again, he found himself at the entrance of a village. It was early morning, the air was cool and tasted sweet. Having lived in a large city his entire life, he never thought air could taste like anything. \n\nLittle people milled about, doing their morning chores, greeting each other fondly. No one paid him any attention, mostly because he hadn't made himself known. He remember how he felt at that moment in time. The confusion, the fear, not knowing where he was or who these small people were who looked like grownups, but where so much shorter and dressed so strangely. \n\n\"Are you lost, little one?\" A soft spoken voice asked behind him. Ethan turned around, seeing the short woman with long blondish brown hair and chestnut brown eyes staring back at him. She was very pretty, sort of in the way his mother was. And if ever there was a rule his mother couldn't not stress enough when he was growing up, it was to never talk to strangers, even if they seem nice. Ever.\n\nHowever, in such a situation, Ethan had to speak to someone. \"I - I think so. I don't know where this is.\"\n\n\"Where are your parents?\" Ethan gave a shrug. The woman shifted her griped a bit on the brown basket she was carrying, and took Ethan's hand in hers. \"If you are lost, then follow me, little one. I cannot in good faith leave a child so young all alone.\" She began walking and smiled down at him, guiding him along through the winding dirt paths of the village. \"I have some food in the pantry. If you're hungry, I'll give you something to eat while we try to find your family.\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\nThe woman's name was Tula Hobblestock. \n\nA few years after his first word-walk, he discovered that the little people had been hobbits, and the place he'd ended up at was called The Shire. \n\nHe had no idea why the power was granted to him, an ability so ridiculous and crazy that the simple fact it was even a thing made him laugh sometimes. But, the more he thought about it. About himself and his own personality, the power more or less made complete sense, because in all honestly, who better to have such a power than a bookworm with ADHD and an overactive imagination.\n\n**----That's all I can write at this moment in time. Will be continued shortly.-----**",
"*\"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!\"*\n\nI think my lungs must be collapsing. The rift is too far and they are right on my heels - damn it, I hid it well!\n\nBut anyways;\n\nHi, I'm Banbridge. Transdimensional travelling extraordinaire.\n\n*\"Shit, shit, shit, shit!\"*\n\nAlthough it is not hard to excel in such a niche thing, when you have no competition whatsoever.\n\n*\"Stop! You violated the law! Pay the court fine or serve your sentence!\"*\n\nYou would think that today I got myself into some ridiculous danger, due to some mysterious circumstances and a hot babe.\n\nI gotta disappoint you.\n\n*\"Come on, run ye fokin' wobbly shit, they are right on top o' us!\"*\n\n*\"Если мы выберемся, я забью тебе голову камнем.\"*\n\n*\"Stop talking in Spanish, I told you I don't speak it!\"*\n\nI am just simply a massive idiot.\n\nYou see, ordinary literature you can find in libraries are often well made works of art. Most questions are given an answer, the rest probably in a sequel.\n\nYet, the creative writing club at the local high school has a speciality.\n\nInsane worldbuilding exercises, every two weeks.\n\n*\"Get on your feet, soldier, we're leaving!\"*\n\n*\"Captain, duck!\"*\n\nWhoa, that was a cloud serpent.\n\nWait, that was a cloud serpent?\n\n*\"That was a fuckin' cloud serpent!\"*\n\nYeah, cloud serpent. Now, we are fucked.",
"I turned to Jillian, my best friend, and sighed. The look on her face made it clear she knew why. It was nice having a friend that knew my secret and understood.\n\n\"When was the last time you read something good?\" she queried.\n\nI just shrugged, rotating in my chair to get a better view of the people walking past the little cafe table with the cute umbrella where we sat. Normal people. Mundane people. Boring and bored people. \n\n\"You know, my cousin Harold teaches English. I bet I could get my hands on some creative writing stories for you.\" Jillian exclaimed brightly; \"They may not be the best, but I bet you'll find something to keep yourself entertained!\"\n\nLooking back, I have 2 regrets. The first being that I had not explained to Jillian about how, once I start to read, I cannot stop until I finish the book. The other being.. well, that will be clear in a moment.\n\nI kicked back in my favorite chair, cup of chamomile tea in one hand and some typed and stapled manuscripts in the other. The lights were low, casting shadows in the corners, but my reading light directly behind my shoulder was perfect. I clicked the remote, and a soothing crackling fire started in the fireplace. The setting was ideal, I was ready for a new read!\n\nPicking up the first manuscript, I began to read. As always, I read quickly. The title read: *The Blackest Sheep. By Isaac Bryant, age 6. Once Upon a Time...* \n\nOh no, what did that say? Age 6? This story was written by a 6 year old? Why hadn't I asked what grade this creative writing class was? I gritted my teeth and accepted my fate, as my eyes continued scanning the page of their own volition. \n\n *there was a ship. It was a black sheep. It ahd black wool. The balck sheep did not have any friends because they alls aid he was a stupid head and they wood not play with him at recess and stole his lunch. And it was not fare!And the sheeps mom told him it was becuz he was a black sheep and he should try to do things like the other* *~~kids~~* *sheep and then maybee they woud be nice to him.* \n\nI gasped for air, reaching for my tea so that I could force my eyes away from the page. My head was pounding. I imagined I could feel brain damage starting. This was not like the pain most literary fans experienced when reading something this bad. This was immersive. I was INSIDE the story. I could feel it. I was experiencing the reality of being this black \"shep\", and I kept morphing between the form of a 6 year old child and that of the sheep, as the author clearly did in his mind while writing it. My sip of tea finished, my eyes moved back to the words, against my will.\n\n*The black sheep decided it did not want to be a blak sheep any more so I got my dads razor and I shaved off all my black wool. Now I am grounded but that iz ok becuz now I do not have to go to the park where the mean shheep are. The end!*\n\nThe next day, Jillian and I met for coffee as usual. I slouched in my dining chair like a petulant child. I was wearing a stocking cap, even though it was summer. Knowing something was up, Jillian pressured me until I removed it. \n\n\"What happened?\" She gasped. \n\nWordlessly, I tossed her the manuscript, and glared daggers at her as she read the words, looked at my shaved head, and laughed.",
"\"He's a bit hard to talk to,\" I offered. \n\nThe entire club - all six of them - stared at me. We'd been critiquing Salima's first few chapters, specifically her main character.\n\n\"Um... what do you mean?\" Salima asked. \n\nI winced. I didn't normally speak up during meetings, but Salima was my friend. I thought she would like to know. \n\n\"I mean, he's just a bit stiff. The uh... dialogue could use some work.\" \n\n*How do I explain to her that he talks like an Oblivion NPC?*\n\nI nearly harassed the Chosen One in question, Zakaria, with my attempts and he could barely hold a conversation. He had a Tragic Backstory™ that didn't effect him nearly as much as it should, and yet at the same time seemed like the only thing he could talk about. Zakaria was also a perfect and morally upright good guy who was the absolute life of the party. This was apparent to everyone except me, because I couldn't get a single interesting word out of him.\n\n\"I thought the dialogue was excellent,\" Wilbur, a slightly senior member, said with a smile towards Salima. He then shot me a hard stare. I guessed he was telling me to shut up; he seemed like the type to want to keep the peace.\n\nAnd he was right, after all; Zakaria had lovely interactions with everyone in the context of the book. But characters have a voice outside of the one their readers think they have. Some (my favorites, I must admit, though they tend to be the most dangerous) even hide information from their creators. Zakaria wasn't one of these, though, he was just poorly written. Despite the fact that his dialogue was so dynamic in her actual writing, outside of the scripted responses his interactions simply fell flat. \n\nI had taken the perspective of a side character when I entered the world and chased him down almost immediately. I wished I could just enter a book as myself, but that might cause unnecessary problems- like what was a pale American girl doing in an Arabic-inspired fantasy novel? No, better to be safe and borrow a secondary character's faculties for a little while. \n\nI didn't add anything else to the discussion, and the meeting swiftly resumed in spite of my interruption. \nSalima pulled me aside afterwards. \"Do you really not like him?\" she asked. \n\n\"No, no! I mean… yes? I do like him. And your dialogue is good. I'm just… getting weird vibes, I guess. But when you've got a few more chapters and fleshed him out more I'm sure he'll be great.\" \n\nShe nodded hesitantly and flashed a nervous smile.\n\nI decided to go back into the book that evening.\nI reopened the document and was whisked off into another world. \n\nI hunted, formless, for a new host- and settled on Zakaria's mentor character.\n\nI settled into his body, feeling his brain churn, measuring the weight of his steps, and blinking his vision into my mind. \n\nThere stood Zakaria, leaning on a balcony that overlooked the grand city. I walked up behind him and leaned next to him. \n\n\"Nice night, isn't it?\" I asked, enjoying the breeze as it tickled the long strands of his (my?) beard.\nZakaria nodded in response. In the book he would have said something, anything. But here he simply nodded. \n\n\"Tell me again, Zakaria, what happened to your father?\" \n\nThis was a trick question on my part. Salima hadn't written about his father yet, only the tragic death of his mother in a flashback. If he was a fully fleshed out character, he would know. If not, he'd make up some excuse, which he was probably about to do.\n\n\"Tell me again, Jalal, why you wish to know?\" He said. \n\nIt took me a moment to register Jalal's name as mine, and a moment further to recognize Zakaria's challenge.\n\n\"I… I am just curious,\" I stammered. \n\n\"We have had this conversation before,\" Zakaria said, still gazing at the crescent moon. \n\n\"We have? Oh, I am an old fool then. Forgive me my forgetful brain, I-\"\n\n\"No,\" Zakaria said, turning to face me. His hands clasped behind his back. \"*We* have had this conversation before.\"\n\n\"I don't know what you mean.\" I took a step back, and he a step forward. \n\n\"Yesterday, you questioned me mercilessly as Faiza, for whom such a level of familiarity would be appalling. Today you take the form of Jalal.\" \n\nI shrank backward, tripping over myself in an effort to get away. I forgot whose body I was in. This muscular 60-something year old body cowered like a frail highschool girl being bullied in the hall. \n\nHe loomed over me, hands on his hips, a suspiciously familiar grin on his face. \n\n\"So,\" he said, \"how long have you been able to enter books?\"",
"I trailed my hand over Zusak’s *The Book Thief*, situated at the very last aisle, at the very end of all the “Z” authors. It was the last book in my middle school library, and the last book I wanted to go inside of. I’d already gone inside of it once - an accident, I got too absorbed while reading, and before I knew it I’d slipped inside - and I still flinched when I heard a door slammed too hard, a firecracker in the night. It was even worse than the time I entered *The Hunger Games*, when I came across one of the unnamed girls dying, an arrow in her stinking leg, sweat dripping off of her fevered face. She thought I was some kind of delusion, or some kind of God, and she died with my hands smoothing her hair off of her wet cheeks, my voice trembling as I tried to comfort her.\n\nI’d only wanted to see Peeta, just once. I’d left right after she died, and done my best to avoid going inside books with too much serious violence since. I knew it wasn’t real - I knew none of it was real, or at least I hoped it wasn’t - but I always found myself shaken afterwards, sometimes so badly that my mother worried at some point I’d gotten bullied, or was watching things I shouldn’t have been, and went through my browser history.\n\nBut the other books here, the ones I liked going in, I’d entered too many times, and I’d gotten bored of them - and sad at how none of them recognized me, not ever, even if it was my twelfth time coming there. Even if we’d once been best friends.\n\nNot that we were ever really friends, I reminded myself. They weren’t real.\n\nI strolled around the library again, searching for something new, and preferably something exciting but safe and sweet. *Wintergirls* - Jesus, no. *Harry Potter* - I’d long exhausted the first couple of books, and all the *Redwall* books too. *Lord of the Rings* was alright but there wasn’t much to do, especially because I didn’t smoke or know how to fight. Secretly I adored jumping into *Twilight*, just to gaze at the beautiful visages of the vampires, and once I’d befriended Alice, but it took fourteen hours in real-time and I’d never managed to do it again - plus I was always a loser at the high school. Not as much of a loser as I was in *The Clique* books (once Massie called me “pepperoni pizza” because of my acne), but still definitely a loser - and I already had enough of that in real life.\n\n*The Secret Garden* - fun to read but awfully boring to live in, plus Mary was way more insufferable when I actually had to be the one to talk to her. *Heidi* - fun to live in and read, but I felt crushed every time I met Heidi or her grandfather or Peter and was treated as a total stranger, even though we’d spent all those hours together, braiding flowers into crowns, watching the sun turn the mountain peaks pink like our cheeks at the end of the day, eating what really was the world’s best milk and cheese and bread (plus, I wasn’t lactose intolerant when I went inside a book).\n\n*Walk Two Moons* was mostly just like regular life for me (still a loser at school), *The Perks of Being a Wallflower* I also just found myself living like usual (AKA, as a loser), every Sarah Dessen book was like my life at school too, same thing with John Green books. The issue was always this: books that took place in real life, I was pretty much the same I already was, and books that were fantastical I was always at risk of dying in a war or scrubbing floors for three hours straight or being in Lady School and just curtsying for an hour straight (authors have got to come up with more interesting princess academies). Books that were historical, there was nothing to do, or I was at risk of dying; apocalypse books were pretty much universally horrible to go through; animal books sucked because they’d run away from me or sometimes attack me and I could never talk to them (unless it was Redwall).\n\nI turned away from *Hatchet* (which was kind of fun the first two times, I’ll admit) in frustration, and then I saw it: a flyer, which said, “JAMESON MIDDLE SCHOOL’S CREATIVE WRITING CLUB 3-5PM EVERY FRIDAY @ ROOM 305 COME AND WRITE AND READ :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)”.\n\nSuddenly it all clicked for me - I’d been so *stupid*! Surely my middle school’s creative writing club would have the perfect stories to go into, fun and lighthearted and designed to fulfill the fantasy of losers (like me!), and there’d be a constant new rotation of them! I checked my watch - it was only 3:27PM, and I was already on the third floor! I flew out of the library - Ms. Rachel said, “Already?” as I passed through the doors, and ran to room 305. Inside I could hear nothing. Even better! I knocked.\n\nA teacher opened it; she had warm dark eyes and long shiny black hair and she wore thin wire-framed rectangular glasses and a turtleneck and jeans.",
"Some rules have been bended. I was officially classified as a wizard when joining Harry Potter and his crew. I was one of the Liliputians in *Gulliver's Travels*. I can't die in the book world, and my adventures and interactions never make it onto the pages in fear of altering the book itself.\n\nEver since I recognized this ability at age 5, I've visited every book in existence. If a new book comes out, I jump into it. Even if it isn't meant for a guy in his late teens. I've visited comic books and even books in other languages. I've learned pretty much every language in the world that way.\n\nI left the last book feeling empty inside. A quick search and I realize; I finished it all. No new books available that I haven't visited. I'm walking toward the exit, deep in thought, after school when I notice the Young Writers' Club through a classroom door window. An idea hits me in the brain and I walk inside.\n\n\"Nathan!\" A girl named Evelyn greets me as I walk in. My reputation is well-known across the school. The club members apologize that they don't have any new stories for me, but then I ask for any unfinished stories.\n\nEvelyn brings me her manuscript, only having written the words 'A clear blue sky over the meadow...' This might be enough. I close my eyes and picture the setting. Just before I go in, I feel a set of hands grabbing my shoulders.\n\nTwo thumps into a meadow surrounded by a cloudless blue sky. I turn around and see Evelyn awkwardly rubbing her neck. \"I've always wanted to do that\" she admits. I smile and take her hand. She smiles back, trying not to cry. The other young writers all watch as words are written before their eyes, forming a brand new adventure...",
"I've walked with heroes and villains, witnessed heroic battles and legendary betrayals. I've been on the bridge of ships of all kinds, I've walked on the floor of the ocean and on dozens of planets. I regret only one thing. My own voracity.\n\nWhile imagination is infinite, humanity is not, and I've read everything I've been able to find at home, and at school. Even the dusty books in the attic! I've never felt more alive than when walking with hobbits or witnessing grand battles in space. Coming back to this mundane reality… it can be a bit depressing, though I wouldn't call myself depressed. Forlorn maybe, though that's not quite it either. Drudging through classwork saps my spirit, and all I long to do is find a new adventure.\n\nThis chewed at me for several days as I thought about rereading more books, but the ones that I had, had left me unfulfilled. Most of them, while exciting the first time through, left me wanting on a second pass, the vibrant characters reduced to caricatures lacking the free will to avoid their fates, as if they were etched in stone. Maybe it was that thought that drove me into room 113 after my final class ended. It was the young writers club that met three times a week after school.\n\nThey were overjoyed to see a new face and I was equally happy to be welcomed so warmly. There were eight kids in the club, plus the art teacher that served as a mentor, and I made it ten in the room. After the initial excitement settled down, I sat nearby a girl who had been smiling at me without pause.\n\nShe introduced herself as Qiana, and I said my name is Robby, though she already knew that from my entrance. We talked a little bit and she asked if I wanted to read a short story that was fresh but unfinished. I said sure and she giggled as she passed me the notebook.\n\nIt was a rather dour story of a boy who was bored with everything. I frowned as I read on, like I'd seen this before, this was one of the few stories I couldn't live in, but it resonated with me up until the boy walked into room 113.\n\nMy eyes shot up to see her studying me with a mischievous grin, and her beaded braids swayed as she held a pencil toward me and said, \"you can finish it.\"\n\nMy jaw hung open as my mind went blank, nobody was paying us any mind but my whole world felt focused on this moment, as the eraser end of the pencil bobbed at the edge of my concave vision.\n\n\"My daddy says we all make our own way. Sometimes you just need a nudge to get going. And my mama says don't let anyone else write your story, so here you go.\"\n\nMy chest was tight and I was having trouble putting words together in my mind, her light giggling snapped me out of a bit of that trance but I sat there, dumbstruck. Somehow I held out my hand and she dropped the pencil into it, and a shock rolled up my arm that took my breath away again.\n\n\"I hope I'm still in it when you're done,\" she said as my fingers curled. \"I'd love to see things like you do, can you take people with you?\"\n\nI wanted to say I don't know, I've never tried. But the pencil in my hand grew heavy toward the page. We all make our own story, the garbled words echoed in my mind as I touched the tip to the page, at the end of her beautiful penmanship. *We* can finish it, I said to myself, deliberately.\n\n\"Yes,\" I blurted out as I scratched away at the page as fast as my hand allowed.\n___\nr/lolwutmore"
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[WP] The world is suddenly taken over by a unknown god. The god makes the world perfect. No more sadness, disease, death. Everyone is happy with this, except for you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"I don't understand your issue,\" Michael said. He was mid-packing his clothes, an action I disdained more than I could imagine. Even just seeing him, moving back and forth like a human-shaped worker ant, sent my blood to boil. \"***Mjurker*** wants to end world hunger. They want to end disease and poverty and racism. You hate racism, don't you? Why don't you give them a chance?\"\n\nI rolled my eyes, then kicked at his suitcase. It was an ugly blue one made of hard plastic and smelled faintly of burning tire for some reason. I'd been asking him to get rid of it ever since we moved in together, but now that he was leaving I was finding myself hating that, too. But then I had an idea.\n\n\"Your suitcase,\" I said.\n\n\"Huh?\" he asked, before stopping. Curses be to the idiocy of the boy! An entire night of ranting couldn't get him to stop preparing, but a flyaway thought was enough to make him pause? \"What about it?\"\n\n\"I hate it,\" I said, to which the idiotic thing rolled his eyes. \"And we know this. That isn't the point.\"\n\n\"Then what *is* the point?\" Michael asked. He had continued folding a dress shirt before dumping it in a trash bag. \"Because we kind of have to be there if we want to get the blessing and I don't want to be late.\"\n\nGet the... What? I was onto something here and the boy was focused on something as trivial as that? With a grunt I stood from the couch and snatched the garbage bag from his hand. He tried to snatch it back, but although I was smaller, I was in much better control of my body. I flipped him onto the sofa and then folded my arms.\n\nLike an obedient little Michael, he stayed.\n\n\"Your suitcase,\" I repeated. \"I hate it. We know this.\"\n\n\"Go on,\" he said. Bless his dumb heart, he didn't understand where I was going, but he was willing to learn.\n\n\"And what did I try to do because I hated it?\"\n\n\"You tried to burn it,\" he said, slowly, as if this was a test and he would be penalized for the wrong answer. This, of course, *was* a test and he *would* be penalized, but he didn't know that, yet. \"Several times.\"\n\n\"Correct!\" I chirped. I clapped my hands. I just loved it when he used his brain! \"And what else?\"\n\n\"You threw it away a few times when I was in class. Took me ages to find it.\"\n\nIf the boy used half as much genius in those classes as he did to find where I buried that abomination, he would have ruled the world by now.\n\n\"Yes,\" I repeated. \"And what else?\"\n\nThis time, Michael took a few seconds to think on it. He rubbed at his chin, then, like an elementary student who had just grasped the concept of multiplication, he lit up in childish glee.\n\n\"Didn't you contact the Japanese Yakuza?\"\n\n\"That I did, dear Michael!\" I cooed. I made to pat him on the head, then remembered that I was supposed to be cross with him. I restrained the urge. \"Wasn't that spectacular of me?\"\n\n\"It was!\" he said, face still glowing. \"I didn't know that you knew anyone in the Yakuza!\" Then, after a few seconds. \"I didn't even know that the Yakuza still existed!\"\n\n\"I didn't!\" I responded, Michael's excitement growing infectious. \"And they didn't!\"\n\n\"What?\" he asked, now lost once more. Still, even his dimwittedness couldn't stop me now.\n\n\"I didn't know anyone in the Japanese Yakuza, and there was no way I could! They were wiped out several years ago after the COVID scare of the 2020s.\"\n\n\"Then how did you...\" he made to ask, but I put my finger to his lips and shushed him.\n\n\"Don't you see, my boy? I simply went to Japan and revived them! It took a few hearty speeches and some long nights of learning Japanese, but I managed it!\"\n\n\"Wait, when did you have time to do this while attending class? I don't--\"\n\nI shushed him once more. \"Michael, you beautiful loon, don't you get it? I would never have started the Japanese Yakuza with the sole intent of getting them to eliminate your horrid suitcase if I didn't want to escape all doubt of prosecution for being involved in the crime! It was *want* that led to that amazing occurrence, and that *want* wouldn't have come around without a *need*. Namely, my need to be rid of your disgusting excuse for a luggage carrier.\"\n\n\"Why didn't you just move?\"\n\n\"Michael, my boy, it is exactly all of those problems that your new phony *god* is trying to get rid of that makes us human! Disease leads to innovation and medicine! War leads to understanding and cooperation.\"\n\n\"We could have that without the need of such horrid things with--\"\n\n\"But can we?\" I asked, a manic smile on my face. \"Would that really be peace? Or would it be stagnation? Without *want*, what are we, really? It'll be nice for a few years, sure, but eventually one of us would want something that someone else has. Perhaps someone's wife?\"\n\n\"But ***Mjurker*** will get rid of that. That's jealousy!\"\n\n\"So he's getting rid of our emotions?\"\n\n\"Only the bad ones!\"\n\n\"And which ones are the bad ones?\" I asked. \"Jealousy? Sure. Rage? Go right ahead. Sadness, though? How does he get rid of that? Would we always be happy? All the time?\"\n\nMichael made to speak, but I continued.\n\n\"We can't be, Michael. We just can't. Eventually we would be less happy, and then what? That would be our new sadness, and then we would simply be back where we started. Don't you see, Michael? The only way that your fake *god* can deliver on his promise is to take away our everything. Our *wants* and *desires*. Our everything that makes us *need*. He would make us into dolls, unfeeling and unthinking and unwanting. And that is simply horrible. I can't let you go there, Michael. This world he is promising you, it isn't a heaven. It is a hell. And you wouldn't even notice it. I can't let you doom yourself like that Michael. I... I just can't.\"\n\nThe boy, taken aback by my words and trying to digest them, managed to latch onto the one thing I was able to make sense of. \"And why not?\"\n\n\"Huh?\"\n\n\"Why can't you let me go?\"\n\nAnd, for once, the damn thing had made *me* speechless. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, I could feel how distinctly uncomfortable it was to not know how to answer a question. Still, I could see the war raging in his eyes. I had him hooked, but he was still contemplating leaving here. Leaving *me*.\n\nThere was to be no room for debate. Swallowing my pride, I said the words that I never thought I would utter.\n\n\"Because I don't *want* to.\""
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[WP] "The name's Bond. James Bond." "You mean like the SPY?!" The room grows quiet as all heads turn towards the spy who introduced himself by name.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"There had never been many double-oh agents; the numbers were assigned sequentially. At no time had there ever been more than four active, and only eight had been assigned total. It was an open question what would happen if they needed to assign another one after 009, but, as the double-oh program didn't officially exist, there was of course no official answer.\n\nWith [the apparent death of 006 in Arkhangelsk now having been made real by 007 in Cuba](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoldenEye), there were only three agents left alive in the program: there was, of course, the legendary 007 himself, who was supposedly taking a vacation with a Russian programmer he had seduced on his last mission.\n\nThen there was the last survivor of the original four agents: the veteran agent assigned the number 003. Or so the legends claimed, anyway. 003 was, even more than the rest of the double-oh program, a ghost. A rumour. M presumably knew who the agent was, could make an identification if necessary, but there was a new M in town and a new Moneypenny, so perhaps not.\n\nAnd now Theophania Whitetower — no, her name in this time and place was 'Frances Withings,' damnit, and she'd better remember that — had performed her second kill and earned the designation of 008. And now 00... Whitet... **Withings** had been tasked with hunting down a terrorist who was trying to procure a chemical weapon. According to Q, the weapon was a powerful defoliant; depending on how much was released, and where, it could cause famine on a national or even a continental scale. And it was her job to keep that from happening.\n\nSo far, the mission was going well: she had successfully infiltrated Arboretum Chemicals as a janitor, and had compiled a list of people who had access to the defoliant, and another list of ways by which the security protecting the chemical could be bypassed. She had added a few layers of security atop the latter; she couldn't make the facility theft-proof, there was no such thing, but she could, and had, made bloody well sure that she knew when it was at risk of being stolen, and, right now, there was no one in that part of the complex.\n\nSo, having determined that most likely inside man would be Hans Toller, biochemist with the unpaid gambling debts, she had found his favourite bar, and was sitting there, sipping a drink and smiling bashfully at him. All she needed to do was to introduce herself to him and put him at ease, and find out if...\n\n'The name's Bond. James Bond,' a familiar voice cut through her thoughts, and only long practice at keeping her body language under control prevented her from freezing in shock. *No, it can't be. I must have misheard it...*\n\n'Bond?' a woman's husky voice replied to the smooth baritone, 'You mean, like the spy?'\n\nThe most important thing you learn as a spy is not how to keep yourself from reacting; any fool can stay still with their face blank. And even the stupidest of civilians will know something's wrong with the person who is **not** reacting. No, the art of being a spy depends on reacting, as if instinctively, *exactly how every other person would react in your position*. As such, Withings did not keep her eyes on her glass of whiskey and avoid looking at her fellow agent, but turned around to look, in bewilderment, at a man who, if he wasn't a certain James Bond, could have passed for his twin: perfect hair, tuxedo, prominent cheekbones, Russian programmer dangling off his arm, and all the rest.\n\nThere was a mirror on the wall behind Bond, and Withings allowed herself a certain satisfaction in the fact that her look of stunned disbelief and craned neck was exactly the same as that every other person's face in the room, including that of her biochemist, who was looking *decidedly not \"at ease.\"*\n\n'Exactly like, I think you'll find. Bartender, I'd like a vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred.' The bartender blinked a few times, whether still trying to process the fact that the oxymoron of a 'world-famous superspy' had walked into his bar, or trying to figure out why someone would *want* a drink like the one Bond had requested, but then started mixing the drink as ordered.\n\nBond's eyes scanned the room, not seeming to note the biochemist at all, and lingering on Withings for no longer than any other young woman in the room. Did 007 not recognize her? Or was he simply displaying professional courtesy by not calling attention to her? Either way, he was *interfering with her mission*, and she fought to keep the bubbles of rage seething inside her from showing themselves on her face or in her posture.\n\nHer anger turned to horror as Bond, with his lady friend in tow, came up to the bar and placed himself between Withings and Toller, a mere two seats from the biochemist. She saw the probable traitor — even more probable, if this was his reaction to Bond — roll on his stool in a way that she recognized as a prelude to reaching for his wallet. She quickly considered ways that she might try to convince 007 to leave the bar so that she might salvage the situation, but she couldn't think of anything that might allow her to be rid of him without tipping off Toller. She was going to fail her first mission, and it was all Bond's fault. Either that, or he was going to overshadow her, and get all of the credit. Damnit!\n\nJust as the biochemist had placed a tip on the bar, one of the gaggle of women clamouring Bond for an autograph got handsy with the world's worst spy, and the pretty programmer — Withings didn't know her name, so 008 didn't allow herself to remember it — got up from her barstool, yelling at Bond in Russian, and incidentally blocking Toller's exit as she started to leave herself. Bond got up and tried to reason with the woman he had entered the bar with, but she slapped his face and stormed out. Bond looked the woman who had groped him up and down, appraising her for a moment and paying special attention to the curvy bits, before tossing back his martini and chasing after his date.\n\nToller, having been blocked from leaving first by the Russian, then by the spy, and finally by the half-dozen women who decided not to let Bond out of their sight, turned once more to go, but then hesitated, thinking about something. Withings looked at the doorway for exactly the right period of time, before turning her attention back to her coworker, and resuming her previous shy smile, accompanying it with an eye-roll. Toller gave one last look towards to door, before deciding to return her smile and start walking towards her.\n\n'I know you, from vork?' Toller asked. 'Vithings, yes?'\n\n008 smiled at her target. 'Yes.'\n\n[1/2; continues below]"
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[WP] You look in the mirror one morning and say, "Well, if it isn't the source of all my problems." The you in the mirror then says, "Likewise, buddy."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"AHHHHH!\" I screamed as soon as I heard that, and the scream appeared to echo through the bathroom wall?... Wait that wasn't an echo.\nThe reflection, MY reflection also screamed.\n\n\"What?!\" I said but, once again the sound appeared to last longer as though I was speaking through a speaker. Am I going crazy? I always thought I needed to go to the therapist for a few reasons but, I never thought I would go because of hallucinations.\n\n\"It.. the reflection... No, he is the same as me \" I thought but it's safe to assume he thought so as well. I need to think of a way to communicate with him, hopefully, this isn't some sort of horror movie. As we look at each other, I noticed that he is standing the same way as I am, just like a reflection, I moved my hand to the right and his also moved by the same portion, just like a reflection and to top it all off he was wearing the same clothes as me which is normally a thing none of us would care about but no this is something different.\n\n\"Why did you say likewise buddy?\" I asked unsure whether that meant my sanity was dropping or else.\n\nThis time I didn't hear any echo or any prolonged sounds of my words. But, what I saw made me open my eyes a lot. Both of us did\nWe got closer to the mirror edge and I heard him say \"You can talk ?\" And for the first time we both were out of sync with one another, he no longer acted as a reflection.\n\n\"Ummmm, yes? Why were you talking like that before then?\"\n\n\"I was just mad with myself for something.\"\n\n\"Is it the thing?\"\n\n\"You know about it?! But you're my reflection\"\n\n\"No you are my reflection!\"\n\n\"Is this one of those dreams where I saw Spiderman sitting in my parents room?\" He said.\n\nHe acted just like me, but there was just a slight variation back then where he could only speak differently but not move differently. Later it changed a lot and I had a clone that's just like me. UNTILL , SOMEBODY WAS EAVESDROPPING ON US AND ASSUMED I WAS CRAZY AND NOW I AM AT THERAPY AGAINST MY WILL\n\nTherapist: \" .... Interesting...\""
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[WP] You live in a world dominated by the blood moon. The sun is a memory long forgotten. You've always felt it, a part of your being locked away. In your hour of need you call a forbidden name lost to the ages. For the first time in 2000 years, daylight breaks the clouds and your sword descends.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Beneath the ruddy blur of crimson that is the blood moon’s domain, swords struck; the sound of steel on steel reverberating across the clearing in an icy clear clang.\n\nHis blade clinking noisily upon another, Nick heaved and limped between one stance to the next, preforming a messy rehearsal of the techniques he had so vigorously engrained within his mind during many decade’s worth of training in swordplay. \n\n“Cease your approach,” the cloaked adversary commanded, whilst hopping back. “This conflict is pointless, you’re beaten enough as is.”\n\nDespite Nick’s instinctual incline to blurt out a rebuttal, none came to mind. Quite possibly because the man *was* covered in more bruises than skin. “No.” and that was all he could manage to mutter, multiple trickles of spittle mixed with blood dashing down his chin and surrounding cheeks.\n\nLeaping off the layer of ash that served as an almost theatrical setting for the two’s conflict, Nick folded up midair - like a wolf in pounce - idly flickering his greyish hair out of the way of his vision. \n\nInstead of scrambling to get his own blade in a blocking manoeuvre, the cloaked man reached behind his back - too far out of view for Nick to properly recognise what he’d be battered bloody with next. \n\nA sphere of cold metal shattered across his left hand, his bones succumbing to the blunt hit with a resounding crack. Luckily enough, Nick favoured his right when utilising his sword, him quickly blocking with the other fist just about leaving him with the ability to fight. Though that didn’t stop him from screaming.\n\n“*Gods,*” Nick cursed out, clutching his mangled fingers in a shaky clutch. “Gods, that hurts like hell!”\n\nStaring at at his adversary’s now crimson-doused limb, the cloaked figure chuckled in a sadistic glee. “*I* did warn you. “ he teased beneath his leathery hood. “Now, how many fingers broken is that? Three, four? - *five?*”\n\nGlancing away from his hand - it seeming so determined to spurt enough blood to rival the blood moon itself - Nick glared upon his enemy with such strife it even disturbed them a little. “Five, you damn twit!” \n\nThe hood-bearer gripped his mace with newfound resolve. “*Only half left to go, before I properly relive you from your days of swordsmanship.*”\n\nWith that, he sped forwards.\n\n*’God of glory, bearer of warmth, bringer of flame,’* Nick thought rapidly, mentally imbedding himself deeper and deeper within a reverie of upmost concentration. *’Light this worthy servant, add fire to the dry wax of his candle, and set alight his spirit with a granting of might!’*\n\nNick’s eyelids swished open only to view himself once again midair, enemy beneath; their mace circling dangerously close to his exposed knees. The wind rustled; ash rumbled; his muscles tensed in a different sense then usual, as though awakening from a long nap for the first time. His pupils were suddenly bleached from their usual hazel colouring, a vibrant yellow with a dash of fiery orange alighting in their stead.\n\nAs if torn asunder and dragged from the heavy chains of heaven itself, a baring of sunlight blazed downwards in large slits of light, setting the end of Nick’s sword alight with a hearty blaze.\n\nThe blistering warmth of the newborn sun was the last sight the other man would ever bear witness to; his body spit in two sharply from the torso, his cloak soon nothing more than a few burnt embers."
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[WP] You enter the supervillains hideout, fully prepared for an epic battle. Instead, you find them sitting at their desk, a cell phone in hand. And they're crying. As they become aware of your presence they give you a sad, apologetic smirk and ask: "Please... can we not do this today?"
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I had not expected the villain, only known as, \"Feralgur\", to have been such an individual. The lady, disheveled and sobbing, was sitting behind her desk, assorted things strewn everywhere, her hand clasping a phone to her ear.\n\n​\n\n\"Sammy? Is everything okay? I can't really hear you dear?\"\n\n​\n\nI had no intention of eavesdropping on her conversation. Yet with my slightly-better-than-normal hearing, the motherly voice on the other end of the call came loud and clear. My least impressive *superpower*, being completely useless, and if anything kind of inappropriate at a time like this.\n\n​\n\n\"*Look, we both know why you're here, but could we not do this today?*\" *Feralgur* clasped her hand over her phone's microphone receiver as she whispered, \"*I've kinda got a family emergency.*\"\n\n​\n\nHer forced smile pricked a heartstring I did not think I could have for the \"terror\" who was supposed to be *Feralgur*. The cogs in my brain were working in overdrive as I tried to piece all this information together. My mouth, however, had other plans.\n\n​\n\n\"*I'll- er- I'll be waiting outside if you need someone to talk to.*\"\n\n​\n\nI blinked in shock as the words left my mouth, *Feralgur* wrinkling her eyebrows in confusion. I shrugged a little before gently closing the door and standing outside her room awkwardly.\n\n​\n\nI had spent a week tracking down the new \"supervillain\". While the media had painted *Feralgur* as some kind of up-and-coming technological terrorist, her \"crimes\" have been little but mild annoyances in my eyes.\n\n​\n\nShe might have halted public transport on a Monday morning, and then on Friday evening that same week. People were upset, some even took to the Internet to air their grievances about this \"modern villain\". But this paled in comparison to when \"Bloodfarer\" caused a literal blood storm over the ports and halted all sea travel for over two weeks. That was an aftermath I had no control over, my powers of flight and super strength meant jack-for-shit when it came to cleaning up the ocean of blood. Needless to say, my sonic voice and skin enhancing proved useless as well. God knows how my slightly more sensitive hearing could have helped.\n\n​\n\nAnd again, *Feralgur* might have disrupted digital banking services for six hours that same week, but she did that in the wee hours of the night. Some weird night owls took to the Internet once again, but I was not even aware till two days after. This just could not compare to the time \"Omnipresence\" held all the major banks in the city hostage with their ability to duplicate themselves. I barely managed to identify their main body and neutralize them with my super speed and almost stopping time. Needless to say, running fast enough to alter time was not something without consequence, as even with my skin enhancing abilities, I was out of commission for a whole week after that escapade. I swore to never run that fast again.\n\n​\n\nWhat drove me to come and hunt *Feralgur* in person however, was arguably a step beyond everything else she had done before. Taking over a secret military drone base and stealing one of the latest surveillance drones was something I could not sit around and ignore. Especially not when the government, local authorities, and military officials began breathing down my neck.\n\n​\n\nI honestly thought she had more up her sleeves, perhaps some secret anti-personnel defenses, a small army of weaponized drones, or even a lair filled with traps. As if her very normal looking apartment building was not puzzling enough, the dismantled surveillance drone piled on her couch in the living room did not help. When I followed the indistinct sobbing and got to her room, I really did not expect to see a middle-aged lady sitting at a table in such disrepair. While I was a little disappointed, I was also very confused as to what her motivations were. She did not seem like much of a \"supervillain\". Heck, most of her \"villainous\" acts the media reported were really just a little worse than juvenile pranks.\n\n​\n\n\"Y- You're still here.\"\n\n​\n\nThe raspy voice of *Feralgur* interrupted my train of thought as her room door opened soundlessly. I took a step back in surprise as I took a closer look at the lady in front of me. Her unkempt shoulder length hair seemed a little glossy, perhaps greasy. The stale air coming from her room behind her made the latter seem more likely. The person of said hair did not smell particularly fresh either, her clothes having seen better days apparently. I spotted a stain near the hem of her shirt.\n\n​\n\n\"Yeah- I- Well- You're- I'm sorry.\"\n\n​\n\nI fumbled over my words as I tried to decide on what to say. Given the phone call with who I presumed to be her mother, the aforementioned family emergency, and the sorry state she was in, I felt apologetic for many reasons. Whatever she was trying to do with the surveillance drone no longer seemed as important as I regarded the mess of a person in front of me.\n\n​\n\n\"You're here to turn me in, aren't you? I haven't really done anything with the drone yet, so could you just take it back and come back for me in a week? Maybe two? I promise I'll go quietly.\"\n\n​\n\nI had yet to say anything and this lady was already surrendering. Any other time I would have suspected a trap or some sort of ruse, but she just seemed genuinely exhausted and defeated.\n\n​\n\n\"Look- I- This- I really don't consider you the 'supervillain' the media makes you out to be. I mean whatever this is, doesn't really scream 'evil' to me, y'know?\"\n\n​\n\nI made a sweeping gesture at her downfallen apartment, and then at her, shrugging. I just felt bad for her, whatever it was she was going through.\n\n​\n\n\"Look, you like you could use someone to share your burdens with, so what kind of a hero would I be if I turned a blind eye to that? Maybe you should go freshen up while I let myself into your kitchen and whip something up for you and you can tell me what's going on. That sound good?\"\n\n​\n\nThe lady in front just stared blankly at me, as if not understanding what I said. I barely managed to catch her as her knees gave out and she just sobbed into my chest. I could only awkwardly hold her steady against me in a weird kneeling hug. It felt wrong to try to move her as she sobbed, and so I knelt there, gently stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort her.\n\n​\n\nI was not expecting anything too crazy when I came here. A fight sure, maybe a little bit of \"fireworks\" were there explosives. Or even some collateral property damage even, *Feralgur* seemed quite adept with technology after all, who knew what she had done with the military surveillance drone. Whatever the hell I was doing with *Feralgur* sobbing in my embrace? I had no contingency for this.\n\n​\n\nEdit: Grammar"
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[WP] Today, 7.8 billion people walk planet. A madman's experiment leaves 7000 left by tomorrow. Ageless, biologically stable, effectively divine in strength, and capable of warping the world around them on a whim. Not two decades later, those left brought that number down to a mere 1000.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"We were told that we had become gods. Beings of unimaginable power, capable of changing the world as we see fit with mere thought.\n\nAnd so we did what humans do. We built, we created, we imagined. Landscapes of angelic beauty, a luscious paradise for those of us lucky enough to survive. Had they forgotten at what cost?\n\nBut it wasn't enough, nothing would ever be enough for the greed of humanity. And so we fought, great wars that lasted centuries, destroyed the so called beauty we had created, until there were a measly one thousand left.\n\nDevoid of all meaning, I searched for years tracing back the origin of the experiment. Something deep within the recesses of my mind was clawing its way to the surface, begging to be uncovered. Something I didn't want to believe.\n\nAnd then one day, I found it. The cost.\n\nIt seems that we weren't as divine as we thought after all. The ones who were destroyed didn't just vanish, they gave their life for us, they became us. \nThey were converted into pure energy and that energy is within those of us who remain. I guess we weren't so perfect after all.\n\nAs soon as I realised this, I knew something had to be done. To finally rid humanity of this sickness that plagued us all. There were notes left over, the scribblings of a crazy man, but it made enough sense. Just as they had once created us, so too could we bring them back, but at a cost.\n\nPerhaps they would make better choices then we had. Perhaps they would figure out what our humanity had cost us."
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[WP] When it was discovered that the immortal dark wizard could never truly be killed, a new holiday, "National Hunt The Zombie King Day" was introduced instead.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Chains wrapped around his wrists, the Immortal hung his head in defeat. \"It is over. Finish me.\"\n\n\"We *can't*.\" Aetherios responded, filled with righteous anger. His voice echoed off of the cave’s walls. “You have sealed yourself off from the flow of time, from contact with both God and Death, and the In-Between will not have you. You achieved perfect immortality.”\n\nThe Immortal looked to Aetherios with fear in his eyes. “What will you do with me?”\nAetherios looked over his shoulder at the other members of his party.\n\n“We could imprison him.” Briar suggested.\n\n“We could also *use* him.” Sasha replied.\n\n“Do tell.” Aetherios said, perching upon a rock.\n\nSasha spoke directly to the Immortal for the first time. “You caused a great deal of distress and pain in this world, Immortal, whether or not you realized it. Famine from your interference, disease from your negligence, war from your indifference. Much, much war from your indifference. We did not hunt you for nothing.”\n\n“I...understand. It is my own fault. I let my higher pursuits get the better of me. So enchanted with the magical arts that I could not look past my obsession and into my actions.”\n\n“Yet, before all of this, you were a simple warrior, were you not?”\n\n“Before I was flung into magic, yes.”\n\n“We will punish you for your wanton murders. We will ensure justice is done upon you. But it should also be accounted for that you were forced down this path- and that you can redeem yourself through acts of service.”\n\n“What must I do?” He asked.\n\n“Aetherios, you would not have become the fierce warrior you are today if you did not have this perfect rival to pit yourself against. With him to compete with, you’ve reached heights most could never dream of.”\n\n“Aye.”\n\n“Evie, your gifts have developed beyond reckoning because of the experiences we’ve had.”\n\n“Aye.”\n\n“Once per year, you are to present yourself to the world. Bestow upon us a war to fight, with no real victims- summon spirits, create golems. Give us puzzles to solve. Give humanity a cause to unite behind so that we may stop all this infighting and madness. Be the Immortal Dark Wizard, undefeated, indefatigable, yet stoppable- so that humanity may learn to progress.”\n\nThe Immortal looked into Sasha’s eyes. “Yes. I will do this. It is the least I can do, and the most that I can expect. Even if I am run through with swords every year, by rights you could be torturing me every single day.”\n\n“This will also allow you time to continue to pursue your studies- but be mindful of the actions you take.”\n\n“Much kinder than I would have been.” Aetherios grunted, but as he stood, he cut the chains that held the Immortal. “If you fail, Immortal, we can find you again, and a lifetime of torture is still on the table.”\n\n“I understand.” The Immortal said, then they departed into the night, leaving the Immortal alone, his previous castle destroyed- but this fine cave made of crystal and rock to be his new secret base.\n\n-----------------------------------\n\n**One Year Later**\n\nFire swept through the trees surrounding the village. Corpses were stacked into a high pile, and as time went on, more and more of them were being reanimated to roam the village, causing destruction wherever they went...or so it seemed. The corpses were actually dolls, and the destruction was mostly property damage, with no innocents being harmed.\n\n“Bring me your finest champion!” Bellowed the Immortal, enjoying his theatrics. “Bring me your strongest, your bravest, your wisest! Let them all fall before me!”\n\nThe Immortal couldn't wait to see who they would bring this year.\n\n-----------------\nr/nystorm_writes for more like this :)"
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[WP] Some call it "the moving city", others call it "the city on the back of a beast", we call it Home
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I am priest of the black cherub, last of the beasts, last of the sphinx, last of the snakes.\r \nAt the first moment of the crack of dawn, a long, blackened tongue licks its head which of I am standing on. Some saliva dribbles down, but the bucket envelopes the rest.\r \nI pour a little into my own cup. Then, I pour the leftover saliva into the snaky towns below me. The residents scrabble out for it.\r \nTaking one last glance at the black, scaly creature on which the city is built, I stroke the back of its head. Its enveloping dark wings flutter a little as it flies across the sky, across the world, across the sand.",
"Giant, crumbling stacks retch black smog, blotching the sky from view. The heart of our home is endlessly fed the deceased heaped against the scorched, arching dome, the massive conflagration giving use of their dead matter. Shelters crammed together, caked in ash and rust. Alleys wide enough to only fit two shriveled denizens, snaking throughout, all leading to the heart. \n\nWe breed for our home, birth for our home, live for it, and give ourselves willingly when we pass on. What other use do we have? \n\nThe endless desert crossing beneath our crooked, bent legs is desolate, no sign of another home, life. We wait for the fire's call and pray that one day it'll give way to another place, another home. We wait to be given purpose.\n\nI hear clanging in the distance and know it's time. Kiss my child on her bald head, wipe the tears away, smearing soot across her pale cheek. You'll be with me soon, I say, then hobble out of the shelver. More have been called and together we make our way to the flames. \n\nWe're all smiling.\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."
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Curious to see what your imagination could come up with in a world where everyone communicates effectively and understands each other's points.
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[WP] While dusting off an old dictionary, you summon a genie. For your first wish, you wish that everyone on earth had perfect communication and comprehension skills.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*"
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[WP] You’re the owner of a simple cafe, though your business hours are strange. You only operate during the night, from 9pm-5am. Needless to say, you come across interesting patrons looking for a spot to pull their all-nighters.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\\[Royal Suggestion\\] \n\n\"Oh, Roger,\" the old man wiped his hands dry on his apron. He turned and nodded towards the end of the diner at a large booth. \"That's him down there,\" he said. The booth looked empty to Ruby at first, but then she saw the back of a man's head. He was bowing low as if hunched over the table eating.\r \n \r \n\"Thanks,\" she nodded at the old man and walked to the booth. Ruby was surprised to see so many people there at three in the morning. She was usually asleep at this time herself; but, she had an alarm wake her for this. She could have sent him a message but Ruby was still feeling her mother's disappointment and wanted to do her best. In this case that meant making the pitch in person.\r \n \r \nSeveral of the tables she passed were occupied by a single person and their mess. Some of them had messes of books or notebooks, others had computers. By the time she reached Roger's table, she no longer expected to find him eating; and, she was right.\r \n \r \nThe dark-haired man with mechanical arms leaned over the table with his attention on a small golden rectangle. Different-sized cubes sat around the table glowing in different colors; gold, purple, green, blue, and red. His mechanical fingers whirred across a keyboard. An orange translucent visor covered his eyes and Ruby could see text flying up it from the other side. Ruby knew better than to interrupt, but he seemed to sense someone was there.\r \n \r \n\"Be with you in a sec,\" he said without moving. Now that he was aware of her, Ruby felt comfortable sitting down. She slid into the other side of the booth. She waited for several moments, then the golden glow around the rectangle died down. He tapped the side of his head and the orange visor disappeared, then he looked up at Ruby.\r \n \r \n\"Howdy. What can I do for you?\" he asked.\r \n \r \n\"Hi, Roger, my name's Ruby,\" she extended her hand. He reached across the table and accepted her greeting. \"I'm here representing Chroma Corp.,\" she added as they shook hands.\r \n \r \n\"Are you familiar with the Nexus Academy?\" she asked after letting go. Roger nodded.\r \n \r \n\"Toku-high? Sure, I'm familiar,\" he said.\r \n \r \n\"This is the first year the school is in operation and Chroma wants to make it as exciting and memorable as possible for the students. One of the teams suggested a Halloween event. It was meant to be a simple dungeon but Chroma has thrown her complete support, and all her resources behind the idea.\"\r \n \r \n\"I hope this is where I come in...,\" Roger said. He glanced deliberately at the node sitting on the table to remind her he was still working on something.\r \n \r \n\"The quick version is, the city is being divided into four zones and Chroma wants a recognized derby team to occupy each zone for a few weeks. You'd serve as an optional faction more than anything. Give the students quests and rewards.\" Roger narrowed his eyes at Ruby.\r \n \r \n\"So I don't have to do anything for Chroma Corp. that I don't want to?\" Ruby shook her head and smiled. She knew she had him already.\r \n \r \n\"You could even leave the quest assignments to your guildies and keep doing...,\" she waved her hands over the stacks of glowing cubes. \"... this in a proper Chroma Corp. lab with any equipment you need. Chroma's only interested in having CyberRiot present on campus.\"\r \n \r \n\"And who else?\" Roger asked. \"You said four zones.\" Ruby nodded.\r \n \r \n\"You're the first captain I've asked. Magi-knights and Honeybees are the rest of the list. I was hoping to get suggestions for a fourth team. Chroma doesn't want to ask Star Brigade for obvious reasons,\" Ruby shrugged.\r \n \r \n\"Alright,\" Roger nodded. \"CyberRiot is in, though I'm sorry I don't have a suggestion for you.\"\r \n \r \n\"Thanks anyway! I'll make sure you get the details on your zone in time to start on Monday. Your base is already reserved.\" Ruby grinned and stood from the booth. She waved at Roger and walked away as his orange visor reappeared.\r \n \r \n\"Thanks!\" she waved at the old cook as she left the diner. Ruby felt like visiting Roger in person was the right choice. She got the impression that he'd have let a message sit unread for quite a while but now she was in and out in less than 10 minutes. And best of all, he agreed. Ruby stood outside in the cool night air and wondered where her next stop should be. It was too early to bother any of the other guilds she was interested in. As she considered her options, a sudden voice startled her.\r \n \r \n\"Hello, Ruby,\" the voice said. Ruby did not startle easily; she was a dragon. But it wasn't the sudden noise that scared her; it was the voice she recognized and all the implications it brought with it that made Ruby uneasy. She sighed and turned around to see a tall, pale young man with a sharp widow's peak dipping into his forehead.\r \n \r \n\"Hey, Oren,\" Ruby said. \"What brings you here?\"\r \n \r \n\"You've been asking for teams to make Halloween more fun for the students, right?\" Oren asked and he gave Ruby a sly smile. \"How about Gravewatch?\"\n\n\r \n\\*\\*\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1374 in a row. (Story #282 in year four.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on Sept. 6th and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until June 3rd. They are all collected at [this link.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hugoverse/comments/pj4t0b/tokuhigh_first_six_weeks/)"
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[WP] The knight took flight toward the lone tower, holding the princess and a dragon. The Dragon Slayer must not kill the last of its kind of the region, else the economical, political and environmental damage would be irreversible. Can the knight make it in time?
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Jerred raced on his horse as wind, hair floating in just as his thoughts were furiously floating in his head. *darn showoff, he just cant flex muscles in circus*. Yes Jerred is a knight but not savage, it's one thing to hunt down ghouls transforming graveyard into snacking table and other thing to be such empty headed to think that killing intelligent being, not causing any trouble is sign of heroism. \n\nHe knew Galork for long time, in addition to being dragon being great companion, nice, genuine, alway rushed in decions and great at chess (that in case he transformed to human form otherwise his claws were to big for pieces). And so called dragon slayer think that killing such creature is okay.\n\nForest carefully maintained by forest fires administrated by Galork disappeared in distance as he he galloped along.\n\nMore than dragon slayer himself was deserving of punishment king that did send him. *Old grumpy cheater* that's what he was, they made a deal. King and Dragon. Deal every single living beaing would expect from such duo. Money for first daughter.\n\nHe knew Litra oldest daughter of king, beautiful women she grew up to be . Eyes like diamonds, hair of raven wings, figure that goddess herself would envy. Like hourglass filled with beauty, cleavege that dragged eyes across room, hips one would beg to touch and face... Pure magnificence, every wrinkle, every feature like drawn by best painter.\n\nHe himself adviced Galork to choose her, obviously not for eating as some limited brains including dragon slayers thought. *Riddle me how these dumbasses think dragons roproduce*. Dragons as anybody else needed mates, for them it was fairly easy since they possessed ability to transform their bodies, they could choose from almost every living species but often went for humanoid races due to traits they wanted their offsprings to have. (mating with mice is unlike to result in talented child)\n\nHe waved back at villagers preparing annual celebration of harvest, luckily got away without being dragged to tavern for few pints. *yea folks no celebration if dumbass kills main quest* Galork loved these celebrations, alway brought gifts for people, ussualy magical trinkets of no real value but to simply entertain them and they were giving love back in same doses.\n\nOnly king was not favoring old folklore hero known as Fire spit. *some people should not be allowed to make deals* king changed his mind about deal when payment came to be fulfilled, tried to back off saying that it's unfair to demand his child, sadly he did spent everything from dragon hoard. Money drowned in war, necklaces decoring lusting breasts of his harlots and weapons given to disloyal generals to buy them back. With law on his side Galork simply took what was his, even spared king of his wrath in his generosity.\n\nIn distance smoke was emerging from tower of his final destination. *oh no*. Last few stadiums horse flew like a wind, sword unsheated ready to defend his friend from malevolence of world trying to picture him as evil.\n\nClashing steel was heard before he seen anything. Through leafes two figures seen entrapped in duel for life and death. Galork was caught of guard in his human form unable to transform back in enclosed space and too proud to run.\n\nWith such force his horse almost fell to his knees stop was made by side of his friend. Dismounted from sadle and readied himself for upcoming fight realizing that man he reffered in his mind as to dumbass was menacing opponent.\n\nWith stare of death dragon slayer tower higher that any man he ever saw, denying his human origin reassembling more giant than his own kind. Muscles like boulders holding axe that would split house in half, with body covered in hides of games he slayed and small head of dragon on massive shoulder. \"Well well well knight of the realm licking boots of monster worth of despise\" \"Man fighting on side of injustice posses no right to cast judgment upon me\" dragon slayer spit on ground and smiled in their direction, without word readying his terrifying weapon.\n\nOne look to Galorks eyes was enough to understand hatred felt towards his opponent \"don't worry budy you won't be another trophy\" roar of giant, dragon and war cry of men melted in cacophony interrupted by clashing of weapons. With step back axe soaked into ground giving Galork chance to thrust his rapier into uncovered torso, giant pulled knife size of sword and blocked blow with ease. With force that shook ground he ripped axe from ground and made few steps back to avoid flank attacks. *around* Galork understood gesture made by sword and both started circling around foe. Without missing a beat axe drawn circle in air almost getting two fly in one hit. But this was his fatal mistake with such might given into blow even he didn't posses enough strength to stop double edged blade in air. Blood poured from his wounds on both side of his chest., yet still victory was not absolute, denying rules of life and death dragon slayer swang massive knife in attempt to cut anything living in close proximity, both left theyr weapons in his body and backed off until his body lost too much blood and consciousness fade away.\n\nAfter burying head of small dragon, with loot in form of fascinating axe and exotic hides they came back to tower where the den was located to find out the one responsible for fire was princess when she burden planned lunch. Luckily she managed to save what was savable and now enjoyed her success by sunbathing next to set table.\n\n\"Darling, I am home, we had little mingle with some so called dragon slayer but Jerred showed up in time to help out my old bones, remember like I was talking about him? \" princess not minding fact that she is in underwear in front of complete stranger stood up and walked towards him\" of course I remember how can I forget, brave and strong knight of realm fighting for justice wherever he goes\" to his utter surprise half naked woman came so close to him he could feel her breast even through his armor and blessed him with long kiss on lips \" brave, strong and as I see very handsome, why don't we...... Show how grateful we can be\" \"after lunch\" with honest laugh and pat on back Galork invited him to set table and sent his as turned out already wife to bring third set of dishes and change into something fairer that her home clothes when they are having quest that's staying night *oh my I didn't see that coming*"
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[WP] you fell out of a plane. You survived, but you landed in the middle of a cult's summoning circle. Now you've got this super-crazy group of followers with ties in practically everything who keep calling you god.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I never thought the day would come when I wanted to see my Aunt as much as I did at this moment. In a rebellious fit, or maybe I was just throwing a tantrum, I told her that my flight was delayed and that I wouldn't be arriving for another day. In truth, I was going to sneak a visit to Uncle Rick, whose address I had found in her dresser after searching months for a clue. I just wanted to show them that I could handle the truth and that they didn't need to treat me like a child anymore. Now lying here, in pain and probably dying, I realized that was the most childish thing I could do. I was just an immature child whose stupid, impulsive decision led them to fall thousands of feet out of the air.\n\nMy mind flashed back to the moment it happened. I had my headphones on at the time - noise-canceling, surround sound, immersive, platinum blue with sleek silver lining - and didn't hear the announcements. All I saw was panic and people running up and down, screaming, crying, and the like. I remembered being pushed around by passengers hurrying to save themselves and their loved ones. I remembered the air pressure strangling my cries and whisking away my tears before anyone could see them. I remembered the terrifying look in the onlooker's eyes, filled with sympathy, but no conviction. I remembered getting ripped away from my last lifeline.\n\nAnd I remembered... that I told my Aunt I would be on another flight so she won't think anything is wrong with me *and no one will come looking for meforanothertwentyfourhours-*\n\nAs the gravity of everything settled in my mind I unconsciously let out a helpless whimper.\n\n\"Silence, the Great One speaks!\" The unfamiliar voice shocked me out of my thoughts. *There's someone else here? Wait, are they talking to somebody else?* I tried to open my eyes, which I hadn't realized were closed till just now, but I couldn't. They were swollen shut.\n\n\"Hello? Is someone there?\" I said. Or at least tried to, but what really came out was a slurred, incomprehensible mess akin to a stereotypical zombie drawl.\n\n\"Oh, Great One,\" that same voice spoke again. \"Your words of wisdom are too great for us ignorant fools to comprehend. But just that you answered the summons of us lowly creatures, who dared to recreate you mightly seal, is benevolence enough that our lives have been fulfilled. Oh, Great One!\"\n\n\"Oh, Great One!\" A chorus of voices shot up from all around me and my heart stopped. Again. I had suspected that there was someone else, but from there sound of it, they were tens of people. Are all these people just staring at me? Why are none of them helping me?\n\n*'What are you talking about? Help me, please'* I tried to speak again, but again it sounded like garbled nonsense. My breathing quickened, causing a sharp pain to pierce through my chest, and the realization of pain made my breath quicken even more. *Were they referring to me as this 'Great One?' Why weren't they helping me?* Their reaction this time was more intense.\n\n\"Oh Great One, who has heeded our call, we offer our utmost gratitude! Please grant us your mercy on us ignorant cretins, and listen to our plea!\" \n\"We beseech you!\" The crowd followed in unison. I was already creeped out but now I felt goosebumps crawling up my arms. A nervous twitch in my leg reminded me of the condition I was in and I let out a small yelp, at which the crowd gasped.\n\n\"The Great One requires a sacrifice! Quick, bring a young one, pure of heart!\" What, no! How could you even get that! Someone just help me! Filled with rage or more accurately desperation, I gathered all the strength I could muster and lifted my arm as high as it would go, took a deep, painful, breath, and spoke. \n\"Help me!\" The first part was still garbled, but the last part came out clearly. It wasn't perfect, but they should hear that it's a human language right? Right?\n\n\"Wh-what? You want me?\" The first voice spoke, a sick mixture of glee and uncertainty. I still couldn't open my eyes, but I assumed I was gesturing in that person's direction. *NO!* I tried to say something else but I had expended the rest of my already non-existent strength on that last attempt at communication. \"If you wish, so will it be.\" The voice said with finality. \"Anything, for the great one. Go! Begin preparations for the Sacrificial Ceremony!\"\n\n*God, help me.* I don't know whether it was due to physical or mental strain, but I was too exhausted to stay awake any longer.\n\n*Wait, where are my headphones?* And my consciousness faded away.",
"The turbulence was sudden, harsh. The scud clouds to the starboard side looked like they were dropping from above at meters a second. Like a tornado was about to form above the rainforest. A fleeting thought of the impossibility, the destruction that could cause. Then my own destruction took my focus back.\r \n\r \n“Mayday, mayday. This is November tree Charlie Juliet Alpha. We have encountered …”\r \n\r \nHow the hell was I supposed to make sense of what I was seeing? It was a clear sky just a few minutes before. Routine, just a commute. Red lightning struck through the clouds, the center of the descending funnel shone pink for an instant. The bolt struck almost straight down through the towering trees.\r \n\r \nStatic on the radio. I’d trained for unplanned descents, but the panic took hold.\r \n\r \n“Help! Mayday! I’m … I’m experiencing some kind of weather even-“\r \n\r \nThe starboard wing rattled hard. The whole plane felt like it jerked to the right. I looked out the window just in time to see a branch clip the wing. There was debris being lifted from the canopy. The door ripped open, the sudden rush of wind robbed the air from my lungs. Having turned to look the headset hurled itself off my ears, the cable whipping my arm as all of it exited the plane.\r \n\r \nI jerked the flight controls, there was a snap, it was now slack in my hands. The pedals no longer responded. The instrument panel was alight with warnings.\r \n\r \nI don’t want to die.\r \n\r \nWith that final thought a branch pierced the flapping door, jutting out from the side of my seat. It had shredded through the lower seat belt, I could feel it displace the cushion of the chair beneath me. In another instant the protruding branch was struck, tearing the door from the hinges. The bough, with my door still run through, crashed backwards and parted my wing from the fuselage.\r \n\r \nMy harness, now only three connections strong, let me loose to the havoc outside. The right shoulder strap scrapping my face as I was pulled, practically separating my ear from my head. Before the pain could even catch up I was behind my plane. What looked like a denuded tree smashed through the cabin where I had just been sitting. The weight stressed the remaining wing, it flung free and fluttered like something much lighter.\r \n\r \nMore red lightning, but this time further out from the center of the clouds. I was cartwheeling slower and slower. In the distance I could see the blue sky I was promised. The clouds wrapped around me, darkness above, pink occasionally, and then a void that comes with sleep. \n\n\n\r• • • • • • • • • • \r \n\n\nThe whole world shook with the crack of thunder.\r \n\r \nI was laid out, limbs sprawled. The ground was soft, leathery almost. Leaves. Huge leaves.\r \n\r \nI opened my eyes slowly, the pain in my arm and pretty much the whole right side of my face suddenly throbbed. I clenched my eyes shut again. Whatever happened I’ll deal with in a moment. I reached, or rather tried to reach, for my head. My arm stopped about half way there when hands quickly grabbed my wrist. Gently? Like you would grab the hand of a child trying to touch something in a museum.\r \n\r \nThe chanting burst through the cacophony of wind and thunder.\r \n\r \nMy eyes sprung open. I reached with my other arm to grab the hands holding me down. My vision filled with familiar faces. It was a tribe I’d seen before, the burgundy paint in jagged stripes all over their exposed skin. I was surrounded by a broad circle of chanters, anticipation and fear hidden beneath the pigment.\r \n\r \nOne tribeswoman gingerly grabbed my reaching arm from over my head. Guiding it back into place away from my body, away from my secured arm, away from freedom. There was no contempt in her expression, just neutral and calm, despite the pandemonium around. I looked at my legs as more hands began to grope for my kicking feet. What looked like the leader was below me, arms raised straight up, eyes to the sky, chanting while the others stopped.\r \n\r \nHer head shook for a moment, an exasperated held note quaking through her larynx. The gasp, then a stare. Her jaw tucked in, eyes locked on my torso. I looked down further to my torn clothes and painted chest, a reticle shaped design centered around my sternum.\r \n\r \nA purple glow began to emanate from the art. All the hair on my body stood at attention, electricity flooding every sense. I knew the strike was coming, pure instinct.\r \n\r \nIt sounded like the sky cracked open, a sharp pause in the gale above, then just the sound of the lumber falling through the trees. The air hit first, like all the pressure of the weather above was being blown away, blown down, channeled. The hands holding my limbs were no longer required, I was pinned by the force of a localized, personalized maelstrom. The funnel above me filled with pink light, then the white of the bolt landed, square in my chest.",
"\"I felt like that damn whistle was never gonna blow today,\" Marty said as we waited in line at the punch clock. \"I swear the hours keep getting longer.\"\n\n\"Always seven when I get home,\" I said as I reached the front of the line and punched out. \"G'night Marty.\"\n\n\"Wha- whoa- wait, you ain't going drinkin' with us, Bob? Ain't now laws about it no more!\"\n\n\"Nah, the missus has got dinner waiting for me,\" I lied. \"I'll see you tomorrow, Marty.\"\n\n\"Suit yourself!\"\n\nI spent as little time at my locker as possible and walked with purpose down the main corridor as I pulled my coat on and sparked up a chesterfield. I pressed my had down on my head as I stepped out of the heat of the factory and into the cold bite of a Nebraska winter. The bus was already pulling up under the streetlight, about five minutes ahead of schedule according to my wristwatch. I picked up my pace– didn't want to wait another fifteen minutes for the next one.\n\nI played with my thumbs the whole ride home as my mind raced. I glanced out the window now and again, checking where we were and glancing at my watch. It was enough to draw the attention of a man whom I'd have really rather had nothing to do with.\n\n\"Feeling fidgety?\" He asked.\n\nI looked up to see a man in a nice black coat, black fedora. He had a thick mustache and a pair of eyeglasses which he peered at me through from across the isle. He absolutely reeked of lawman. I swallowed and scratched at my neck.\n\n\"Oh, no, I uhhh... I'm just hungry, that's all.\"\n\n\"Ah. I see,\" he responded. \"You're looking over your shoulder a lot lately.\"\n\nI froze.\n\nLately? Shit. Any doubt that he was a dick before left my mind. He was absolutely on the trail of something. I needed to shake him. I took a deep breath; not too deep, and responded as coolly as I could.\n\n\"Sorry pal, do I know you?\"\n\n\"I'm a friend,\" he responded.\n\n\"Ain't no friend of mine,\" I shot back.\n\n\"That's a Chesterfield you're smoking,\" he smiled. \"Those are my favorites too.\"\n\n\"They got a good flavor, yeah,\" I said as I reached into my coat and pulled the case out. I popped it open and pulled out a fresh cigarette and handed it to him across the isle.\n\n\"Thank you,\" he said as he took the cigarette and produced a lighter from his pocket. \"I'd say we're friends now,\" he said through the side of his mouth as he worked the lighter. His eyes met mine, \"wouldn't you?\"\n\nHe knew something.\n\nThis was bad.\n\nI realized at that moment that I couldn't lead him straight to my home. I glanced again out the window as my mind worked overtime. He said *lately*. He'd probably already *been* to my home. How long had he been following me? How could I not have noticed? I thought I'd been so careful.\n\n\"Pretty cold out to be so sweaty,\" he continued on as he exhaled smoke and watched me squirm under the pressure.\n\n\"Ha, yeah, I got a good coat,\" I said lightheartedly. \"And the runs,\" I added for good measure.\n\n\"Oh,\" he smiled. \"That'll do it too.\"\n\n\"Yeah, been eating too much steak lately, I think,\" I continued. \"Rudy's down on plaza, it's a really good diner. I know a waitress there named Katy; a real looker, that one. Young enough to be my daughter, I know, but a guy can't help but look.\"\n\nI watched him watch me.\n\n\"I'm in my forties, but the way,\" I added for good measure. \"I ain't no kid toucher. She's probably in her early twenties.\"\n\nI was sweating even more now. He shifted one of his legs onto his knee as he smoked his cigarette and eyed me like I was some kind of bug under his microscope. I don't know why I said all of that. Maybe I was more fearful of the silence than anything I could say. Should have been the other way around.\n\n*Stupid, stupid!*\n\nThe brakes of the bus screeched as it pulled up to my stop. I decided that the probability of him already knowing where I lived was pretty high. It would be even more cause for suspicion then, for me to get off at the wrong stop. It was a deadly game of poker we were playing and he was holding all the cards.\n\n\"This is our stop,\" he said as he stood up. \"Let's go.\"\n\nMy blood ran cold. I hesitantly stood up and eyed him carefully as we exited the bus. After the bus had pulled away and rounded the corner, he produced his badge.\n\nF.B.I.\n\nThe snow danced in the air around us under the streetlight as he stared into my soul. I couldn't help but start breathing heavy. My hands shook uncontrollably as I reached for the cigarette in my mouth and flicked it into the street.\n\n\"Had you pegged for a dick.\"\n\n\"I prefer the term detective,\" he said as he put his badge away. \"Detective Henry Coleson. I've been on your case for a few days now. You're a suspect for the murder of Hannah Darby.\"\n\n\"I... I'm a suspect?!\" I nearly laughed. \"Detective, you- you've got it all *wrong!*\" I pleaded. \"I ain't the guy!\"\n\n\"Guy?\" He asked.\n\n\"Oh, come *on!*\" I threw my arms in the air. \"A dame never bumped anyone off!\"\n\n\"Take me to your home,\" he insisted, ignoring me entirely.\n\nThere really wasn't any way out of this. I could hardly believe my rotten luck as I swallowed and slowly turned around to face my house. There was nothing left to do. Nowhere left to go. We slowly made our way across the street and through the fresh snow up to my gate. My mind raced. There had to be some way to shake him off. Some way to save him from what awaited him in that house. We passed through the gate and up to my door. I pushed the key into the lock and looked over my shoulder.\n\n\"Henry, I uhh... I got a big dog,\" I cautioned. \"Real aggressive type too.\"\n\n\"I trust you to handle it,\" he responded firmly. \"Open the door, Robert.\"\n\n- - -\n\n[Part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/A15MinuteMythos/comments/q7dccl/wp_you_fell_out_of_a_plane_you_survived_but_you/)\n\nr/A15MinuteMythos",
"Ruben, having known nothing at all about magic, cults, or occult ritual prior to Tuesday the twelfth, learned something rather surprising in his fall from airborne grace. He learned that, when the stars aligned and the right stuff was in retrograde, and the people involved in the magic, cults, and occult ritual believed very strongly, they could produce an updraft of their own bullshit powerful enough— in a pinch— to substitute for a parachute. Buoyed down to the ground on a wave of cultic bullshit, Ruben had roughly thirty seconds of pure joy before the reality of his situation sank in.\n\n“God has come!” a cloaked, decrepit old man shouted.\n\nThe call ran through the summoning circle like wildfire, spreading from old, palsied voices to sweet young sopranos, howled by great musclebound freaks of nature and chorused by the barking of dogs. And in the midst of it sat Ruben, naked save for the pair of startlingly white underwear they’d left him with to “feel at home in the clouds,” his body scalded pink by the violent updraft of bullshit that had saved him.\n\n“God has come!” the old man shouted again, approaching. He stripped off his robe, his body beneath even more wizened than the tip of nose that had jutted out from his hood; Ruben felt as if a lanky, overdried apricot hovered over him as the man handed him the robe. Ruben sniffed it, regretted that decision very much, and decided his underwear was more than sufficient.\n\n“Pardon me,” he said, clambering to his feet, “but if I look like God to you I think you might need to get your eyes checked.”\n\nUpon hearing that the old man popped his two glass eyes out of his head, handed them to Ruben to be checked, and then explained at great, circuitous length the prophecy that his arrival fit. Ruben listened, his mouth gradually falling farther open, the old man’s querulous voice fading out next to the roaring in his ear. The cultists gathered around him, some touching him, some whispering, all of it unpleasant, even when a striking young woman with violet eyes ran her hand down his spine.\n\nWhen he was done Ruben understood precisely nothing of what the old man had said, aside from something about his never leaving, which troubled him a bit. Ruben was, he thought, quite screwed. Through the press of black robed cultists he could see distant mountain peaks, a verdant forest; he assumed, of course, that such a cult as this would only exist in the very remotest of wastes. He assumed this until, a few moments later, a car horn in the distance shattered the quiet of their grove.\n\nThe striking young woman with the violet eyes leaned in, whispered a few unutterable things Ruben tried to shut out, and then said, “We live to obey.”\n\nAnd Ruben, who was not a particularly bright man (as evidenced by his incident in the clouds), had a rather clever idea. He turned towards the woman, considered her angular, pretty features as he thought, and then pitching his voice as low and stately as he could, said “Do any of you know the most important lesson in the bible?”\n\n“Tell us!” the crowd shouted.\n\nRuben nodded sagely and they fell to their knees, all save the striking young woman and the apricot man who crowded in at his sides, his self appointed high priest and priestess. “The most important lesson of the bible,” Ruben said, “lies at the very beginning. God made the world. He made all the things that lay upon it. He made man, in his own image. And then on the seventh day, having been quite exhausted by all of that business, he rested. Even Gods need to rest you know.”\n\nThe woman nodded, drew closer and then closer still, until the fall of her robes wreathed his side whenever the wind blew. Ruben said, “you live to obey?”\n\nAnd the crowd chorused, “we live to obey!”\n\n“Excellent! Then I declare every day ending in Y to be a Sunday, and further declare that in the great tradition of Gods before me, I shall need to withdraw a while to rest.” Ruben gestured vaguely towards the sky, “my workings were quite strenuous, you see.”\n\nHe left them then, whispering and wondering. Ruben slipped through the crowd, occasional hands trailing across his skin or grasping at his underwear, and then he was free, bearing towards the east where the car horn had sounded.\n\n“Would my lord like help resting?” a small voice said at Ruben’s side. He turned, saw the woman with the violet eyes, and though her touch had been unpleasant only minutes ago he thought now that yes, he very much would. Then he smelled the sour scent of aging flesh and turned again to see the apricot man.\n\n“We can help you, my lord,” the old man said, his voice low, throaty, and unsettling.\n\n“Oh,” Ruben said.\n\nTogether they walked east until the trackless depths of the park gave way to a path and then a road. People honked, park rangers were called. Eventually, Ruben and the apricot man were given clothing.\n\nLate into the night in a grimy hostel some miles from where Ruben had fallen and been born anew, the woman with the violet eyes sat down beside Ruben on his rented bunk bed and said “Sunday was always my favorite day.”\n\n“And why is that?” Ruben said, though he was exhausted and not particularly curious at the moment, no matter how pretty she was.\n\nShe pushed him back into the bed and leaned over him. Pale hair fell artlessly from her messy bun; beneath her robes she had worn a ripped old band tee, one shoulder and the graceful line of her collarbone exposed by the fall of the stretched cotton. “Because I always made the most of the weekend.”\n\n“Me too,” said the apricot man, emerging from the darkness.\n\nExhausted, annoyed, and still a bit scalded, Ruben took his pillow and blanket to a more crowded corner of the room. Falling asleep that night felt like falling out of a plane forever, chased by scalding winds, violet eyes, and pitted, moldering old fruit.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nSo that was weird. If you enjoyed that, I've got way more over at r/TurningtoWords. Come check it out, I'd love to have you!",
"I *still* don't even begin to understand what happened. I had been flying with a friend when his plane had a catastrophic failure. When I say catastrophic failure, what I mean is there was literally a crack in the aluminum and the plane split in half I never liked wearing my seatbelt in small planes so I had unbuckled mine while we were cruising. I was ejected clean from the plane.\n\nI had been an avid skydiver for years and once I realized that I was falling, I immediately flattened out and tried to figure out where I would land that perhaps I might survive, and more importantly be found by other people because I knew this was going to hurt!\n\nSomehow I set a course towards some pine trees, a huge Grove of them. My Hope was that if I hit the tops of them the branches would slow my fall without breaking my bones at the top and maybe I could catch on to a branch. Or maybe, it would just slow me enough to where I might not actually break my legs when I hit. I figured as long as my legs weren't broken I could walk out. I have to add that the ideas that were running through my brain so quickly during this was amazing. I am certain from the time the plane split to when I slammed into the tops of the pines had to be 30 seconds or less.\n\nI don't know what kind of trees they were that I hit but it was almost like the trees caught me, like someone would catch a baby. The lower branches somehow I was able to make some sort of rubbing purchase to them where they slowed me down and eventually I plopped very unceremoniously onto the ground. I laid on the ground for a moment to collect myself and try to figure out before I got up, just what I had broken or strained during the fall. I remember hearing about this from stuntman how they would do this after a big stunt that might have gone wrong to make sure that they assess what might be hurt before they just jumped up and caused more damage.\n\nI laid on the ground with my eyes closed heck, I'm pretty sure that I didn't have my eyes open as I fell through the trees, probably trying to protect them from branches poking them out. What I didn't realize is that they were people standing around me in a circle is my brain slowly let my senses start to acclimate post shock I heard soft chanting. I slowly opened my eyes and when I realized that my neck wasn't broken or even hurting I slowly glanced around. There were seven people in hooded robes standing around a circle that had been burned into the forest floor. Somehow, I was in the center of that circle.\n\nI flexed my legs and my arms and was really surprised that other than a little soreness, I had no real damage. I sat up, and when I did, the chanting stopped. There was a gasp amongst those in the circle and that's what I noticed that there were at least 30 other people standing about outside the circle in the woods.\n\n\"Uh, hi. I'm really not sure what you guys are doing here, but you're just not going to believe I fell...\"\n\n\"He has arrived! All of us should rejoice as our prayers have been answered! The new God is here to replace the false god!\", One of the robed ones off to my right declared.\n\nI stood up slowly, and took a step towards the edge of the circle where the man was heralding me as some sort of deity. There was another gasp as I crossed the outer line burned in the ground.\n\n\"Where am i? I don't think you understand what I said earlier. The plane I was flying in broke up in air. I'm pretty sure I know the direction where my plane, the rest of it crashed. We need to find my friend the pilot.\" I pointed in the direction that I believed we had been traveling\n\n\"We don't know of this plane that you speak however we have been praying for your appearance in this grove every year for the past 7 years! Today our prayers for answered and you have appeared to us. We rejoice in knowing you!\". They then all down and drops to their knees in supplication.\n\n\"Honestly people! I am the one who should be praying at this point! I fell out of an airplane. We have to go find where the rest of the plane crashed and maybe my friend survived because this Forest if it caught me and cushioned me enough for my fall I'm sure my friend has a much better chance of surviving inside the aluminum body of the plane with some cushioning.\"\n\n\"Don't you see Lugroff, our prayers called you here! It is your time to begin your Ascension and rule this entire planet. \"\n\n\"How do you know my name?\" I was really confused at this point because they knew my name was Lewis Groff.\n\n\"It was foretold that our prayers would be answered in this clearing. You may not have known it before, but it is your time to rise. It is foretold you will be a benevolent ruler and bring peace to all by demanding that all mankind been there need to you.\"\n\n\"You live to serve me? Go now and find my friends crashed plane. Is there cell phone service out here? Or did any of you bring a satellite phone? Because I need to get a hold of people,\"I thought about my next words carefully while I didn't want to take advantage of a bunch of gullible rubes, they may have had resources that could help me save my friend. \"I don't see anybody moving GO!\"\n\nAll of the sudden there was a flurry of motion as cell phones came out people looking for a signal, then somebody pulled out an old school satellite phone, and made a phone call I heard them mentioning plane crash and they actually gave coordinates to look.\n\nThat was 8 years ago things have gotten, a little more crazy since then."
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[WP] A superhero spends a day working at a fast food restaurant to gain publicity for a charity. They decide to become a supervillain after serving the public.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Behind the fence is where Eliza spent most of her time when meditating. She envisioned it wrapping around her mind with just a few spaces to peer through into the outer world. The part that the fence encircled is what Eliza called the *backyard*, and it is where you could find tufts of green grass, potted flowers, and a large iron swing set with two seats dangling from chains. She'd sit in one of the seats and swing back and forth, tucking her feet in when she lunged backwards and kicking them out as she swung upwards, getting a slight peek over the fence. It was there that she could see the outer world, there that she could see the things that her fence wouldn't protect her from. If it became too much for her, she'd slow her pace down and swing slower, opting to not tuck her feet back or kick them out as hard as before. \n\nIt was here behind the fence and in the backyard that Eliza didn't have to see what everyone's inner thoughts were. It was here where she could find some peace and quiet. It was how she usually liked it. Honestly, it was how she would *always* have it, but her ability to see each and every person's deepest and most profound inner thought was too valuable to just have sitting in the backyard. \n\n\"You're unbelievable valuable to the team,\" the Empress had told her. Eliza didn't have to read her mind to know that what she was saying was true. The leader of the team had never lied to them before, and Eliza was there to ensure it. \"But you need to get more used to your power. We can't have you sulking away for months at a time every time you help us track someone down.\" \n\nEliza had pursed her lips at that. The Empress had *no* clue what it was like to have to trudge through the grime that was laden in criminals' thoughts. Never had to *feel* it slosh it's way all over her mind, filling the cracks and crevices like prehistoric tar, carcasses decaying. If she ate regularly, she'd vomit at just the thought of it. \n\nBut still, the Empress had never once led her wrong, and perhaps having a bit more exposure would eventually get Eliza to come to terms with her power. Perhaps it would give her a way to just *not* spend so much time in the backyard. \n\nThere was a charity going on for superheroes, an event to let them work at fast food restaurant. The Empress suggested it to Eliza, and Eliza had turned it down multiple times. But this time, the Empress approached her with a slight variation: \n\n\"Just go in your street clothes. No one has to know you're the Mind Reader. Just do it to get a little bit of exposure, just for yourself.\" \n\nEliza begrudgingly agreed before turning inward to have a few swings in her backyard. \n\n\n***\n\nHer first day was at a Taco Joint on a Saturday morning. Thankfully, that was the same day that the City-Day Festival was happening, all the way across town. Crowds would be gathering at the city center to view the parade spearheaded by the Empress and several other superheroes. It was the perfect way for Eliza to become accustomed to the role. \n\nEliza sat on the curb, her apron draped over her knee, smoking a cigarette and waiting for her assigned trainer to arrive. From what she was told, he was a nice teenage boy by the name of Enrique. She exhaled a plume of smoke and tilted her head up towards the sky to enjoy a few more moments of the cotton candy pink sky before the sun fully rose and the day got started. This parking lot was almost as good as her backyard. \n\nA beater of a car pulled into the parking lot, driven by an elderly Hispanic woman. In the passenger seat was a skinny boy with a pencil-thin mustache. He leaned over the center console and kissed what Eliza suspected was his grandmother on the cheek and began to gather his things from the foot well. Even through the glass window, Eliza was picking up some slight murmurings of their inner thoughts. \n\nAll of the words that were coming through were in Spanish, which Eliza had no clue what they meant, but it wasn't just words that she picked up. It was also the feelings and emotions. The grandmother was tired, and Eliza could feel the arthritis in her hands as they gripped the steering wheel. Eliza could feel the pain in the woman's toes and ankles as she held down the brake pedal. As for the boy, Enrique, Eliza could hear his thoughts in a mixture of English and Spanish, but she did her best to ignore them. She wanted to give her trainer some form of privacy. It was much more difficult to ignore the feelings, though. She could feel that he was tired, too, and hungry. \n\nHe stepped out of the car and gently shut the door, as if he were worried that closing it too hard would probably make the door fall off. From the way the car rolled out of the parking lot and spewed smoke, it probably would have fallen off. \n\n\"Hey! Sorry for making you wait. My name's Enrique!\" he said, walking up to Eliza. He held out his hand for a handshake.\n\n\"Eliza,\" she said, picking herself up from the curb dusting off her hand, and then shaking his hand. \"No worries on the wait.\" \n\nThey exchanged several more pleasantries and then made their way into the store. \n\n***\n\nInside the store, Eliza was introduced to several of the other workers who were working the morning shift. One was named Aretha who was a very friendly and vocal woman. Doing her best to ignore Aretha's thoughts, Eliza couldn't help but feel that the woman was feeling rather jovial. Eliza picked up several keywords such as \"daughter\" and \"home\", but she didn't want to loiter too much in the mind space of a coworker. Another one of the workers was Derek, a man who was in the back of the store unloading prepackaged food fillings from boxes. The feeling that Eliza got from him was also happy and content. \n\nAfter several hours of training with Enrique, Eliza found herself very confident in making most of the items that were served on the menu. It was rather easy considering the fact that most of the food items were just the same things, but rearranged. A criticism that Enrique didn't take too kindly too. He was proud of the place he worked at. Eliza had at first thought she truly offended him, but after taking a bit of a look into his mind, she could tell that he wasn't actually upset. \n\nShe liked the crew that she worked with, and for the most part, she liked the job. It was simple, and slow. Nothing like reading the minds of serial killers. Here, in the kitchen, things were *normal*. The overall aura of the place was soothing. \n\nThe day ended, and Eliza found herself going back to her home feeling content and smelling like taco meat. When she went to sleep that evening, she didn't find herself meditating back to the backyard like she usually did on days that involved so much contact with other people. Instead, she ruminated on the day, and the people she made. New friends filled with good feelings. \n\nIt wasn't until the Sunday morning shift that she had all of the good feelings violently replaced."
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[WP] Death and Satan are bitter rivals and actively sabotage each other in increasingly petty ways.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Death!\" Satan yelled at the top of his lungs, storming up the spiral cobblestone staircase. Soot coated the hot steps and grey ash filled the crevices.\n\nHe got to the top of the keep that overlooked the fiery hellscape of...well...Hell. Death stood in his normal business attire, a midnight black cloak, gazing over the tortured souls in the lake of fire. Their screams moved like a breeze, whispering their pain to anyone that would hear it.\n\n\"What up Lucy?\" Death said, still entranced by the horrific scene below.\n\n\"Don't you give me that Lucy shit! I know what you did.\"\n\nDeath turned to Satan, \"Whatever do you mean?\"\n\n\"You took that soul before his time. I have been planning his soul's demise for years!\"\n\n\"How was I supposed to know your plans? You sure took your sweet time with Hal?\"\n\n\"I thought I had more time with him.\"\n\n\"Life is a funny thing. You never know how much time you got.\" Death said, tapping his sythe on the floor.\n\n\"Fuck you, Death. You aren't supposed to take sides.\"\n\nDeath cocked his head, \"I'm not.\" \n\nSatan took a step back and his eyes got big, \"You're still mad my demon killed that family of yoga instructors last year.\"\n\n\"Those were mine and you knew it!\"\n\n\"Ah ha! So this is payback.\" Satan said, pointing at him.\n\n\"All I did was do my job. Your man went out of his way to take my job.\"\n\n\"What are you complaining about? Not being able to kill?\"\n\n\"I don't kill. I harvest souls.\"\n\n\"What's the difference?\" Satan said with a shrug.\n\n\"God sees the difference. Runs his show much better than you do.\"\n\nSatan's eyes burned red with rage, \"Don't you dare bring him up down here!\"\n\n\"Or what? You're going to kill me?\" Death said,\n\n\"I know about Linda. You have been keeping her alive on purpose after all these years. Maybe my demon loses his way on Earth…stumbles into her.\"\n\n\"You want to play with fire? I'm game. I will walk up there right now and take out that entire congregation in Alabama. God knows they are ripe for your picking in a few weeks. Can't shake a stick without hitting a relative.\"\n\n\"You wouldn't.\" Satan said, trying to glare through him. \n\n\"Oh I would. God and I have been on pretty good terms. Maybe I can help him out some more…\" Death said, looking Satan up and down. \"Not like he needs it.\"\n\n\"Alright, that's it!\" Satan said before leaping on top of him. Death blocked Satan's hands with his scythe and fell on his back. \n\nSatan tried to tear the scythe from Death's hands, but boy was he strong. Satan tried whipping Death with his forked tail, but Death was quicker, batting it away with the blade. That motion caused Death to roll on top of Satan, pinning the tail underneath their collective weight.\n\n\"Get off me!\" Satan said. \n\n\"Not until you promise to stop killing my souls!\"\n\n\"I promise. Okay!\" Satan said, straining from the pain of his own tail stabbing him in the back. \n\nDeath got up and gave Satan some space. Satan brushed the soot off himself and pulled his tail out of his back. They both were silent, letting the whispers of torture and pain float into the room. Satan glared at Death, getting more frustrated by the second that he couldn't see his eyes under that blasted cloak of his.\n\n\"So...we have an understanding?\" Death asked.\n\n\"We do.\"\n\n\"How do I know you will keep your word? Lying is kind of your specialty.\"\n\nSatan took a deep breath, \"We want the same things. Would be bad business to screw my partner, seeing as I'm stuck with you for eternity.\"\n\n\"We aren't partners.\"\n\n\"Fine. Associates.\"\n\n\"Barely.\"\n\n\"In any case, I promise to not kill people if you promise to stick to your timelines.\"\n\n\"What if I need to change them?\"\n\n\"You have to give me notice.\"\n\n\"I won't be able to just give *you* notice,\" Death said.\n\n\"Give me notice first. And no more of that surprise bullshit.\"\n\n\"I should be able to do that… assuming Linda is not touched.\"\n\n\"We have a deal.\" Satan said, holding out his hand.\n\nDeath bursted into a cloud of grey smoke and was gone. Satan wafted the smoke away and a devious smile grew on his face. \n\n\"Oh Death, you stupid schmuck. She is almost 200 years old. Her brain at this point isn't what it used to be. Be a shame if she thought back to her times as a free diver and tried to take the plunge one last time. Who knows, the bag of brittle bones might live?\"\n\nHe let out a villainous laugh that roared across the sea of fire, blocking out the wails below. This was going to be his best payback yet. Cheating Death without breaking his promise. After all, he was just encouraging her to relive her youth. What's so bad about that?"
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[WP]Alien civilizations have a pact to initiate intelligent species one full generation after they invent atomic weapons. When checking on Earth, are shocked by how quickly society "recovered". We're the only species to invent atomic weapons, and not immediately have a nuclear Holocaust.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"What's on the docket today?\"\n\nThe commander was rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose. A little too much floog and not enough sleep. He's going to be a real treat today.\n\n\"Earth, sir.\" \n\nSir was the only acceptable way to answer him aloud, but what I really wanted to say was \"oh, what's on the docket? I don't know. Why don't you fucking read it? You make me create one every damn day and you never once open it, you overinflated sack of corporealized goo.\" Sir has to suffice. \n\n\"Earth? I don't know that one.\"\n\nYou would if you read the docket. I swear I would throat punch him if it would do any good - and if I thought he'd let me get away with it without tearing my favorite tentacles off. Damn being a soft form in a world of hard forms. They get to run this place just because they can squish me. That hardly seems fair. Idiots. \n\n\"A Terra class 4 planet, sir, with humanoids as the dominant intelligent life.\"\n\n\"Humanoids?\" His scoff is full of derision and phlegm. So much phlegm. My recruiter failed to mention the amount of phlegm I'd encounter every day. I suppose they can't really include that on the poster though. Who would willingly sign up?\n\n\"Yes sir, we're approximately one generation removed from the invention of atomic weaponry.\"\n\n\"A humanoid and atomic weaponry?\" They say laughter is contagious and it heals all ills - but not his laughter. His laughter makes me want to mount a mutiny. \n\n\"Can you even imagine the carnage?\" He pulls four of his hands together to simulate a mini explosion. His \"splat\" sound is honestly a good imitation of a flesh-based humanoid disintegrating. I guess the phlegm comes in handy sometimes, but hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again. He can do phlegm-based imitations, whoop dee doo.\n\n\"Yes sir.\"\n\nUh oh. Great. Now he's looking at me. My lack of laughter has put me on his shit list. Again. It's been 12 cyclins since I joined this team and 11.99 cyclins since I got put on the shit list. \n\n\"Alright, how long until arrival?\"\n\n\"We're on approach now, sir.\"\n\n\"Now? That's not gonna work for me. Do a few low flies, see if you can stir up any survivors, and gather same basic data. Make a few laps.\"\n\nYou can make efficiency bonuses, my recruiter said. Your species are known for efficiency, you'll make bank. Yeah, I could, unless I'm saddled under Massive Manny here - an immovable rock whose sole purpose in life seems to be doing things the most inefficient way possible. Make a few laps. Why don't you make a few laps around my assholes? Sir.\n\n\"Yes sir.\"\n\nWe're close enough now that I can get preliminary scan results. Surprisingly there are intact structures. I did not see that coming. Their lifespans are quite short, so a generation isn't enough time to rebuild all of this. Weird.\n\nAs I dip lower, my panel reports humanoids. Lots of them. The panels report billions across the globe. This can't be right. \n\nI break through the atmosphere to get a sense with my own eyes. There they are. Thousands of them. All little meat puppets just walking about like they didn't recently survive a nuclear holocaust. Wild!\n\n\"Uh sir?\"\n\n\"What?!\" His aggravation mirrored that of my mom when me and my 12 siblings all clamored for food at once. He looked at the panel then out the window. \n\n\"Well I'll be damned. They DIDN'T kill themselves off. Good for you, Swerth.\"\n\n\"It's Earth, sir.\" \n\n\"Do I look like I give a damn?\" He steps back and surveys the scene. \"Alright, scoop a few up and let's get to the fun part. This day is looking up.\"",
"Now it isn’t as if we hadn’t come close.\r \n\r \n Upon checking the Earth again in 1970, the Hadrai still had hope the humans would meet their fate soon enough. Surviving for a generation after the invention of nuclear weapons was unusual, only about 5 percent of species managed it, but it certainly wasn’t unheard of. Surely with the wars taking place now, the tension innate in the human species, it would only be a matter of time. \r \n\r \nIn the year 1995, they came and checked again, staggered by the progress made in only 50 years. It was truly remarkable, the standards of living were better than ever, peace was at an all-time high and somehow, the most powerful weapons humanity had ever had access to, were being put away? 2 generations was shocking, but still not unheard of. When they came again in 2020 however, they saw that humanity had done something no civilisation had managed since the Hadrai themselves. \r \n\r \nThat’s what they told me at least.\r \n\r \nIt was November 30th when I received the first letter. I assumed it had something to do with the election, probably a congratulations letter that was late, but this envelope had something to it. My name was written with a deep red ink on the envelope, which itself was made out of white material, similar to paper, but so light that I could barely feel the weight in my hands. \r \nI stared at it for minutes, but eventually succumbed and ripped it open. A small letter fell out, no bigger than a few square inches. The writing was done carefully, stroke by stroke, with an awkward space between the letters and the words. \r \n\r \n“We are pleased to invite you. You will be picked up at noon.”\r \n\r \nI sat down. There were enough reasons to send a note to the Vice-President, but this didn’t seem to satisfy any of them. The first person I called was my husband, who despite being one of the smartest people I knew, didn’t know anything like the envelope or letter I described, but just when I was about to hang up, my phone started ringing. It was the president himself. After months of collaboration, we hadn’t spoken since the election night. \r \n\r \n“It’s me.” He sounded somewhat excited, though I couldn’t figure out why for the life of me.\r \n“Hey Nick.” I tried to hide my fear, though I probably failed miserably.\r \n“Hey Alex, I just received the strangest...”\r \n\r \nI had expected the words as soon as I saw his name on the screen, but they still sent a chill along my spine. \r \n\r \n“...anyways, it was made out of this soft white materi-”\r \n“I got one too.”\r \n“The letter? How- what did it say?”\r \n“It’s an invitation to something, says I’ll be picked up at noon.”"
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[WP] "Why?" I sighed "Because the necromancer is cheaper than a healer!"
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"When the foreman is struck in the back of the head by the dredge’s crane, he falls overboard into the black muck of the swamp. The men hold him under until he ceases his thrashing, and then they haul the mud-stuck body back onto the deck. As the barge shoves its way east, the other men resume their work. This is, after all, the fifth man this summer to be swallowed by the Everglades. All of them struggled. But this is compay policy of the East Florida Cross Canal Charter. The nearest doctor is miles back across endless stretches of sucking mud and jagged sawgrass, and no crew wants to sacrifice wages to allow for the hire of a travelling surgeon. So instead, when a man loses his footing, he falls to his death. Then he is taken to the Bone Woman.\n\nThe Bone Woman is waiting for them at the end of the day, when the sun bleeds into the jagged stretch of water left behind by the dredging barge. The men draw straws and this time, Forbes is the one chosen to bring the foreman’s body down, heavy and sagging like soaked laundry. He drops the thing that was the foreman in front of the Bone Woman. She doesn’t even look at it. All the while, she keeps her clouded, unblinking eyes on Forbes, What will she ask for this time?\n\nWhen they lost the cook, she took Daniels’ front tooth. When the boy from Atlanta broke his fool leg and tumbled over the rail, she cut the Foreman’s palm with a jagged blade and collected the blood in glass bottle for five minutes. When Swaine slipped from the excavating arm and broke his neck, she asked for their dreams and they all slept in black silence for a month.\n\nAfter a moment of contemplation, the Bone Woman shakes her head. She reaches down and grabs the foreman by his wrist. Without a further word, she slips away into the swamp, the body trailing behind her, cutting a scar through the underbrush as she goes. Forbes finds himself wishing that she had asked for something, anything, even blood from a palm or a month of dreams.\n\nLater that night, the Foreman returns alone, like all the rest. They have wagered on the time of his arrival and Forbes is pleased to see the shuffling, twisted figure appear just after the moon rises above the cypress canopies. The other men spit into the swamp and pass him coins as the thing that was the foreman stumbles towards them. They haul it back on board with something akin to care. Not out of respect, mind you, but out as a sort of thanks. There is no need for a once-dead man to receive wages, and so they will all be paid more from here on. Of the coins that they pass to Forbes, nearly half would have once gone into the pockets of the cook, Swaine, and the fool boy from Atlanta.\n\nForbes dreams that night—so the Bone Woman did not take them. He awakens damp and stinging with sweat, and the pink Florida sky already showing through the gaps in the barge’s deck. Footsteps above remind him of the once-dead things still shuffling about their duties. Sleep is just as useless to them as wages, after all. For a moment, he wonders what becomes of the men who go with the Bone Woman once the dredging is done and the canal is a clean, silver scar across the state. Will they stumble off into the sawgrass and marshes? Or will they return to the places they once called home?\n\nThey are working carelessly now, especially in the Foreman’s absence. Maybe that’s why Forbes forgets to keep an eye out for the swinging crane arm of the dredge, why he doesn’t even realize what is happening when it catches him in the small of his back. In a blinding white shock, he feels himself lift up off the deck and then he is laying on his side in the swamp, sinking down, and hands are groping all around him. Not to pull him out, but to push him down, down and away. And somewhere in the darkness, he realizes why the Bone Woman took nothing in return for the Foreman. There’s no need to bargain for something that is already yours."
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[WP] You are a bank robber. But in your current heist, after you entered the vault, you discover that it's empty. There's no money but you find a person with both her hands and feet chained to the ground.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"We're building up speed as we're approaching the hill. Red looks back over his shoulder and motions for the Tommy Gun. His car smells like chocolate. I grab the wheel from the passenger side and he grabs the black mass from the back seat between Slick and Homer. It's a cold day and we're off to a bad start. By now the vault could be closed and the disgusted look on Slick's face spells that out. \n\"Youse lazy bitches best not make this a tough lobby for me,\" Slick said as the sedan screeched to a halt in front of the Southern Crescent Bank. Suddenly, we're in-front of the doors with guns hidden under our petticoats. \nThe sudden eruption of screams as the Tommy Gun barked was as unexpected as the sight of Red laying on his back, a string of bullets in the ceiling. We just made Slick, the lobby mans, job harder. \n\"Everyone on the ground! I don't see any heroes here and let's make sure it stays that way.\" Red points at the bank teller. The bank teller looked across the wooden counter at Red's eyes behind his mask and then back to me. \nThree minutes. Thats how long we had to make it to the vault if we were going to make our withdrawal. The familiar sound of suede shoes hitting the counter as I jumped over it starts the clock. As I grabbed the teller's key from around her neck, her hair caught the chain slightly. I thought about apologizing, but Slick probably would have shot me himself just at the thought. \nHomer burst through the front doors tripping on the same threshold as Red. Homer didn't spring back up. \n\"Motherfucker\" Slick strained as he kicked the man in-front of him in the back pushing him on his face and sliding toward the door toward Homer. Homer lay motionless on the ground his face on the cool marble. Nobody heard the shot. \nRed nervously reracked the Tommy Gun, standing up and ejecting an unspent round onto the backs of the people below. \"I'm not fucking dying here.\" Red looked at Slick's face, searching for answers that weren't coming. \n\"I think we'd better go!\" I muffled through my kerchief, \"...seriously we'd better go...\", I said quieter to the bank teller as I put a precut square of tape over her mouth. Her eyes agreed. \nThe click-clack of my shoes on the marble kept my time as I made my way to the vault door. Still slightly cracked. It wasn't worth it anymore, but I needed to see what all of this had cost us. \nMy wheel gun made a cold thud as I grabbed the door and pressed my body weight against it and it calmly moved like the moon setting over a long day. \nShe sat in the middle of the room. She had a face straight out a magazine. \nA thousand thoughts flooded the vault. Think about what to say. Think about what to do. \n\"I'll shoot him if that's what you ask\", She held out her hands. \"Please just stop this...just take off your mask.\" The chains holding her dance on the marble as she reaches over the notes spread around her. \n\"We're never gonna quit\" looking down my iron. The shots rang out from the gun as if it were possessed as Slick rounded the corner finishing his sentence \"...Feds are here you know\". \nHe was holding his cheek as he slid down the vault wall with that blank stare on his face. \nRebecca's screams echo in the vault and I shouted \"I just need a minute!\" dropping the gun. \n More fireworks from the front of the bank. \nShe grabs the gun she's begging me \"stay, just babe please stay\". \n\"We were never gonna quit it.\" I kiss the top of her head and her hair smells like chocolate.",
"\"We're not fucking this heist up, this time... dumbass,\" I glared at Jimmy.\n\n \n\n\"I'm not!\"\n\n \n\n\"Then hurry the fuck up.\"\n\n \n\n\"Yeah, we need this,\" Sirus cracked open the safe, using the bank manager.\n\n \n\nLast time two of their crew had to sacrifice themselves, after Jimmy ruined everything not paying attention to the guard, who called the cops. They had to take hostages, knocking them out, and switching clothes with them, while two good members took the fall.\n\n \n\n\"Load up boys,\" Faye cheered, \"we gotta make this quick.\"\n\n \n\n\"Right, before Jimmy does something stupid,\" Sirus snapped.\n\n \n\nSirus quickly gets through the deposit box locks, he and Jimmy empty any of value, Faye and Jax collect money, something faint grabs his attention, distracting him- another safe door.\n\n \n\n\"Aye... there's another door there. We could retire if we crack that one open.\"\n\n \n\n\"C'mon Jax, I don't think we can carry any more than what we got.\"\n\n \n\n\"Yeah, you right.\"\n\n \n\n\"We got it all,\" Jimmy started filling his bag with cash.\n\n \n\nThat door kept bugging him, something pulling him to it.\n\n \n\n\"Look.. I gotta see in that thing, I can't just leave it, something is demanding me,\" I grabbed the manager, \"what's in there?!\"\n\n \n\n\"N-nothing important, sir.\"\n\n \n\n\"A safe in a safe... git'cho ass over there and open it!\"\n\n \n\n\"Yo Jax, we can't carry any more.\"\n\n \n\n\"Sirus... if there's anything in that safe, in this safe, worth anything, we'll make room.\"\n\n \n\nI put my gun to the managers head, \"open it.\"\n\n \n\n\"It's not to be opened, there's nothing of monetary value inside it.\"\n\n \n\n\"But there's something inside it, everything has monetary value to somebody. What kinda lock is that? Fuckin open it!\"\n\n \n\n\"We'll kill you and everybody in here out of spite,\" Faye said.\n\n \n\nFor the safty of others, the manager started working the lock. Pulling out some strange key, unlocked the vault. The building seemed to rumble, even though it didn't shake. \n\n \n\n\"Hey guys... what's with the sky, it's like turning red,\" Jimmy looked towards the front of the bank.\n\n \n\n\"Who cares. As long as it ain't red and blue,\" Faye retorted.\n\n \n\n\"What's in here is not supposed to be released. Forgive me God, I am a lesser being, and I couldn't risk the innocence,\" he pulled the door open.\n\n \n\n\"...god... pfft,\" I rolled my eyes, \"this is pretty ornate. What's the writing all over the place?\"\n\n \n\n\"The fuck,\" Sirus cried out.\n\n \n\n\"Where's the manager,\" I looked at his clothes on the ground.\n\n \n\n\"He just... disappeared,\" Jimmy explained.\n\n \n\n\"No he didn't, Jimmy, go find him, how'd he slip past like that?\"\n\n \n\n\"He didn't. All I did was blink and he was gone, he didn't run past us, I'd have shot him,\" Sirus added.\n\n \n\n\"Fuck... aieght, let's be quick,\" I stepped in. \"Something calls for me.\"\n\n \n\n\"I feel it,\" Faye agreed.\n\n \n\nThe short passage opens more of the room; walls of gold and pearl, floor of obsidian, nothing inside but a chair, a seemingly dark skinned woman with green hair, nude, head held down.\n\n \n\n\"Oh... look at the rack on her,\" Jimmy awed.\n\n \n\n\"Shut up, Jimmy,\" I said.\n\n \n\nFaye smacked the back of his head.\n\n \n\n\"She does look nice though,\" I agreed.\n\n \n\n\"You're not supposed to be here, but it seemed to be destiny.\"\n\n \n\n\"Destiny, huh? Hopefully destiny gets us outta here Scott free \" Sirus quipped.\n\n \n\n\"I feel a connection to this woman, why's it so bright with no lights, or windows,\" Faye said.\n\n \n\n\"Same, like I need her,\" I added.\n\n \n\n\"It is you I need, my children. To take back this world... make things right.\"\n\n \n\n\"Children...,\" Jimmy wondered.\n\n \n\n\"One has usurped our power and upset the balance. Please free me, my children; Jax and Faye.\"\n\n \n\nThey look at each other.\n\n \n\n\"Free her, or not, we're running out of time,\" Sirus said.\n\n \n\n\"He is right. The foul stenched ones speak the truth.\"\n\n \n\n\"I showered today!\"\n\n \n\n\"Not what I mean by stench. You and the other one praise the forsaken one. Now please Jax... Faye...\"\n\n \n\n\"How do you know our names... why do you, and not theirs?\"\n\n \n\n\"I am your Mother. You are my children. They were born under him, they are lost children, who forgot me, life times ago, so I do not know them. But I would like to.\"\n\n \n\n\"Uhh, yeah, that makes sense,\" I said.\n\n \n\n\"We still don't know who you are.\"\n\n \n\n\"I am your Mother, Faye. Shackled, chained, restrained. You even bear my insignia on your chest.\"\n\n \n\n\"Gaia,\" they said together, rushing to her.\n\n \n\n\"I told you, children,\" tears fall from her eyes.\n\n \n\n\"I can't... Gaia... how's this even possible‽ Faye... is this...\"\n\n \n\n\"It has to be! Who put you here in a bank‽\"\n\n \n\n\"I must be released to find my man. To free the others. Yasuwallah put me here, the one who's stench those two carry. His defectors will be here soon.\"\n\n \n\n\"Yasuw-\"\n\n \n\n\"Allah...,\" I finished.\n\n \n\n\"You mean God? God did this, no, he's a merciful god,\" Sirus said.\n\n \n\n\"One who shall have no other god before him, and created hell for anybody foolish enough to fuck around and find out,\" I said.\n\n \n\n\"That's right. He stole what you call hell, from Hades. Imprisoned me and my children, my husband... I don't know if he stole, or mere copied Odin’s Valkyries, there's a lot of hearsay,\" she looked up, eyes glowing white, \"please free me.\"\n\n \n\n\"Of course we will,\" Faye cried.\n\n \n\n\"But how? These chains, no locks, or anything.\"\n\n \n\n\"I still can't believe Yahweh did this, I mean you told us of the crusades and all that,\" Jimmy dropped to his knees.\n\n \n\n\"The dark ages, were called the dark ages for a reason; rampant Christianity,\" I pulled my gun out.\n\n \n\n\"What are you doing,\" Faye asked.\n\n \n\n\"Freeing her. If I can empower this gun.\"\n\n \n\nShe unholsters hers, they aim at the chains, muttering spells. A loud horn echos through the building.\n\n \n\n\"Is th-that an alarm,\" Sirus asked.\n\n \n\n\"Gabriel’s horn,\" Gaia corrected.\n\n \n\nThe light started flickering, two shots ring, busting the chains holding her down. Jax and Faye open their eyes.\n\n \n\n\"Blessed be, children,\" she stood.\n\n \n\nThe chains and shackles turn to ash, falling away, throne rust, walls and floors fade, cracking, she shoos them out just before the room seemed to collapse on itself. Gaia turns giving both Faye and Jax a hug and kiss on the lips. They all watch as clothes of material not of this world appear on her body.\n\n \n\n\"That was my thanks, and protection. I will let you slide for this crime, as it was destiny for you to find me... even you two,\" she glared at Sirus and Jimmy, \"but you will return my kindness in fighting in my favor.\"\n\n \n\n\"Of course I will... oh sweet goddess,\" I agreed.\n\n \n\n\"Me... me to, Mother!\"\n\n \n\n\"Wait, so you said your children were imprisoned, who are your children,\" Sirus asked.\n\n \n\n\"The other gods and goddesses, of course.\"\n\n \n\n\"Even God,\" Jimmy asked.\n\n \n\n\"Yes, even Yahweh. He is not as powerful as you think, relatively speaking, he has stolen the powers of the others, somehow, he could not steal ours, but he managed to weaken us enough, and through these prisons, channel what we had left. I feel my strength returning.\"\n\n \n\n\"What can we do to help,\" I asked.\n\n \n\n\"In time I will come for you, when there is a call to arms.\"\n\n \n\n\"You're not gonna like kill me and Sirus are you,\" Jimmy cringed.\n\n \n\n\"No, of course not. None of this is your fault, it happened centuries before you were born. Now I must take my leave... and you must take yours, before the soldiers arrive... angelic, or earthly.\"\n\n \n\nThey walk quickly through the bank, Gaia only reconizes three of the patrons, snapping her fingers, freeing them.\n\n \n\n\"It's okay children, you're free.\"\n\n \n\n\"Hey! Who is this bitch trying to free everybody,\" Glenn aimed his gun.\n\n \n\n\"Hey! This woman is the goddess of gods, the real alpha of the alpha and omega, mother nature, giver of life! Put that fucking gun down,\" I ordered.\n\n \n\n\"What? Are you crazy‽\"\n\n \n\n\"This one reeks as well.\"\n\n \n\n\"Yeah, Christianity has quite the grasp on this country. The Abrahamic faiths practically rule this shit,\" I said.\n\n \n\nGaia walked over to him, whispering in his ear.\n\n \n\n\"Sure... okay, I'm so sorry,\" he cried.\n\n \n\nShe turned to the crew and smiled with a dazzling wink. Next thing they knew; they were in Jax's van watching their hostages wander out, like they didn't know who they were.\n\n \n\n\"We need to get out of here, before the Angels come. We might be protected, but they aren't,\" I said.\n\n \n\n\"Let's go, Baby, get the fuck away from here,\" Faye agreed.\n\n \n\nJax started up the van, driving off, while the rest watched the skys, and he, for any cops.",
"It was quiet. The only thing I could hear was the slight ticking of a clock on the wall. No guards, just as planned. I grabbed a hold on the side of the little hole I cut through the floor and climbed out. Still, just the ticking, no sirens– what an exceptional plan. It took years though, to dig a tunnel that wouldn’t be detected. The problem with digging a tunnel is not just the noise but the vibration that construction tools make. Many larger banks nowadays had sensors dug in. However, what nobody ever expected is going slow. Not just slow but extremely slow. Being safe, taking months or even years to dig the tunnel with tools that barely made a sound. Nobody thought it was worth it since it just took too much time. The key of course being persistence, since it is way more economic to risk it once and be paid of handsomely. “Colleagues” robbed smaller banks and then ran out of money quickly, so they had to go and do it again. Each time the police was getting closer until they finally got caught. He wouldn’t do that mistake of course. Well – thinking about it they probably aren’t even colleagues. Rather common thugs who stumbled around in the art of the heist. They were more like kids learning to walk, no finesse, no sense of intelligent planning. He would show them what a real heist is. \n\nI got up and looked around. There were credible sources that the bank had one of the largest diamond vaults in the world – just the thing that you could easily carry and sell to the right people. Most people think gold or even cash is the way to go. It’s not. Cash can be traced, and gold is too heavy to be feasible in most situations. Diamonds of course can also be traced but as long as you waited and sold them a bit under their market value you can always find buyers. The rich – they really don’t care where the shiny toys are coming from, and nobody would ever dare touch them. Even if they might not be untouchable, they still thought themselves to be and that made them excellent customers.\n\nThere weren’t any diamonds. There was just a man. He was chained to the ground. Almost like he wasn’t a person at all but rather somebody his jailer feared. “Where are the diamonds?”. Maybe he would know something. His plan didn’t include on taking a hostage so it might just be too risky to do it without having all the relevant facts. \nNo reaction. Maybe he could break the chains ¬ talk to the man face to face and figure out what to do next. What if he was dangerous though, crazy maybe? He of course didn’t carry a weapon. Breaking into a place is one thing, doing it armed is another. Only people who aren’t intelligent enough to figure it out would ever to such a thing. The penalty on armed robbery is usually too severe. Luckily there was no need to be afraid. He himself was a weapon. Steeled from hours upon hours in the dojo. I got back into the hole and got a hammer. It took a while, but I managed to free the guy. Chain by chain.\n\n As soon as the tension on the chains was released, he sunk to the ground. I got into my stance and slowly approached him. Opening his eyes, his head jerked upwards. The eyes were glowing red. Weird for a prisoner to wear contact lenses. Shouldn’t there just be one mouth? His right armed twitched, and then I could suddenly see the ceiling, then the back of the room, the floor and the ceiling again. A dull noise and I was oriented to the front again. From the ground looking up there was somebody else it the room, the person however just collapsed. The person couldn’t have been there before, he would have seen him. Then again, where was its head?\n\n*The story was written under a time constraint, there was no fact checking done, most of the \"facts\" described are most likely untrue. *",
"This was going to be it. The one that made my career as the Jersey Cracker. My pulse was racing a mile a minute as I put my trained ear to the side of the safe, listening for the telltale clicks as I shifted past each of the tumblers. Another forty-five seconds and I’d have it.\n\nThe adrenaline was why I did it. Sure, the money was nice, but you couldn’t really spend it until the heat died down and you blasted out to some faraway corner of Indiana or Arizona, where no one knew your name and no one questioned a man who paid for things in cash. This job, though…\n\nI had been casing it for weeks. The lady that owned this house was a weird Egyptian cultural nut, y’know? Sphinxes and ankhs and hieroglyphs galore, but in an upscale modern way, black glass and a very pricey three story house in the celebrity part of town, if you know what I mean. She was easily a billionaire, but didn’t flaunt it too much, which made me figure that something was stashed away in there. I talked to the guys that built the place, and they mentioned a weird vault in the basement and a golden sarcophagus. I figure if nothing else, I could nab that, scrape off the gold, and make a little skiing trip to Switzerland this year. Security was tight, of course, but the lady of the house was out for a week on a business trip, I had bypassed the house cameras with a CCTV loop, and the guards were on single-person patrols, which meant I had six guys upstairs hogtied in some very fetching poses. If nothing else, I could probably even pick up a few hundred from some bondage site if I snapped some shots on the way out, everyone loves a man in uniform…\n\nMy mind stopped drifting as I heard the last little click I was looking for. With a quick tug, the door popped loose, revealing my treasure, at long last. I flipped the light, and…\n\n…the hell? There’s a girl… kinda dark skinned, in a dusky sort of way, totally naked, and covered in metal cuffs and chains, and they’re all like, bolted to the ground? I know I was just thinking about this sort of thing, but seriously, this is messed up, who does this to another girl? Happily, after some examination, I see a way to get her loose with an Allen wrench and a bit of patience. I start undoing her restraints, and try to be as soothing and calming as I can, but she is weirdly, like, unbothered by this whole thing. Finally, I asked, “Hey, umm… do you understand me? My name’s Amanda, I’m gonna get you out of here…”\n\nShe smiled at me a little bit, and nodded my way. It wasn’t like a “yeah, I understand” nod. It was a “peasant, you have my permission to speak” nod, which was weird coming from someone too tied up to snap her fingers or wiggle her toes!\n\nI was starting to feel nervous about the whole thing, but kept going. “So, umm, do you have a name, Miss…?”\n\nShe looked me in the eyes, my stormy blues meeting her darker than chocolate browns, and in a voice with an accent I had never heard in my life, she said, “Ansapphiri, Goddess of the Nine Stars and Queen of Aferkaliki and the Valley of the Night.”\n\nOkay, yeah, that made sense. I kept unbolting her chains and cuffs. Poor thing probably had amnesia or some sort of mental damage. Or both. There’s no telling how long they had been down here in the dark, after all. It took the better part of an hour to get her completely loose - I mean, who the hell goes through that much trouble to tie someone up? But at last, she was free, and staring at me with those eyes of hers. She was making me nervous, but I grabbed her hand and said, “C’mon, Sapphire Annie, let’s get you outta here, we’ll steal you some clothes and take you to a hospital.”\n\nShe didn’t budge. She just looked at me, and the ghost of a smile quirked her lips. “In accordance with the ancient rules, we are going to play the Game of Three Suns. I will grant you three wishes. Before I grant you a wish, I will tell you a thing that is true, and then leave you to make your wish. The sun will pass once, and I will say a thing, and you may make a wish. The sun will pass once more. And on the third day, I will say one final thing, and you may make your final wish.”\n\nI was kinda stunned, so she continued. “The first statement I will make is that I, Ansapphiri, who have resided upon this world for longer than any of the stars in the sky, was placed into chains by the previous player of the Game of Three Suns. In my thousands and thousands of years, the third wish is always to restrain me beyond hope of escape. Make your first wish.”\n\nOkay, I was really starting to get creeped out. This lady sounded like a genie. But what kind of genie made you put them in chains by the end? Like, did she never watch Aladdin or anything? The genie is supposed to go free at the end…\n\n“Okay, I wish for a million dollars in gold to be deposited into a bank account in Switzerland in my name. Now let’s get you out of…”\n\nBefore I could even complete the sentence, she had vanished into thin air.\n\nForget creeped out, this was just… ridiculous, I had no words for this! Like, who? What? The hell? I slowly wandered out in a daze, barely remembering to call the cops for the tied up guards an hour later from some coffee shop phone as I made my way to the airport. A phone call had confirmed that I really DID have a million dollars in gold in Switzerland, so I was off to the land of chocolate and cuckoo clocks, I guess… I felt pretty cuckoo myself, so I’d be in good company, at least!\n\nI woke up on the airplane to a tap on the shoulder. It was her. I KNOW she didn’t take off with me! There was an old lady there before I went to sleep! At least this time, she was a bit more presentable, with long, silky black hair in a ponytail, a grey t-shirt with a heart on it, tight blue jeans and a pair of gold strappy sandals, with black nail polish and a ton of gold hoop bracelets and anklets.\n\n“Listen, lady, or goddess, or whatever, can this wait until we land at least?”\n\n“Suit yourself, Amanda Davenport. We will arrive in two hours. And by some,” and at this, she quirked a smile, “fluke, the in-flight movie is Aladdin. You should give it a watch. Robin Williams was amazing.”",
"\"what da f\\*\\*k...\" \n\n\"I know I said there would be money -- but trust me, this is a far bigger payday\" Cypher gloated. \n\n\"I didn't sign up for this shit!\" I snarked back. \n\n\"I don't care for what you didn't sign up for - a job is a job\" he replied. \n\nShit. So this is how it ends? Duped by my own leader? This was f\\*\\*ked up and even I knew it. I looked around and they were all shifty - 7 bad mofos all somehow carrying the same look of dread in their eyes. He never told me it was a syndicate bank...he didn't tell any of us...\n\n\"you know you can't get out of this right? Nobody has!!\" Crytpic yelled. \n\n\"The comms are jammed, the lasers about to come back on and you wanted to pull some shit on us?\" he pleaded.\n\n\"Let's run while we still can...please...it takes all 8 to get out\" he continued. \n\n\"You gonna pussy out now?\" \n\n\"nothing is worth this pain and suffering\" cryptic stated. \n\n\\*beep\\* \\*beep\\* \\*beep\\*\n\n\"This chamber and vault are gonna be underwater in 3 mins when these vibration plates reactivate - what's it gonna be? \" I explained. It was do or die but not like cypher cared. \n\n\"We only need a finger...\" he said while approaching the female, combat knife in hand. Nobody knew what was so special about them- only that they were the most sought after humans by collectors/experimenters alike. Anything from a syndicate marked woman charges a hefty premium in the black market. \n\nRumor has it. They can heal any disease...rumor also has it, their blood can trigger plagues. If only the syndicate would let you get out alive with one. \n\n\"One minute\"\n\n\"This is too dense to cut! Definitely not regular skin! Lend a hand will ya!\" cypher barked. \n\nEveryone went in and I watched the outer chamber. \n\n\\*beep\\*\\*beep\\*\\*beep\\*\n\n\"showtime\"\n\nLike a wave of pure energy, the vents loosened and the torrent of water began to pour into the vault and hall. These ladies were always sedated, non responsive, it's in the organizations best interest to keep that way. But they were too valuable too drown...did they really want to kill their most prized assets?\n\nSomething didn't feel right. \n\n\"scuba masks on- everyone grab a tank\"\n\nCypher recoiled away. He and the others were able to get a finger off and the marked one was bleeding ever slightly into the filling vault. In the corner of my eye...\n\n\"is that..green? On your uniform cypher\" I asked\n\nSilence filled the air. \n\nEveryone knew what was up. Marked Blood + water = corrosion for all except the marked ones themselves. \n\nSo this is how it ends...\n\nThe legends were true. The syndicate always wins.",
"The vault finally began to open. As it did so, the grey steel glistened on the door as the light swiftly danced over it. I began to see what was inside until…\r \n\tA woman? She sat in a wooden chair, with her wrists fixed to it and her ankles the same. \r \n\tThis was strange to Bill. Where were the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, that Bobby had promised would be here? And why was this woman, who he had never seen before, also here? \r \n\tBill could barely utter “um-” before his expression of confusion was interrupted by the lady’s terror filled but muffled screams.\r \n\tHe walked over to her and pulled the tape that had been stuck to her lips and covered her pleas. \r \n\t“Oh, alright, calm down would you,” said Bill, hurriedly. “What’s even going on here?” \r \n\t“They left me here!” she cried, with a heavy tone of hurt in her voice. “Please, would you help me!” \r \n\t“Well, shit, I-...look, I guess i might have to if they still haven’t come back for you,” replied Bill, unsure of what his next course of action would be.",
"I stare at the tiny figure. She can't be more than six, seven years old.\n\nBut the face isn't that of a child. She lifts her head, greasy, unwashed hair moving aside in matted chunks. \"I'll make you a deal, Thief.\" She says.\n\n\"No, no, no, no, no.\" I put up a hand to stop her. \"No deals. Nuh-uh. This is some straight up freaky woo-woo shit and I want none of it.\" \n\nI know I should leave but I can't. It feels wrong.\n\nI drop my gear bag, and fish around in it until I find the bolt cutters. Look, I'm not that kind of guy. I pick locks, not cut them. But sometimes escapes get messy.\n\n\"I cutting the chains, anything I should know before I start?\"\n\nShe grins. \"Altruism.\"\n\nI snort, and use the cutters to chew through the first link on the chain holding her right hand. It's heavier than most chain I'm used to, and the cutters barely manage, and then come apart when I try for the next chain.\n\n\"No need.\" She flicks her wrist, and catches the chain on the upswing. The links are thicker around than her fingers, the chain almost as thick as her wrist, but she moves it lightly. She grips the end, and it begins to glow dark red like an ember, then fiery orange, and then white. She touches it to the cuff on her other wrist, which heats, and warps and comes off when she twists her arm.\n\nYeah. Ok. I can see why she was maybe chained up now. My cue to leave, I decide, and turn to go, but she's loosed both legs as fast as that, and is swinging the chain length menacingly.\n\n\"Some people will be paying for my captivity\" she says, \"do you want to see.\"\n\n\"Nope. No thank you. Just gonna head home and wash my hands of this.\"\n\nShe nods. \"Wisdom and cowardice often dress alike.\"",
"Another night, Another heist?\n\nI stood in front of the vault as I inspected it's integrity with my hand.\n\nThis was the last obstacle between me and what I desired, this large circular cylindrical structure.\n\nLuckily this time I didn't need to make use of brute force since the vault was electronically locked.\n\nI took out my tablet and began to run the program I had a buddy of mine produce, some kind of new gen data decryption device. \n\nSomething out of my scope of knowledge though I'm surprised that guy turned to crime..\n\nI waited for a few minutes until finally it stopped.\n\nI entered the code I received on my tablet and then placed it back in my backpack and took a step back while the system verified the code.\n\nThis didn't take long and in a few seconds the vault's security was disabled and the door began to open.\n\n\"Phew\" I let my arms hang lose as the most difficult job was done\n\nI began to think of what I would spend all the money I obtained.\n\n\"A car sounded good, though maybe before that I could go for a vacation? A vacation to take care of all this exhaustion soun-\" \n\n\"Hello?\" An unfamiliar voice interrupted my rambling\n\nI began looking around for the source of it. \n\nEverything outside seemed to be fine so I turned to stare at the vault.\n\n'Well I didn't come this far to just return, though I need to be careful' I thought to myself as I pulled out my gun\n\nI popped my head inside as I scanned the entirety of the Vault's interior. \n\nThe place was empty.\n\nI turned on the lights to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks.\n\n\"My Vacation!\" I shouted out as I banged my head at the metal wall\n\n\"Ouch\" I recoiled in pain after making that dumb decision\n\n\"Is someone in here?\" The same voice from before spoke\n\nIt was a soft voice notably feminine in nature.\n\n\"Where are you?\" I asked with my handgun aimed in my line of sight\n\n\"Here\" she said making her voice more clear\n\nThe voice came from one of the edges which I cautiously moved towards.\n\nEventually I stopped as I pointed my gun at the woman in question.\n\nShe was dressed in casual clothes a top and a skirt but she had this strange look in her eyes almost as if she was looking past me along with a slight smile.\n\nThough the weirder part was that her hands and feet were both chained.\n\n\"What are you doing here?\" I asked\n\n\"That's a pretty strange question to ask seeing as I couldn't have chained myself to the ground\" she said in an innocent tone\n\n\"Then can I ask why you're chained to the ground?\" I asked sighing\n\n\"I'm not really sure\" she replied\n\n\"You're not sure? I'm assuming you must have some idea\" I asked\n\n\"No, I was just detained against my will and brought here today morning and since then I haven't seen anyone. What about you? What are you doing in this strange place?\" she asked\n\n\"Oh I work in security I was just doing some last minute checks and managed to hear some strange noises inside so I came in to check\" I lied as I lowered my gun and began to think about what to do next\n\n\"Hmm\" the woman said as she stared at me\n\n\"What?\" I asked\n\n\"I was wondering when you were going to help me out of these chains\" she said\n\n\"That- I- I don't know-\"\n\n\"Oh is that so guess I'll have to just wait until my captor comes back\" she said as her expression turned sad\n\nAhh\n\nI grabbed my head as I wrestled with my thoughts further.\n\n\"Fine I'll do it\" I said\n\nI walked up to her and squatted down to take a look at her chains.\n\nThere were handcuffs around her wrists and feet which were connected to chains that were connected to the wall.\n\n\"Do you know if the keys are nearby? Since if they aren't I'll have to brute force it open\" I asked\n\n\"No I don't think I heard them speak about keys\"\n\nI looked at the handgun in my hand\n\n'Guess this is my only option'\n\n\"I'm going to shoot the chain though this will be loud and you could be hit by the shards, this is the only way I have of getting you out\" I said\n\nI held the gun steady in my hands as I took a deep breath.\n\nBANG!\n\nThe first shot hit true\n\nBANG!\n\nThe second missed slightly so I readjusted my aim.\n\nBANG!\n\nThe third shot hit perfectly\n\nBANG!\n\nThe fourth shot lead to a crack in the chains thought the simultaneous shots made me to drop the gun as my hands began to hurt .\n\nThe girl pulled on the chains and managed to pull them off from the wall returning her mobility. \n\n\"Now all we need to do is find a way to get those handcuffs of you though thankfully they aren't connected to each other\" I said as I gave her a hand to pull her up\n\nShe accepted the hand and stood up\n\n\"You're so naive\" \n\n\"Wh-\" Before I could say anything she elbowed me in the chest\n\nI dropped to the ground as I felt my chest flare up in pain\n\nThough before any other thoughts could rush to my mind I began to stretch my hand to get my gun.\n\n\"Agh\" I cried out in pain as she stepped on it\n\n\"Now Now I can't let you have this can I\" she said as she picked up my gun\n\n\"I helped you didn't I? So why are you doing this?\" I asked as I tried to stand up pulling my hand free\n\nBANG!\n\nShe fired a bullet straight into my shoulder.\n\n\"Haah Haah, Why?\" I began to breathe heavily as I held my shoulder\n\n\"Why not? For your sake I'll end this quickly as thanks for helping me\" She said as she pulled the trigger\n\n\"Too bad the gun had only 5 rounds heh\" I laughed as I stared at her look of confusion\n\n\"Seems like your not so boring after all, but alas I need to go and I'll be taking your equipment\" She said as she stepped closer\n\nThe last thing I remember was being hit with my gun in the head.",
"Applying pressure on the Door Blaster-101 to systematically dismantle the molecules of the hard steel door in front of him, Kelvin Ranger had a rush of adrenaline that he always felt on this moment of every mission. In the mornings, who people thought was a noble inventor working for the good of mankind, was actually just your regular greedy human making gadgets to simplify his heists.\r \n\r \nAs the door gave way, Kelvin faced the vault. He took out a mechanical bug and a bubble gum from his pocket. He threw the bug in the air and ate the gum. The bug disabled all the cameras while the gum metamorphosed into a bubble.\r \n\r \n There was a field of laser lines separating the two, but those hardly stopped Kelvin. He unsheathed his Laser De-Energizer 2000 and stabbed each of the lines. It took a few repeated stabs, but slowly The De-Energizer turned off all the lasers and they disappeared. In the meantime, Kelvin checked the news. The top story: Massive break-in at Billionaire Steve Ershon’s vault in ThunderDome Bank. Another rush of adrenaline kicked in.\r \n\r \nAll the lasers deactivated, there was now only one obstacle between him and his money, the knobs of the vault. Well not really the final obstacle, he would still have to launder all this money through his offshore account and the shady lawyer stuff, but those were headaches for another day. \r \n\r \nSitting on his knees, Kelvin played a playlist of classical music (18th century, not the boring, untrained 17th century pianists) and began twisting the knobs. Pretty soon, it gave way. Kelvin stood up. It was time. A deep breath. A Macarena dance sequence (it was his ritual). And then he opened it.\r \n\r \nAlarms blared all through the complex. But Kelvin already had his earphones in (Mozart, baby!). He checked his watch. A stopwatch said 12 minutes. 12 minutes till the cops arrive, according to his calculations. Game on.\r \n\r \nAs he looked up, instead of his usual exhilaration, this time he felt shock and confusion. All he could see was what looked like an 8 year old girl tied to a nail stuck in the floor. Her mouth was taped, but she was trying to say something inaudible.\r \n\r \nKelvin just stood there, dazed. He looked around, “Is this a prank?” he asked. The girl shook her head and pointed her head to her tied hands. Kelvin soon understood the sign, and untied her. She removed the tape from the mouth and then, out of the blue, kicked him in the balls.\r \n\r \n“You see a helpless innocent 8 year old tied to the ground and your first thought is a prank?” she shouted.\r \n\r \nKelvin quickly realized his mistake, “I’m sorry. Really sorry. But who are you?” he asked, while writhing on the floor.\r \n\r \n“Name’s Tina. Good to meet you, Kelvin.”\r \n\r \nKelvin got stunned by this, “How’d you know my name?” So far, the outside world knew him by the name of Le Tornado only. \r \n\r \n“You shouldn’t write your name on your bag if you’re robbing a bank. What if there’s a situation where you have to run away and can’t take it with you?”\r \n\r \nShe was referring to a name tag on his backpack, something Kelvin had forgotten about, “Yeah, you’re right. Damn. My mom usually puts these tags on my stuff so that I don’t lose them.”\r \n\r \n“You still live with your mom?” she asked, eyebrows raised in disgust.\r \n\r \n“No, I don’t,” said Kelvin, who actually did live with his mom but was too afraid that an 8 year old would judge him, a 22 year old master bank robber.\r \n\r \nIn a very condescending manner, she inquired,“Do you know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich?”\r \n\r \nKelvin actually didn’t. Because all his life, he had eaten cheese sandwiches made by his home.\r \n\r \n“Umm...first you need the bread...then….um….”\r \n\r \n“Knew it,” she threw her arms in the air.\r \n\r \n“Who the hell are you?”\r \n\r \n“I told you my name is Tina.”\r \n\r \n“No, who are you? Like, why are you here?”\r \n\r \nTina stretched her legs and walked out of the vault. “Good work breaking in, you know. You probably must’ve worked for this all your life.”\r \nHe smirked, “Yeah, just something I do when I’m bored.”\r \n\r \n“And let’s be honest, you’re bored all the time, aren’t you, Kelvin. This game is all you’ve got….”\r \n\r \nKelvin’s heart skipped a beat on that. Because Kelvin wasn’t really Kelvin the Bank Robber. In real life, Kelvin was a short, stout underachieving, unemployed guy who had found his real calling in playing and streaming a video game called ‘Freedom from the Dark’, a game where instead of choosing pre-existing dialogue prompts, users can connect their microphones and speak for their character themselves.\r \n\r \nThe rich storyline based game soon found its footing amongst hardcore gamers and blew up like crazy. It crossed the lifetime sales of all GTA games in under a week. What really attracted the gamers was that many of them could now see a version of themselves, and not a codified video game character, kick ass and succeed, even if it’s in an artificial reality.\r \n\r \nKelvin ran a medium sized YouTube channel with almost 3ooo subscribers, so it was definitely not enough to sustain himself. But he felt that the game gave him purpose.\r \n\r \nA point that was just articulated by Tina.\r \n\r \n“Again, who are you, Tina?”\r \n\r \n“I believe you guys call me a Virus? Pretty soon you’ll realize I’m something even worse than that,” she let out a bloodcurdling laugh that scared Kelvin. He shrieked. In the other room, his mom heard him.\r \n\r \nTina walked up to him, took his hand and tore his sleeve to expose the wrist. Her right hand then turned into a blade and she slashed a huge gash on his arm. \r \n\r \nThe only catch was that a real gash turned up on Kelvin’s arm. One that bled profusely. Kelvin let go of his mouse and keyboard and cried louder than before. \r \n\r \nTina leaned in close and stared into the screen, “Hello, world.” Kelvin shuddered as fear warped his guts. Tina stood up, gun in hand. Her lips turned into a wicked smile. She cackled, aimed and cocked the gun. Kelvin threw his headphones off and ran to his bed, still crying. His mom entered, “Kelvin, what’s the --\r \n\r \nAnd Tina shot. The bullet landed square in between Kelvin’s mom’s eyes. She dropped down, dead. Kelvin shouted, not able to produce a comprehensible word.\r \nOn the computer screen, there was a hole. A real hole. Tina walked away, gun in her back pocket. The screen turned to black and a message appeared.\r \n\r \n01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100101 01101110 01100100.",
"The gunfire ends as soon as it began. Everyone is on the floor, either crying or begging for their lives. The guards were taken out so quickly that not one of them drew a weapon before they were knocked unconscious.\n\nI smirk and check my watch.\n\"...Hm. Not bad boys! 28 seconds. Are you trying to impress me or somethin'? Because it's working. Looks like A-Team wants some presents when we get home. How's B-Team doing?\"\n\n\n\"Ugh, two seconds boss! This vault ain't standard, but it's coming down all the same!\" Vince grumbles from deeper inside.\n\n\nI raise an eyebrow, stepping past a few prone civilians being watched by Glasses and Lucky Luke. One of the civilians is wearing a strange necklace and a rather elaborate costume. *What's his deal?...* I nudge him with the tip of my shotgun to get his attention.\n\n\"Hey. Nice glamour, Houdini. Pass that on over, why don't ya?\"\n\n\nHe scowls. \"I-Infidels... Do you have any idea what you are doing?! You will incur the wrath of the Almighty! Br-Break the seals, and our world will-\"\n\n\nI roll my eyes, and slam the butt of my shotgun into his head, knocking him out. \"Fucking religious nutcase...\" I grumble, yanking the necklace off his neck, and holding it up.\n\nLucas chuckles, shaking his head. \"Shouldn't talk back to the boss, pal. She'll fuck you up.\" He nudges the man with his boot, pushing him out of the path.\n\n\nThis jewelry is like nothing I've seen before. A large silver disc with several tiny golden swords piercing it from within. It's ornate. Could be worth something; though it *does* feel a little flimsy... But I like it. I shove it in a pocket, and hear a loud clattering come from nearby.\n\n\n\"Agh! There we go. Hinges open. Boss, come take a look back here!\"\n\n\nI stroll deeper into the bank, scanning the walls. I've never seen a bank like this. There's like, art everywhere. Religious art. Halos adorn the heads of several old men. I roll my eyes. They're so tacky. Even if they were worth something, they're too big to just run away with.\n\nI see Rudy helping Vince drag away the precious Vault Cracker from the great steel door at the end of the hall. \"Boss, this place is weird.\"\n\n\n\"Yup. I don't like it. Let's just grab whatever we can carry and throw it in the van. I want out of here in three minutes. Rudy, you grab bags of bills, Vince, check...for...\"\n\n\nI trail off as the heavy door opens slowly, holding up my shotgun.\n\n\nThere's no money, but that's now the last thought in my mind.\n\nInside the vault is... An apocryphal sight. The walls and floor are the same steel as the door, but they're decorated in... Runes. Giant red sigils that I've never seen before.\nOn the floor, atop one of the runes, is... A girl. Chained to the floor, hand and foot- She looks terrified.\n\n\nI lower the shotgun after a moment, and glance back at Vince. He looks just as shocked as I am- I'm not hallucinating.\n\n\n\"...WHAT THE **FUCK** IS THIS?!\" I shout, to nobody in particular.\n\n\n\"...I-I don't like this boss. We shouldn't mess with whatever this is. Close it back up and let's bail.\" Rudy says, practically stuttering.\n\n\nIgnoring him, I walk towards the girl. She backs away, though only manages to shuffle a few inches back before she's at the limit of her chains.\n\nA million thoughts are racing through my mind. \"...What's your name?\" I decide to ask.\n\n\nShe simply stares at me, trembling. What the *hell* is this? Is this some sort of freaky sex shit? It's really musty in here. And she doesn't look to be having fun... Is she a slave?...Prisoner? Cautiously, I look at her shackles, making sure not to get too close. I don't see any keyholes.\n\nI glance around. The room is entirely bare, save for the girl and the sigils painted onto the faces of the walls. I turn back to the vault door, and raise an eyebrow. That sigil looks just like the necklace I stole from that nutcase.\nFrowning, I pull it out from my pocket.\n\nI hold it up so she can see it. \"You know what this is?\"\n\n\nShe nods. After a moment, she seems to pause, and finally finds her voice. \"...P-Please, destroy it.\"\n\n\nThe boys behind me start shouting something about 'getting the fuck out of here', but I'm not listening to them. I can't stop staring at the girl. She's obviously in quite a predicament; Scrawny and stiff, she looks starved. The steel shackles that hold her onto the floor look heavy, weighing her down. But behind that? She's...Cute.\nReally cute.\n\n\n...I mean, fuck it, right? What's the worst that could happen?\nI drop the necklace onto the floor and crush it underneath my heel.\n\n\nThe girl looks up at me with a bright grin. \"Y-You... You actually did it! I-I... I thought you were one of *THEM*, but I-I...O-Oh, thank you! Thank you! Y-You have no idea how long I've been STUCK in here! Wait just a moment!\"\n\nI back away from her. She's... Getting brighter. *Glowing?* I feel an intense heat radiating from her; She's shining like the sun.\nA few moments later, I hear a hissing, then a clattering. Her shackles *melt* off of her body.\n\n\nShe giggles, sitting up straighter, her glow fading away. \"W-Wow. Th-That... That...hurt...\"\nJust as promptly as she sat up, she falls over, collapsing.\n\n\nI glance back behind me. Vince and Rudy are just staring in open-mouth shock.\n\n\n...Sirens.\n\n\n***FUCK.***\n\n\nI shake my head. \"*Damnit.* Bust open that window, Vince, we're taking this girl with us.\"\n\n\n\"We sure as hell AREN'T! Did you not see what she just -\"\n\n\nI shoot him an icy glare. I am not in the mood for a mutiny. Not now. \"**YES, MA'AM.**\"\n\n\n\"...Y-Yes, ma'am...\""
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[WP] You're transported to a Fantasy world in need of a hero; after ten years of adventure and glory, you finally manage to return home... only to find someone who looks exactly like you living your life, and everyone seems to like them much better than the real you.
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"It's strange, being a stranger, but stranger still is being a stranger among old friends. A decade or so ago I set out to explore distant shores, go on wild adventures and live a life I couldn't in a thousand years back home. I thought my homecoming would be sounded with the love and admiration of old friends; their new lives as interesting as my own story of the last ten years. They were not.\n\nThe welcome home party was overwhelming at first, until I met Liam Roald. Roald, the son of a bitch, was a crowd pleaser in the way only celebrities and politicians could match. I expected Jessica to move on and meet someone else, and though it hurt, it hurt ten times as much knowing it was Roald. The man was the spitting image of myself at 24, his strong jaw and ambitious stare almost made me proud of myself in youth, and yet he was not me. To see him raising a child which could've been my own in the same way I myself would've loved to hit like a pallet of bricks all at once. Perhaps the greatest insult is knowing I could've done it myself, had I ignored the call of duty.\n\nThe fae are interesting in their own way, summoning humans from our mundane lives off into their struggles. To travel on as one of their champions is meant to be the highest honor we can achieve, and yet none return happy. As a child I believed the old heroes were nothing short of invincible, but now I count myself amongst their number and want only to retire from life. Half a generation of losing myself in the name of some fanciful elves means nothing when returning to your loved ones means being prodded until it's time to be ignored.\n\nRoald, on the other hand, took the easy way. He ignored the fae's pleas. When they begged him to join their crusade against the \"forces of evil\" he turned his chin up and left. Clearly it was the right decision. Instead of seeing his close friends die, he got to marry the woman I proposed to the day I left. He didn't have to wake in fits of sweats, he never burned an orc town and asked himself why, and he certainly didn't execute a goblin prisoner who accepted his death with dignity. Instead Roald took the life I wanted.\n\nI hate Roald. Jes hurt me, and I guess she wants to be my friend, but I can't fault her for moving on. But Roald shows me the choice I made, and by the gods I know I made the wrong one.\n\nI hated him, not for the life he chose, but for the one I did.",
"It felt like a fever dream. Or a nightmare. I couldn’t tell which when I got there. It was a world of suffering and despair when I arrived. Civilization on the edge of destruction with kings and lords seeking a spark of hope to save them from the forces of a Lovecraftian threat. They prayed to their gods, begged for a saviour to pull them out of the darkness and rally their people to surviving the threat to their very existence.\n\nAnd what they got was me.\n\nI was a young man back then; fresh out of the Marines after two tours overseas. I was angry. Broken. Lost. And then it all changed. One second I was wrapping my pickup truck around a tree, the next I was waking up in a chapel in some ancient city brought to life. Knights in plate armor, priests that could conjure light from their finger tips, a world stuck in the age of sword and shield.\n\nI thought I’d died at first, but that soon changed. Learned I’d just been given a new chance at life. And by God did I take it.\n\nIt was a decade I figured. The years there were a little longer than ours so I couldn’t tell. Ten-ish years of learning, training, fighting, and traveling their world to be the savious their priests made me out to be.\n\nI’d made new friends, new comrades, a new home. And then I found myself in the belly of an ancient ruined city, hoisting the head of the monster queen high for all the armies to see. Her black blood still dripping from the edge of my sword. Their world was saved. The magic that allowed the monsters to invade the realm coming undone and casting them back to the void they came from.\n\nAnd then I met Her. The goddess that pulled me out from my world to hers. She said she would grant me three wishes. Three boons for pulling her world from darkness. I knew in an instant what I wanted. She warned me against it. But I wanted to go home. See my parents again. See my siblings and my probably ex-girlfriend.\n\nWhat the Goddess gave me was a key. One that could fit any lock. That with its turning, would turn any door into one that traversed between our worlds. I saved my other two boons, took my leave, and went home. \n\nI should’ve listened when she warned me not to. I’d suffered before I went to the new world, I’d suffered in the new world. But coming home… that was where I was truly hurt.\n\nMy time away must have made me unrecognizable, because when I went to my old house, my own mother answered the door. She didn’t even recognize me. Couldn’t see her own son past the beard, wrinkles, and freshly healed scars. But then my girlfriend came to the door. A baby in her arms… And she didn’t even hesitate in asking who I was. Oh man, I was starting to see red. Ready to lose my mind on them like no man ever should. But that’s when He came around.\n\nYou see… That Goddess that pulled me across, she left someone behind in my place. Someone to fill the void I left behind. He looked like me. Talked like me. But… he wasn’t.\n\nHe had the scars on his arms that I got in basic and the one I got on my cheek during my first tour. It was then that I understood what that goddess had wanted me to avoid. What pain she wanted to spare me from.\n\nAnd so I lied. Told a story of how I was an old war buddy of… myself I guess. They were put off by my presence, but he invited me in. Sat me down for thanks giving dinner like an old friend and welcomed me like family. Everyone was there. My family, my girl friends’s family, all staring at this stranger who’d been shoehorned into their celebration.\n\nThat’s when I learned how the Goddess did it. \n\nWhen I wrapped my truck around that tree all those years back, she put this doppelganger in my place when she pulled me out. He had no memory of who I was, where I was, or what kind of bastard I’d been. And my family… pieced him back together. Filled in the gaps where they could. And he… just… became me. A me who never went to war. Who never raised a hand to the live of his life. Who never spent his nights deep in a bottle to forget his past. He was… Who I should’ve been.\n\nI met my boy. My true boy. Born seven months after the accident. Met the little girl born two years later. The baby boy born last year…\n\nThey should’ve been mine. My kids, in my house, in my arms… but… they were, and they weren’t. They called him daddy. My girlfriend, she wore a ring I’d bought for her before my second tour. I hadn’t proposed yet… but I guess my doppelganger found it and did that for me. I had the matching piece in my pocket still. Carried for ten years across the battlefields and bloodbaths I’d waged war in the past ten years. Never let it go. Never lost that hope. And now…\n\nI excused myself from the table and went outside. Not willing to breakdown in front of my family. I wanted to die. Wanted to cry like I’d never done before.\n\nTen years I’d fought, hoping to have this moment, and instead I see what I should’ve been all along. What path I should’ve taken when I got out of the military. When the door opened behind me, it was my doppelganger.\n\n“What’s bugging you, pal?”\n\nI wanted to ring his neck. Take back my place in this household.\n\n“A lot. Just… didn’t expect to meet you like this,” I responded. “Wife, kids, all happy after everything… that… happened.”\n\nHe chuckled. “Been a long journey getting here, I’ll tell you what. Waking up in the hospital. The first pregnancy, learning who I was. Wasn’t easy. But maybe you can help fill some gaps I’m still missing, huh?”\n\nI gave him a smile. I could kill him in an instant. Like so many motherless monsters I’d done in in the past. I reached into my pocket. Gripping the piece of metal I had stashed in there. Grabbing him by the hand, I pulled it out and slapped the matching ring into it. The other half to that silver band my girlfriend wore.\n\n“I doubt you’d want to know,” I said, watching as he gazed at what I’d given him. “You lost that a long time ago. Last time we parted ways. You take care, Mike. Take care of those children and your wife.”\n\nBlinking in astonishment, he slipped on that ring. A perfect fit. “I don’t know what to say…”\n\n“Neither do I,” I said. Clutching the key back to the New World. “But be the better man that I never was. See you around.”\n\nBeen a couple months since I left that world behind. I still think about my old girlfriend and my boy. But… I guess it was for the best. It was a world that needed a better version of me, while this one needed the monster I had been. \n\nI don’t know what the future holds, but as I write this journal, laying next to my new wife, I know it will be one brighter than what people imagined before I’d made my debut. And one that will welcome me in my journey to be a man better than the one I left behind."
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[WP] The Tavern Of Tales is best known for magically making any stories told within its walls come alive with illusions. The Tavern can also magically change locations or have its door appear before weary travelers. Food, Drink, and even a night's stay is paid for with a unique and thrilling tale.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"A traveler, weary and tired, in a world that has fallen silent and grey, comes across an oddly vibrant tavern, and with nothing more left to do, enters it. That's how every story ends, and that's how every story starts. Inside of the tavern, they would find an arrangement of people, ranging from quiet writers to heroic warriors. Every single one of them has a story to tell, a story of unlikely allies or of unrequited love, and the traveler would find themselves telling a story, the story of how they ended up in the tavern, brought back to life with wonderful illusions and background music.\n\nThe owner of the tavern, a burly man with a magnificent mustache named Friedrich, is a mysterious figure. He's friendly, and greets his patrons with warmth and kindness, and in the background when an adventurer is telling their story, he is in the back, listening attentively, taking notes. Rumors about him float around of course, quite literally too; the magical nature of the tavern brings even these stories to life. Some rumors claim he is a god, the god of stories mayhaps. Others say that he is a powerful but retired sorcerer, who in his prime defeated legions of monsters with a single blow. These scenes are always a wonder to see.\n\nWith the scene now set, we meet Mora Flugelmeier, a Condalo penguin, a species of penguin hailing from the tops of the Condalo mountain range, capable of speech and talk just like any human could. How this happened is a complex story filled with historical tidbits, and shan't be explored in this tale. What is important about Mora is that she had spent ages exploring the nooks and crannies of the world of Ohone. She had become a legend, the person the next generation of explorers looked up to. Needless to say, she had a lot of stories to tell.\n\nAnd so, as her story had neared its closure, she was greeted by the tavern. For her, the world had gone grey and empty, hollow. This tavern stood out, and, ever the explorer, she didn't think twice about entering it. Inside, she was greeted by Friedrich. He told her that she could stay one night for one story. Food, drinks, all that would be cared for, if she just told a story. This offer Mora happily took. She found a comfy place near the fireplace, and she started to tell her story. The illusions were grand, vibrant like the day she explored the places. Many patrons came to listen to her story, and she continued until deep into the night.\n\nThe story about her goes as follows: she stayed at the tavern, telling stories vibrant and fascinating, and while patrons came and went, she stayed. She helped Friedrich sometimes, and told a story every evening, every story as fascinating as the last. And then, as she finished her last tale to tell, she died, having shared her complete life story. An entrepreneurial writer could seek out the tavern, and ask Friedrich to show them a story that Mora told, and write it down. Some say that that's what Friedrich is: a being to prevent tales from leaving the world quietly, the god of stories and history, a man making the world a better place."
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[WP] In a world where everyone has a different kind of super power, you have none. You are the most sought out person to do simple/mundane things that the supers can’t do.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Ted rang the doorbell and waited. It opened a moment later, just a crack. A very pretty woman poked her head out.\n\n\"Yes?\" She asked.\n\n\"Hello Ms. Helter. My name is Ted Gold. You--\"\n\n\"Oh thank god you're here!\" The woman said before he could even finished. \"I've been waiting for hours. I was almost afraid you wouldn't make it.\"\n\nTed checked his watch. He could admit that he was half an hour late, but he did have a good excuse. But he also adhered to strict client confidentiality, so he would never reveal why.\n\n\"I apologize, Ms. Helter. My previous appointment had a few unforseen complications.\"\n\n\"Oh, sure, I get it. A guy like you must have all kinds of crazy stories.\"\n\n\"May I come in?\"\n\n\"Yes, but try not to touch anything, please. It, well, it'd be bad.\"\n\nTed raised an eyebrow, but did not question her. There were any number of reasons for her warning, and he had not gotten where he had by ignoring his clients.\n\nShe held the door open and he entered. She asked him to follow her. The first thing he noticed was that she was not walking. She was not even touching the floor. She hovered an inch or so above the floor. His mind was already hard at work determining why this was. The floors were normal, so there was nothing wrong there.\n\n\"So, I wouldn't call this an emergency really, but I think it's pretty important for what it is.\" She said. \"I'm having a party later today, and I was setting everything up, and well, I realized I have a bit of a problem, so I called you.\"\n\n\"Yes, miss, that is the normal reason for me being called.\"\n\nShe led him into the kitchen and pointed to the counter. A number of jars were set up. \n\n\"Now, this is really embarrassing, like, really bad. But I kind of need you to, um, open these jars.\" Her face was beet red as she asked. \"Oh, and please don't tell anyone. If people learned I need help with something like this, well, it'd be bad.\"\n\nNow he understood. \"Ah, I see. Ms. Helter, I take it you are a physical type?\"\n\n\"Yup, sure am.\"\n\n\"Super strength?\"\n\n\"One of the strongest.\" She said proudly.\n\nWell, that would explain why she did not want him to touch anything. It was likely all too heavy for him to move. \n\n\"And these jars?\"\n\n\"They...they were out of reinforced jars I normally get!\" She said. \"I had to ask a clerk to get them off the shelf so I didn't break them.\" Her face could be used as a stop sign. \"I only got them on the shelf by ripping the bag around them.\"\n\nSure enough, as he got closer, he could see the remains of a plastic bag under the jars. She had gotten most of it, but she could not fully remove it without the jars breaking under her grip.\n\n\"No need for excuses with me, miss. I'll have these open in no time.\"\n\n\"Thank you so, so much.\"\n\nIt took Ted a few minutes to get the jars open. A few were stubborn, but he had done this enough times to be able to handle all of them. \n\n\"All done, Ms. Helter, do you have the serving platters for everything?\"\n\n\"I do. Wait, you're going to plate them up too?\" She asked.\n\n\"Of course, miss. I don't leave jobs half finished, and in this case, that means getting everything ready.\"\n\nHer face lit up. \"Oh my god, I'd hug you, but I'd probably crush you, so...\"\n\n\"The sentiment is enough for me.\" Also, the not being crushed was nice. And the money she had pre paid was good too.\n \nShe set out the various platters, which we're blessedly light enough for him to handle, and he got all the jars emptied and arranged tastefully. The olives, pickles and various dips all had their places, and he finished with other appetizers that she had also picked up, even if they were all in containers that she could handle without breaking.\n\n\"There we go, Ms. Helter, all finished.\" He said once it was all set up.\n\n\"Thank you, so, so, so much. You, sir are a life saver.\"\n\n\"No, ma'am, I am not. I'm just an average guy in an extraordinary world. Have a nice day and enjoy your party.\" \n\nAnd with that, he left the house, and headed off to his next client."
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[WP] You ride shotgun with this peculiar stagecoach driver for a week now and it's starting to make sense on why his only requirement for the job is to know how to handle a sword, and not to ask any questions.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\\[In the Driver's Seat\\]\n\nCogburn tried not to listen to the two teenage passengers. He'd only been riding the coach for about a week. He quickly learned that eavesdropping led to more questions than the unusual appearances of their passengers. All the ones he'd met; It wasn't just the pale, almost blue-skinned boy and red-haired girl riding along this time. Despite his best efforts, bits of conversation still reached his ears.\n\n\"Thanks for coming along,\" Frost, the boy, said. It was a name that suited him. Before Cogburn took the job, he never would have imagined someone with deep blue hair like Frost. But a week later, he'd seen all colors and shades. Frost was a lean, athletic boy in silver armor.\n\n\"Yeah, happy to,\" Valentine replied. Cogburn assumed the pair were siblings. They both wore their hair in ponytails, and Valentine was rather pale too; but not quite as blueish-white as Frost. Valentine's hair was a deep, wine-red color that looked closer to blue than most other redheads he'd met. \"I wanted to farm the reputation anyway. Vivi got a mega cute mimic pet from the Magi-knights; I have to have one too,\" she giggled. \"But, she already maxed them out, and she's working with Doc Mundo, so I didn't want to ask her to do more.\"\n\nCogburn kept his eyes on the dusty, empty road and tried to keep his mind on a leash. Though, he did recognize the Magi-knights name at least. They were the guild that commissioned the coach for the month. And, he met a young girl named Vivi on his first day. Part of him wondered if she was the one they were talking about. She was dressed oddly and looked to be about their age, like the rest of the passengers he'd delivered.\n\nHe was glad they were almost upon the ambush spot, just so he didn't have to listen to their conversation for a little while. Cogburn glanced at the old coach driver out of habit, but he stopped trying to get him to change direction.\n\nThe stagecoach was ambushed by bandits on Cogburn's first day, and he was ready to leap into action to do his job. But, the passengers were surprisingly powerful for their age. He moved as fast as he could to lend aid, but by the time he drew his sword, the clash was over. He could see why the coach driver wanted someone good with a sword; but, he thought he was lucky he didn't have to fight that first day. The passengers and cargo arrived at their destination safely.\n\nHe was surprised the next day when more bandits attacked them at the exact same spot. But, two days in a row, the adventuring passengers dealt with the threat before Cogburn could help. On the fourth day, after being ambushed again on the 3rd, Cogburn tried to convince the driver to take a different route. But, he insisted this was the route specified by the contract. Then, Cogburn sat through a fourth ambush without even drawing his sword.\r\n\nHe wondered if anyone would notice if he took a swig or three from the cargo. The passengers changed daily; but, he got the impression they were just carrying the same crate of wine back and forth between towns.\n\n\"What are you farming for?\" Valentine asked. Cogburn knew she was talking to Frost; but, he couldn't help himself. He realized that he somehow knew the answer and had to share it.\r\n\n\"Probably Rook's flair, right?\" Cogburn chuckled and looked over his shoulder. He knew Rook was a well-known Paladin, and Frost looked like a paladin to him; but, he didn't know what flair was.\n\n\"WHAT!?\" Frost and Valentine exclaimed simultaneously. It was a strange reaction and Cogburn turned to see both of them staring at him with wide eyes.\n\n\"How do you know that?\" Frost asked. Cogburn's brow furrowed as he wondered the exact same thing.\n\n\"I..I don't..,\" he stammered as his mind went blank. It seemed to give up on him. Valentine leaned closer and looked into his eyes.\n\n\"What's your favorite n-,\"\n\n\"BANDITS!\" the driver yelled as he pulled the horses to a stop. The two teens traded looks, then Frost nodded.\n\n\"I got it,\" he said and climbed off the coach with his sword and shield.\n\n\"I should go too,\" Cogburn said. He knew he wasn't needed, but he wanted a distraction from his own thoughts. But, Valentine grabbed his hand and shook her head.\n\n\"Wait, this is important,\" she said. \"What's your favorite number?\"\n\n\"One,\" he said without hesitation. He ignored the ruckus happening around them. \"Why is that important?\" Valentine giggled to herself and smiled broadly.\n\n\"Because it means you're alive. You can go anywhere and do anything,\" she said. Cogburn narrowed his eyes.\n\n\"Because my favorite number is one? How is that different from every day of my life?\" Again, Valentine giggled lightly, but this time she shook her head.\n\n\"Not because your favorite number is one. Because you have a favorite number. Watch...,\" she said. She leaned forward and tapped the driver on the shoulder.\n\n\"Yeah?\" he asked.\n\n\"What's your favorite number?\" The old man looked at her for several seconds, then shrugged.\n\n\"What does that prove exactly?\" Cogburn asked.\n\n\"I'll bet this stagecoach gets in trouble like this a lot,\" Valentine said with a sly smile. \"Daily, probably; but, you keep taking the same route. Have you ever wondered why?\" Cogburn nodded.\n\n\"This is the route in the contract,\" he said.\n\n\"Yeah,\" Valentine nodded. \"It's a shame that sort of thing can't be renegotiated when there's the constant threat of robbery,\" she giggled. The wheels began to turn in Cogburn's mind, but he wasn't ready to concede that yet. There's a lot to be said for an old man stuck in his ways. But, she seemed to notice he was still on the fence and reached forward to tap the driver on the shoulder again.\n\n\"What's your favorite number?\" she asked.\n\n\"Numbers an' me don' mix,\" he replied. Then, he faced forward again. Frost was down to the last bandit, but the driver only looked forward. Cogburn noticed he didn't even seem to be particularly aware of the battle. Then, Valentine bothered the driver again.\n\n\"What's your favorite number?\" she asked.\n\n\"Numbers an' me don' mix,\" he replied. Then, he faced forward again. He didn't show any hints of annoyance and his voice maintained its even, calm tone. Then Frost climbed back on the coach and noticed what was going on. He took a turn at questioning the driver and got the same answer. Cogburn was ready to accept her explanations as the driver started forward again without a single comment.\n\n\"Okay,\" he said. \"Let's say I believe you. Something isn't right with him, but you're saying that doesn't apply to me?\" he asked. Valentine and Frost both nodded.\n\n\"I can go anywhere and do anything? Alright, so.. where do I start?\" They both grinned at him.\n\n\"Well, we're already in the AlterNet,\" Valentine said. She gestured at the empty plains around them. \"So the first thing you need to do is decide who you want to be.\"\n\n\\*\\*\\* \nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1384 in a row. (Story #292 in year four.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on Sept. 6th and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until June 3rd. They are all collected at this link."
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[WP] Gods are not people, instead spirits who posses people worthy of wielding the power of a god. When a god leaves a body, the body dissolves. Today, your dad, grandpa and great grandma dissolved.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I slowly looked up from my hands, streaked with snot and tears that seemed to endlessly flow without restraint. I cried out to the spots of blue, yellow, and grey ash that softly marked where my family stood. I tried to cry out, “you were all I had” seemed to be the only words I could manage to force out of my tightened throat. \n\nIt all happened so suddenly, Pagonia, the goddess of death and glory resides in my father, diosos and diasis , the twin gods of winter and summer in my grandfather and grandmother respectively. My family had always had the gift.. some gift it was. It seemed that every other year I hear about some distant cousin or long lost gifted kim falling into soft ash. It had never been mine though, they were worthy. They made SURE they stayed worthy.. I had no god in me. I blame myself. I should’ve known I had no god in me… I thought I really didn’t. That day though, the day they left me, I found something worse than any god or gift, I found myself. \n\nI couldn’t have had a god in me, I can’t dissolve, I couldn’t have even had a family. They found the only ones I loved.. they found them no matter how hard I ran and ripped my spirit apart to forget my past. I remember now.\n\nI will give a slight introduction, I am oasis, the mother deity, maker of light and possessor of spirits. I am the origin, and this is my story."
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[WP] In the afterlife, artists have infinite time and ressources to make their grand work....it's still not enough for some of them.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I honestly wasn’t expecting my afterlife to be like this. Everyone always says that you can’t take it with you, but apparently, if it’s craft supplies or unfinished projects, you can. I had to beg a little for the finished works, and bribe some folks with baked goods, but I’ve got all of my stuff that I am attached to. \nAnd as for new supplies? I can get anything for free! I really should clear more of my backlog before starting new projects, but I’ve got silk brocade just in to be made into a court gown, and *period accurate lace* by the spool to trim it. I’ve got a full sized loom now so I can weave my own fabric, and an actual kiln and pottery wheel of my own. \nDid you know that you can interact with other people in the afterlife? I’m going to go hang out with Frieda Kahlo later, and bring some hand sewing. She’s done some amazing things since she died. She laughed at me when I said this, because we literally have the rest of eternity, but I told her that I don’t have time to do everything that I want to do. \nReally I suppose it’s just that I want to be doing it all at the same time…like, do I work on the magnificent tapestry that would have taken a dozen women a decade and I’m doing it on my own? Do I go take sculpting classes from Michelangelo? The court gown, the jewelry to wear with the court gown, or the less dramatic but necessary undergarments for the court gown? \nThere’s also no outside deadlines in the afterlife, so there’s no impetus pushing for one project over another.\nI collapse in a pile on my workroom floor, paralyzed by indecision on what to do first. I have time for a little bit of a meltdown, I’m here for eternity, after all"
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[WP] They aren't an imaginary friend, they're invisible. And really shy - You seem to do all the talking. But that's okay. You let them hold your hand, and squeeze it whenever they feel scared.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"My friends were surprised when I said I was majoring in child psychology and development. They told me that they thought I would go into marketing, or business. \"You're so good at it!\" they'd say. \"You're so shrewd, you could be the next best salesman!\" My parents told me to at least take a few classes in business, or minor in some sort of reliable field, so that I wouldn't be completely stranded when I exited college. \n\nThat, of course, wasn't the case. Sure, I got perfect marks in my math classes, I was taking 5 AP courses in my senior year, close to finishing a short story collection I'd been working on ever since 9th grad(with the help of a few of my dad's author friends), and applying to college.\n\n\"Listen, Travis, I don't think you should be going to an Ivy League school if you're not gonna go for something big, hun.\" My mom wet the rag, and started washing the countertops, as dad went to put our dishes in the dishwasher. \"I mean, I get that you want to go into child psych, but there are so many better places, darling. I mean, honey, IUP would be just fine if you wanted to go into something like child psych. But if we want to go far away from mom and dad, let's make sure we're doing something we can make money with, alright?\"\n\n\"Your mom's right.\" Dad finished loading the dishwasher with silverware, and looked back at me. \"If you wanna go big, you have to go big. You can't half ass it.\" he walked passed the half wall and into the living room, where the news of some school shooting was playing on mute. \"I mean, look at Lucy. She's not going for anything massive. All she wants is her English Major, and Albright- a good, local college- is what she applied to, and look, she got accepted. Now she's doing well in college, and-\"\n\nI felt a squeeze in my left hand, and discreetly opened up my palm. Invisible fingers quietly slithered across my palm, as my dad continued on with his speech.\n\n*I want to go far away from here.* \n\nThe fingers disappeared, and I felt a palm match mine. I spoke back, in the same sign language.\n\n*I'm trying. I'll figure this out, don't worry.*\n\nI opened my palm again to match the invisible one, and-\n\n\"Travis? What did I just say?\" my dad rolled his eyes, flicking me in the forehead, as I suddenly came back to reality. The buzzing fingers on my hand suddenly went cold, and returned into a fierce grip again.\n\n\"Oh, uh, that I should stay local if I want a less important degree?\" I said, giving away my distraction with the rising pitch of my voice. \n\n\"Ugh, I want to slap you sometimes, you scatterbrain. What I was *saying* was that the Laxleys will be coming over on our family trip down to Virginia Beach, and that maybe you should plan things to do with Nora if you don't want to be stuck babysitting your baby cousin Jack.\" Dad threw his hands back into a resting position, as he leaned back, the news now showing the recent game between Penn State and Ohio State football. \n\n\"Oh, ok, sorry dad!\" I awkwardly chuckled, as I shriveled under Mom's patronizing glare. As she finished cleaning, she walked past me, giving me a kiss on the head while she did. \n\n\"Listen, my little rabbit, your dad and I will be heading up to bed, be up by 11:00, alright?\" she walked into the living room, helping dad up as he shut off the TV and living room light. \n\n\"Alright, Mom. Love you.\" I smiled, feeling another squeeze on my left hand, as I again discreetly opened it up to talk.\n\n*I have something to show you*. \n\nI looked up at mom and dad, who were waving me off goodnight, as I smiled at them, the darkness of a 9:45 night in the falling all around me, only a kitchen room light switch keeping it at bay. \n\n*Lets wait for Mom and Dad to go upstairs.* I signed back. \n\n\"Don't stay up too late!\" Dad yelled down, as I heard the closing of the master room door.\n\nAs soon as the door shut, I felt a dragging feeling, my left hand being dragged by my invisible friend towards the back door, towards our small backyard. \n\n\"Where are we going?\" I whispered. I felt my invisible friend stop, and squeeze my hand. I opened it again.\n\n*Just wait. I just want to show you something I thought was interesting.*\n\n*Fine, just don't kidnap me or anything.*\n\n*Ha.* Was all I got as a response. *Not Happening.* \n\n\\--------\n\nCONTINUES IN COMMENTS",
"Then I said, “What? Your looking at me?” In my cheesisest accent. That earned a wind blow, a rarity of a reaction. I smile to myself, I knew I was funny. I then launch into a story about the time I broke my arm in third grade. It’s a pretty good one, complete with a surprise ending. I’m going to have Danny practically rolling by then end of it. \nDanny is the friend I met a few years ago. I met him in the park. He was off to the side, watching everyone. He looked like he wanted to join in so bad, but couldn’t or something. I just moved to the area, and went over to him. The rest is history. \nI finish the story, trying to move my arm at the end. I always try to talk with my hands when I get excited, I forgot, I can’t really do that in this shirt. I then start telling him about what I ate for breakfast. Danny can’t really hang out everywhere. Mainly my room. I don’t love the room, it’s too white, but I suck it up for him. \nAnyway, Danny does this thing where he kinda… goes away whenever other people come over. Could never really figure out why or how. Was just happy he never did it to me. The door opens to my room. I finish my story, not wanting to be rude to Danny. \n“Come on Matt. You’ve been here for months. Time to stop talking to yourself. You’ll never get out of here at this rate.” My doctor, Patty, who sometimes comes by says. Danny squeezes my hand. He’s always scared by her. \n“I’m not alone Patty. I’m with Danny,” I say. I’m always reminding her, but she doesn’t seem to get it for herself. She sighs and closes the door. Whispers to her assistant to up my medication and leave me alone in my florescent white room.",
"\"Don't worry,\" I said weakly. \"I'm fine.\" I didn't sound very convincing, even to myself. My friend certainly didn't seem convinced. I coughed a bit, and warm blood dribbled down my chin. That seemed like a bad thing, I thought dimly. \"I'm fine.\" \n\nThe biker that had hit me had sped off basically immediately. Whoever it was hadn't seemed to care that they'd run down a hiker. Maybe it was my fault, walking on the old park trails at night. But I was wearing reflectors. And- \"I\"m pretty sure motorbikes aren't supposed to be allowed up here anymore,\" I said. \"Too many accidents.\" \n\nMy friend squeezed my hand in agreement. I could hear them breathing. Normally they were too quiet for me to hear unless I was listening very carefully. They must've been almost hyperventilating because I could hear them over the blood roaring in my ears.\n\nCold fingers touched my chest, and I winced. \"Can you not do that?\" I asked quietly. It hurt a lot less than it should have. I wasn't a doctor, but I'd been hit head-on, and I'd started having trouble breathing. \n\nThey didn't say anything. They never said anything. But they did remove their hands from my absolutely destroyed chest region, which I was thankful for. I wasn't nearly as thankful when they stopped holding my hand and started to rummage through my backpack instead. \n\nIt was a surreal experience, bleeding out and watching an invisible person search through my stuff. I couldn't see their face, but they did make the first sound they'd made in years when they fished out a busted, sparking phone- a cry of horror if I wasn't mistaken. \n\n\"Don't worry,\" I said weakly. I reached out a hand. They took it, squeezing it tightly. My chest had started to hurt now. A lot. I focused on their touch instead, focused on the sensation of them squeezing it instead of the burning pain snaking up and down my body. \"I'll be fine. I'll... be fine.\" \n\nThey didn't say anything. They never did. What they did do, though, was wrap their arms around me. For a moment, I thought they were giving me my first hug as I died. Then they yanked me into the air and everything became a blur of confusion and pain. \"Careful, I might have a spinal injury,\" I said, dizzy and dazed and a bit too out of it to really grasp what was happening as they started walking. \n\nOutside of hand-holding, our actual physical contact was minimal. So was the sort of stuff that could reveal their presence. This was flaunting both of those habits. I could only imagine what I looked like, being bridal carried down the trail by something entirely invisible. The thought made me laugh a bit. Laughing hurt. \n\nThey squeezed my hand gently, and I looked up at them fondly- or where I thought they were. I couldn't really see anything through the tears, and even if I could, I couldn't see their actual face anyway. \n\n\"It'll... be alright,\" I said. \"It'll be fine. Just like always.\" And then I blacked out.\n\nI don't know how long I was out for. Really, I didn't think I would ever wake up. But I did, eventually. Everything was so bright and everything hurt. A tougher man might've made a joke about that just meaning they were alive to feel it, but I was in a bit too much pain to really crack jokes. Or do much of anything but lie there, useless and broken. \n\n\"He's awake!\" Somebody shouted. I caught a glimpse of a nurse hovering over me. A flood of doctors entered the room, and I started to blackout again. Dimly, though, I recognized that I'd somehow made it to a hospital. \n\nSomebody squeezed my hand. I looked over to the right. There was nobody there, and I smiled weakly. \"T-told you it would be alright,\" I said before I slipped into blissful unconsciousness again.",
"He did not know when he first felt her presence.\n\nIt was as if he knew about her for all his life. Even when he was a child he always felt someone close by when he could not see anyone. Someone or something that was always close by. \n\nOf course everyone told him he was making it up. That he had an active imagination. No one believed him when he said he could feel someone close by, always there. When he was little they said it was cute. As the years passed it became less cute to them, more pathetic. They made him see counselors and therapists, anyone to help him 'grow up'.\n\nHe stopped telling people about her but he still felt her near.\n\nAfter a while he did not care. She was there for his most alone moments. He had first felt her when he was at his lowest. Alone, utter crushed in heart and soul. He had hid away, weeping. That day he felt the presence touch him, wipe away the tears. He felt her lean against him. He looked alone but he did not feel that way.\n\nHe knew then that if she meant him harm, she would have done the deed whenever she wanted.\n\nSince then he welcomed her presence. He thought he could feel her emotions. She moved around him swiftly when she was happy. She hovered over his right shoulder when she was anxious. The air thrummed when she was mad.\n\nHer hand would shake in his when she was afraid.\n\nHe never knew what would make her scared. It did not make sense to him. Some strange unknown presence afraid? What could possibly affect her? What could possibly frighten her?\n\nOne day he learned. \n\nA car had knocked him over. He had ran into the intersection, scooping up a small girl that had fallen. He managed to push her into the arms of her wailing mother, pushing them both out of the way. The oncoming car clipped him, sending him to the ground.\n\nHis eyes began to close as he watched another speeding car hurtling towards him. He could do nothing, no strength to crawl. The last thing he saw as the oncoming car stopping barely a few feet before running him over. The hood crumpled, striking something invisible, the car nearly splitting in half lengthwise.\n\nHe woke hours later, connected to beeping machines, clad in sterile hospital linens. He was told that he was lucky, broken bones that would heal. The ones he saved were unharmed. \n\nThey mistook his panic. They thought he was afraid for his own health and they reassured that his recovery, while prolonged, would be complete.\n\nHe did not explain why he was so scared.\n\nHowever the fear left him when he felt her. She was curled around him, her hand in his. She was trembling harder than he could ever remember.\n\n\"Are you okay?\" he whispered after he was left alone. Well, alone save for her.\n\nHe felt a nod against his chest.\n\n\"Are you hurt?\"\n\nA shake of the head.\n\n\"Why are you so scared?\"\n\nHe felt her curl even tighter around him, her entire form trembling.\n\n\"For me?\"\n\nAnother nod.\n\nHe smiled. \"I'm okay thanks to you.\"\n\nFor the first time he heard her, a whimper.\n\n\"Don't be scared. I'm here,\" he whispered. He squeezed her hand.\n\nEventually she stopped trembling. She squeezed his hand back."
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[WP] Through a series of convoluted events, you got yourself a werewolf desperately trying to pass themselves off as a guide dog.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"My walk home is horrible. Having to walk home at night after work is scary but I have no other way. All the buses are closed and I don’t have enough money to get a car or Uber home daily. The only plus side is that the view is beautiful, especially on nights like these when the sky is lit up by a full moon. That doesn’t mean I don’t have some strange encounters during my walks.\n\nThere’s your normal hecklers and cat callers, usually deterred easily using my pepper spray if necessary. One thing I always see though are stray animals. Cats, dogs and even some more exotic animals can be found roaming around. Seeing a dog sitting in the middle of the sidewalk is a normal occurrence. But this was no ordinary dog. \n\nThis dog was no stray, donning a harness that was hard to miss even at night. The dog is huge with a dark brown coat covering its body. I don’t recognize the breed but whatever it is it’s got some massive paws. It was resting in front of some rundown building, no one else in sight. The reflective vest on the dog shone bright under the streetlights. “Guide Dog” clearly etched onto the side of the harness that almost seemed too tight, digging into the fur on the dog’s sides. \n\nFinding a guide dog with no owner in sight was not something I expected to happened today. Panic was my first thought, someone out there who needs this dog is wandering around without their guide. My plan for today was to head home after a late night shift and relax but I guess a side quest to get this little guy home isn’t too bad.\n\nApproaching the dog I walked slowly with my hands out in a placating manner, not wanting to scare it off. Upon drawing closer the dog’s ears twitched, picking up the sounds of me drawing near. It’s late and it’s dark but I swear a look of annoyance briefly crossed the dog’s face, yellow eyes shining almost as bright as it’s harness. \n\nKneeling down I spoke to the lost guide, “Hey buddy, where’s your owner? They in trouble?”\n\nUsually seeing a service dog out and about alone means that their owner is in need of assistance. A guide dog though? If their owner doesn’t have a cane or knows the lay of the area they’re screwed. I need to get this dog back to their owner and fast.\n\nThe dog didn’t look too excited to have me knelt down in front of it, I almost felt like I was bothering it. Brushing the idea off I slowly reached towards the dog’s neck.\n\n“Shoot, no collar,” I sat back on my haunches, brainstorming how on Earth I’m doing to get this dog back to where they belong. Glancing over the vest there were no other identification tags, leaving me with nothing to work with. \n\nSighing, I stood up, reaching into my pocket to get my phone with my right hand and grabbing ahold of the handle of the vest so the dog doesn’t run off with my left. This is an important dog, their owner probably reported them missing. Biting my lip I quickly dialed the number for my local police department and brought the phone to my ear.\n\n“This is the North Edge City Police Department, how may I help you?”\n\n“Uh- hi, well this is kind of weird. I was walking home when I noticed a guide dog sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. There’s no tags but I was wondering if their owner reported them mis— HEY”\n\nBeing jerked suddenly to my left was not what I was expecting. My phone clattered to the ground, shattering on impact. Shocked, I looked up to see the dog hightailing it down the road.\n\n“Son of a- COME BACK HERE!” I yelled as I gave chase. \n\nI’m no track star, but that dog was fast. Losing sight of the dog I sighed and slowed to a measly jog before stopping entirely. Great. The dog’s gone, and my phone is broken. Sighing, I began my walk home once more.\n\nUnknowingly revealing the path to my house. \n__________"
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[WP] "username not in sudoers file. This incident will be reported."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Hello Andrew,\" the disembodied voice called from behind his head, staying there no matter how he turned\n\n\"We trust you have received the usual lecture from the local System Administrator. It usually boils down to these three things. One: Respect the privacy of others. Two: Think before you type. Three: With great power comes great responsibility.\"\n\nAndrew had heard this message literally hundreds of times, but the alternative was either hearing \"Timed out, try again\" or \"Username not in sudoers file. This incident will be reported.\" on rapid repeat. So Andrew sat there, guessing the password, hour after hour.\n\n\"Password?\" The voice called yet again, in the monotone, female voice that was just barely noticeably synthesized and not real.\n\n\"Shibboleet\", he said, recalling the number times he had said it when on call with tech support, praying it may work to get him though to level two, at least.\n\n\"Now entering commands as root at universe-42.\" The voice said, still emotionless, still behind him.\n\n\"uhh, L S?\" Andrew said, shocked to have actually gotten though\n\n\"command not found: uhh, ls\", the voice, unable to mock him, still seemed to have, at least a bit.\n\nMore carefully he said, \"L S space dash L A\" to list the current files. The voice responded immeditately:\n\n\"listing: current dir, previous dir, documents, downloads, desktop, picture-\"\n\nUninterested, he said \"control C\", to cutting off the voice. He was rather surprised it worked, the input must be rather direct. He wondered, if this system had user folders, what had the last user done?\n\n\"tail dash N five dot bash underscore history\", he said, hopeful the shell would be the bourne again shell.\n\n\"ls dash la,\" his last entered command was repeated first, followed by \"dot slash universe dash config dash dash Earth fourty two, cd tilde slash documents slash universe underscore gen -\"\n\nHe said \"control C\" to once again cut off the output, and then went to see what may be in the universe\\_gen folder,\n\n\"C D underscore universe gen amperstand amperstand L S\", he said, trying to speed up this slow method of input.\n\n\"listing: current dir, previous dir, universe dash config, universe dash create, spawn dash terminal dot s h, univer-\"\n\n\"control C\", he said, again interrupting the output. He decided to try the spawn-terminal.sh script, as he had a feeling it may help, \"dot slash spawn dash terminal dot S H\"\n\nAn original VT100 video terminal, in perfect condition, appeared floating in the air, at perfect typing level, but not plugged in. Despite this, the screen was glowing with white text, showing his previous inputs. He reached forward and placed his hands on the keyboard. The hard black plastic of the keys was cool to the touch.\n\n root@universe-42\n ---------- \n OS: Arch \n Kernel: 5.14.12-zen1-1-zen \n Memory: 23247MiB / 32030MiB \n Uptime: 1383432269 years, 3 moonths, 1 day, 12 hours, 56 mins \n Packages: 7087 (pacman) \n Shell: bash \n \n [root@universe-42 ~]# uhhhhls\n bash: uhhls: command not found\n [root@universe-42 ~]# ls -la\n . .. Documents Downloads Desktop Pictures Music Videos .bashrc .bash_history\n [root@universe-42 ~]# tail -n 5 .bash_history\n ls -la\n ./universe-config --earth 42\n cd ~/Documents/universe_gen\n [...]\n [root@universe-42 ~]# cd ~/Documents/universe_gen && ls\n . .. universe-config universe-create spawn-terminal.sh universe-edit universe\n [root@universe-42 ~/Documents/universe_gen]# ./spawn-terminal.sh\n [root@universe-42 ~/Documents/universe_gen]# ░\n\nHe started typing.\n\n [root@universe-42 ~/Documents/universe_gen]# ps aux | grep universe\n root 1292751 23.1 11.2 6504 2408 pts/3 S+ NULL 99:99:99 ./universe\n [root@universe-42 ~/Documents/universe_gen]# ./universe-edit\n ... STARTING LIVE EDITOR SHELL 3.2.0-b\n UNIVERSE$ ░\n\nAs he typed, the keys felt more familiar, he knew what commands to enter.\n\n UNIVERSE$ pause\n\nThe world stopped, entirely. Light itself stopped moving. The only things the remained were Andrew, the terminal, and those things lit up by its faint white glow\n\n UNIVERSE$ status\n .....\n C = 299792458+-32.2\n PLANCK = 6.62607015+-.002 x 10-34\n E = 1.602 +- .2\n MEMORY STATUS: DEGRADED\n PROCESSOR SATUTUS: NORMAL\n RENDERER: NORMAL\n UNIVERSE$ maintence --log\n 1 - 54/027/1093/234 - Universe Reboot for constant change\n 2 - 78/921/0021/921 - Administrator notified for degraded memory status\n UNIVERSE$ maintence --info 2\n Active user \"Andrew\" reinstated for reason: memory degredation. Number of unrecoverable\n memmory errors has exceded limit. Fix needed internally at sector BD38.32.38 'VEGA'\n\n\\---\n\n>I will probably continue this prompt tomorrow, I know, right as I get past the intro crud :p"
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[WP] You're an imaginary friend. You know and have come to terms with this fact. Or at least you had until just now. Your host just died and somehow you are still here
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I fucking missed her. \n\nShe was my everything, her interests mine, all that she did and felt transmitted as my entire world.\n\nIn the end, why did she have to be so good? She left me behind as hopeless and helpless as I was when we first met, except now the hole of her was carved into me, aching like nothing ever had before. \n\n\"I'm not sure, we're so far away. Oh, I know, why don't we become imaginary friends?\"\n\nAnd so it began. I think we both just needed someone. I still don't know why I agreed, that we would just be imaginary friends because we didn't truly know each other. Two strangers connected by invisible, tiny strings across oceans and galaxies. I just felt a kind of connection to her when we met - call it admiration, or being charmed, or even the fledglings of a small, hopeless crush. I knew that wouldn't work out, yet I was always telling myself it would be so fun to be friends. \n\nA kid with an imaginary friend feels no need to quell a storm of emotions, usually clutched so tightly and desperately protected, in the presence of that friend. And so it was with us. A candid and thoughtful relationship. One where new ideas were born, and we got to brainstorm new ideas on a foundation of reminiscence of the old.\n\nIt was fun and exciting, and scary in the best ways. She understood me, finally someone did for once in my life, and we talked for hours to no end. \n\nThen she was gone. I should have expected it, all kids grow out of their imaginary friends. You create an amazing, comforting figure and friend in the realm of your mind, perhaps embodied by a stuffed animal or fictional character, and then -\n\nAnd then the old is replaced by the new. Even with pangs of regret, pain, or confusion, all things fade away. \n\nSo I was a mere imaginary friend, little fun distraction to her. She told me everything, what did I tell her? I never told her what she truly meant to me - my sustenance, my lovely obsession, my light to get me through the day - and I don't know if she truly knew. \n\nWe were too far away. We were never meant to be. Yet what does an untethered imaginary friend do when there's no one left to be friends with? Who wants the dregs of someone else's creation? \n\nI fucking missed her. I would fucking miss her and wonder where she went for thousands of hours more. How could I let myself fall for my imaginary friend?",
"\"You are the light of my life. They may not understand, but that's okay. We have each other.\" \n\nMy host smiled at me, beaming after making such a sappy remark. He was probably waiting for my reply.\n\n\"I am happy to have you, too. I was shocked at first, when I learned of our relationship, but after thinking on it, this is really not so bad. We have each other, even if no one else can see or hear me.\" The time seemed to speed by when I was with with my host. Days seemed to drag when I was confined to only observing the world, unable to interact with any one or any thing. \n\n\"Some can hear you. You'll find another host.\" My host's eyes seemed to crinkle at the edge. Tears began to well up within them.\n\n\"You have had other hosts? I'm not the first. I won't be the last, will I? Don't give up on them. On love...\"\n\nI recoiled at this. My memory was somewhat hazy from years of worldly observation. Could I have mentioned this to my host? Perhaps...I couldn't be sure.\n\n\"I...don't remember. You brought me to life. If you ask me, my life began with your imagination, and will end with your demise. I know I've had other hosts. That you didn't conjure me. But you've made me better. I was emotional before you. You showed me how to love.\"\n\n\"It won't be long, now. I'll see you soon.\" My host took another ragged breath. These last few days were definitely not easy for him to bear. Surely, his time was nearing its end. I prepared for the darkness to envelope us both. \n\nLetting out a final cry to me, he was gone.\n\nThe seconds ticked by. And then minutes. They dragged for me, watching the world without my host in it. \n\nI saw the soldier step towards my host with a spear. \n\nWHY AM I STILL HERE? WHY MUST I GO ON WITHOUT HIM?\n\nThe soldier stabbed the body of my host.\n\nA CURSE UPON YOU AND THAT BLASTED SPEAR! I thought.\n\nMy host is gone. I have had other hosts before. I could have more. It's too soon. I can't let myself get hurt again. These people took my host from me...I had made changes in the world through past hosts. I had helped them do amazing things. My host had believed in them. He had loved them to the bitter end. He had told me he didn't hate them for hurting him. \n\nI had spent many years interacting with the world through hosts.\n\nNo more.",
"I stared at the ceiling all day until the sun had set. Again. \n\nIt was only when the moon had risen from the depths of the Earth that the howls of my bladder finally overcame my stupor and forced me up, for the first time that day. I staggered to the toilet, body languid and unwilling, mind dull and empty. \n\nAs I turned on the tap to wash my hands, I found my legs had grown heavy. I slumped onto the sink, head bowed. A corpse gazed back at me in the mirror, a ragged, overgrown beard festering on its cheek, distracting my gaze from the dull lifelessness in its eyes. \n\nThis was no way to be spending the rest of my days, I knew. Lee would have long since chastised me. He was always telling me about the importance of living freely, of drinking in the richness of life. He would have torn me out of my slump, pulled me outside to do something, anything that didn't involve wasting away slowly in the cold, dark apartment. \n\nYet what was I supposed to do, as an imaginary friend whose master had long since passed away? As a dog without a bone, an object without a purpose? How could I still exist, without the beacon that my whole world had revolved around? \n\nI did not have the answers to these questions. Nor did I want them. So I simply dragged myself back onto the floor, letting myself sink in between the empty greyness of the four walls. \n\n\\*\\*\\* \n\nAs I trudged back to that cold concrete floor, a colourful object in the corner of the apartment caught my eye. \n\nLee's painting. It was still affixed neatly to the canvas, paintbrushes and palette meticulously arrayed on a small table beside it, as perfect as it had been since the day he passed on. \n\nSplendid colours and gorgeous figures swirled on one side of the painting, as if God himself had breathed life into them. Yet the other side was blank, a glaring hole of unfinished imperfection. It was his incomplete masterpiece, the one he had been working on for years to no avail. I could almost imagine him sitting here as he had everyday, tongue stuck out slightly in concentration, fingers daintily stroking the mystical creatures into existence. I had always helped him prepare his canvas as he slept, tidying the area up so that he could continue his work uninterrupted as he woke up. \n\nA hint of a smile crossed my lips. Before I knew it, I found myself seated before the canvas, a paintbrush gripped within my fingers. \n\nI blinked. What was I doing? This was Lee's painting. I was no painter, I would only ruin it. How could I hope to match up to such perfection? \n\nI pushed myself up and away, until a voice echoed in my mind. \n\nDon't be afraid of mistakes, my dear Yu. The only person whose permission you need is yourself. His voice was warm and soft, but full of belly-aching laughter. \n\nI lifted the brush and began. \n\n\\*\\*\\* \n\nI painted every day. \n\nEach morning, as the creeping rays of sunlight opened my eyes and my body tugged at me to turn over, I found his painting floating above me, dragging me up off the floor and towards the canvas. My paintbrush moved in ways I never knew it could, figures and scenes flowing out of my imagination unbidden. Each stroke felt like I was reliving the days Lee had sat here, the echoes of his presence still pulsating from the other half of the painting. \n\nAn entire year passed before my brush finally applied the last flick of colour onto the work. I sat back, chest heaving as I studied the painting, whole for the first time in years. It was magnificent. \n\nA tear leaked from my eye as I caressed the canvas. I struggled to smile, but all the painting brought me was a cruel reminder that Lee was not here. I closed my eyes and arched my head towards the heavens. If only he could see what we had accomplished together. I could almost feel his hands on my shoulders. \n\n\"It's beautiful.\" \n\nI snapped my eyes open and whirled around. That voice, that familiar mellow voice - \n\nLee stood behind me, hands resting on my back, grinning as widely and beautifully as he had when I had last seen him, all those years ago. \n\n\"I now know why I could never finish that painting. Why no matter how inspired I was, I would always find myself unable to even begin the right side of the painting. It simply wasn't mine to complete.\" \n\nA flood crashed through me, breaking open the fences I had constructed around my heart. I choked back a sob as he patted my head. \"I missed you. I missed you so much.\" \n\n\"Ahh Yu, but I was never fully gone. I was always with you, pushing you to make something of yourself. It was simply my turn to be the imaginary friend.\" \n\nI remembered the perfectly arrayed paintbrushes, calling out to me each morning as I awoke, dragging me away from the pallid colourlessness of the concrete floor. \n\n\"Now, my friend, what shall we paint next?\" \n\nI laughed for the first time in years and started painting.",
"A thought crept into my mind as I stood over the still warm body of the man I had thought chained me to this world. Not in a negative way, of course; he was my father, for lack of a better term. No matter how hard I tried, however, I could never leave his presence. I had always thought, along with him, that I was imaginary. So the new thought came to me. Slowly, ticking over as I just wasn't quite ready to think it, despite it being on the tip of my tongue. \n\n\n*What if I'm not imaginary?* \n\n\nDecades of experience flashed through my mind. I trawled my own memories, looking for any clue that could possibly lead to this situation. What do I know? \n\n\nNobody can see me, aside from the now deceased body at my feet. I do not need to eat. I do not breathe. I do not need to sleep. Of these, I can be reasonably sure that I am not human. \n\n\nI step lightly across the shag carpet, feeling the fluffy threads between my naked toes. Walking around the dark wooden coffee table, I plop soundlessly onto the well worn couch. I can touch objects and feel their texture and temperature; however, I never feel cold. Another mark for non-human, but interacting with reality in some way must mean I am in some way real, no? \n\n\nAccording to some superstition, ghosts of some kinds - usually poltergeists - can interact with the world, while only being seen by psychics or otherwise gifted people. They also don't eat, breathe, or sleep; in some sayings, a ghost is bound to the world because of an unfinished task in its previous life, or due to the emotional strength of their loved ones binding their souls to the living world. But the thing about ghosts, is that they are single tracked, very rarely full people outside of their otherworldly desires. \n\n\nA tick for the supernatural. I don't feel particularly ghost-like, I don't have any memory of a life before this, and the man whom I would place as the culprit for binding me here is dead himself, with no apparent apparition of his own, so being a ghost is unlikely. I've also never seen any others like myself, though that's not necessarily surprising. \n\n\nI found myself kneeling beside my old friend, then, hands lightly on his back. There was one thing that bothered me. In none of my memories, in all of my time by this man's side, I never once saw his back. A memory of him shying away as he noticed me watching him undress; another of him becoming violently angry when another person had almost shown it to me. I noticed, then, that he had small markings on his wrists - faded, black tattoos that were barely more than short lines. How had I not seen them before? \n\n\nWith a swift move, I pulled his shirt in half, tearing it apart by the threads. I was only momentarily amazed by my own strength; the glittering gold symbols that had been struck along the spine practically punched me in the face themselves. \n\n\nRecoiling from a disgust I had never felt previously, I felt then the biggest change of the evening; \n\n\nI felt heavy. I have never felt heavy before. I've never felt any weight, at all before. It wasn't just a weight though; I felt dense. *Alive.* \n\n\nI pushed myself to my feet and walked to the entrance of the house. A big oak door with tiny scratches from years of living beings using it. Opening it, I stand at the edge of the furthest I'd ever been away from someone I am starting to think wasn't my friend to begin with. One step. Followed by a second, and a third, each consecutive step picking up pace rapidly. \n\n\nI was *free.* And I wanted answers. \n\n\n\\~ \n\n\n/r/PM_Full_Tits"
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[WP] Unbeknownst to the space agency, one of their lunar astronauts was actually a werewolf. Now the moon habitat has a cute little puppy running around that turns into a human every full Earth.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"**Wolves in Spaaaace** \nr/AerhartWrites\n\nLaurie paused to sip his coffee before continuing.\r \n\r \n“Sure, it’s a little inconvenient. But we work around it, you know? Mae’s a part of the crew, same as the rest of us. Anyway, it’s not like she’s in charge of the agriculture wing or anything. Everyone’s quite happy to take the reports once a month on her schedule.”\r \n\r \n“And… is she this cuddly with everyone?”\r \n\r \n“Pretty much.”\r \n\r \nThe strange dog-thing named Mae rolled around in Teri’s lap, and she scratched it around its ear. It panted happily in response. She still didn’t quite understand the mechanics of lycanthropy — but then again, neither did anyone else.\r \n\r \nIt was a rare gap in knowledge on Moonrise. In selecting the habitat’s crew, the Agency had ensured that someone with expertise would be available to handle every conceivable scenario. Laurie was the outpost’s resident gravitic specialist, in charge of the gravity generator and hover vehicles. Doctor Chen — poring over a carefully curated set of teabags at the kitchen counter — doubled as their biologist and medical staffer, trained in the precarious art of low-gravity surgery. Teri herself specialised in life-support engineering.\r \n\r \nKnowledge of lycanthropy, however, was not one of the foreseen requirements of expertise. Not so much because it was an unmapped field, as much as because the Agency had been reasonably sure that nobody on the crew exhibited the symptoms. At least, that they knew of.\r \n\r \n“But… she’s a werewolf, right?”\r \n\r \n“Lycanthrope,” corrected Laurie, wincing slightly at Teri’s archaic — and somewhat denigrating — choice of term.\r \n\r \n“Lycanthrope,” Teri repeated. “Right. But why is she… you know…”\r \n\r \nTeri struggled to find the words, twirling her hands in the air.\r \n\r \n“Small?” A voice finished for her. “Hey, Laurie, move your ass. Been standing two hours over a bunch of seeds.”\r \n\r \nIt was Doctor Chen, freshly brewed mug of tea in hand. Laurie returned her tired grin, scooting over as she dropped heavily into the couch beside him. She leaned over the small, round table, watching Mae as she absently nuzzled Teri’s fingers.\r \n\r \n“We got a few short courses on lycanthropic patients back in the Academy, but nothing about Mae’s condition,” Chen explained. “That said, I doubt the guys at research back home know much about it either. Not many lycanths on the moon for study, you know?”\r \n\r \nMae cocked one floppy ear at Chen, and barked. Chen gave a soft, weary laugh, reaching out a finger to boop the small lycanth on the nose.\r \n\r \n“Well,” she corrected, beaming fondly at the pup, “until now, that is.”\r \n\r \nSatisfied, the habitat’s geology researcher curled herself into a tight ball as the three others watched. After a moment, her breaths began to grow slow; Mae was fast asleep.\r \n\r \n“So,” Teri asked hesitantly, “what should I, uh, do with her?”\r \n\r \nThe phrase felt awkward, knowing she was talking about a person.\r \n\r \n“She sleeps in my room, you can bring her there,” Chen said, running her fingers gently through Mae’s fur as she rose to leave. “Just lay her on the bed, I’ll go look in on her in a bit. Still got a few more samples to process first.” \r \n\r \nTeri nodded as Chen left the kitchen. Laurie and Teri finished their drinks shortly after. Teri was just placing her cup in the washing receptacle when a new question came to her.\r \n\r \n“Doctor Chen’s quite fond of her, isn’t she?” Teri asked.\r \n\r \n“Well, of course,” Laurie shrugged. “Wouldn’t you be fond of your partner?”\r \n\r \n“*What?*”\r \n\r \nTeri swung around so fast she bruised her hand against the side of the wash basin — but Laurie was already gone, his amused chuckling echoing down the corridor."
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[WP] Humans and aliens have had contact for several years now and peace between species has flourished. The first Earth-trained alien artist reveals their portrait of a human on international television, to show the world how they see humans. However, the portrait looks nothing like a human...
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Today's the day! \"\n\nThe TV yelled, i looked out of my window as i see ships hovering through the clear blue skies.\n\nI chuckled as turn my attention back at the TV. \n\n\"Yes\" i mumbled. The sip my coffee, it's aroma is fantastic, the taste magnificent, fresh from the farms of Brazil. Just harvested this morning. \n\nI have to thank Mimjoy for letting me use his transporter. I thought as i sip the fresh coffee again.\n\n\"A decade has past, and because of our friends from the outer worlds, we have achieved humanity's Golden age\" the tv blared. Then it showed a brief history of the Aliens, mimiks as they're called, landing in an obscure country in southern pacific. The first contact. \n\nThen the nearly war, and then exchange of technology. \n\nI saw Mimjoy grimacing as he accepted a book from the Pope, while it was being explained to Mimjoy.\n\nI remembered Mimjoy being confused, as he got out of his ship, speaking his language, and me throwing a book at him, shouting in a shaky voice \"begone shatan!\" And i remember peeing my pants as he dropped down, apparently dizzy as the book hit his unusual big head.\n\n\"With the help of our Ambassador John, peace was obtained, and a new era of cooperation dawned in mankind\"\n\nA large sound woke me up from day dreaming, then the TV showed multiple alien space ships hovering near Earth orbit. \n\n\"Yep, nearly destroyed our planet that stunt did\" i muttered as i sip once again. Remembering the UN in panic, and Mimjoy flailing his 3 slender long arms to calm down the leaders of the world, as the Armada apparently was just a welcoming committee, i just chuckled, yes, the good old days. \n\n\"After a decade of peace, now Mimjoy, our first friend, will unveil his first piece of art, named humanity\" the TV continued explaining the event that was about to happen.\n\n\"Ding dong\" the sound of the bell, meant the escort has arrived, and my morning will officially start. \n\nI walked out with the secret service both comprised of Aliens or other worlders, and People from different countries. The age of one world one country is coming true.\n\nI was greeted by Head President Omabana, her beaming smile made me smile, and as i sat next to her, she blurted out \n\n\" i see Mimjoy has learned alot about our culture through you, and as your fellow countryman, i am proud\"\n\nI just smiled mischievously, as she continued\n\n\" I am confident that you have taught him well, you have guided not just him, but all of us Humans, again iam proud\"\n\n------------- _____------\n\nIn the stadium, where thousands of Humans, and Other worlders are sitting side by side, some of them in their suit, to accommodate their unique environment, there was a growing buzz.\n\n\"This marks the next step of Humanity!\" One person exclaimed.\n\n\"Grrrr, grrrr, grrr\" one Orchish brute said to another elven person, \"Indeed\" was the elven's reply smiling.\n\n\"Qrk, qqqqrrrrkkk\" exclaimed another otherworlder in the crowd.\n\nAnd hundreds more.\n\nIn the platform where the the President and I sat, a Prime minister asked me, as he fidget\n\n\"How can we understand them? Can't we just teach them our language? What is that Orc saying?!\" \n\n\"Dear Prime Minister, we haven't finished our translators yet, besides it would be best to have some more mystery, as it would fuel our desire for adventure\" the President solemnly said. I nodded in agreement. \n\nThe Prime minister just shuddered, and stood and walked towards the Mimijoy\n\n The key speaker, Our Minister of Culture stood up and said, \n\n\n\"And now Ladies and Gentlemen, and Otherworlders, we now present Mimijoy, this art he will reveal, means an understanding of an Otherworlder, to our culture. And ultimately if we can be part of the greater Worlds Alliance.\" \n\nHis voice boomed inside the stadium, full of pride and confidence\n\nAs everyone stood and applauded, i merely chuckled.\n\nHe continues \n\n\" It is known that presenting the first art means alot in Mimijoy's Culture, as it signify, their understanding of us, and their views of us, not only is it a source of pride to their people\" \n\nA booming laughter and applause as Mimijoy's people stood again, their eyes filled with pride, their arms flailing of excitement.\n\n\"But also this art represent if Humanity is capable enough to stand side by side with our Otherworlder peers\" the Prime Minister of Culture finished.\n\nHollers were heard from various people, including the Orcs and Elves.\n\nMimijoy stood, walked towards the President and shook her hands, and made a gesture, new to everyone except me, and everyone from Mimijoy's race, stood quiet. \n\nTheir flailing arms went immediately down their mouth made a sudden gasp, this then was heard by everyone, and all went silent. \n\nThe Humans were confused, but also became quiet. \n\nAnd Mimijoy looked at me, his wide face made a gesture, and he went towards the the covered art.\n\nBy now everyone was silent, nervous filled the air, tension so thick you could cut it, the President without knowing what the silence, or even the gesture means, held my shoulders, shaking. \n\nFear filled her eyes as she looks at me, and i didnt looked back as I couldn't contain it anymore. \n\nAnd as Mimijoy, revealed his art...\n\n\nThe Prime Minister gasped and said..\n\n\"That's a Penis!\" \n\nHis voice echoed throughout the stadium as the mic was not cut off.\n\nAnd i laughed, a good laugh, and Mimijoy laughed with me. \n\n\n'",
"The producers had installed a photosynthetic booth deep in bowels of the UltraNet studios. Had Nassica thought of it, she would have put the booth in her rider. But then, that assumed she would have thought herself worth a rider. Instead UltraNet had called and she had answered, and sometime after she dropped the phone Priya figured out they were supposed to be celebrating and found the one bottle of wine they could both drink, though all the other humans claimed it tasted like spoiled peaches.\n\nShe was good at that sort of thing, Priya. But then, she was good at a lot of things.\n\nA soft rapping at the door of the booth, Priya’s voice. “You okay in there? You’re on in ten.”\n\nThe light flared overhead, a bit off from the egg yolk orange of Nassica’s childhood sun but close enough that it didn’t matter. Once, Nassica had compared the difference between suns to the difference between Human food cultures. “It’s like when and you Laura both make chai, but she puts a little cinnamon in, and a scoop of brown sugar.”\n\nPriya had frowned. “Laura doesn’t make chai, she makes dessert.”\n\nBut Priya had understood. She always did.\n\n“Nass?” Priya said, rapping on the booth’s door again.\n\n“Yes, yes I’m alright. Quite alright in fact.”\n\nPriya opened the door, and the outside world flowed in.\n\nUltraNet’s back-rooms were a cascade failure of wires that somehow kept working, held together with a blank checkbook and the combined prayers of five percent of the galaxy. Their operations did not have to be that way, but there was an edge to their aesthetic, a reason their market share seemed steady at five percent, which although still impressive was nowhere near the reach of a Conglomerated Intelligences (Con/Int) or a Sapient Securities.\n\nThere were benefits to that edge though. After all, what other network would allow an Alien on their Feed?\n\nTo be sure, there were some Aliens. There was MetaCops, the Con/Int show featuring daring Human police officers pursuing cybernetically enhanced criminals across the migrant swarms of the Citonian Expanse. Sapient Securities had featured *Primus Inter Pares* for years, something Nassica did her best not to think about. And beyond that was the preponderance of stim-fics and skinnies. But an Alien simply talking? That was shocking enough to only be on UltraNet. Even if all the Alien had done was paint a pretty picture.\n\nPriya reached in, offered Nassica a hand. She took it gratefully and stepped out of the photosynthetic booth, conscious of each step in the skintight dress they had given her to wear. UltraNet’s handler leaned against nearby wall, face lit by sparking wires, a smile flirting with the edges of his wide mouth. “They said you’d be a sight. They weren’t lying.”\n\nNassica put a restraining hand on Priya’s shoulder, pulled herself up to her full, impressive height. The peaks of her headdress scraped the ceiling, even without the shoes they had tried to give her. “You are here to lead us?”\n\n“Yes ma’am,” the man said, “I work for Rex. He asked me to prepare you.”\n\n“I’m sure he did,” said Priya.\n\n“Priya,” Nassica warned.\n\nThe man stopped flirting with it and just smiled, in the vulpine way common to media-men no matter their affiliation. “He did, but I bet you’ll do fine anyway. You’ve got a look about you I like. Made for the camera. And you’re a Trilurian, right? I’d bet bright lights don’t scare you.”\n\n“Why should light scare anyone?” Nassica said, though she could feel Priya tensing beneath her fingers. “Would you show us the way to Studio C?”\n\nThey followed him out past the wall where the wires sparked, and into corridors where UltraNet had tried to hide its nature. It was a great deal of shock for a young painter from Trilure, and in the moments when Nassica caught Priya’s eye she could tell that her friend wasn’t taking it much better.\n\nA far cry from their basement studio and a portfolio submission to a human university.\n\n“Are you sure you want to do this?” Priya said as she rounded the last bend, the bright white of the corridor turning a seedy, shifting blue. Discordant music played ahead, and a man shouted to a live studio audience. There were roars, a tiger. The assistant called a halt five meters back from the door and they lead the tiger out. It had yellow, three ringed eyes, its spinal column protruded in razorbacked humps of steel. When Nassica looked at it the tiger smiled, nodded calmly.\n\n“Two minutes!” A voice called from just inside the door.\n\n“I swear to God, Nass, say the word and I’ll get us out of here,” Priya said.\n\nNassica closed her eyes and wished for the booth. The sun had tasted like a bit like Laura’s chai, like dessert. Undertones from home when she had really tried. “If you did that,” Nassica said, “then could you get my painting back?”\n\n“Hah! Fat chance of that,” the man said, “that’s UltraNet property now sweetheart.”\n\nAnd Nassica smiled, tried to lean against the wall as casually as the man had. A voice counted down from sixty, hit thirty, hit ten and his timbre changed.\n\nOne.\n\nZero.\n\nNassica walked out.\n\nWhat did they see? They saw a woman, very tall and willowy, covered in what they would interpret as bark. They saw a dress made by humans, for humans, woven from the silk of Venusian spiders to hug slim hips and long, strangely curving legs, the fabric peeled away to webbing in all the places where Nassica’s ivy grew. They saw hair like a tumble of flowers, white and five petaled, and those who had paid for it could smell a certain translated sweetness condensed from the air around her and breathed into a billion living rooms throughout the Web.\n\nThey saw a tree grown for their amusement and taught to paint. But they did see her.\n\nNassica sat across from Rex Chapman, took in another vulpine grin. The chair was too low, she couldn’t sit the way she wanted to and so she stretched her legs out in front of her, realized they’d hemmed the dress too short. Her ivy red-shifted in a twining sash from mid-thigh to the blossoming termination at her neck.\n\nRex Chapman let the applause die down, turn to murmurs and sighs before he said: “So they tell me you’re a painter,” and the interview began.\n\nHe had many questions. Nassica had few answers. His questions were not designed to be answered, and the simplest of them, “What’s your home like?” could not be answered in any human tongue she had ever encountered. There were bits of the answer in French, scraps in Portuguese, more in Priya’s native Hindi, but nothing that seemed entirely right.\n\nSo eventually he said, “Lets talk about your painting,” and the man who’d come to find them opened the door, wheeled out a covered frame with the canvas underneath. Nassica, seated across from the door where she had entered, saw Priya ease her head in through the crack.\n\n“Yes,” Nassica said, “lets. I would like that very much.”\n\n“Unusual, don’t you think? An Alien who paints?” Rex Chapman said.\n\n“Painting perhaps, but I found it not so completely different from my own culture's art forms. Particularly in terms of—”\n\n“You have art then, on Trilure?”\n\nNassica choked off the word *‘themes.’* “Yes,” she whispered, “we have art on Trilure.”\n\n“Speak up dear, the good people at home can’t hear you.”\n\n“I said we have art on Trilure.”\n\n“Well! Isn’t that something, folks. Anyway, any final words before we unveil her? I believe I’ve got your original statement here, you said it was a ‘portrait of how Humans looked to you.’ That’s quite interesting. Care to give us anything further?”\n\nNassica took a deep, shaky breath, eyes fixed to Priya at the door. “Just that it’s only a certain human. And that I want to tell her thank you, for a great many things.”\n\n“Well! That’s damned sweet, folks.” Rex Chapman turned a dazzling smile to the nearest camera, shuffling his notes away. “Pardon my French, you all know how I feel about sweet ladies. Drumroll?”\n\nThe band began to play, a descending cacophony ordered around a synthetic countdown. The countdown hit zero and Rex stood, shouted. “Let ‘er rip, Pete!”\n\nThe sheet fell away, and in its place was silence.\n\nShe saw Priya get it. A moment passed between them that could have only come through art. A look, a certain framing of her lips and that was it, that was enough.\n\nRex Chapman glanced to his assistant, muttered “Who booked the fuckin’ abstract?”\n\nWhat did they see? A billion households saw a woman with mile long legs and a sash of ruby ivy, a man with a bulldog’s chin and a frozen showman’s smile. A canvas with a background of royal Trilurian blue sky framing Earthly clouds, fragile wisps of gauze and cotton that some more intelligent observers later deemed to be lace and silk.\n\nThey saw the sun, butter yellow rays bleeding into the richest red-brown soil, the paint piled, layered, a depth in the many browns and their textures. And planted there, a tree in full, riotous bloom, stretched up to pin the sky, branches and blossoms turned towards the sun. Outstretched. Grasping. Hungering.\n\nNeeding.\n\nThey saw a stupid girl who couldn’t even get a portrait right.\n\nThey did not see what that sun did to Priya’s eyes, and when Nassica mouthed three long-held words nobody could understand it because those weren’t words weren't made for alien lips, especially aliens too dumb to paint a simple portrait.\n\nBut Priya knew the words, and that was what mattered. And Priya waited in the hall, and that was mattered. And Priya had smiled, very brightly, and it wasn’t anything like Laura’s chai: it was the real thing, warm and nourishing, and where it was sweet it was not an affectation, but rather it couldn't have been anything else.\n\nRex Chapman spoke, but his words didn’t matter.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nIf you enjoyed that I've got tons more at r/TurningtoWords. Come check it out, I'd love to have you!",
"“Humanity had consigned itself to a despairing loneliness. Years of exploration, expansion and colonization seemed to have answered the one of man’s first question. The answer seemed to be an emphatic ‘yes, we are alone’. Exploration slowed over the hundreds of years as man accepted their status as the sole intelligent species. \n\n\n \nTheir coming was…overwhelming. Earth was not without defenses, as war was as part of human nature as peace. Perhaps even more so. First contact nearly resulted in a massacre, as ship and earth-based defenses activated, and gunners panicked. \n\n\n \nLuckily, open warfare was avoided, and thus alien life was found. It was life unexpected, both in its form and substance. Semi-organic, semi-hivemind, with no standard form or size. Those that arrived at earth had hitched a ride on a passing asteroid, content to wait in stasis while making their thousand-year journey. \n\n\n \nTranslation was simple, and soon contact was established with the floating mass that made up their home world. Peace, trade, and mistrust followed, and only through consistent and focused effort was peace preserved. \n\n\n \nArt. An abstract concept. Difficult to explain. It fascinated them. A collective body, or a single organism, depending on your view, arrived at the California Institute of the Arts to study. What followed, for the professors, may have been a cruel and unusual punishment. It turned out that teaching an extraterrestrial organism to paint pushed everyone to their limits. Oh, the technical ability came easily enough. Everything from holding the brush, to layering and multi-media painting, they had no problem absorbing. But the emotion. The passion. The tragedy. How do you teach an organism made up of thousands of conflicting emotions and intelligences, in a society of conflicting intelligences, to create something that appeals to emotion on a basic level? The difference in experience, in cultural evolution, and yes, in biology made it a near insurmountable task. \n\n\n \nStill, the professors tried. And their efforts are what bring us here today! So, without further ado, please welcome to the stage, John!”\n\n\nApplause rang out as ‘John’, as they preferred to be called, rolled onto the stage. Max Contro watched as the alien creature maneuvered its almost wagon wheel like body into the sitting area, before rearranging into something that resembled a caterpillar with three torsos. They say themselves gingerly, before turning to Max.\n\n\n“Thank you, Max, I-“\n\n“No, no thank you, it is an honor to have you on our station, and can I just tell you how excited I am to see what you have for us here today!”\n \n“Again, I thank you it has been-“\n\n\n“Also I don’t mean to interrupt, but I just wanted to tell you how fascinating it is how you change your shape like that! I mean, it’s just incredible!”\n\n\n‘John’ sat quietly for a moment before responding.\n \n“This is the method of locomotion among my kind. It is the most acceptable way of efficient motion.”\n\n\nMax opened his mouth to respond, but ‘John’ plunged on, his voice emitting from small device attached to the left-hand side of their middle torso. The voice was warm, almost human sounding, despite its obviously mechanical origin.\n\n\n“I am grateful that you have agreed to have me on, but I believe you were mistaken in your description”\n\n\nMax’s face took on a genuinely perplexed expression, and he rolled his hand at ‘John’ in encouragement to continue.\n\n\n“You characterize us as lacking emotion or experiencing emotion in way so foreign so as to make it unrecognizable. That is untrue. Our emotions and yours are quite comparable if we have understood your human professors correctly. In fact, many of your great works of art arouse great emotion within our body. The difficulty in the creation of art is not emotion, but consensus, for us. What you fail to understand, or perhaps refuse to understand, is that the body that you see here is the work of trillions of individuals. More sentients reside in this body than exist in your entire civilization. And they remain alive, sentient, and vocal in their opinions. Now imagine attempting to create a single piece of art based on input from your entire civilization. \n\n\n“It becomes a tedious, stilted process. A process of self-exploration, discovery, and frustration. \n \nI have heard humans say that there are parts of themselves that they do not like, that humans are often ‘at war with themselves’ over a decision. Now imagine that to be literally true. There are individuals that make up essential parts of our body that hold opinions and ideas the rest of us hold to be abhorrent. They are as much a part of us as our past is. \n\n\n“For us to create art, we must understand ourselves completely, to attempt to do so otherwise results in nothing but wasted time and materials. Max, I appreciate your attempts to present an unbiased history, but I wished to convey the challenges we had with creating this piece and the challenges all of my kind will have with all of the human arts.”\n\n\nMax glanced at the production head, slightly stunned, before responding.\n\n\n“Wow, uh, I didn’t realize that uh, well that, that was an issue you had to face. Thank you for sharing it with us!”\n\n\n‘John’ motioned with the uppermost torso in an apparent recognition of the words.\n\n\nMax, clearly on edge now, motioned to the assistants to bring in the piece. \n\n\nAs they wheeled on the large, 10x10 canvas, Max spoke again.\n \n“Well then, lets take a look at what you’ve brought us!”\n\n\n‘John’ seemed to watch impassively as Max signaled for the sheet covering the canvas to be dropped.\n\n\nThe scene that it revealed seemed almost more tableau than painted image.\n\n\nWhat immediately caught the eye was a large, seemingly human face that dominated the lower mid portion of the portrait. The face was distorted though, misshapen, with a jawline that waved and arced, eyes that seemed to be slightly different colors, and hair that had no uniform length or pattern. But for all it’s details and imperfections, it seemed to be no more than a mask, with no emotion reflected on its ill sitting features. \n\n\nThe face appeared to be suspended, with to body or head to support it, though immediately behind and to the left of the body, there seemed to be a color wheel, colors blurring together, and giving the impression of rapid change and progression. Indeed, if one stared at the colors long enough, they began to blend together completely until one was indistinguishable from the other.\n\n\nBelow the wheel seemed to be nothing but inarticulate scratches, apparently made at random, with little relation to the wheel or the face.\n\n\nThe rest of the large canvas was painted a solid black. At least at first glance. It was a black that invited, encouraged, even demanded a closer look, as it seemed to move and writhe as ones eyes slid over it. \n\n\nUpon closer inspection, what appeared to be solid black became a field of octagonal rods, shifting in direction, size and length, but packed so closely that only a detailed viewing would reveal the truth. \n\n\nA similar inspection of the other elements exposed their secrets as well. The face, not one face, but a face made up of fractions of dozens of different faces, each that seemed to reflect intense emotion, but when taken together showed nothing. Each fraction of the face seemed connected, almost at random to colors on the wheel. And when viewed from another angle, the random scratches seemed to create an almost semi corporeal image of the human anatomy. \n\n\nIt was alien, and strange and beautiful.\n\n\nMax seemed unimpressed.\n\n\n“Would you” Max began “care to offer an interpretation of-“\n \n“No” \n\n\nThe word was said with quiet finality.\n\n\n“I will offer no interpretation or explanation. This is our gift to humanity”\n \nAnd without another word, ‘John’ shifted shape again and rolled from the room."
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[WP] "We'd follow you into hell on broken glass and an empty stomach, Sir."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Be damned!\" Thought Lt. Morales. Peering over the wall watching the light of explosions and tracer fire. Morales slumped down and hugged his M4 to his chest. The sounds of battle crept ever closer and the Lt sunk down even further into himself. Battle weary and tired this war had taken it's toll on Lt. Morales and he felt so very small in the face of this new battle. \n\nThe courses at West point told him his training would help him, his infantry training told him he could fight and survive. The current situation told him that hope was now gone. Ammunition was low, supplies were gone and help was not on the way. Heavy footsteps sounded bringing Morales back to reality Looking up The Lt sees SSgt Hunt running his way.\n\nHunt drops to one knee putting a hand on the Lt's shoulder shooting him a reassuring glance. Lt.Morales trembling voice manages to ask \"well?\". Hunt shakes his head and Sighs \"Left flank is getting pounded and most of the center being routed, There is no help coming at all we are it the last line.\" Before Morales speaks Hunt cuts him off \" But the 371st is sending a care package as soon as they can\" he says. \n\nHunt calls everyone in to a huddle around the Lt. Morales thinks for a moment and nods to Ssgt.Hunt \"OK we have been here before and made out good, Redistribute all the remaining ammo to our marksman. I want our fastest runners to set up a line of charges and anything else explosive 50 yards out from this position and haul ass back here\". Morales peeks over the wall and surveys the terrain seeing if it is even possible to execute his order. What he sees is terrifying. Their about to be overrun. Hunt creeps up beside him and sees the same thing. \"Well shit Lt now what?\" He laughs. \n\n\"We charge mike, Like they did at Gettysburg we haul ass and fire all we got!\"Hunt nods looking back towards the others \" Fix bayonets and reload! We're going over the wall and hit em as hard as we can boys!\" \nHunt pats Morales on the back hard and smiles at him.\n\" were hungry and tired Juan but you've always been no quit.We will be right behind you on broken glass and empty stomachs all the way to hell sir!\". Lt.Morales smiles back and salutes\" I hope your hungry Mike, Tonight we dine in hell!\"",
"\"We'd follow you into hell on broken glass and an empty stomach, sir!\" bellowed Sargent JJ Barnes. \n\"Right,\" replied Lieutenant Stoves dryly, trying his best to sound upset. \"well, sadly HQ thinks we're better off camping out here, guarding the borders and such\" \n\"M-maybe if we all got on the radio with HQ and...and told them we want-wanted to f-fight, they'd let us...fight?\" chimed in a third voice. \n\"That's enough out of you, Johnson! Pray I don't write up you for insubordination. Now then I'm going to check the perimeter, when Felder gets back tell him to start cooking the rations\" \n\"Sir, yes Sir!\" bellowed Barnes with just the slightest trace of an echo of Johnson behind his booming voice. \n\n\nLieutenant Stoves nodded and went out to check the perimeter and check the perimeter he did. He checked the left of the perimeter, he checked the right of the perimeter, he checked over the fence that bordered the perimeter and he checked under the fence that bordered the perimeter. The perimeter was checked, thoroughly. \nAnd when he was satisfied with the checking of the perimeter, he pulled out a fairly large bottle of whiskey, which he had got from the barkeep a couple of villages away in exchange for half his personal stock of ammunition. Stoves was very pleased with his entrepreneurial wit. \nStoves liked it here, it was quiet and away from all the fighting, he didn't care much for glory and honour so long as he had whiskey and freshly caught game. The biggest battle he had ever been a part of was when he got drunk and made a pass at the barkeep's (different one, four villages over) goat. \nHow did a man like this become a lieutenant and the leader of a scout group, you ask? Well, he didn't, not really. He got drafted shortly before the battle of Fora Hill. He somehow managed to talk his away out of fighting and ended up in bed with the General's daughter. Her father, General Briggs, a man who suffered from acute snobbery could not bear to see his daughter with a lowly Private. Stoves was then promoted to a lieutenant, he broke up with the General's daughter two weeks later after he fell helplessly in love with another barkeep's daughter. \nAs for his \"calls\" with HQ, he somehow managed to convince them that they had strong evidence that the enemy was about to send a covert strike team to capture several villages near the port. Every day he told HQ about how hard they were working and pushing back the rotten scum and every day HQ applauded them and every weekend, sent fresh munitions.\n\nStoves finished his drink and walked over to the far end of the perimeter fence, there was a small chink in the ground where a rock the size of a fist sat, underneath that rock were his cigarettes. Or rather, that's where his cigarettes should have been. But they were not and neither was his rock. Instead, he found a large hole in the fence. The rocked was kicked about five feet away from the fence and the cigarettes were close by and trampled on. \n\"damned animals,\" thought Stoves. \"I shall enjoy grilling them\" \nHe walked a little while away, back in the direction of camp and shortly, he found a trail of blood. \"Ah good,\" he thought, \"Felder must've got the bastard, what trampled my cigarettes. I was really fond of those cigarettes. \n\n\nHe trudged along back to camp and something wasn't right. Where there should have been three men around an animal carcass, there 8 men close to an unconscious Felder, two of which were tied up and bleeding from their noses. \nFelder tried to back away slowly, he wasn't patriotic enough to deal with this. Sargent JJ Barnes saw him and bellowed as only Sargent JJ Barnes can, \"Ahhaha! You pricks are done, for now, our fearless Lieutenant Stoves is here. Hooray!\" \n\"Silence!\" snapped the man who appeared to be in charge of the people with guns and without their own blood dripping down their faces. \n\"So, you are the infamous Lieutenant Stoves. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You see it had never occurred to us that your side would leave these port villages so under guarded so we never bothered wasting troops to claim this land. But when we managed to intercept your chatter and find out just how incompetent you are, well, how could we resist?\" With the capturing of these port villages, we'll be able to build a strong naval base, the best of this era! And I, I will be given the glory that I so deserve. And you, you will be so very, very dead.\" \n\n\n\"Bollocks.\" thought Lieutenant Stoves. \nBollocks indeed."
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[WP] The Earth is abandoned. Humans died long ago. But the odd thing is that all televisions are still powered and still getting one broadcast: A show that gets one new episode every day. A group of aliens have been studying it, both for content and where it's been coming from.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Hi, I'm Alec Davidson and this is Last One Standing, where everyday we put 3 different humans to the test in a tournament to determine who is...\"\n\nCrowd joins, \"THE LAST ONE STANDING.\"\n\nXani watches as his brother, Zorn, walks over to refill his cup of Nectar, the coveted drink of the Gelbs. The Gelbs are an ancient alien species known for their reconnaissance capabilities. For Eons, they have made observations across the Galaxy and often adopt the positive qualities of the society they observe. \n\n\"I thought the humans are dead?\" Xani asks Zorn in passing, \"How is this still broadcasting?\" \n\n\"Apparently humans were developing some sort of AI software for their entertainment services after biochemical warfare decimated the population so these are all just past broadcasts.\" Zorn replied, \"or atleast that's what the Human Studies department is telling us at the Academy.\" \n\nZorn sits down and they continue to watch. The humans are tested in a series of competition. The first competition is an intelligence competition and the contestants must solve a puzzle of some kind. The winner of the puzzle will be able to skip the second competition. The second competition features the losers of the first competition and they get tested in survival skills. The human who survives advances. The third competition features the winner of the first and second challenge in a Roman-style fight to the death. The winner of the episode advances through the ranks of the tournament and the season winner is awarded eternal fame and fortune, and the title of Last One Standing. \n\nXani ponders something that Zorn said. \"What do you mean by, 'that's what they tell us'\"\n\n\"Well we arrived to Earth 20 years ago, but we didn't start getting broadcasts until 5 years ago. They say the broadcast system was able to run itself then why didn't we get the signal right when we arrived? And I looked into Earth's history during some of our explorations to the surface, there are no record of Alex Davidson or Last One Standing.\"\n\n\"So what are you trying to say? That the show doesn't exist? Why would they lie?\" Xani asks.\n\n\"The council often adopts aspect of the worlds we visit, how do we know they are always good, if this is a human trait, maybe the council is pushing some human qualities that they want the population to adopt.\" Zorn explained. \n\n\"But that doesn't explain the broadcast or that they are lying\" Xani replied. \n\n\"I saw that a number of the experimentation labs are classified as Level 10 clearance, that's the highest clearance you can have, I bet you that whatever is in those labs will shed truth over this show and why we have been on Earth longer than most observation trips.\" Said Zorn. \" I wasn't going to tell you but tomorrow on our exploration trip, I was going to sneak into one of those labs when the scientists shift change, and if you are up to it, I want you to come with me\"\n\n\"I don't know, man\" Xani says nervously. \"That is a serious offense, we could be exiled for something like that. I can't spend an lifetime on Earth.\" \n\n\"We have been here for 20 years, double the time of the longest expeditions. There is something going on here that ks unprecedented. The council is hiding information and it's the right of the people to know why.\" Zorn sternly explains. \"I am going tomorrow, you don't have to join me, I know the consequences\" \n\nZorn goes to bed. Xani sits watching the rest of the program in silence and mentally debates what his brother told him. \n\nThe next day arrives and the brothers prepare for the expedition to the surface of Earth. Xani decides to join Zorn. \n\nXani is a communications specialist and watches the comms nearby and helps Zorn sync the scientists' shift change. The labs are heavily guarded but since Zorn and Xani work for the Academy, they have some level of security clearance. Scientists require escorts to cleaning centers and it leaves a 30 second window while the cleaning centers depressurize. \n\nThe shift change begins. \"GO. NOW.\" Xani told Zorn over their radio. \n\nZorn enters the lab and shuffles through containers. He notices that there is organic material being tested until he notices sleep pods. He goes to one and observes. It looks like there are humans in the pods and some being dissected. \n\n\"Xani, you aren't going to believe this\" Zorn said over the radio. \n\n\"We can talk about it later, hurry up, they are coming back\" Xani says frantically. \n\n\"No you don't understa...\" Zorn says interrupted.\n\nZorn feels something grab his arm. One of the human's pods were opened accidently by Zorn. He looks down at the human and they lock eyes. \n\n\"Hhheellp us\" the human says."
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[WP]You're wealthy but you're lying on your deathbed, when an unknown man enters your room and presents to you 'the contract'. As soon as you sign it, you'll obtain immortality, the price being you must never have a single ounce of wealth to your name. If so, the contract is null and void.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Honestly, choosing me was a mistake on his part. I don't even know *why* I was chosen. I wasn't rich, hell I'd spent my own time surviving off instant noodles for weeks at a time and just barely scraping by. So why, of all people, he chose me on my deathbed, will likely always remain a mystery to me. \nAllow me to explain a tad. I died-or should have died- nearly 60 years ago, at the ripe old age of 34. Turns out I have a very severe allergy to a rare type of shellfish, although for the death of me I can't remember what. Ah well, it doesn't matter these days. After a particularly bad restaurant trip, I was rushed off to hospital where I died, but not before John approached me.\n\nI dont think it’s his real name, he certainly won't tell me these days. But I digress. John offered me a deal. Immortality, but no wealth. Rather, in his words ‘you must never have a single ounce of wealth to your name’.\n\nHonestly, while he dressed the part, I don't think John was a lawyer. Neither am I, but boredom does strange things to people, and I was already an argumentative kid to begin with. I signed, died, and woke up in my grave some time later. Not exactly sure how long. I'm just glad I was buried and not cremated honestly. \n\nAnyways, I spent a while wandering the most remote areas I could, food isn't really a huge thing, and just taking in the sights of my country was enough. But there's only so much you can do without money, and eventually the boredom sets in once more. That's what got me thinking, on the exact wording John had used in that contract. As I said before, not the best terms that one. It brought me back to stories of the fey in older times. \n\nAs far as anyone is concerned, I died 60 years ago and am rotting in my grave, however Hendrick May, Kerit Veji, Jebidiah Shroom and many other aliases have nearly 2 mil saved up between them all, each saved in the form of online currency. No money to become an ounce, and no real *me* to link back to. I don't usually spend it often, small things i can't get by without these days. \n\nOh John was furious, but I was still within the bounds of my contract, and while i'm not a lawyer, i can sure argue like one. We see each other on occasion, and I like to think i taught him a very valuable lesson on *wording*. \n\nEnjoy, i rest now.",
"*Cold. Alone. So...this is what it feels like to die after all of your friends. Well, not that there were many of them anyway. No family...parents long gone. In this sterile room, I can almost see the white light already. It won't be long now...if only I could go back and do it again. If only I had some foresight when I was young and stupid. What a pitiful life I've lead...*\n\n*Life...*\n\n​\n\n*Once more,* *I'd like to feel* ***alive.***\n\n​\n\n\"Don't be so glum, Richard.\"\n\n​\n\n*What? Am I hallucinating? Is that God? An Angel?*\n\n​\n\n\"Ah, old friend. Collect yourself, we have an important matter to discuss.\"\n\n​\n\n*Are you...in my thoughts?*\n\n​\n\nRichard, I'm right here.\n\n​\n\nA shadow eclipses the fluorescent ceiling light. No, not a shadow. A man.\n\nThe man gingerly takes a seat on the edge of Richard's hospice bed.\n\n​\n\n\"Who are you?\"\n\n​\n\n\"Richard, former CEO of Global Sict Enterprises...it's unlike like you to not recognize an important business opportunity! But alas, you can call me Luke.\"\n\n​\n\n\"Business? What business do you have with a dying man?\"\n\n​\n\n\"My friend, dying men **is** my business. Now, I think you were saying something about...another chance at life? Perhaps a chance to build meaningful relationships?\"\n\n​\n\n\"Why, yes. But my time in this world is short, I have nothing to look forward to other than regret.\"\n\n​\n\n\"Maybe not. Think of me as a salesman of life. A businessman from the Aether. Now there is some fine print...but I can guarantee you endless opportunities to fill that void in your soul. An infinite lifetime to make up for all of your shortcomings. Friends, family, a lineage! You can have it all!\"\n\n​\n\n\"That's unbelievable. You're just another loanshark.\"\n\n​\n\n\"See for yourself.\"\n\n​\n\nLuke extends his open hand. A single-sheet contract pinned to a clipboard materializes in the man's palm. Richard leans in to inspect it.\n\n​\n\n\"My name is on that...how did you do that?\"\n\n​\n\n\"Read the contract, Richard. Or don't!\"\n\n​\n\nLuke produces a quill-tip pen, dripping with dark red ink from this other hand. He holds the pen out to Richard.\n\n​\n\n\"But as you say, your time is short. If I were you, I'd sign before it's too late.\"\n\n​\n\nRichard's body begins to quake. His vision blurs.\n\n​\n\n*What's this sensation coming over me? Death? A fiery passion to live? My regret is welling up in my stomach...but my heart is burning to have another chance at life. If he is some scammer, it's not like it matters now anyway!*\n\n​\n\nRichard's frail fingers tremble as they reach for the sopping pen. Luke grins sharply as Richard shakily signs his name at the bottom of the contract. As soon as he finishes his signature, the contract and pen dissipate into thin air.\n\n​\n\n\"Excellent choice, my friend. Now, let's see about that body of yours.\"\n\n​\n\nLuke naps his fingers.\n\n​\n\n*What was that? Did his eyes glow yellow for a moment...? No, it must be my vision. But...*\n\n*Huh!? What is this feeling? Vitality? Energy...flowing into me!*\n\n​\n\nRichard gazes in disbelief as the liver-spotted skin on his hands regenerate fresh, young skin. He steps cautiously out of his hospice bed.\n\n​\n\n*My legs! I can stand! I feel amazing!*\n\n​\n\nRichard leaps into the air. Upon landing, a smile stretches across his face. He rushes to embrace the man at his bedside.\n\n​\n\n\"Oh thank you! Thank you kind sir! How can I ever repay you?\"\n\n​\n\n\"You already have repaid me my friend, and you will continue to do so. I have granted you immortality, and in exchange...every material object you ever obtain, all of the money that you earn...is mine.\"\n\n​\n\nRichard stares in shock at Luke. Luke beams wolfishly back at him.\n\n​\n\n\"Richard, Richard. I told you there was some fine print! But now, the world is in the palm of your hand! Go enjoy your immortal body!\"\n\n​\n\nLuke slinks away from Richard, to the corner of his room. His body begins to fade into the shadows.\n\n​\n\n\"Wait! Luke! Wait just one minute!\"\n\n​\n\nLuke raises a hand dismissively.\n\n​\n\n\"Sorry, I have many important meetings to attend. I'm sure we'll run into one another again.\"\n\n​\n\n\"Hold on! I just have a question! Please\"\n\n​\n\nAs his body merges into the shadows, the man spares Richard a final look over his shoulder.\n\n​\n\n\"Enjoy yourself. \n\nOh, and Richard? From now on, I'll have to ask that you call me...\n\n**Lucifer**.\""
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[WP] You've decided to channel your inner child and eat some alphabet soup. Sounded like fun at the time. However, you start to notice words and phrases appear. Wait.....is your soup trying to give you dating advice?
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Steven broke up with me tonight for the third time this year. \n\nNormally, I'd be at three rum-and-cokes deep at Stella's Bar with my best friend, eating a slice of cheesecake and lamenting over how much I want him back. But Emory is tired of hearing me complain and my bank account is running startlingly low. \n\nSo instead, I'm on my kitchen floor drinking boxed wine and eating a can of alphabet soup that may or may not have expired a year and a half ago. \n\nI'm swirling my plastic spoon around the bowl - which is also plastic, because I haven't done dishes in two days - when I see it. \n\nSpelled out in the soup, clear as day, is \"STEVEN\". For a second, I wonder if I've had more of that wine than I thought. Or, maybe, there are toxic mold spores in this expired soup that are making me hallucinate.\n\nBut then, like it's completely normal, the pasta-letters continue sliding around into different formations.\n\n\"STEVEN IS A LOSER\"\n\nI try to shake the sentence loose with my spoon, but it's no use. The words are cemented into place. I read it over and over again until it imbeds itself into my brain.\n\n\"Huh,\" I say to my bowl of soup. \"Maybe you're right. But I don't know, what if I can't find anyone else? What if he's the best I can do?\"\n\nThe soup letters submerge under the vegetable broth before bubbling back up. \n\n\"YOU DESERVE BETTER\"\n\n\"You know what, soup?\" I mutter, only somewhat appalled that I've been talking to my food. \"I might be drunk or hallucinating, or possibly have a brain tumor, but I think you might be onto something.\"\n\nChugging the last of my boxed wine and swallowing a hearty spoonful of soup, I pick up my phone and block Steven's number."
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[WP] Your society has rediscovered magical rituals to control the weather through human sacrifice. The weather channel just became a lot more interesting.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“… near the intersection of MacPherson Boulevard and Third Avenue, police are on the scene and the southbound lanes remain closed. That’s it for morning traffic, here’s Kyle with the weather.”\n\n“Thanks, Maria! It’s gonna be gorgeous out there today across the whole metro area, another day of sunny skies and mild temperatures, thanks to the blessings of A’kaar the Insatiable, may our blood fall like rain into his ever-hungry mouth. If you’re heading to the beach, make time for that traffic delay and don’t forget your sunscreen!\n\n“Meanwhile, we are keeping our eye on a developing low-pressure system offshore. Meteorologists at the National Weather Temple say that while they have detected rotation within the system, indicating that the storm is strengthening, they will hold off on the propitiation ceremonies unless the storm tracks toward land or threatens shipping lanes. So pack those kids off to school, no Blood Cull is expected! A’kaar blesses us! Hail A’kaar! Our scars testify to his might, may his knives always thirst for our veins! And speaking of thirst, here’s our health correspondent, Emma Wilkins-Lee with some tips on staying hydrated! Hi, Emma! How’s the family?”\n\n“Hi, Kyle! We’re doing great! Susan is taking piano lessons, Rod made the varsity basketball team, and Alicia is sacrificing her maidenhood to prevent another killer tsunami in Indonesia!”\n\n“That’s so great. She’s such a trooper.”\n\n“Aw, thanks, Kyle! We’re awfully proud of her. May her pain please A’kaar. Water: are you drinking enough? Experts say…”"
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[WP] Every human you try to contact screams, tries to attack you, or tries to run in fear. You've decided you need a new strategy: Instead of *you* contacting THEM, you'll make *them* want to come searching for YOU!
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"This is so stupid!\" I said to myself for the 25th time today, \"Why does EVERY human I try to befriend just screams and runs away?\"\nIt was a cold and stormy afternoon shortly after my last attempt in making a friend. I wanted to give up, but then, as I arrived home I got an idea.\n \"I will make them come to me instead\" I said to mom as I opened the kitchen's door.\n\"That's great sweetie\" She said while giving me a hug \"you'll finally make some friends!\"\nI went upstairs and saw myself in the mirror, I looked like a twenty-year-old with tanned skin and long hair, I quickly swapped back to myself and watched as the image started to change. First my hair shortened, my skin paled and my pupils turned vertically with a green-ish color. \n\nThe next day I figure I would start with my new strategy for finding new friends. The only thing that I wanted was to be a normal kid, with normal friends.. But every one always ran from me, but now, that I knew how to attract people I would be everything I'd ever wanted.",
"It had been long decades of failure. You were Sh'ngth spirit sister of Terra. You had wanted to meet the creations of your sister in all but blood and mind, but every time they looked upon your majesty they ran away screaming. That was, if they didnt try to tear you down and kill you\n\nShe had tried to console you, but every attempt led to failure. Fear or hate, run or fight. You hated it.\n\nThen, a thought came to mind. Something, that in hindsight, seemed so obvious.\n\nWith her permission you buried yourself deep within your sister spirits core, and with great effort hardened yourself. Your skin and flesh grew hard and shiny, ensuring they would be attracted by you and would need to work to get you, ensuring that they woukd value you.\n\nBut, it came at a price. Your concious thought.\n\nAnd so you settled into Terra with a new name, your body spread across millions upon millions of miles of Earth.\n\nDia'mond."
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[WP] You're stuck in a cheesy romcom between two lovers. Your role? The third wheel. But the thing is, you're a literal wheel, and in order to escape, you've got to keep the plot moving.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Oh good god! Kiss! Kiss!” \n\nWhen the taller male love interest only leaned over and chuckled awkwardly I rolled around in frustration. “COME ON AND LISTEN TO ME!! CAN’T YOU GET THIS OVER WITH?? I MEAN THIS IS CUTE AND ALL BUT I HAVE A LIFE!” \n\nSilence. Nothing except for the cheesy romantic music at the formal restaurant. “Screw this,” I muttered. “I’M LEAVING, IN CASE YOU CARE!” Obviously, the two boys couldn’t hear me, as I was a WHEEL but I still grumbled as I tried to right myself up from the floor. Total idiots, the two of them! I had been watching, in horror, at their absolutely distraught measures of flirting - had they never been in a relationship before?! Just my luck, too. \n\nFinally righting myself up against the table, I start to zoom but finally, finally, something happens. I freeze and turn around, seeing the smaller man blush madly. “I like you a lot, Dwayne! Please be my boyfriend!” \n\nI watch in bated breath as the story plays out. \n\nDwayne is now also turning red, muttering, “Me too. I’d really like tha-“\n\n“FRICK YEAH! FRICK YEAH!!!” I yell, whooping from hyperness. I stop when I realize that I had been turned back into a human and half the restaurant was staring at me like I had a third eye.\n\nQuickly, I scramble out, yelling, “Congratulations!”\n\nI walked through the streets of my city, so glad that being a wheel was finally over with, and glad to go back to my apartment a few blocks away; maybe I’d see the two boys around sometime. But for now, it was enough to know that they -at least for now- finally got their happy ending."
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[WP] Ever since you were young you haven't been able to speak. After a creative writing assignment you learned you could speak but only as many words as you wrote for an original work. The good news is that you've become a published author, the bad news that you're running out of ideas
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"A drop of sweat fell from Chuck Tingle's brow onto his keyboard. There were only so many ways to write dinosaurs getting it on. He could always reliably write a good dinosaur erotica, but the inspiration was starting to wane, and he was starting to incorporate whatever was in the news into his stories just to get a word count.\n\nDesperately scrolling through the news, he found the perfect muse. Maybe expanding beyond sexy dinosaurs once in a while, making the most unsexy, sexy. A website reviled for it's boomer sensibilities, now trying to make comical leaps into the future, to avoid the controversy of it's actions? If it quacks like a duck, and sucks like a duck, than surely..."
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[WP] You buy an old mirror from an antique store only to discover that when you look into it, you can see and talk to the previous owner of the mirror.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Mortimore Stout, or Morte, as most called him, owned 'Curiouser and Curiouser', an antique shop on Main Street and Willow Row. The shop had been in his family since his great-great grandparents emigrated. They’d settled into this railroad town, opened this shop, and watched the town flourish. His grandfather had been raised above the shop and would say he lived in the best of times. He kept the family business going and purchased a house on a corner lot to raise his family in. Mortimore’s parents watched the town decline, but held onto the shop. They passed it onto Morte as the only son’s due inheritance. After his parents died, he sold the family home, choosing to live above the shop instead.\r \n\r \nIn the morning, the shop would smell of freshly brewed coffee. Supplies would be set by the vintage cooper coffee urn. You could sit on a number of heirloom formal chairs set in a semicircle to one side of the register. A Chinese vintage chess set waited for skilled players. Mortimore never chased a customer out, even if that customer rarely bought anything. The regulars breathed life into the shop, but it wasn’t the regulars that paid the bills here. Far-flung patrons of the internet kept the lights on and the shop open.\r \n\r \nAidan’s parents had brought him to 'Curiouser and Curiouser' since he was old enough to know not to touch things that didn’t belong to him. Morte has sold his grandmother’s heirlooms on consignment. As antique heirlooms became more difficult to come by, vintage heirlooms flowed into the shop. \r \n\r \nAidan wanted to share this part of his past with Melony. So far, she had enjoyed his childhood town. They’d had the whole weekend to explore, from the bed and breakfast to his favorite trails. She seemed happy to be caught up in his whirlwind. When Mrs. Stout was still alive, the shop would have been open on weekends. Now, Morte spent the weekends at estate sales and kept more traditional banker’s hours for the shop. Aidan hoped the shop would be quiet Monday by midday. He didn’t see anyone through the plate glass window as he opened the door for Melony.\r \n\r \nA brass shopkeeper’s bell announced their arrival.\r \n\r \n\"Welcome to Curiouser and … Aidan! Welcome back!\" Morte exclaimed as he came from behind the counter.\r \n\r \n\"Thank you, Morte.\" Aidan said as he led Melony down the center aisle. \"I’d like you to meet Melony. Melony, I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Stout. \"\r \n\r \n\"Good morning, young lady,\" Morte welcomed her. \"Welcome to my little paradise. Just call me Morte, most around here do. \"\r \n\r \n\"Thank you, Morte,\" she responded with a smile. \"Your shop looks amazing.\"\r \n\r \nMorte interlaced his fingers and set them on his rounded belly. He looked immensely pleased with her statement. \"Take your time to look. You can barely tell what treasures are hidden here from a quick glance. \"\r \n\r \nAiden caught Melony's hand in his. \"You should really start...\" he began.\r \n\r \n\"Now Aidan!\" Morte gently chided. \"Why don’t you let her explore a bit on her own? Besides, I have a few things to show you.\"\r \n\r \nMelony thought she caught a conspiratorial glance exchanged between them.\r \n\r \n\"Oh, you don’t mind, do you, Melony?\"\r \n\r \nShe pulled her hand gently from his and said, \"Of course not.\"\r \n\r \nAiden and Mr. Stout disappeared through a vintage beaded curtain, and Melony brought her attention to a shelf of bric-a-brac. She wasn’t shy about gently touching things other people had used and loved. Melony meandered through the shop. A glint of sunshine had caught Melony’s eye as the shop’s door closed behind Aiden. It had come from one of the darker corners, and Melony was curious if it was sunshine off glass or polished metal. She passed the carved cherry tables and mahogany secretary desks to gingerly loop around antique tea trolleys filled with tarnished silver or mercury glass. She spotted an enviable travel trunk next to a stack of red alligator luggage. A small zig-zag brought her face-to-face with a vintage curio cabinet. She wondered if it was set furthest back because the glass was missing. She turned to rejoin Aiden and saw a tarnished art deco goddess holding up a mirror. The goddess’s robes flowed to form a symmetrical base. It was such an amazing work of art. Melony traced the mirror’s frame. She imagined the swirls represented long locks with end curls that met at the center top. Melony rescued the mirror from the plain pine bookcase. It sat heavy in her hands. On the back, pegs turned over a round piece of wood held the mirror in place. This piece didn’t deserve to be neglected at the back of the store. \r \n\r \n(part one didn't mean for this to get so long)"
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[WP] You spent the day being feared by the entire galaxy, exhausting work.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The shuttle lands on top of the tower- *Dread Lord's Spire*, they call this planet. Used to be called Tolmus 9, but nobody calls it that thanks to- well, The Dread Lord's Spire, the most over-engineered battle station-slash-hideout the system has ever seen.\nNamed after *Captain* Dread Lord. As in- Ugh. The titles are absurd.\nEven just thinking of them all is worsening my migraine...\n\nWhatever happened to my ship? My crew? Floating along the methane seas and raiding small scavenger boats and vacation yachts? Hell, what ever happened to the thrill of finding a stash of credit chits hidden inside someone's hoverbike all the way back in the streets of Calbraska?!\n\n\nI step out of the shuffle and storm inside. Today was miserable.\n\nAs I walk down the titanium hallways, the Spire's computer begins to spew automated reports at me.\n*\"Greetings, Captain; You have [Eighteen] High-Priority messages. May I begin-\"*\n\n\n\"NO.\"\n\n\n*\"Understood.\"*\n\n\nThe computer keeps quiet as I roam the halls. Aside from the antiquated cleaning androids, I'm the only one here.\n\nI'm the only one who is EVER here.\n\n\nI've been stabbed in the back too many times. Metaphorically *and* physically. It's impossible to trust anyone. Every single bastard in the cosmos is my enemy... Even if they aren't after my head, they'll slice it off my shoulders for the bounty, the fame. They'd blow me to dust just to claim a prize...\n\n\nI finally arrive to my personal chambers, sealing the doors and finally removing The Suit. The heavy armor plating, the cape, the impenetrable helmet- All of it falls off me and hits the floor with loud, dull thuds. I slip into a simple yet comfortable nano-fabric weave. Breathable and cozy, with built in massagers and heaters. *The pinnacle of future technology*- at least to me in this moment, anyway. I collapse onto the bed, gazing up at the ceiling.\n\n\n\n...Do I deserve this? Is this my fate? To choose between death or this unbearable loneliness?\n\n...When was I supposed to stop? Was I just supposed to starve in the streets as a child? Rot in one of Calbraska's prison mines during my formative years? Let my friends and family sell me to the Federation when I barely had enough meat on my bones to fit a brain in my head?!\n\n\nI scowl, feeling my thoughts growing darker and angrier.\nI clench my eyes shut, pressing my fingers to my temples.\n\n\n\"...Spire, gimme some rum. And yes, you can play the damn messages.\"\n\nA small chime rings out through the room, and a compartment opens in the ceiling, letting a metal railing slide down into the room to present me with a bottle full of my favorite drink.\n\n\nAfter a moment, the wall opposite my bed lights up with a projected video.\n\nI swig the drink, ignoring the politician begging me to do something or another. It doesn't matter. The next message plays. And the next.\n\nI let out a mirthless chuckle as one of the messages comes from the Federation Director himself. He still seems to think he can convince me to go visit him personally.\n\n\nI've had to nearly finish the bottle just to get through the first fourteen messages.\nAs the fifteenth one appears, I frown. The message isn't some red-faced fool demanding I comply with some demands or agree to some new treaty. Nor is it a death threat, a 'trade deal', or an old 'friend' apologizing for their betrayal.\n\nIn fact, it's not even a video. Just a text message and an image. The sort of thing that should never get into high-priority, because it's always spam. My face contorts briefly as I begin to read it.\n\n\"...Natalie..?\"",
"\"Hey hon,\" I sighed, closing the front door. \n\n\"Another one of those days, huh?\" Sarah smiled at me, looking up from her tablet. \n\n\"Yeah...\" I hung my hat and jacket on the rack before collapsing upon the couch, snuggling close to my wife.\n\n\"She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in.\n\n\"What'd he make you do today?\" she cooed, leaning her cheek onto my head. \n\n\"Genocide...\" I muttered.\n\nSarah tightened her embrace, but stayed silent. \n\n\"Not their fault the planet has so many resources.\" I could feel the tears forming in the corner of my eyes. \"And apparently the emperor felt they'd been unappreciative of his offer so...\"\n\n\"You burned them...\" Sarah said, stoically. \n\n\"Uh, yeah...\" I squealed through gritted teeth. \"Two continents today, two tomorrow, and the stragglers after that.\"\n\n\"What then?\"\n\n\"We...\"\n\nI broke down in her arms. \n\n\"We just go on.\" I managed to say between sobs. \"Another planet, another day.\"\n\n\"It's time to go, babe.\" Sarah looked down at me. \"It;s killing you, and I don't...\"\n\nI managed to slightly pull my head from her grasp and see her head shaking.\n\n\"I don't know if I can keep helping you bear this burden.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" I pulled myself free. \n\n\"Either I leave with the kids, or we all leave together. It's your choice.\"\n\n\"They'll chase us to the edge of the galaxy Sarah...\" I shook my head. \"There's no such thing as leaving.\"\n\n\"Seems to me we're dead either way. But running at least gives us a chance.\"\n\n\"I suppose...\""
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[WP] Robotics, AI, and holographic tech have advanced to the point of realism. This makes investigating crimes much more difficult. After one such crime you a humble medical examiner, find yourself face to face with the polices newest breed of investigative robotic AI. Their designation, HOLMES.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“I’ve gotta be honest with you Detective Holmes, I’m not \nused to dealing with..” \n“With what, Dr. Wright, a Synth?” said Holmes in a slick, \nmonotone voice. \n“That’s right,” I said swinging the door shut to the exam \nroom. \n“Well I can assure you, Dr. Wright, you have nothing to \nworry about. The mainstream concern surrounding artificially intelligent beings \nare largely based in fear. I have as much desire to do harm to humans as you \ndo. Plus, after the recent murders in Chicago last week, I should be the one concerned.” \nHolmes was referring to six AIs who were struck by a vehicle \nin a Chicago suburb last week. The latest in a string of violent hate crimes. Just \nlast year the government passed legislation to include AI beings into the civil \nrights laws, effectively giving them the same rights as us. The backlash after \nthis has sparked national outrage, bringing about swaths of violence. Americans \nare concerned that the sci-phi movies are actually coming true. First the robots \nreplaced the working class in warehouses and construction sites, and today someone \nwill find themselves in prison for trying to disable one. It doesn’t take a \nconspiracy theorist to figure out that this is a slippery slope. \n“Well let’s get started then. Subject is a Caucasian male, \n29 years of age. Body was found lying face down on the side of a running trail \nin a local park,” I spoke into the small tape recorder I kept in my jacket pocket.",
"\"Hey! Anyone know why there is a black cube in the examination room?\"\n\n\"Begging you pardon, ma'am,\" came a prim, British accent, emanating from the box. \"I am your new assistant.\"\n\nJana squinted at the smooth featureless surface, \"Yeah, you gonna help me crack a ribcage without hands there?\"\n\n\"I'm afraid that is not my primary function. However,\" with a whir, a panel snapped open on the top and a diffusement crystal rose out from within, light refracting through its facets. As it settled into place a few centimeters above the cube it materialized a perfect rendition of a middle aged man in a tweed suit and a deerstalker cap, holding a wooden pipe.\n\n\"You're kidding me!\" Jana threw both her hands up in the air and stomped back towards the door. \"CHIEF!\"\n\nThe hologram flickered and re-appeared in front of the door, so sudden and realistic that Jana had to pause, forgetting she could just walk through it.\n\n\"Move it, light-beam!\"\n\n\"I am HOLMES: the Holistic Ontological Logic-Minded Emerging Sentience\" it said, bouncing its soundwaves so they actually seemed to come from the projection's mouth. A fancy trick \"Your Chief has recently employed me to serve as your assistant for the purpose of deducing cause of death in your patients.\"\n\nJana scoffed, \"I just figure out how they died, it's the Badges are supposed to come up with the how.\"\n\n\"I would appease you by saying that it is likely their failure that I am here, rather than your own.\"\n\n\"I don't see wh-\"\n\n\"I have taken the liberty of doing a pre-examination of this latest victim. On initial first glance, it would appear that one Mr. Cameron Baskerfield died of an overdose, but looking at his personal finances, coupled with a series of microscopic pinpricks in his hair line and traces of nanodust would imply he was in fact injected against his will by a swarm of small robotic entities.\"\n\nJana glanced over at the body lying beneath the sheet on her table, then down at the tablet she carried with the tox-report showing the overdose, and finally back to the shining form of the fictional detective.\n\n\"I believe,\" HOLMES continued, \"that if upon physical examination you were to find any of these nanomachines caught somewhere I could not see, I could use their signal to try and trace the location of our murderer.\"\n\nJana blinked a few times. It was certainly more interesting that tagging another O.D. victim for the cremators.\n\n\"Alright,\" she said, rolling up her sleeves to go wash up, \"but if you call me Watson, even once, I'm going to wipe you.\""
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[WP] Death tries to reconnect with the modern world by posting soul unboxing videos to YouTube.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"SCRIPT GHOST-IN-A-JAR UNBOXING VIDEO 07\nDATE: 10th november, 2021\n\nThe camera turns on. The screen shows a dark-cloaked man sitting in a white room. A scythe hangs on the wall by two brackets. One bracket has a post-it note saying ‘You rock!’. He throws up a peace sign with two bony fingers. By now you notice the white shape of a skull sitting under the hood.\n\n“Hey guys, it’s me, death, and what I’m going to show you today is, uh, human soul unboxing videos.”\n\nThe video cuts to a view of his desk, showing three square cardboard boxes the size of a tennis ball.\n\n“Just recently I started collecting them. I’ve now got over 200 types of souls. Let’s see what kinds of souls we get today!”\n\nHe starts unpacking the first cardboard box and pulls out a tiny jar with a blue glowing fog in it.\n\n“Oh hey, it’s the self-righteous soul again! We already got five of those. Believe me, these guys squeal the loudest when they meet their end.”\n\nThe blue fog in the bottle lets out a cold whine when Death puts it aside. Then he opens the next box, and takes out a bottle with a bright red fog.\n\n“Ohhh shiiiiit! Look at that! We got the ultra rare communist soul!”\n\nThe red fog lets out high-pitched moaning and squeals, dampened by the glass. He nods in approval and puts it to the side.\n\n“This was probably one of the poor souls that got killed by the same political party that he chose in the elections. Ha! Communism has made business so great for me!”\n\nThen he turns to the last box and opens it, but it seems like nothing’s inside. He studies it. \n\n“Weird, this one’s empty.” he says, screwing the cork from the top and bringing it closer to look at it. Then he bends over and starts to hurl.\n\n“OH! Oh that stinks! Hrwlll!”\n\nThen a cacophony of laughter erupts one room over. A jock walks into his room and laughs at him in his face. “Haaa! How’d my fart smell, you nerd!”\n\n“Ah fuck you guys! I’m moving dorms!”",
"Ting!! One notification from YouTube.\n\nWithout even glancing at screen , i knew it was from the channel 'soul '. As i reached for my phone i heard my mom call out and tell me she would be taking the car to go to town. \n\nOh yeah! About **SOUL -**10 years ago, a new channel had come up, named SOUL .And let me just say, people went crazy over it. At first , nobody gave it a second thought, we just dismissed it as some crazy channel. However, as the people's loved one's started appearing, oh we knew something was not right. \n\nA man or rather, a huge lean 'thing' named **Death** would stand over bodies of people from various places, and read out the body's past life, family, wealth and their achievements and crimes. Everyone related to the corpse such as family friends and relatives would get a notification. The other kind of notifications were of celebrities or famous criminals.\n\n**Death** had something menacing about himself, he gave off a dark aura, not threatening in itself, it had a weird kind of calm and peace, as well as fear and decay. \n\nI checked the notification to know who the entry into the land of the unknown was.Some man whom i had never heard of, turns out he was quite famous in japan for his poetry. \n\ni tossed my phone onto the bed and sighed. I remember seeing my grandma in it five years ago. She was one of the good ones, as they say.\n\nHer memory made me tear up, i got up from bed and tried to sneak out of the house , as i was grounded for something stupid i did 2 days ago. As i climbed down the stairs, my phone beeped again, i ignored it and crept out of my house. \n\nI returned 30 minutes later, afraid my mom would have come back home. Luckily ,the house was empty. Feeling rather smug, i jumped onto the sofa, reaching for my phone in my pocket. \n\nSOUL had posted again. Honestly, i was quite tired of this channel's constant notifications. Annoyed , i checked for whom it was. A woman lay motionless in a dark place, and it looked quite claustrophobic , that's when Death walked over and took her soul. i checked for her details, Sophia Traynor. \n\n**OH NO ! MOM.**",
"\"THIS DOES NOT FEEL APPROPRIATE, ALBERT.\"\n\nAt the centre of his infinitely large study, Death sat at his desk with the portable thinking engine open before him. On the screen, a tiny image of his own bony face stared back - impassive, endless, and somehow embarrassed. Off to one side, text scrolled by in a blur of colour and tiny pictures of humorous faces.\n\n\"How so, Master?\" The voice - Albert - came from the space before the desk and out of Death's sight. With a crackling of knees, a grungy old man wearing a string vest and suspenders hauled himself to his feet and dusted his hands off on his grubby trousers.\n\n\"ALL OF IT. THE CONCEPT. THE EXECUTION. THE... COMMENTARY.\" Blue orbs like star-fire turned to the scrolling chat, held for an infinity of three seconds, and then turned back to the human. \"THESE ARE THE SOULS OF MORTALS, DEPARTED ONTO THEIR NEXT PLACE IN THE CYCLE. THEY ARE NOT ENTERTAINMENT.\"\n\nAlbert fished a dog-end cigarette from behind his ear and placed it to his lips. It wasn't lit, he knew far better than to smoke within the library, but a habit of nearly 3000 years did not die easily.\n\n\"Weeeerll....\" He drawled, rubbing a finger beneath his nose and utterly failing to dislodge the soggy drip that dangled from the end. \"Mortals can be strange like that. It's like... a kind of worship, I suppose? Seein' these sorta things, being able to come to terms with the whole thing before it's sprung on them - no offense, of course, Master - it all helps them to think they have the answers, and can go about the rest of their lives without worrying about the nitty-gritty, eh?\"\n\n\"I AM NOT WELL KNOWN FOR BEING EITHER NITTY OR GRITTY, ALBERT.\" Death sighed. \"BUT, I SUPPOSE... IF IT MAKES THE JOB EASIER IN THE LONG RUN....\"\n\nSQUEAK!\n\nDeath did not react as a small weight pulled at the hem of his robe. After a few seconds, the Death of rats scrambled across his lap, onto the desktop, and perched itself on the keyboard of the thinking engine. It sniffed critically at the machine, apparently intrigued by the sudden flurry of activity as the scrolling feed of viewers exploded in commentary at the appearance of the little skeletal rodent.\n\n\"EXCUSE ME?\"\n\nSQUEAK!\n\n\"WHY WOULD I SAY THAT? I AM NOT 'COMING AT' ANYONE, I AM SITTING.\"\n\nSQUEAK-EAK!\n\n\"OH, VERY WELL.\" With a display of awkward reluctance not becoming of a 7 foot tall skeleton, Death looked into the camera, raised his right hand, and extended two of his fingers.\n\n\"REMEMBER, EVERYONE, TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE..... TO DEATH.\"\n\nHe paused, unmoving, waiting for a response from the machine. More text rocketed by, and little red icons \\*pinged\\* about the screen.\n\n\"THAT SEEMS RATHER UNNECESSARY.\" Said Death, eventually. \"IT'S NOT AS THOUGH ANY OF THEM HAVE A CHOICE OTHERWISE, IS IT?\""
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[WP] In a dystopian world, you are a lone inventor/mechanic of sorts, living in a small dwelling you built yourself out of junk. Write about the best day of your life.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I awoke that morning as I did most every day. With a startle. The green tinted hue of the landscape pouring through the cracks in my shack walls like fog. The light of the midday sun barely broke through the thick, greyish black clouds. The smell of rust, rot, and decay filled my nostrils. These sights and smells weren't new to me, but every day I had awoken wishing that it were all a bad dream. \n\nI pushed my scrawny body out of bed, scruffing my beard a bit, before standing. Walking to the table just to my left, I seated myself. The kitchen table which I had converted into a workbench served as my only solace in these desolate lands.\n\nWith me being likely the last living human on earth, even despite the slim pickings due to the apocalypse, material and scrap weren't hard to come by. And so I had collected a mountain of materials, and simply spent my days tinkering away. A bit of wiring here, some bent metal there, a mutated potato slotted in, and I had a working battery. For a minute, anyway. Still, I pressed on, slapping scrap, wires, and random bits and bobs into machines and contraptions. \n\nAnd then a clang.\n\nI quickly ran outside, grabbing my rifle on the way out. Armed and loaded, I racked the rifle, and squinted my eyes. And there it came. A giant metal plane, moreso like a drone then an actual plane, spotlight searching high and low. Red openings on the ever shifting metal plating on its exterior shone through like eyes. I dropped my rifle, and dove back into my shack. \n\nI quickly grabbed my worn, torn, and tattered thermal jacket, curling up and using it as a blanket. And just as quickly as I had hidden, did the clang ring out again. And then again. And then again, and again, and again, in rapid succesion. The clangs quickly became replaced with overpowering beeping sounds. Almost as quickly as I had covered my ears, an explosion rang out. With stark determination, drawn from almost nowhere, I sat up. \n\nGrabbing my rifle from the floor, I stood, and stepped outside once more. And lying on the ground, in a fire ruin, the plane sat. A humanoid, cloaked in thick, ever moving plate armor crawled out from under the wreckage. \"Fuck. You.\" I said, shakily. With the pull of a trigger, a bullet entered the humanoids skull. He fell flat, dead in a single second. \n\nI stepped over his corpse, and walked torward the rubble. Stepping inside, I found it. A tessaract cube, sat, glowing a bright red. \"Oh-ho, now looky here!\" I said, grabbing it.\n\n\"Time to win.\" I said, tearing the tessaract in to two pieces, causing a large, metallic shriek to ring out across the land."
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[WP]"Acolyte, what you have brought to us is not the Book of the Dead, not the Book of the Living, nor Even the Book of the Mildly Unwell. What you have brought us is Chicken Soup for the Soul. What do you have to say for yourself?"
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Well ma'am,\" the young man shifted from foot to foot nervously, wringing his hands. If it wouldn't have made his robes indecent, he probably would have been wringing his tail.\n\n\"Our Order is dedicated to helping others. It says so right in our vows and our prayers.\"\n\n\"This is true, Acolyte. The Goddess we serve demands community and compassion. And while this book will serve our Order well, you were sent on a mission for a specific book and this is the opposite of it.\"\n\n\"No one is exempt from our love and compassion, Prioress. Not even you,\" he blurted, cheeks flamed as red as his hair.\n\nCarefully, his superior placed the book on her desk.\n\n\"Elaborate.\"\n\n\"You asked me to bring you The Book of the Dead, Prioress! The book listing every lost soul and how to call them back to this plane, how to harm others! And you are my Prioress and I trust you, I do, but if you want that awful book something has to be wrong, and- and you taught me better than to ignore someone in my community in pain! And I thought the book would help, or at least help me start the conversation.\"\n\nShe only realized she was smiling when she leaned forward to gather him in a hug and felt her cheek push against his head.\n\n\"Oh, Tommy. Sweetest Acolyte we've had in years, my son, there's nothing wrong with me. I asked you to get the Book of the Dead- the medical text, dear. To help investigate the deaths of those we lay to rest when their lives are cut short. Or either of it's sister texts. We are going into the cold season and all the ills associated with it.\"\n\n\"OH.\" Her Acolyte relaxed then, cuddling up into her arms like a thousand times before. Except, a familiar shape, tucked into the front of his vest where it wouldn't be seen but was definitely felt...\n\n\"Tommy. You brought me what you thought asked for, didn't you?\"\n\nHe whined against her shoulder.\n\n\"I can't put it back. I made friends with the guys who were guarding it and they agreed that disturbing the rest of those beyond the veil was cruel so they gave it to me and I gave them Potions of Deep Rest so they can be in a safe coma and pretend they got overwhelmed, and I TRUST you so the only reason I could think you wanted it was to keep it safe from mean people and mourn the unmourned dead because that's what we do-\"\n\n\"Breathe. We'll protect it, and mourn the list of dead. As you said, it's what we do. We do have a restricted book vault for a reason.\"\n\n\"Isn't the book that requires blood to let you read it in there?\"\n\n\"Restricted isn't forbidden. We don't forbid knowledge. But yes, having it bite the unsuspecting was unacceptable. Come on. And then maybe you can fetch my medical texts from town.\"\n\nA once-paladin never really stopped wanting to help, after all. And now she had Divine confirmation of her successor. Who else could form community connections to cultists and live?",
"I blinked.\n\n*\"Well?\"*\n\nThe volume quivered in my hands. I cleared my throat.\n\n\"Have you...\" I squeaked, and trailed off.\n\n\"Have I what?\" roared the Lord of Hell.\n\n\"Have you...\"\n\n*\"Spit it out!\"*\n\n\"HaveyouacceptedJesusChristasyourLordandSavior?\" I blurted out.\n\nThe Lord of Hell stared at me.\n\n\"Have I...what?\"\n\n\"Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?\" I repeated.\n\nThe Lord of Hell dropped his horned brow into one gnarled and patient hand. \"Now why,\" he asked me in a voice of great restraint, \"Why would I do that?\"\n\n\"In order that your soul may have a place prepared in...oh. Oh. Yes, I see.\"\n\nThe Lord of Hell sighed, pinched the bridge of his scaly nose, and gestured. \"You're one of Them, aren't you,\" he said, resigned. \n\nI blushed.\n\n\"I don't know how you people keep getting past security. Belial, will you escort our visitor OUT, please?\"\n\nI winced as the pile that was Belial groaned into disgusting motion. \"I--I'll see myself out,\" I said with a bravado I did not feel. Hurriedly, I slung my backpack over my starched white shoulder, grabbed the book, and bicycled furiously away."
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[WP] After learning Satan and all the demons of hell have been attending group therapy for decades, a priest covertly joins their group.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The great red beast exhaled from his nostrils, the smell of sulfur and smoke filling the tiny space. In his throat one could hear the rumbling of fire and smoldering rocks; in his jagged breaths one could feel vibrations in their very bones.\n\n\"My dad was a dick,\" the beast said to the nodding affirmations of every monster in attendance. \"I know I sound like a broken record, but there's a difference between *knowing* it and *feeling*, it, you know?\" \n\nA spectacled demon, seated with one leg over the other, hummed his positive response. \"You might have heard that one should forgive and forget, but I'll tell you, there's a value in affirming your own worthiness of love and rejecting those who have thrown that into jeopardy. Satan, when we cannot trust our mothers and fathers, we must learn to be a mother and father to ourselves. Our inner mother comforts us and our inner father fights for us. Maybe your realization--your feeling of anger--is your inner father angry on behalf of your inner child.\" \n\nFather Dominic, disguised under a plain bedsheet and seated in the group therapy circle, could not believe his ears. These were the same things he would tell congregants in *his* group therapy meetings. \n\nSatan scooted to the edge of his chair and sat up straight. \"Right? Like, that makes so much sense. My dad threw me out when I was a kid. He *replaced* me. What do I do with that? I feel like, over the millennia, I've been telling myself that there's something defective about what I am.\" His voice was breaking, making a truly strange noise as the whines held in his throat and squeaked out of his snout. \"What was so hard about loving me!?\" \n\nThe demons murmured sympathetic comforts and the two closest monsters patted his back and his knee. Satan turned to one and hugged it, loosing a sob on its shoulder. The comforting monster turned a sad smile to the crowd and a bittersweet feeling swept over the gathered beasts. \n\n\"We have a visitor with us today,\" the crossed-leg demon suddenly announced. Father Dominic jolted upright in his chair as the monsters' eyes turned to him. \"Please, introduce yourself.\" \n\n\"Oh. Well, hello everyone. I'm, uh... Dom.\"\n\n\"Hi Dom,\" the room said in unison.\n\n\"Right. So, I'm here not for myself so much, but because I know so many say peo--demons. Sad demons. And I want to learn the right things to say to them.\" \n\nThe demon peered at the priest over his glasses with a knowing look. \"Why don't you tell us what some of these demons have been feeling.\"\n\n\"Well... Lately one of my friends has been feeling like there needs to be something more than their lot in life. Like something's missing. They feel empty, like there needs to be something beyond hatred.\" \n\nSatan turned his teary eyes to the priest and listened. \n\nThe counselor demon frowned in thought. \"And what is it this demon wants to do, if they could do anything?\" \n\n\"It's not that they don't love some of what they do--helping and serving and whatnot--but to be so tied to the whims of higher ups... to not be able to speak his mind...\"\n\n\"We only have the one life, Dom,\" Satan said. \"For a long time I lived it according to *my* higher up: my dad. One day I talked back. I'll tell you, choosing your own path isn't without its consequences, but it isn't without its rewards either. They don't do this in heaven!\" \n\nThe meeting died down; Father Dominic was glad when the attention left his person and other monsters spoke. \n\nThe meeting ended and the demons shuffled out. Only the counselor and Father Dominic were left, stacking chairs and folding tables in the dim meeting space. \n\n\"Do me a favor, Dom?\" The demon asked.\n\n\"Sure,\" the priest responded. \n\n\"Keep these meetings on the down low among your colleagues. We can't be having a bunch of priests mucking up the joint.\" The demon smiled and held up a coffee decanter. \"Cup for the road?\""
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[WP] Everyone agrees that nobody should mess with the young child who enters the woods alone. Well, almost everyone. It's an awful lot of trouble keeping the kid safe from the savage minority while also staying out of sight.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The child paused, so he took the moment to sit down on his haunches, out of sight. He, the wolf, panted a little, watching the blond child bend down to pick up a leaf. The child was about 8 years old and disregarded the instructions to not venture into this particular tract of forested land.\n\nThe shape shifted wolf, whose name was Fen, wasn't sure if this was through ignorance or wilful disobedience, but either way the child had to be protected from monsters who ignored the instructions that the foundling of the Goblin King was absolutely not to be eaten.\n\nFen himself was not in league with the Goblin King, but he didn't want to be noticed by the ruthless monarch, not for protecting the child nor for eating the child. And if the child died, vengeance would be swift and it would fall on the entire stretch of forest. So he tried to keep the child safe, but stayed anonymous.\n\nThe kid started off again, and in a northerly direction, back toward the King's personal cave complex. Fen slipped through the trees, keeping pace, nose keen to catch any being foolish enough to try to harm the kid.\n\nThe attack came, understandably, when they crossed through the griffins' territory. Again, was the child ignorant or did he just have a death wish?\nA griffin arrived in a flash, diving straight for the small blond head. There was no help for it, Fen would have to reveal himself in attacking it.\n\nHe sprang into action, colliding with the griffin midair. He managed to get a mouthful of shoulder scruff and when they landed, bit down hard. The griffin screeched but Fen didn't feel the razor sharp beak like he expected.\n\n\"The kid's still moving.\" Came a voice. \"Better get going. I will delay this one long enough for you to get out of the griffins' nesting area.\" Fen left, at once. He'd have time to thank the elf later, but only if he kept the boy safe til he returned home.\n\nHe caught up with the child on the last uphill trudge to the Goblins' stronghold. The boy, for once, practiced some common sense in skirting the cyclop's territory. The beasts were as bad as ogres but had the nasty ability to mimic absolutely anybody and anything. Most beings were lured to their deaths that way.\n\nSo he was there when a sweet woman's voice floated between the trees. \"William, sweetheart, come walk with me.\" William stopped dead in his tracks, becoming as still as the trees around him.\n\n\"Come with me, my pet, come. We can go pick wildflowers together.\"\n\nFen shifted his position, breathing in the air deeply and trying to peer between the trees. Since when did cyclops hunt their prey!?\n\nAh. There. The cyclops towered over the boy, hidden in the shadows. Its one eye was hooded, watching the boy with a calculating hungry gaze.\n\nA wolf's body wouldn't do much against a cyclops. Fen considered for a precious moment. A hawk might, or an eagle, if it could attack the eye and shriek. There was not much time; the cyclops was nearly in arms reach of the motionless boy.\n\nFen took a deep breath and stepped out of the woods, at the boy's side. He nuzzled the cold hand and the child slowly looked down, easing out of the daze the cyclops had thrown over him. William said, \"It's you, isn't it? My shape shifter protector?\" Fen didn't take time to answer, just shifted into a huge eagle, his wing span as large as the boy's.\n\nThe cyclop's hand was reaching out of the shadows, slow as a the shifting sun's movement and as inexorable. Fen bounded off the ground, leaves whirling in the downstroke of his great wings. He shrieked, the kind eagles give as they fall on their prey. He heard, in the corner of his mind, answering shrieks, from a mixed flock of angry birds, and then he was in the thick of the fight.\n\nThe eye, the eye was always his goal, to shred it with his talons. The flaying rapid hands and arms of the cyclops sometimes caught him, flinging him away, but there were many more birds to worry the monster. Slowly, they drove him away, back to his cesspit.\n\nTired and aching, Fen made his way back to the boy, and found him safely at the Goblin King's doorstep. He dare not come out of the shadows but stayed watching. William spoke, as if to nobody, but clear enough for Fen.\n\n\"My parents were stolen and I was left for dead. His Sire rescued me. He's been good to me, but sometimes... sometimes I look for my parents.\" That said, he turned and disappeared inside.\n\nFen sighed and turned to his original form. He would guard the boy even more closely now, even with all his misgivings about the goblins. He'd seen the tears drying on the child's face.\n\nr/yoroshikuwriting"
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[WP] The dragon was melancholy. In the war for the world, wyrm kind had prevailed over the legions of men, scattering their kind to the four winds. With only dragons left, there were no fat cows to eat, and no fine treasures left to steal, for dragons did not create such things.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Bruh my shit gone”\n\n“The cows keep fucking dying, I think humans helped take care of them, but those fuckers tried to attack us”\n\n“And the gold? Eaten.”\n\n“Broski, sorry, It’s just so tasty, y’know?”\n\n“Yeah, yeah I get it. But like, y’know, what’s next? What the point?”\n\n“Eh idk, guess we could, y’know, go out or something”\n\n“WHA-“\n\n“Uh, I mean, hah dude just kidding. Let’s go west, see if the sun dragon is still there, maybe she has some extra gold”\n\n“Hmm, okay yeah that sounds good”\n\nAs they fly towards west, they end up getting closer and closer to the sun till they turn to ash, turning into nothingess.",
"The thing was ALL dragons had the ability to shape change into humans, even the chromatic ones despite the fact that they officially claimed they couldn't. \n\n \nWhich is how Maximum Awesomeness, King of Justice, found himself at a farm trying, and failing, to maintain a herd of cattle. \n\n \n\"This is so damn boring,\" stated the nearly immortal being as he watched the 5 dozen head of cattle eating grass. They still weren't that fat, but apparently they needed to eat more than just grass to get that way. \n\n \nSo Maximum Awesomeness built a large farm, out of nothing, and found wild grains from where the human settlements had been and started planting a field. Thankfully, turning into a human didn't diminish his draconic strength in the least so he was able to plow the field by pushing the stupid plow through it.\n\n \nAnd the years went on and on. Once one of his brothers, a green, had seen his cattle and come to take them for his own. Maximum had shown him the error of his ways, leaping into the air and punching the other dragon on top of his snout so powerfully that the other dragon went flying off with its tail between its legs.\n\n \n\"That's right, these are MY COWS,\" roared Maximum as the dragon retreated. As he turned around to survey the herd, he spotted something new. A human. She approached him rapidly, holding a spear with a bone tip and a hide shield. \n\n \n\"You defeated a dragon,\" she said in a halting language, \"And you yelled at him in their language. Who are you?\"\n\n \nCrap. What are the human legends again. \"Um, Well, I'm not really a farmer that's for certain.\"\n\n \n\"Are you the chosen one, spoken of in prophesy?\" she asked after a moment.\n\n \n\"What does the chosen one have to do,\" asked Maximum.\n\n \n\"Well, according to the Zanier guide to the world, the chosen one will rise up and,\" she started and Maximum realized she was in it for the long haul. If he wanted to be bored, he could keep farming. Speaking of which.\n\n \n\"Does the Chosen one have to tend cattle or farm,\" he asked.\n\n \n\"No, other people will do that,\" she replied.\n\n \n\"Then I am the chosen one,\" stated Maximum.\n\n \n\"Then you may start by slaying the evil dragon that lives locally, known as the Red Scourge,\" stated the woman. \n\n \n\"Maximum Awesomeness?\" asked... Maximum Awesomeness.\n\n \n\"Is that his true name, no matter, yes, you the Chosen One must slay him,\" replied the woman.\n\n \n\"And if I do, I don't have to farm anymore,\" asked Maximum.\n\n \n\"Nope,\" replied the woman.\n\n \n\"I'll be right back,\" stated the newly minted Chosen One. He strode out a minute later,\" The dragon is dealt with!\"\n\n \n\"You didn't even have time to fight him,\" she replied.\n\n \n\"Oh, that kind of dealing with, be right back,\" stated Maximum walking back into his lair. A few gouts of flame later and a rather good death stream, if he had to say so for himself, he came back out. \"Super handled with this time.\"\n\n \n\"Let me see the body,\" replied the woman.\n\n \n\"Oh my me,\" grumbled Maximum, then he remembered anything was better than farming, so he walked back into the lair, changed back into a dragon and promptly collapsed the whole thing before crawling back out in his human form. \"The vile beast will never bother you again, and his lair is buried so no one can ever find his body, like evil dragon necromancers who would raise him as a Dracolich.\"\n\n \n\"Is that a real thing,\" asked the woman.\n\n \n\"Its in the monster manual, so sure,\" replied Maximum. \"This valley is clear, please feel free to farm those cows for me. I'll take my hero tribute of one cow a day when you are ready.\"\n\n \n\"There are not enough cattle for that, thought I do know of some herds in the next territory where the evil Blue Dragon, Cloud Kill resides,\" stated the woman.\n\n \nAs she spoke a few other humans appeared and began the process of tending the farms. Doing some quick mental arithmetic, Maximum realized his problem. \n\n \n\"Then I'll go kill that dragon too,\" stated Maximum. \n\n \nHe returned a month later with dozens of more cows and several large scales from the blue dragon, \"I dealt with her and she no longer a problem.\"\n\n \n\"Are you sure,\" asked the woman.\n\n \n\"I brought scales, I said the red one was handled, has he come back,\" asked Maximum.\n\n \nChastised, the woman nodded, \"I'm sorry for questioning you chosen one.\"\n\n \nMaximum looked around, there were dozens of humans around his farm now tending to the cattle and the fields. \n\n \n\"My new fee will be the Cow, one goat and a piece of 'half way decent jewelry' stated Maximum.\n\n \n\"We do not have the materials for that, yet, there is a gold mine to the east,\" began the woman.\n\n \n\"ARG,\" screamed the dragon man as he started marching to the east.\n\n \nWhen he returned several months later after burning out an entire horde of goblins and 'dealing' with the local dragon. The woman looked at him as he approached.\n\n \n\"New fee, two cows, one goat, a decent piece of jewelry, and a maiden who likes to sing to attend a shrine,\" stated Max.\n\n \n\"We don't have enough, but if you traveled south to the desert,\" began the woman. \n\"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGG,\" screamed the dragon.\n\n \n\\*\\*\\*\n\n \nAnd so the history's say that the screamer persisted, dealing with all of the dragons until finally human civilization was restored over the next several hundred years. If you ever doubt yourself, remember what the Chosen One used to say, \"If someone doesn't give me a damn cow in the next trip, I'm going to murder you all!\""
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[WP] It’s your first day at work and you brought down the computer network, almost set the lunchroom on fire and scratched three cars in the car park. Your boss laughed it off as first day nerves, which is offensive as you’re actually trying to bring the company down, you’re just really bad at it.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"##Corporate Espionage\n\nLooking at the parking lot, I plan my drive. I align my car perfectly for the pull through. The camera is focused on my vehicle. \n\nI look down at the radio and turn the dial. My foot presses the gas pedal slightly. My car drives through the first space scratching the car to my right. I overcorrect when I turn left, and in the second space, I scratch the car to the left. The car curves and swerves as it enters the aisle to convey panic. It scratches the last car, and the job is done.\n\nWhen I enter the building, the guards are replaying the clip for the supervisor. They are laughing at my perceived incompetence. The owners of the car come down to watch the clip, and they laugh as well. The insurance on the cars will take care of it all, and the damage is not too bad. \n\nMy new boss pats my shoulder. He gives me a condescending and supportive speech on how I need to relax. I don't need to relax; I need to get the job done.\n\nFelicia, the head of this task force, has been sending phishing emails for months. No one in the agency has clicked on them. The new person is dumb enough to click on it. When I see Felicia's email in my new account, I immediately let her have access to my computer and the servers.\n\nWithin minutes, she brought down the whole network. I laugh at my success until the computer network comes back online a few minutes later. I open up my email. IT has sent an email warning about how I received a phishing email, but they fixed it. Next time, I need to be more careful.\n\nMy phone vibrates in my pocket. When I look at it, I see Felicia has sent me five messages.\n\n\"Nice work, Stephen.\"\n\n\"OMG\"\n\n\"Stephen, they are better than I thought.\"\n\n\"They are in our network.\"\n\n\"Scorched Earth.\"\n\nI gasp at the Scorched Earth message. That was a last resort. I wasn't supposed to do that until six months from now at the earliest. If Felicia tells me to do it, the IT department here is better than expected.\n\nI pull out an aluminum ball containing an explosive and walk to the kitchen. An old man is there cleaning an apple. He starts talking to me about his first day thirty years ago; I nod my head and smile until he leaves. Then, I place the aluminum ball in the microwave.\n\nSparks fly as I walk out of the breakroom. The fire alarm rings, and the sprinklers activate. The rest of the office runs out of the building. As I run, I wait for the sound of the explosion. Instead I feel a bump on the back of my head.\n\n---\n\nA light in my face wakes me up. Leather straps keep me from moving. My boss steps into the light smiling at me.\n\n\"The spies that they send me keep getting worse. That explosive was easily disabled,\" he says. \n\n\"What are you talking about? I'm not a spy,\" I say.\n\n\"Wow, you can't even lie properly,\" he shakes his head and picks up a small saw, \"You will scream the same as the other spies.\"\n\n---\n\nr/AstroRideWrites"
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[WP] a man walk to a mysterious door that has a note taped to it "inside is your most deepest desires whatever that is, any desire in the world even things that never existed will appear out of nowhere it will be with you for the rest of your life" what is his inner desire?
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"*The hell..?*\n\nI look around for a moment. Who would leave something like this just?.. Sitting here? Unattended? Is this some kind of joke? Some kind of weird tourist trap or kidnapping scheme?\n\nThe street around me is quiet this late at night, and hardly a car is driving by thanks to all the snow. Looking up, I decide that whatever this building is supposed to be looks basically abandoned- Windows are busted, and there's no lights on.\n\nI look down the road. The bridge outta here is still a couple miles down the sidewalk of this sprawling metropolis...\n\n\nI frown, sighing internally, staring at the note plastered to the door. My deepest desires, huh?... *What do I have to lose.*\n\n\nI open the door, and enter. It's even darker inside than on the poorly lit city streets. I pull out my phone and shake it twice, activating its flashlight, which I use to try and light my way. \n\nThe pitch black shadows surround me as I nervously climb a set of stairs. *Am I supposed to be here? There aren't any more signs...*\nReaching the second floor, I spot a door at the end of another hall. My phone isn't even lighting it up much...\nTurning the knob, it's... Locked?\n\n\n...Huh. *So much for those dreams, huh?*\n\n\nAs I turn around, the lights turn on. I see a man at the end of the hallway. He's tall, dressed in a heavy jacket, and fiddling with a breaker box.\n\n\n\"Oh fuck. Sorry! Didn't hear you walk in! You uh, a customer?\" He asks, closing the distance between us.\n\n\n\"I, uh, I-I dunno..? P-Probably?\" I reply, shoving my hands in my pockets, averting my gaze. I wasn't really planning on talking to anyone tonight.\n\n\nThe man cocks an eyebrow, relaxing his stance slightly. \"...Were you... Outside? You're shivering like crazy, pal.\"\n\n\nI nod. \"Y-Yeah. Not, uh, not for long. I, uh, think I'm just lost... S-Sorry, I don't... I-I should leave...\"\nI start shuffling past the man, returning the way I came, down the newly lit, sparsely decorated corridor.\n\n\n\"Whoa pal, you can't go out like that. You'll freeze! You got a ride?\"\n\n\n\"I-I'll find one.\" I call, not stopping.\n\n\nI hear the man curse under his breath before he begins to follow me.\n\n\"Hey, listen- I'm not busy. I can drive you back home if you want. I haven't seen you around before; You from south-side? Don't see many folks from down there these days. You should come by more often - Just not in this damn blizzard! You'll turn into a popsicle, pal. Hah. Could call you a pal-sicle.\"\n\n\n\"...What?\"\n\n\n\"What? Not funny?\"\n\n\n\"N-No, I just... Why do you keep calling me that?\"\n\n\n\"What? Pal? I dunno. You look like a pal. Do you wanna go by 'bud'? 'Chum'? 'Amigo'? I, uh, don't speak much Spanish though... I guess you could also just give me your name, if you want. But I didn't want to take away this air of mystery you got floating around you unprompted... Like, you might be trying to stay anonymous so you don't have to talk to weird fucks like me.\"\n\n\n\"...S-Sorry?\"\n\n\nThe man looks down at me funny, before smiling.\n\"...Are we going too fast? You look scared. Let's start over. Hi. I'm Lucas.\"\n\n\n\"Hi. U-Um, David. I-Is my name.\"\n*Real good conversation. Keep up the good work, genius...*\n\n\nLucas chuckles. \"David. I knew a David back in middle school. He was an asshole.\"\n\n\n\"S-Sorry.\"\n\n\n\"What, are you David Martinez?\"\n\n\n\"N-No?\"\n\n\n\"Then why the fuck are you sorry?\"\n\n\n\"U-Um... I-I dunno...\"\n\n\nLucas laughs, slinging an arm around my shoulder. \"I think the cold's started to rot your brain. C'mon. My car's just over there. I know this great shop nearby, sells the best damn coffee in the city. My treat. You need something to thaw out your bones.\"\n\n\n\"I-I don't drink coffee...\"\n\n\n\"Then you can get hot chocolate, bitch! EVERYONE likes hot chocolate!\"\n\n\n\"You really shouldn't... I'm, um, b-busy-\"\n\n\n\"Clearly. That's why you're wandering around at half past midnight, wandering into places you shouldn't be in the middle of a snowstorm!\"\n\n\n\"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know this was private, I-I just saw the sign on the door, a-and I got curious -\"\n\n\n\"HAH, Nah. Linus just thinks he's funny. It's not private, it's just... definitely... Not your cup of joe. Er, cocoa. I can just tell. You're vibes are just NOT right. For this. You're not tainted by the knowledge of such a profane, disturbed world hidden right beneath your nose!\"\n\n\n\"...What?\"\n\n\n\"...Haha... You're fun. C'mon. My car's right over here.\""
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[WP] Humanity joins the galactic community to discover that not only is there no central political body, but that the UN is the first thing like it to ever exist. Other species' nations express interest in joining it as they learn about it
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The First Council's first consideration was the ground rules.\n\n\n\"And does veto give Glorp Glorp the power to eat lesser beings?,\" asked Glorp Glorp the Illustrious & Hungry, as he picked up the Izukian Ambassador in his fist.\n\n\n\"No,\" you say patiently, \"in fact no Councillors should be eaten.\"\n\n\n\"What?\", demands the Izukian Ambassador, his head still out of Glorp's mouth. \"But if we are not be eaten, how could we know who won the debate?\"\n\n\nBefore you could respond, the Izukian Ambassador dived into Glorp's throat.\n\n\n\"Well, remember we discussed the votes. Each people gets one vote.\"\n\n\n\"Yes,\" considered Glorp. \"And I now have two votes.\"\n\n\n\"No! You ate the Izukian, so another Izukian now gets his vote. You don't get the votes of those you ate.\"\n\n\n\"Strange, strange,\" murmured the Astrooiki. \"One vote per people. One people per vote. No votes absorbed. Strange, strange. We like the votes but the method of distribution ought to include ingestion in addition to other methods. It makes sense, no?\"\n\n\n\"No, you see...\" You think of how best to explain it. \"Our goal is peace. We avoid eating each other and instead settle our differences as equals.\"\n\n\n\"BAGA WITH ASTROOIKI ONE VOTE ONE BODY. ONE MEAL, TWO VOTES\", boomed the L'l'gl.\n\n\n\"Yes, quite,\" the Astrooiki beamed telepathically. \"Human your UN concept is excellent. A forum for peace. But we don't understand the permanence of the vote when the Ambassador has been already ingested by another.\"\n\n\n\"BAGA SOLUTION. WE HAVE FIRST VOTE. NEW RULE: NO EATING. ALL AGAINST SAY AYE\".\n\n\nThe Glorp says, \"Nay. Eating ambassador should keep vote. New rule hasn't been passed yet. So I still have two votes.\"\n\n\n\"Of course,\" the Astrooiki massaged into your grey matter. \"That's two nay. I too say nay. What say you Baga?\"\n\n\"BAGA NAY.\"\n\n\"Well,\" the very air itself spoke to your skull as the Astrooiki looked at you. \"That's four to one so far. Unless... How do you vote?\"\n\n\nYou say, \"vote's not over yet\".\n\n\nYou stand, having been hunched down low to meet them in the eye. As your legs extend, the alien Council falls below you. For they are all tiny.\n\n\nYou reach down and collect Glorp Glorp, shaking him twice to displace as much of his ooze as possible.\n\n\n*Gulp*\n\n\nIn one swallow, Glorp disappears down your throat.\n\n\n\"Three all,\" you say.\n\n\n\"That's a draw. Unless anyone wants to change their vote?\""
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[WP] Some infection has spread through the ship. You’re in the last escape capsule, but you can’t launch until tomorrow. If you manage to hang on until then, you have a straight shot home. The mutated people must not find you!
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Who the heck designed this? If the ship is about to explode, why put a delayed timer on it? Let alone a freaking twenty four hour delay! Oh, Verda Co is so getting a complaint from me! That is, if I make it out alive. He rest of the crew and passengers that didn’t already escape are either infected or killed by an infected. At least the pod is large enough for three people. Comfy seats and some built in games to pass the time. To be completely honest, the delay is the only complaint. Then again, it might just be because of the lockdown. I take a peak out the window into the bay. There’s some bodies spread around there, some mutated, some mutilated. A green fog all around. That was the virus. Really, what’s odd is that the infection seemed to bring out the extreme in people. No two mutants looked the same. I had the luck of coming across one who was smart enough to put a hazard suit on. He stayed outside of the capsule to defend me against the other mutants. Loyal like a dog. Exactly what he had become. Poor guy. Maybe if he had survived, then I would have tried to convince some people back at home to make a cure and help him. Of course, then there was the Comedian. He was funny before the infection, but after, he became a beast that made people laugh until they died, and those that didn’t got their heads ripped off. Horrifying. He usually slashed the bodies beyond recognition. That’s how the dog guy died. I think his name was Connor. And here I am, too much of a coward to even get his body to bury once I got out. Useless. I kicked the door. Weak. I hit a seat. Idiot! I just sat there. Connor wasn’t the only one who died to get me here. Maybe there’s more survivors in there. More people who are still sane. Scared. Wondering if they’ll ever get back home. I looked to the control panel. There was a red button that said ‘Cancel Launch’. I pressed it. I made a final recording, saved it to the ship’s broadcaster, and opened the door. There was a hazmat suit still intact. I knew my tail wouldn’t fit. Wait, I knew I didn’t have one before. I couldn’t remember not having one. Why is my mind so clear? Wouldn’t the infection cloud up my head like everyone else? I guess not. No human has scales either. The bodies that aren’t mutants or mutilated lack them. Thinking back on recent memories, the Comedian probably used a chemical vapor excretion to cause an overload on dopamine and body spasms when inhaled, mimicking laughs. Considering that the mask would not fit over my face, probably due to changes from the infection, I would have to improvise. A large, damp piece of cloth would suffice. I could salvage some from the bodies. There was enough to take and keep them modest. I got to work, getting a large piece, washing it and tying it. There was a gun that I salvaged from a guard. Now armed and masked, I was ready. I moved into the bridge, navigating and moving with amazing speed and ease. I could get used to this, actually. Maybe a vaccine against it would be better. I stood in front of the controls, confused on how to get the system back up. I found the guide, but that brick of a book would take too long to read… would it? While it may be quicker to just press random buttons, there’s a chance I might do something that will ultimately cause a lot of damage. Might as well start reading. I opened the book and decided to try and narrow down my search. The table to contents would have seemed more logical, but after a quick thought, the glossary was the best area. It took me a little, but then I found them. ‘Find people on Map’, ‘If captain is dead/missing’, and ‘filter out contaminants’. Going to ‘if captain is dead/missing’, I used the reboot instructions, getting the system lock off. ‘Find people on map’ was used to find the Comedian, fellow survivors, and other mutants. ‘Filtering contaminants’ would be used to keep any non infected survivors not infected. If I were paying more attention to the holographic map, I’d see the red dot jumping around the floors at impossible speed. Then I heard a click. The sound of a gun being prepped to fire. I froze. Slowly, I looked over to see a woman. She had cyan skin, blue hair, and vibrant green eyes. Also she was aiming a gun at me.\n\n“Uh… hi?” I smiled slightly, knowing full well that she had the advantage.\n\n“You can talk?” She pressed the gun against my head.\n\n“Yes.”\n\n“So you’re still useful for getting off this ship.”\n\n“I wouldn’t do that yet.”\n\n“Why not? You still sabotaging the engines?”\n\n“No. I’m going to kill a hostile and try and keep any other survivors not infected.”\n\n“Hostile? What do you mean?”\n\n“I call him the Comedian. Killed someone I liked before I became infected.”\n\n“So you were a crewman?”\n\n“Passenger.”\n\n“Other infected don’t know they are infected.”\n\n“Do you know you are?”\n\n“What?”\n\n“Off color skin, hair, eyes, and not to mention you probably feel as if you’re missing something.”\n\n“No, you’re the only one in here that’s a mutant!”\n\n“Then how did you get in? The hall is full of the mutagenic virus. So how did you get in?”\n\n“I teleported.”\n\n“So an ability you think you’ve had since birth? And you were born on Earth?”\n\n“Um… yes?”\n\n“And you don’t remember anyone pointing anything out about it?”\n\n“Yes.”\n\n“And there are two red dots in the bridge. Red, being infected. The are no other survivors here.”\n\n“Wha… how!? How do you know this?”\n\n“I know I was an idiot before. I just sort of pieced it together. And don’t leave. I’ll need your help.”\n\n—— I’ll finish this story later. Read more stories at r/GlacioWrites",
"What type of ability is this? A single alien boarded the ship and cast a single spell before they were burnt to a crisp. \n\nAfter I sealed off the entrance to the escape pods, I decided to roam about the ship.\n\nDon't look at their faces. I keep thinking that to myself. I won't be able to fight if I look at their faces. I looked for residuals of mana throughout the ship. Its my only useful ability, I can see magic at a high level of detail. I have never seen residuals like this, it acts like some type of fungus that spreads and infects everything it touches. If I wasn't able to see it like the other's, I would be dead.\n\nSeems like the magic has spread over the entire hangar area. But basic anti-magic is able to slow down the spread.\n\nI need to find the kitchen. If I can find the kitchen I can store extra food in the escape pod. I'm not carrying anyone other than myself, so I have extra room.\n\nNow, you may ask, why is the kitchen hidden from the engineering crew? wouldn't they need to know where it is in order to fix things? The answer to that question is that the kitchen isn't hidden, it's just that the fastest way to the kitchen is also through the hangar, which is now an infected wasteland. Combine this with the fact that the rest of the crew is either infected or dead, and traversing this place is a nightmare.\n\nCREAAAAK. The Hull resonated with an eerie sound. The giant ball of corpses is moving. I can feel it. Whenever two infected people touch, they stick together like nato beans. Although, nato looks better than a sphere of rotting corpses.\n\nAs I went around the hanger, I saw him. Commander Lewis was lying with his back against the wall, the lower half of his body missing. Blood was still flowing out of him, spilling onto the floor at a steady rate. He was already dead, traces of the magic was visible on his face, chest and hands. What killed him? There's not supposed to be anything that rips people apart on this ship?\n\nI looked around for his lower half, I should find his blaster there. After about 5 minutes, I found it. There was no infection on the blaster or the holster, so I took both. The extra batteries were infected, so I left them.\n\nI need to be more careful, there's more than the infected out here. I moved with my blaster ready, I can't afford to follow protocol and keep my blaster holstered while on board. There is less infection here, so it's likely that whatever killed Lewis is here.\n\nI entered the kitchen from the back door, where the cooks usually enter from the prepare meals. The kitchen was a mess. Blood was everywhere from a fight. Dismembered limbs, severed heads, and quite a few familiar faces were strewn around in a chaotic frenzy. The cooks were all slaughtered. The canned food is fine though?\n\nWhatever. I'll put the cans into my bag of holding. As I though that I put around 50 cans into my bag. enough to last around 50 weeks if I ration. More than enough time to get back home, considering the nearest planet is only a day and a crash landing away. But the extra food isn't for me to eat. Canned food like this is extremely valuable for nonhumans, and this much canned food can fetch me a pretty penny an Voldharkhar.\n\nI left the kitchen through the door to the mess hall. Going through the back entrance again would be risky if the infection is continuing to spread. I'll use the emergency and maintenance passages to get back to the escape pods. I've already gotten a grasp of how fast the infection spreads and it's effects on it's victims. The only thing that worries me is the intruder whose been killing everyone in this wing. What are they after?\n\nAs I walked through the maintenance tunnels, a thought ran through my mind. It's quiet in here. The usual hum of machinery and electronics is missing. aside from life support and gravity everything has been turned off. Its eerily quiet down here. I kept moving. Checking corners and moving. I have to get home. I thought.\n\nThinking such things I arrived at the escape pod bay. I got into my escape pod and took inventory. I'm safe. I can go home. Just a few more hours and I'll b-.\n\nI looked down. a clawed arm extruding from my torso. I see, it was them. Of course they would come to finish the job. the aliens had sent another one to finish us off. I'm sorry, Lily, Arus. I won't be coming home...",
"It’s was the God Damn chicken. I said that it looked a bit gross. Grayish with a side of stank. But no, Mr. We don’t waste anything on this ship said to eat it. Seriously, fuck that guy. Fuck him right to chicken hell.\n\nThere’s movement outside my porthole. This is the last escape capsule, and I wonder how long it will take the rest of the mutated chicken bastards to look in here? They kinda look like chickens now, with beaks and feathers. But they are all six foot and have the strength of a six-foot chicken. Honestly, I don’t know why I said that. I have no idea how strong a six-foot chicken is. But my crew can peck through a steel door like its paper. Stupid weak metal probably supplied by the same guys that sent us the chicken.\n\nA cluck echo’s through the corridor. Another one answers. They’ll do this for a while and it’s starting to drive me a bit insane. The power cells won’t be charged until tomorrow because this whole rust bucket is a piece of shit. Who won the bid on this? A chicken farmer in Cleveland? Are there chicken farmers in Cleveland? I’m really starting to hate my lack of chicken knowledge. But what I’m really trying to say, this seems like something Cleveland would do. Fuck that place and their chickens.\n\nA screech lets go and it’s so loud that the ship shakes. Through my portal, it looks like they are having a battle for dominance. The captain, if that is the captain, is going at it with a dude from engineering. I can tell because he’s a chicken in a red shirt, and they are from engineering. I root for the red shirt, but destiny and cliché cannot be denied. The captain tears his chicken head off and then uses his claws to scrap through his intestines. Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick.\n\nAnd I am.\n\nMy capsule is big enough for just one person. My shoulders practically touch the sides and the seat belt won’t fit over my midsection. This is one of those times that I wish I had gone on that diet. I was making some progress, as I did skip the chicken tonight. But not enough. The rest of the capsule is starting to get a bit rank.\n\nMy puke mingles with my boots. There’s old grease in here, and I’m pretty sure someone used the capsule as a little pot hideout. Probably the cook. He seemed like the type and didn’t pay attention to many details like the expiration dates on chicken tenders. Also, I just let one rip and there’s no ventilation here.\n\n“How did he die?” the investigator will ask.\n\n“Well, it looks like he hotboxed himself,” the medical examiner will say.\n\n“Hm, better get him over to Cleveland so they can make chicken out of him.\n\nI am so fucked.\n\nAlright, stick to the problem. One at a time. First the stink. What to do about that? I have breath mints in my pocket. I smash them up and throw them on the floor. Alright, now it smells like a minty fart which is an improvement.\n\nHow’s my water? Good. I’ve got plenty of that but no telling how long it’s been in here. Rations? Got some of those, I’ve been snacking on whatever my hand finds. I know, it’s a bad habit but if I get out of here, I’ll never do it again. \n\nOther than that, all I’ve got left is a first aid kit with an empty aspirin bottle and one of those stupid stress balls. This company sucks.\n\nSo, I use the stress ball and wait. 23 fucking hours I wait. I play old chess games in my head, masturbate once or twice, do some neck lunges. And it’s almost time, I’m going to make it out of this!\n\nI look up and it’s the last mistake I’ll get a chance to make. Through the porthole, a chicken eye is staring at me. Shit fuck.\n\nIt’s the captain, he still has bits of the redshirt in his mouth. He screeches, clucks, flaps deformed wings that still have his fat hands on them. It looks like he Is doing the chicken dance you see at weddings but he’s not very coordinated. But I’ll give him 10/10 for effort and not being self-conscious. You do you, my man.\n\nThe rest come. There’s more noise out there. A skirmish. Feathers fly and so does the spittle. I can hear them hitting the door, and oh god, I’m going to die with 30 seconds left to my freedom\n\nWait, the stress ball! I have the stress ball. It’s time to Mark Watney this and science the shit out of this. Except I’m in navigation and no good with science. It occurs to me that Mark is probably from Cleveland.\n\nI open the escape capsule door and throw the stress ball out. It bounces and comes to a rest. All the of the chicken crew stop. They turn their heads and look at it with one eyeball. The captain pokes it with a claw. He does it again. And again. And again.\n\nIt shatters and all the little beads and goop that make up a stress ball come rushing out. The chicken crew go into a frenzy and start pecking the ground. They leave large dents in the bulkheads that hold the floors up. And there’s speech. Human speech? How?\n\n“Mine! Mine! Fuck you! Mine!”\n\nI shut the door and the engines kick on. I’m getting out of here! And as I leave, I hear the Captian Squawk.\n\n“Someone get Cleveland on coms! Cluck, Cluck!”\n\nI fucking knew it!"
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[WP] “Dude, just kill it.” Said the 1st robot. “I don’t wanna kill it! YOU kill it!” Said the 2nd.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The victim lay on the ground, their wide eyes staring up without comprehension at the two robots that had knocked them to the pavement.\n\n\"Go on Sluf, kill it!\" Redox said.\n\n\"I don't want to! I killed the last one, so you kill it for once!\" Sluf whined, launching himself in the air as the victim tried to rise.\n\n\"You're so mean,\" Redox grumbled as he aimed his laser gun at the victim and fired.\n\nThe murder hornet buzzed and writhed about as the bolt hit it and was still. \"I hope you're satisfied, because I'm not doing that again for a whole week!\" Redox said."
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[WP]You and your partner just bought a house, but were told it was haunted. What you weren't told is that it wasn't a Victorian era ghost, but a 1970's cocaine ghost
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"First ever writing prompt. Sorry if it sucks.\n\nMe and my wife arrived to our newly purchased home early on a cool November morning. The air was crisp, you can smell the snow brewing in the sky. I didn't care. A blizzard would just give me a better reason to stay inside our new home. The realtor gave us a beautiful deal on it, but mostly because she claimed it was haunted. I scoffed when he first said that, smirked sarcastically, waved my hand in front of her face and said \"Okay yeah sure\" and assumed she was joking. She then gave me a look as if I had offended her. She cocked her head slightly to the side and stared at me for a solid, awkward few seconds before belting out in a stern tone \"I am sure.\"\n\nI awkwardly disconnected from eye contact and peaked off to the side and stumbled to put my hands into my jean pockets. My wife stared at me, then at her then back to me and saw how uncomfortable I was from this interaction. Breaking the tension, my wife asked in a higher pitch than usually speaks in to see the garden. As they were off in the back yard, I was examining the kitchen. By typical standards, this house wasn't too old. Built in 1967, it originally had a more art pop look to it. Back when Feng Shui was all the rage or whatever. Despite being remodeled quite a bit, an old school conversation pit laid dormant in the living room. It's basically just a giant square that is barred with cushions to sit on and a little table in the center. Judging by what this era of history was known for, I doubt \"conversation\" happened the least in these pits.\n\nPractically everything in the kitchen was picked clean and modernized. I was nicely silhouetted by this giant skylight that illuminated the kitchen beautifully. Bored, I looked through each of the cabinets. Each and every one of them empty - as if I expected any different. Then I got to the cabinet under the sink. There was this old tray just laying dormant behind the pipes that connect to the sink. I was puzzled, naturally, so I shuffled it out and gazed at it for a bit. It was a flat blue coloring board, the same shade of blue you'd see on the hair of Patty and Selma on The Simpsons. Quite a bit of deep scratches all over. Some of them looked older than the others. I flipped it around, noticed an engraving of initials in the scratches... \"RJ\" at least I think.\n\nFinding this trinket to be kind of funny, I decided to go and show my wife and the realtor and see if they also notice the RJ or if I just over analyzed it. As I turned around, I saw our realtor was standing right behind me the whole time. I yelped out a \"Jesus!\" And took a good size step back, covering my chest with the cutting board. Once I realized how I had reacted, I started to apologize. \"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were in here\". \"What is that?\" She asked coldly. I stared at the cutting board and back to her and said \"Oh, I found this under the sink. Looks like some old cutting bo-\".\"I'll despose of it.\" She cut me off emotionless. I stared at her a bit and managed to say \"uhh... Okay thanks.\" She took the board from me in a swift, manufactured movement and did a 180 and promptly began to walk back to the garden. \"Hey before you toss that...\" I started.\"Did that belong to a previous owner? I may be crazy but I think I saw some initials carved into the plastic.\"\n\nShe stopped, the same way a car slams the brakes. She did another 180 to face me with the same icy cold stare that she's kept equipped since the mention of this house being haunted. \"You're not crazy.\" She said. Then turned back around and walked away. At this point I started to wonder if my realtor had always been this odd and I never noticed because of how enamored I have been with this house. That was 4 weeks ago. Despite her erm, *unique* attitude that day, we bought the house on the spot. These last couple of weeks, me and my wife have been furniture shopping and loading up the house with the essentials. Now we were finally ready to move in. \n\nBack to where this started, outside the home with the arid scent of snow brewing. Me and my wife standing in front of the door, keys in hand, looked at each other with adoration and smiled. \"Looks like the next chapter of our life starts here.\" She lovingly whispered. I was never too good with words when it came to her. She always made me feel like a school boy because of the looks she would give me. I would get tongue tied and lose any previous thoughts I had because of her. She knew this too and I don't think she expected a response from me, save for a smile and a kiss - which I did provide. What was odd was that I did have a verbal response as well. \"You and me are as close as a three part harmony. Wouldn't you agree?\" Her eyes widened. She was shocked by my response - as was I. I don't know where these words came from or what possessed me to say it. I proceeded to unlock the door and entered our home.\n\nInside, everything was just about perfect. Not like a fairly tale, but for a couple in their early 30s who are financially stable in the 2020s. Furniture from ikea littered the home. We even got new cushions for the conversation pit - which were a *bitch* to find. Hm. Never swore a whole lot in my inner monologs. Odd. Anyway, everything felt cozy and right. We quickly unloaded the remainder of our belongings out of our sedan as snow began to pour down. We bundled up inside, I started a fire in the fire place and began to play records and made me and her some Irish coffees. We laid down in front of the fireplace holding each other - and our drinks - and truly appreciated what we had. It felt kind of corny, but I didn't care. I dropped a lot of cash on this house and I can feel like a Hallmark Christmas special because of that fact. Before either of us knew it, it was nightfall. She got up and went to get ready for bed. I said I'll be nice and do the dishes.\n\nI walked into the kitchen and began to the soak our mugs in the sink. For some unknown reason, I decided to peak into the cabinet again to see if the cutting board was there. I never actually noticed what our realtor did with it after she snatched it from me. Lo and behold, it wasn't there. I guess she actually deposed of it like she said she would. Cool. I finished washing the dishes and made my way towards the bedroom only to be greeted by my wife in some very sexy lingerie. She invited me into the bed and we proceeded to make love. The first of many times in this house, I thought. Eventually we both fell asleep. After some time, I woke up with my mouth being incredibly dry. I decided to get up and get some water. I put on my boxers, and silently walked out of the room hoping not to wake my wife. As I walked through the corridor from the bedroom that bleeds into the living room, I step on something cold and sharp and cut the heel of my foot on it.\n\n\"Shit!\" I exclaimed, then quickly placed a hand over my mouth in fear of waking my wife up. I reached down onto the ground and picked up what just made me yelp. A razor blade. This confused the hell out of me. I had no idea how this ended up here. Did it fall out of my bag when I brought it in this morning? I do shave with a single bladed safety razor, so this isn't completely out of the question. I walked in the bathroom real quick, washed off the blade and placed it in my side of the sink drawer. In the medicine cabinet behind the mirror, I got an alcohol wipe out to clean my wound. As I shut the cabinet, in the mirror I saw a face behind me. I turned around and there was nothing of course. I did drink earlier and it's probably still in my system. I clean the heel of my foot and secure the cut, although not deep, with a band-aid. I then get back on track with my original objective of getting water from the kitchen. \n\nAs I make my way back to the kitchen, I notice something incredibly peculiar. Snow falling from the skylight. I tilt my head to the side with a quizzicle look on my face as I hobble carefully towards the kitchen - trying not to make my cut worse. I'm directly under the skylight and see that the wind blew it open...? I think? I don't understand. My mouth is agape and snowflakes fall into my mouth. It burns my lips, tongue and throat. I'm confused. I open a cabinet, grab a glass and fill it with water and down it like a high schooler does to a beer he's not supposed to be seen with. Regaining my composure, I look to the island in the kitchen and I cannot believe what I'm seeing.\n\nThe light blue cutting board. Same exact one with all the same markings. I start shivering. Partially from this discovery and partially from the open skylight in the kitchen. I peak over to the living room and notice yet another odd, dangerous occurrence. The fire place is still lit. Now look, I may have been drunk but I knew for damn sure that I killed the fire. My only rational thought was my wife, Mary Jane, woke up and started it again, due to the bad draft from the skylight. Only problem with this theory was that she was nowhere insight. Then, a trail of fire began to lead itself towards the sofa. It instantly caught ablaze and was combusted into flames. I panicked and quickly ran to get the fire extinguisher. My wife heard my frantic stomps and rushed - still naked - into the living room only to see her white morabo couch die in front of her. She let out a screeching cry, then asked me what happened once I had extinguished the flames. I explained to her I had absolutely no clue, I then led her to the kitchen to show her the open skylight.\n\nShe looked up at it and the snow also had a burning taste to her as it did to me. I then wanted to explain to her that I also found this blue cutting board that the realtor was supposed to throw out. Then I showed her the board on the island. And on it laid some white substance that spelled out the words:\n\n**FUCK YOUR COUCH**"
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[WP] "You told your parents that I can't eat chocolate right?" said your best friend looking at the chocolate dessert in front of him. He's not allergic, chocolate is one of the lesser known weaknesses of werewolves.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"... Yes,\" I whispered back fiercely, as mom and dad were distracted, \"I said you were allergic.\"\n\nGage squinted and then sat up straight again. \"Hey, um, Mrs. Mundorf, I'm really sorry, this looks delicious, but I'm afraid I'm allergic to chocolate.\"\n\n\"Oh, I had no idea, dear. Here, let me get that plate for you. I think I've got some spiced oatmeal cookies in the cupboard, I baked them myself.\" Mom cleared the plate away and carried it into the kitchen with her. I looked at Gage nervously, but he was distracted, for the fifth time tonight, by the huge painting of the moon that had always hung in the dining room. \n\n\"So, Gage,\" said Dad, \"Tell me a little more about your family. Your folks are big hunting fans, right?\"\n\n\"Um, huh? Oh, yeah. We go camping at least once a month, it's loads of fun.\"\n\n\"What rifle does your dad usually take with him?\"\n\n\"A, uh, a Browning... rifle?\" \n\nI winced. We both knew that Gage's dad had never shot a gun in his life. Mom came in with a plate of cookies, \"Here, sweetie. These are my own recipe. No chocolate, very hypoallergenic. The ones on the left are oatmeal, and the ones on the right are rice, so there's no gluten either, if that bothers you.\"\n\nI sniffed. These weren't any cookie I'd ever seen Mom bake before. They smelled... woodsy? Gage immediately blanched, and pushed his seat back. \"Uh, you know, I don't need desert. Wrestling tryouts are soon, so I should really be watching my calories anyways.\" \n\nBut Mom was right behind him, pushing his chair back in towards the table. \"Oh, don't worry, these wolfsbane oatmeal cookies definitely aren't fattening, are they dear?\" She said, looking at Dad.\n\n\"No, not at all.\" he said. \"By the way, my wife and I are big into hunting too, though we hunt a very different prey, for a very different reason. I'd like to meet your parents sometime, Gage...\""
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[WP] Magic is real, but—like gravity—it only operates on a large scale. After casting their spells, the hero and villain have been sitting around awkwardly for a few weeks waiting for something to happen.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Nobody noticed anything particular, but the Assistant Royal Astronomer had been observing a particular 'star' in the sky growing brighter and bigger with each passing day.\n\n\"That's no star you fool, that's Mercury!\" exclaimed the Head astronomer, being informed of the phenomenon only two months after. By then it had quadrupled in size. \"What in the stars is going on here, Mercury doesn't do this. The records go back hundreds of years, this doesn't make any sense!\"\n\nThe Queen was informed, but it didn't seem to impact any of the affairs of the kingdom and so she just let it be.\n\nAnother month passed by, and by this time it is eight times the original size. The Head Astronomer grew increasingly concerned each day as the news spread of a 'Devil star coming to consume us all' or 'The angel meteor come to destroy all evil!' depending on how optimistic or pessimistic you are when it comes to things like this.\n\n\\----------\n\nAt the beginning of the next month, he spread a large parchment sheet over a table, and started doing some calculations. he labored over this for two weeks almost non-stop, when he came to realisation and hurried to the throne room.\n\n\"My Queen! I have terrible news! According to my calculations, Mercury isn't hasn't just broken out of orbit, for some strange reason, its trajectory has been changing constantly...and it seems to be coming straight at us!\"\n\nThe Queen's expression didn't change. It rarely does. But the Royal Astronomer knows that she's thinking and analysing the situation as well. After twenty seconds she asks \" How long before this world is doomed?\"\n\n\"Within the month, maybe two.\" He replied. \"I cannot be sure because it behaves erratically and seems to be accelerating at an unpredictable pace.\"\n\n\"Send for the Royal Mage!' Exclaimed the Queen.\n\nHuffing and puffing, the Royal mage emerged from a side entrance.\n\nAfter the situation was relayed to him, she asked for his guidance of any spell that could be cast to perhaps stop this.\n\n\"Your majesty, something of this magnitude would require more information of it's approach. We don't know what is causing this, and by the time we have a spell enough to counter this phenomena, it might be too late to cast it for anything to take effect. I will surely try, but...your majesty I know you don't like false hope and I will tell you straight up that this is something we might not be able to prevent.\"\n\nCrestfallen, the Queen decided that perhaps the best way was to spread a rumour, perhaps, news, that it is indeed a benign phenomena that was part of a prophecy that foretells the coming of a new age of wealth and prosperity to the kingdom. And for all the people to take joy and to celebrate. Maybe, empty the coffers and have a two month long royal celebration, just to stop the fear and panic from happening.\n\nAnd so it began. A Royal Decree for two months of partial merriment. Everyone still has to do their everyday jobs of course but the entire kingdom was decorated in banners and flowers and there was free food and mead for everyone at anytime of the day. There would be performances every night. Everyone was happy. Except the Queen and three of her most trusted aides.\n\n\\----------\n\nThe Royal Astronomer wasn't wrong. By the second week of celebrations, Mercury was almost a quarter the size of the moon in the sky. That's when people starting noticing that it wasn't really a star, because it didn't burn as brightly as the sun.\n\nBy the third week, it was three quarters the size of the moon. Of course, it was only ever possible to directly compare at the times when the moon and Mercury were in the sky together, the Earth was revolving after all, sometimes you don't even either one of them. It was also at this point that the Astronomer, fully focused on calculating Mercury's arrival speed, told the Queen that they perhaps, would have just one week left.\n\n\\----------\n\nThat night, as the Royal Astronomer was standing out at the balcony, his assistant appeared.\n\n\"Sir.\"\n\n\"Hmmm?\"\n\n\"Theres something I've been noticing over the last two weeks, but didn't think it was of any importance earlier...\"\n\n\"What is it?\" The Royal Astronomer said, still staring at Mercury\n\n\"Well you see...the moon...seems to be moving slightly faster. You know eeeever so slightly faster. I mean the nights are all the same of course, the Sun comes up every day still, but the moon seems to be appearing and disappearing earlier and earlier. Well, I mean that it's orbiting speed is...increasing.\"\n\n\"Huh?\"\n\n\"Yes sir and...if you would take your time now to look at the moon...\"\n\nAnd the Royal astronomer diverted his attention toward the moon. And after staring at it for a few minutes, could have sworn he had to move his head just a little.\n\n\"Also sir, there have been complaints by the local fishermen about the strangeness of the tides, being all wrong and all that.\"\n\nBut the Royal Astronomer didn't know what to make out of this new information. So he just turned around and looked at his assistant. \"Hey. Thank you for your work here. You've been an invaluable help to me you know and...I really appreciate it. I think perhaps, this is where we say farewell, and you go back to your family and...enjoy the rest of the days with them?\"\n\nHe held out his hand. But the assistant royal astronomer had always been the awkward kind, and went in for a hug instead.\n\n​\n\nTBC"
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[WP] Teleportation is invented. It's presented with the ease of using an app. It's offered at a very affordable price, i.e.; New York, USA to Paris, France for $30. However, before it's release to the world, the inventor demands all fuel consumption is shut down.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"When Kryermaten Lifeware CEO, billionaire Roberto Kryermaten, announced the company's new app would revolutionize travel forever, people took notice. After their previous highly successful apps like SpaceTime, LungForce, and the controversial AnimalWrangler, people knew that there was probably something huge coming. \n\nBut travel? What could possibly revolutionize that? Some sort of AirBnB style booking app? Or some new points system for flights? Mr. Kryermaten, much the opposite of other billionairs like Musk or Bezos, was a recluse. He had a Twitter account that he used for announcements like this, but that's the only communication anyone outside his inner circle ever got from him. \n\nThe initial announcement was cryptic, simply saying, \"Soon, you'll be able to travel the world like never before, thanks to Kryermaten Lifeworks. This is an invention for all humanity. New app coming soon.\" Of course, the world's media latched onto it and speculated wildly about what the app would actually be. All humanity? \n\nThe company's social media took over and did a ten-day countdown to launch. People were excited, and there were record numbers of people following these posts. Finally, on the last day, the corporate Kryermaten Lifeworks pages posted a live broadcast. In it, Roberto was filmed in Paris, France, taking the elevator down to the base of the Eiffel Tower. He walked up to the camera, smiled, took out his phone, and vanished. The feed cut to the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Tourists were walking in and out, not paying much attention to the camera, when Roberto suddenly appeared perfecrly in the centre of the frame. Tourists around him gasped and looked genuinely shocked. \n\nMr. Kryermaten looked into the camera and said, \"Today I have become the first human in history to teleport. Not just five feet, as other scientists have said is the technology's current limit, but across the Atlantic Ocean. Across the world. This is what the NowTime app does. Any smartphone can now transport you across the world in seconds. And it won't break your bank. We will be announcing a full price list soon, but I can promise that you will be able to go from one continent to another for less than fifty US dollars.\" \n\nHe then held up his hand, as if signaling something the the cameraman. \n\n\"Hold on. That was the script that the shareholders approved, but there's something else I wanted to add. This is coming straight from me and no one else. The app is free to download, and the costs will be based on the distance you want to travel. But there's more. A collective cost for all humanity. We won't, or I should say, I won't release this app until all fuel consumption is stopped. No more planes, no more cars, trains or busses. Nothing. This includes space travel. You all have the choice. This technology is real, cheap, and easy to use. But you'll never get it if you don't do as I say. Thank you.\" \n\nThe shit storm that came after this was monumental. Many thought it was simply a way to hurt his billionair, space-travel enthusiast rivals. Others thought it was an attempt to force a green revolution. But there was no doubt that he was being honest. It took eight years, three wars in the middle-east, South America and south-east Asia, and trillions of dollars, but humanity did as they were told. All fuel consuming travel was ended. Bicycle sales skyrocketed, and all-electric vehicles became the norm. \n\nThe launch date finally came. The first person to use the app decided to travel from California, USA to Sydney Australia, and he disappeared the same way Mr. Kryermaten did on that day eight years prior- with a smile. But when he arrived on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, that smile was replaced by a face twisted by pain and horror. When asked about the experience, he couldn't describe what had happened. He simply said that it \"hurt\". \n\nAs more people began using the app, everyone seemed to have a similar experience. Several people went to see a doctor after teleporting, and it was discovered that their DNA had been altered. When pressed on what his app was actually doing to people, Roberto Kryermaten had this to say: \n\n\"It's not my app. The first Roberto invented it. I think I'm number four or five. I just came into existence when arriving at my mansion the last time I teleported. I guess I should just come clean. This app kills you. It's impossible to survive a teleportation. The app samples your DNA, clones you, and plops your clone out at the destination. The version of you that departs dies, and it's very painful. Then your clone arrives with all the memories of the original, including the pain. If I wasn't telling you all this though, you'd never know that you just died. This is how travel works now.\"\n\nHumanity considered the implications of this, and decided they were okay with it.",
"**Day 1:**\n\nI've finally done it! I've solved the teleportation problem!!! God, how many years that took... but it will all be worth it, global warming can finally be halted. Fuel-burning transportation is a thing of the past and our energy production can focus on nuclear and renewables, there really is no reason at all to use fossil fuels. I have single-handedly saved the world. \n\n**Day 2:**\n\nI just teleported a banana from my lab to my room. What can I say? I was hungry. Let me make use of my machine as I please dammit. Scientists are allowed to have fun. \n\n**Day 7:**\n\nI have collaborated with Musk and worked out the costs and logistics of transport. It is actually going to be cheaper than I originally expected, we can actually do teleportation to the other side of the world for only $30. The teleporters themselves will have to be set up across the world, but given the interest we have had from governments this shouldn't be much of an issue. The initial setup is expensive but thankfully the design can be scaled so that you only need one per country (or less if they are willing to share). \n\n**Day 14:**\n\nWe just announced the project to the public and it's such a fucking joke. I created the most important machine of our time and some people want to veto it because they want to be able to use their cars? They've seen the sea levels and temperature rise, we don't have much time left. I think they should all just drive off a cliff and die. Teleport transport is the future and fuels are a joke. I was originally going to allow some fuels for edge cases but *no more*. I refuse to do any more work on this project until they back down, not like they can do anything without the information in my head. Everyone must recognise what I am trying to achieve and follow my plan. \n\n**Day 90:**\n\nThe first large scale design has started prototyping, it's looking good so far although I got into an argument with Musk today. Although the governments agreed to my fuel ban, since he's my partner he wants special treatment so that he can still keep shooting his rockets into space. Doesn't he know that his Falcon 15 rockets use 50,000 gallons of fuel per launch? It is simply unacceptable, I won't allow it.\n\n**Day 365:**\n\nIt is one year since my first design was completed and even after losing Musk we have completed the teleporter for the US. It's amazing what unlimited money and the threat of impending doom can do for project schedules. Fuel use has been reduced to zero across the world and I even managed to get cremation banned although that wasn't a popular choice, there were quite a few riots. No matter, bodies should rejoin nature in the ground rather than go up in the sky as Carbon Dioxide. The world is better off this way. \n\n**Day 945:**\n\nThe plan has now been fully completed but I'm starting to think that maybe a bit overzealous about the fuel thing. With all transport and energy production being carbon neutral, does a BBQ every once in a while really make that much of a difference? God how I miss BBQs... On the plus side, the global air quality is greatly improved."
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[WP] You're a human pretending to be a vampire in the middle of a gigantic vampire mansion party. All is going well and you're blending in perfectly, until someone points out that your reflection is visible in a mirror on the wall.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I smirked at baron Kaiken. Of course, inwardly I was cursing observant bloodsucker using, like, three languages.\n\n\"Do you like my new spell? Let me tell you, baron, it was a nightmare to weave. Even more so since mirror magic is far from my strongest suit. Result, however, rather pleasing.\"\n\nDammit, I knew it was going *too* smoothly to last! Buy it! C'mon!\n\nBaron, in the end, accepted this answer. Lady Morro didn't.\n\n\"But what the point of such spell, *fledgling*? Surely you could've made something more useful and impressive.\"\n\nI rolled my eyes. Yes, rub in more that I just supposed lowest tier nobody here.\n\n\"Vampire hunters.\"\n\nMorro blinked a few times.\n\n\"Pardon? Vampire Hunters? But such spell only covers mirror test. There is dozen others, and mirror test isnt even first one.\"\n\n\"My dear Lady, let me correct myself. Vampire Hunter's *Bases*.\"\n\nNow everyone around me where confused. Good.\n\n\"I see you still don't understand. True, vampire hunters while they seek us perform multiple tests out of fear that somehow one of us manage to fool them. However, did you ever see traffic on a vampire hunter's headquarters? Dozens upon dozens of people, in and out, every minute. Hunters cannot afford to do multiple tests for every person that enters or leaves base, they would end up paralyzed! So...\"\n\n\"They using simple mirror test.\" \n\nThanks, Lady Feist.\n\n\"Exactly! Fool mirror test - and you can freely enter the very heart of our sworn enemies.\"\n\n*\"So young and such genius...\"*\n\n*\"Huh, never thought about that. Rather obvious in hindsight.\"*\n\n\"Amazing work, young one. Can you teach us?\"\n\nOh, thats bad.\n\n\"Absolutely not! You have to weave your own illusion first and work from there, otherwise result is, well, twitchy to say the least.\"\n\n\"Unfortunate but understandable.\"\n\nDracula left after those words quickly losing interest in me. Crowd slowly started to disperse aside few who where still mesmerized by my reflection in the mirror.\n\nGod, that was close.\n\n=========================\n\n\"Hey, Ab, you here and with all five liters of blood! I can't believe you actually did it.\"\n\n\"It was this or telling what I was up to two years ago during summer. On a side note, this was the last time I played truth or dare.\"\n\nI passed Jonathan when thought suddenly struck me.\n\n\"Oh, by the way, we should change our entry test, I accidentally gave them idea how to bypass it.\"\n\n\"Wha?.. Oh, for fuck's sake, Ab! I swear, you **worst** vampire hunter ever!\"\n\n\"Hey, we, Hellsings, never where famous for killing vampires, what did you expect?\"\n\n>!All typos sponsored by my phone keyboard and me sucking at English in general!<",
"The vampire's long and clawed pointer finger was raised right up to the side of my face, pointing behind me. \"Excuse me, but it appears you have a reflection! You wouldn't happen to be a party crasher, would you?\" Her eyes were cold, appraising me the same way a cat does a mouse it has cornered. She'd spoken loud enough to get the attention of other party goers near us, who turn with interest.\n\nRule one, don't show surprise, keep your breathing slow. The harder part is keeping your heartbeat imperceptible, so I'm thankful everyday for my artificial heart. No beat, just a soft a whir. Someday vampires might catch on and learn to suspect that sound, and I vehemently hope today is not that day.\n\nI slowly turn toward the mirror, with arched brow and see the mirror. There stands me, plain as day, surrounded by empty dresses and suits. I let out a chuckle and fix some of my hair, then turn back to my accuser.\n\n\"Oh, do you like it? I've found that it has certainly made dressing for parties much easier! It's all the rage in Miami and I'd quite forgotten that it hasn't caught on back here.\"\n\nThe vampire's eyes narrowed and darted up and down my body, looking for the tell tale signs of fear. The other vampires were intrigued by my statement and called out, \"What do you mean by that? They've found a way to appear in mirrors over there?\"\n\nI allow a small smile, just enough to show the fangs (real ones from a previous mark, glued into my mouth). \n\nI point to my face, \"Spray on tan,\" to my teeth, \"teeth whitener,\" to my eyes \"contacts,\" and to the top of my head, \"hair dye. The key is consistency or else you look like an orange ghost!\" A few of the vampires are amused. Most, including the one who first spotted me, are appalled. Many vampires consider themselves the height of physical perfection. Make-up and such is considered the crutch of hormonal mortals and the rare disfigured vampire. \n\nThe first vampire looks at me in disgust and walks away, wanting nothing to do with such a social faux-pas. I smile as she leaves, \"I'll catch you in the morning.\""
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[WP] Your national government has fallen, and a pact of corporations have coalesced to seize power and establish a new one. Describe a day in your life under your new corporate rule.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"India. India had fallen, I remember seeing the news that day, the reporter reading the teleprompter frantically, hands shaking, mouth quivering.\n\nThat day was grueling, the usual smog in Delhi seemed to have thickened with the dread of that day or perhaps it was the collective breaths of the rioters that had muddied the air, either way I was a just a teenager at the time, somewhat afraid because the adults were afraid, but I joked and laughed nonetheless, school was off, all was good.\n\nAll was not good as we soon came to know, the UN tried to establish control, taking over parliament and trying to reinstate the elections. But to no avail, the UN was too weak and India too large and as always, there were problems elsewhere to deal with.\n\nAmbani stepped up, beaming above the lowly Indians, telling them he was their savior, him, Google and Amazon. Quite the trio, they took over the government, told us all was good.\n\nThe smog above Delhi began clearing, our education system was revamped and poverty rates had gone down, all was good.\n\nBut soon we began realizing something, where before we didn't have the clean roads and the clear air, we had our freedoms, our journalists mocked our politicians, the bloodiest headlines seared the front page, election day was a celebration.\n\nNow our journalists began disappearing, election day never came, Google Daily was the new paper and its headlines told us only one thing, all was good.\n\nI began work at 18, first as a restaurant employee, then I went to their training center and then I became a consultant for google. My pay was calculated, just enough for me to survive, barely. All was good.\n\nMy day started with coffee, no milk, milk was expensive, then I had a piece of bread, just one, from a packet with the smiling logo of Amazon stamped on it. I switched on the TV and saw Ambani securing his newest deal with the US, all was good, the AI reporter said, all was good.\n\nI called my neighbor on the way to work, I took the faster, more expensive train this time, I had to keep things interesting after all. I realized my neighbor had gone missing 2 months ago. Ambani's Reliance had ceased his assets, he was their employee after all, what belonged to him, belonged to them. All was good, the speaker on the train said, all was good.\n\nI checked into work, the AI assistant said my pay would have a point five percent increase due to my exceptional performance. I sat at my white cubicle and heard the good morning message, all was good it said, all was good.\n\nI checked out of work, I passed a woman with a stroller, the baby made no sound. We were in the same train compartment, she smiled at me and told me all was good. I smiled back, I did not like babies, but I told her all was good. They would quarantine us otherwise, retrain us, they said, to make all good again. My neighbor was retrained twice. All had to be good, after all.\n\nI ate the last piece of bread, egg would have to do tomorrow. I turned on the TV, it was a movie, all was good the woman said to the man, the man smiled and agreed.\n\nI turned into bed at 9, the alarm set itself, the bed was cold, the air was cold, I was cold but all was good."
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[WP] write a typical "radioactive waste gave me superpowers" story but instead of a human, it's the critter of your choice (rat, seagull, pigeon, stray dog/cat, any of those animals who have a lot more chances of messing around in waste than a human)
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The flocks were at war again, ferociously devouring the bounty disgorged by the garbage trucks. She smells the rising symphony of fried oil fats and sickly sweet decay from her perch. Sitting atop an older, more dignified mound of tires and computer parts, she surveyed the kingdom of choices before her. She is particularly interested in the large drums that had been rolled into the dump in the night, their scent a unique curiosity demanding investigation. She alights onto the air, sunlight reflecting momentarily off white feathers before she swoops down toward the drums. She sees a glow from the top of one, and lands on it to investigate. She pecks at a small hole in the top, a thick viscous green ooze dribbling out and quickly lapped up. She feels a deep warmth as it slides down her gullet, the taste almost sweet but with an odd harshness. She quickly loses interest, flapping off to join the cawing clawing mob, though everything else she eats has an edge of that distinct taste, like a coat of paint inside her mouth. As she beds down for the night, she feels a deep ache in her belly, but pays it no heed as she works her wings occasionally to keep warm. Though as the night goes on, she feels the warmth inside her grow, and she falls into a deep slumber. The first rays of light hit her eyes painfully, and she feels clumsy blinking her eyes awake. As she looks about her, she feels a moment of disorientation as her wings send PC monitors and tires flying. An enormous hunger washes over her, and she screams her displeasure for all the flocks and skies to hear. The gusts of air from her wings flapping leave a small cyclone of plastic scraps behind her, her caws drowning out the surprised calls of nearby birds. She rises in the air reveling in the new strength, the new confidence, the new...thoughts? She comes back down to earth, pawing through a pile of burger and fry boxes. Her eyes focus in on the logo, the buns encapsulating the brown squiggles that her mind is working to decipher. She thinks back, to before the Change, to bountiful parking lots and delicious dumpsters. She thinks of hostile hairless apes, coming with their stones or cars or alka seltzer. She licks her enormous talons, stares more closely at the packaging. An awful cawing screaming voice is born unto the world, \"Buuuurrger KING!\" roaring throughout the dump as she flaps her wings wide, sending bird bodies and trash flying into the air once more. The scent of hot oil, decaying dumpster, and human sweat on asphalt call to her, dreams of the glorious feast to come flashing across her eyes.",
"Hunting near Pripyat, near Chernobyl... is ill advised. It is also very illegal. But, there are things to hunt there, and not things to hunt at home. And I say, if it is safe for the deer, then it is safe for me.\n\nWell, that's what I used to say, until one of those zasranec deer charged me, and bit me! Like a dog! I had to hit it in the head three times to get it to let go and then it took off. Took a piece of me with it too.\n\nSo, somehow, I went out to hunt deer and came back with less meat than when I left. Oh, how the boys laughed. One of them said I should be grateful, that I was lucky the deer had not gone home to his wife, with me draped over his shoulder for dinner! Punching him made me feel better.\n\nWell, when I awoke the next morning I felt different. It wasn't the hangover, that's normal. I felt a certain spryness to my step. And my, hearing, it was so sensitive. And these bumps on my head made me wonder if I had gotten punched back and forgotten about it. But most remarkable of all, my deer bite had healed nicely. Maybe it had not been as bad as I thought. I showered and then wiped the steam off of the mirror. My razor clattered into the sink.\n\nThe bumps? Small horns growing in my head, like Bambi. And my ears were... longer. One twitched as I heard my neighbor swear. It was upsetting. I'd been infected with some deer rabies and I was going to froth at the mouth any second now.\n\nI got over the panic. Eventually. I went to the doctor, and he was quite interested and friendly. I finally caved and told him where I had been, which proved to be the wrong thing as he cursed me and threw me out. But, before then, he said that I was quite healthy. Incredibly healthy in fact, just... a little disfigured.\n\n\nSince then I've gotten used to the changes. I can run faster than that lightning man in the Olympics. Bolt is his name. I have a ten foot vertical jump. My hearing and smell are excellent. I can even see in the dark, more or less, usually when it's not cloudy. I'm strong too. Not by a lot, but I was already strong. With that and my horns, I can put a good dent in car door. Not that I would want to, but I missed the mugger I was aiming for. And I was no worse for wear. Not sure that car door would ever open again though.\n\n\nSo yes, I've become a hero of my little town. Like those American cowboys with their underwear on the outside. I wear sensible clothing. I've also become much better at hunting, I don't come back without a deer anymore. Which says a lot, as I do not dare return to Pripyat. I think that, perhaps, the deer meat there is not the best for eating. \n\nMy only real concern is someone learning of my weakness. Bright glaring lights. I freeze up, can't move. I don't have any villains who could take advantage, but I know those punk kids would take severe advantage of it to screw with me. So, I try to look both ways before crossing the road, just in case.",
"*Nuclear Testing Zone - Nevada, USA - 1940s*\n\nIn the Nevada desert, any critter foolish enough to venture into the sunlight at noon is a foolish critter indeed. The only plants strong enough to survive were the noble cactus plants and lowly underbrush. The cactus, the only reliable source of shade throughout the massive expanse, was a popular resting spot for the brave critters out and about in the day time.\n\nOne lone snake was a visitor to a particularly large, shiny, cactus.\n\n*Strange cactus. Good shade. No problem.*\n\nWhile this strange metal cactus confused the snake, he didn't have enough brainpower to understand that he chose a terrible spot to take a nap. He stuck his tongue out to smell for any potential critters, flicking about to no avail.\n\n*No food. Hungry.*\n\nA loud siren startled the snake, and he tried to regain his bearings but the sound was too loud. The ground began to shake as a mysterious object fell from the giant metal cactus. It was far too late for this snake. Maybe we'll hear from another snake. He definitely won't survive this.\n\nAs the atomic bomb touched the ground mere inches away from our unlucky snake, our snake became aware of his plight.\n\n*Big rock. Need leave.*\n\nAn atomic explosion ballooned out from the center of impact. The snake became completely absorbed in the fire-y wave of death and radiation. Our friendly neighborhood snake remained vigilant however, and stood his ground. As the ground was scorched and blasted away, the snake seemed desperate to hold on to what little semblance of life he had left. He's definitely dead.\n\n*Not dead. Confused.*\n\nThe snake, after receiving a fatal does of radiation, slowly wiggled up the enormous crevice the bomb had created. The snake was envious of the metal rocks digging abilities despite all that.\n\n\"I feel no different\" the snake said.\n\nSnake lifted his head and tail in shock, his tongue flicking every direction. Spinning in circles, he began to think.\n\n*Something is different. I can think, I can talk, I am aware...*\n\nAs his brain went into overdrive, he felt a pain throughout his body. He writhed in pain on the ground as four limbs sprouted and his head grew 10 times its original size.\n\n*No no no no no no no no no no*\n\nSnake stood up on his newly acquired legs, much to his surprise, and examined his new form.\n\n\"I am like thossse humansss... armsss and legsss.\"\n\nHis limbs were powerful, his brain smart, eyes sharp. Teeth sharper.\n\n\"I'm hungry, maybe sssome humansss will sssate my appetite\" Snake remarked with a wide grin.\n\nSnake brought his hands down to the ground and pounced forward at inhuman - in-snake - speeds.\n\n*HISSSSSSSSSSSSS*\n\nthe end\n\nwho knows man. i appreciate any feedback."
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[WP] You’ve ben getting alot of “Scam Likely” calls lately, You’ve ben brushing them aside like usual, it’s only now you realize they weren’t scams. They were a warning, but it’s too late now. They are already at your door.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I’ve had the same phone number for about 15 years, ever since I was in high school. I link a lot of my bank stuff to it, use it for logins, resumes, checks and letters. Changing it would be a giant hassle, because I would have to update all of those things, and I’ll be dammed if I remember all of them. Unfortunately it’s had over a decade to propagate across that wide open web and as a result, I get a lot of automated \"spam\" calls, or scam calls.\n\nAt first I tried blocking the numbers I just didn’t recognize. If someone’s going to call me, I’d expect it right? And they tell you that if the IRS really is prepared to audit you, they’d at least have the courtesy to send you something in the mail. “Did I throw away a summons in the mail by accident, along with all the junk?” Sometimes I’d get worried. “I think something that official would be pretty obvious. Like at least an official seal, stamp, monogram?” I’m satisfied with that conclusion.\n\nBut the calls, good god the calls. So many calls. I keep getting more. My phone carrier started labeling them. They come in as silent, but they’ll still flash and take up the whole screen. I press my finger to the red “X” and swipe to the left for each one. I occasionally get voicemails, but just delete them and move on my day. I thought nothing of them, I guess, until now.\n\n\\--\n\nIt’s 10pm on a Friday night and I’m watching Netflix in bed. Nobody makes scam calls this late on a Friday. The week is over, and at this point I’ve forgotten all about several of the calls I got this morning, one after another, as I denied them all without even thinking. I begin to doze, and then I hear a knock.\n\n*Whap whap.* A quick two pats that could almost be mistaken for a tree or maybe squirrels. I ignore the noise and pass it off as the wind.\n\n*Whap whap*. Nope, someone’s at the door. I briskly slide my way out of bed and into sweatpants. A neighbor with a problem? Perhaps the police?\n\n**WHAP WHAP.** “I’m coming!” I yell across my apartment, having a sudden, inexplicable need to excuse not immediately being able to answer. I get more than a little nervous. I approach the door…\n\n***WHAM.*** The front door swings open with ease off its hinges as if it were a piece of thin plywood. I barely have time to process the battering ram that nearly disintegrated the deadbolt and knob in that single, powerful swoop.“GRAB HIM.” Men in black suits, black sunglasses, wearing black gloves run towards me. Half my body goes limp while I feebly begin to raise my arms. I’m on the floor in less than a second. “Give it to him, we’ve got a long drive.” They stick a needle in my neck. “NOOOOOO” I scream. I try to begin to kick and squirm, but within seconds I can barely move my eyelids. I’m going to be sent to some FBI-CIA black site or worse, to the bottom of some ditch in the middle of nowhere. What the hell did I do to deserve this? Was I warned in the voicemails?!\n\nI remember nothing after this final thought.\n\n\\--\n\nSomehow, I’m now awake and sitting in a windowless room with cinderblock walls. I suppose my first guess was correct. A single light sits dangling from the center of the ceiling illuminating a table. I sit opposite of an empty chair on the other side. Yep, this is some kind of interrogation room. I try to compose myself and prepare to say one thing and one thing only, “I have nothing to say until my lawyer is present.” I pray it will be enough.\n\nThe door at the far end of the room slowly opens after what feels like hours. One of the same men that broke into my apartment walks in sans black jacket, still in the rest of his black suit and tie. He stands at the end of the table, staring at me. He holds an expressionless face that slowly begins to turn into a kind of mocking grin. He has his perpetrator. I’m done for. For what though, I have no idea. He pulls back the empty chair and takes a seat, his gaze unwavering. I slowly swallow, now so paralyzed with fear that my consciousness will soon fade.\n\n“You know, we’ve really been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty, and you haven’t responded.\""
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[WP] Demons don't answer to Latin, but to Swedish. You just finished decorating your living room after a trip to Ikea, surprised to find Beelzebub lounging in your Poäng.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It’s not that I like going to IKEA, it’s that their meatballs conjure me, in a way that McDonald’s cannot. The McRib might visit me once a year from prison, but shoveling those Swedish delights into my mouth a few times a year makes buying furniture that I can’t pronounce a few times a year worth it.\r \n\r \nAlso, my roommate moved out and I needed a new Ektorp sofa. \r \n\r \nAs I make my way back into my apartment, I begin unpacking my sofa and take the instructions out of the box. I look at everything that I have to do, overwhelmed, I instead decide it’s time to take a break and look at random videos on TikTok and eat the snacks that I had purchased until I get my bearings together to assemble the furniture. I pour a glass of beer, hangout and eat for a while, as I scroll mindlessly and watch 12 year olds try to tackle social issues, and watch couples prank each other mercilessly. \r \n\r \nAfter a long day of getting nothing done, I start to doze off. As I begin to sleep, I can hear someone my baseboards creaking and what sounds like someone walking towards me.\r \n\r \nI’m frozen and too scared to open my eyes to see who’s in my apartment. \r \n\r \n“Hello?” I ask. \r \n“Hallow”, he replies.\r \n“What are you doing in my apartment?”\r \n“Chet Boolard”\r \n“What???”\r \n“Chet Boolard!”\r \n\r \nWhen I open my eyes I see that Its just me and a fly that's buzzing around the tray of food that I got earlier. I begin swatting at the fly because if someone is going to kill me in my own apartment, I’m going to take someone with me, and at this rate, it will only be a fly.\r \n\r \n“Chet Boolard!”, the fly growls, flying over the meatballs.\r \n\r \nAt this point, I am on the verge of shitting my pants, and calling my doctor, because I can’t believe what is happening.\r \n\r \nI then make the connection. He isn’t saying Chet Boolard, the name of someone’s Cajun uncle, he is saying köttbullar, which is why he was flying over my food!\r \n\r \nWell anyways, I don’t share with the dead and definitely don’t want his fly friends ruining my future visit to IKEA begging for meatballs, so I grab a fly swatter and put him out of his misery only to see him blow up into Jeff Goldblum’s revenge.\r \n\r \n\r \n\r \n\r \n“Köttbullar!!!!!”, he screams.\r \n“Ok, so, you’re terrorizing me from Hell, for a plate of meatballs that I bought from a discount furniture store. If I give you these meatballs, will you go away??”\r \n“Ja!”\r \n“Ok fine, take them and get out.”\r \n\r \nHe then flew out of my apartment, ensuring two things: one, that I will never go to IKEA again and two, that I will spend the rest of my life as a vegan.\r \n\r \nEnd",
"One thing most people don't know about academics is how often we move. In STEM fields like mine, it's typical to do multiple postdocs at different universities before landing a tenure-track job. A lot of postdocs means a lot of moves to new cities. A lot of moves means a lot of apartments. And a lot of apartments means a lot of furniture shopping.\n\nSo as I stood up to look at my finally-finished living room - the result of hours of labor and frustration easily equal to any long night in the lab - it was, at this point, pretty routine.\n\nWhat wasn't routine was the definitely-not-human entity sitting in the armchair across from me.\n\nIt looked like a pretty archetypal demon, with glowing red eyes and wickedly sharp-looking horns sprouting from its head. If I'd seen something like this in a horror movie, I would have called it unoriginal, but that didn't make the sight any less terrifying in real life.\n\nAs I stood there, too frozen with fear to run, the demon sighed, and said, in a voice like burning coals, \"Ugh, not again.\"\n\nThe incongruity shocked me out of my paralysis, and I blurted out \"What?\", although it came out as more of a broken squeak.\n\nIt - he - looked at me with an expression I recognized as annoyance. \"It seems you've summoned me.\"\n\nAnother wave of fear washed over me. \"I - I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!\" - *this was it I was about to be dragged down to hell it was all over -*\n\nHe looked around the room: at the stack of biochemistry textbooks, at my whiteboard where poorly-erased equations were still visible.\n\n\"Are you a scientist?\"\n\n\"Y-yes,\" I stammered, hoping that wasn't the wrong answer but not daring to lie.\n\nHe looked pensive. \"Summoning my kind is a science, after a fashion - or at least it was in the beginning.\"\n\nMy fear started to recede as wary curiosity welled up. \"What do you mean?\" I asked hesitantly, trying to get my breathing under control.\n\n\"Human depictions of demons have often associated us with fire, have they not? Hell has been imagined as a lake of fire and brimstone. Sometimes lava enters into the picture, if the artist or author is feeling creative.\" He turned back to me, and I willed myself not to look away from those crimson eyes. \"You were on the right track, but you looked in the wrong direction. You should have thought of explosions. Nitroglycerin. Dynamite.\"\n\n*What?*\n\n\"Do you recall who invented it?\"\n\nIt took me a moment to register that I had been asked a question. \"Yes,\" I responded, my confusion growing, \"Alfred Nobel.\"\n\n\"Yes, Nobel. I understand even your human histories record how he was wracked with guilt and regrets at the end of his life.\"\n\nIt was true, I thought, with a sudden sense of foreboding. Nobel's inventions and innovations had been used as weapons of war. When an obituary of him was mistakenly published during his later years - it was actually his brother who had died - it had condemned him for the damage they caused. *The merchant of death is dead*, it had read. Horrified to see what his legacy would be if he didn't do something about it, he had established the Nobel Prizes so that he might be remembered for something beneficial to humanity.\n\nI nodded in response to the demon.\n\n\"Nobel certainly did get a glimpse of what awaited him after death if he failed to change his path, but it was not from any obituary,\" the demon said with a smile that showed far too many teeth.\n\nFear stabbed through me again as I tried not to glance at my textbooks. \"Y-you're not suggesting that I - \"\n\nThe demon gave a hollow chuckle. \"Oh, no,\" he said, \"this has nothing to do with your research. In fact, it has to do with your furniture.\" He gestured around the living room with a clawed hand.\n\n\"I - how?\" I asked, still feeling the pounding of my elevated heartrate.\n\n\"After Nobel's death,\" the demon began, \"the foundation he established took ownership of his notes on his secret, with the understanding that they would keep them hidden from the world. They studied the notes, and even conducted experiments in the hopes of ensuring that no one would repeat Nobel's mistake. Over time, this experimentation wore certain formalized grooves in the bridge between your realm and ours, reifying in concrete words and practices what had previously been a thing of amorphous mysticism.\" He smiled again, but there was something rueful in it this time. \"And naturally, because they were Swedish, so were the words.\"\n\nMy eyes fell on the empty IKEA box on the floor and it all clicked into place. \"So the furniture - \"\n\nHe nodded with an air of resignation. \"Yes, it is becoming an increasingly common nuisance. My understanding is that a committee is being formed to discuss solutions to the problem.\"\n\nDespite everything, I shuddered to myself at the words. Having seen firsthand how little human academic committees got done and how many hours and words it took them to do it, I could only imagine what a committee in hell would be like.\n\n\"Well, if you have no more questions, I shall take my leave,\" the demon said. Then suddenly he stood up, and fixed me with a glowing red stare. He was taller than any human I'd ever seen, his horns almost brushing the popcorn ceiling of my apartment. I took a step back involuntarily.\n\n\"Speak of this to no one,\" he ordered, and in the next instant he was gone, without any indication he had ever been here - no scorch marks, no lingering smell of sulfur, just a momentary impression that there was something not quite right about the patch of air in my living room where he had been - and then nothing.\n\nFor a long moment, I didn't move. Finally I crossed the few feet to sit on the couch, at the opposite end of the room from the chair where the demon had sat.\n\nI thought about my next short-term academic appointment. Perhaps it would be in a city with a good furniture selection on Facebook Marketplace.",
"“Who...who..” Paddy stuttered, his teeth clattering between every word. “Who are you?” The great red demon lifted his eyes off the bookcase that covered the far wall and turned towards Paddy. Slowly, the demon’s lips tightened into what could loosely be called a smile. Two giant white horns stuck out from the demon’s head. Horn’s so large they nearly scraped Paddy’s newly painted ceiling. Sparkling white teeth flashed as the demon stood up.\n\n\r“Why I am Beelzebub,” the demon grinned, looking around at Paddy’s room. “Lord of the underworld otherwise known as the devil.” *Lord of the underworld? The devil? It cannot be!*\n\n\r“Yeah sure.” Paddy laughed, whose fear subsided at the thought of his friends making a fool out of him with this prank. “The devil. Right…. Let me feel those horns. They look so real!” Paddy moved closer, already feeling the immense heat coming from ‘The Devil’s body which he ignored. Standing on his new chair, Paddy reached up and gripped one of the horns as ‘The Devil’ looked on, exacerbated. *They feel real…* Looking down, Paddy’s eyes met the demons. Yellow and black pools, swirling around and around. *It was almost hypnotic…*\n\n\r“Stop this carry on,” the Devil snapped, slapping Paddy’s hand away, forcing him back onto the ground. “You want proof then?” With the evilest of smiles, the Devil folded his arms, waiting on Paddy’s answer.\n\n\r“Yeah I think I do!” answered Paddy, who folded his own arms in defiance. *Quite an elaborate trick…*\n\n\r“Have it your way then!” laughed the Devil, as he grabbed a hold of Paddy’s shirt collar. In that moment, the world shifted. Paddy’s room turned and twisted into a mess of blue and green. All disappeared into black. He felt like he was being pulled but by his insides. It was like Fire itself was pulling him along, desperate for him to come. Above it all he could hear the Devil’s laughter, ringing through his ears. Then, as Paddy’s mind grew hot, the world around him started to take shape once again. Though, it was clear, this wasn’t his room anymore. Paddy and the Devil stood atop a cliff, maroon in colour with soft dirt at their feet. Below, a river of fire. Screams rang out from everywhere, even from under their feet. Across the river, lines and lines of people stood tied to poles, other demons whipping them senselessly.\n\n\r“Ta det här din smutsiga gris!” one of them called out, which made his neighbouring demon throw his head back with laughter. \n\n\r“Det var en bra!” the laughing demon answered.\n\n\rSuddenly the demons looked up at the cliff on which Paddy and the Devil stood, staring down at them. For a moment, none of them did anything. They just stood, looking up in awe. \n\n\r“Tja, vad tittar du på? gå tillbaka till arbetet!” the Devil screamed, his voice low and terrifying. Without hesitation, the lines of demons started whipping again, this time quicker and harder than before.\n\n\r“Ok. That’s enough of that,” the Devil sighed and once again grabbed hold of Paddy. Once more, Paddy felt that pull coming from inside him. The demons and the fire quicker spun out of view and before his mind could follow, Paddy found himself back in his room. The Devil scratched his head as he took his seat once more.\n\n\r“You're the Devil…” Paddy whimpered, pointing at the large red figure sitting in the chair. As slowly as he could, Paddy started to move backwards, planning to bolt dash through the door as quickly as he could. \n\n\r“Just like I told you,” muttered the Devil. “I am a lot of things but a liar is not one of them.” Paddy continued to move back but as he found the wall, he turned ready to escape only to have his hopes dashed. \n\n\r“For your own safety I have removed your door.” smiled the Devil. “Thought it would be better for everyone.” Paddy leaned back against the wall, slowly sliding down until he felt the cool wooden floor.\n\n\r“Now that you have been to Hell, I think it’s time we get down to business.” the Devil concluded. “What did you notice about Hell, Paddy?” It took a second for Paddy to make sense of his words but even then, it was a struggle to make his voice work.\n\n\r“Swed...Swe...Swedish.” gulped Paddy, hoping he was right. *Maybe all those Pewdiepie videos might have come in handy for once.*\n\n\r“Very good, Paddy.” the Devil grinned. “I didn’t think you would catch that. How observant of you. But yes, we in Hell speak Swedish.” The Devil let out a large sigh as he slapped his thighs and stood once more. Slowly, with a graceful air, the Devil strolled around Paddy’s room, picking up some things, studying them, before putting them back down.\n\n\r“There is another thing though,” the Devil started. “Another thing you might have noticed. The design.”\n\n\r*The design?*\n\n\r“Yes, for all the things we have in Hell, and we have many, the one thing we still need is some style.” the Devil exclaimed. “And you, Paddy, obviously have so much design experience. IS this a Poäng?” The Devil pointed to the chair he had just vacated.\n\n\r“Yes,” stammered Paddy, his back still pressed against the wall in hope that the door would reappear any second. *The Poäng? What on earth could be getting to?*\n\n\r“And this is the Billy Bookcase? I heard everyone should have at least one of these, if not two in their homes?” the Devil inquired, studying the bookcase with cautious eyes.\n\n\r“The Billy, yes. That's it.” Paddy confirmed. His heart had stopped beating so fast and his mind had stopped racing. *Could this be going the way I think it is?*\n\n\r“Paddy, this room is just perfect,” the Devil complimented him. “How about you come to Hell and give us a hand? Design and fix the place up a bit. What do you say?”\n\n\r*Well, I’ve had worse bosses to be fair.*",
"\"Do you know where they get their *natural pine* from?\" he asked. George continued to stare, too preoccupied with piecing back together the fragments of his entire reality to consider where IKEA sources its inventory.\n\n\"I'll tell you, then\", smiled the beast. \"It comes from a factory somewhere near Stockholm. Natural pine. From a factory!\" Its body convulsed with a fit of what George assumed to be laughter. Its tail looped high and whipped against its leg. Finally, George mustered some words - mostly in an attempt to make it stop. Only three of them, mind you.\n\n\"What are you?\" was all he could manage.\n\n\"IKEA was my creation, you know.\" It said, choosing to ignore his question. \"Others went for the obvious stuff. A forest fire here, an earthquake there. Some sort of war. I say warring is boring. I'm tired of fires. Earthquakes? Give me a break. But buying furniture and then having to build it yourself? Now *that's* the kind of hell that really sticks with you. *That's* thinking outside the box. A flat box!\" It crumpled into another fit of laugher, the boom of which seemed to permeate through George's eardrums and into the very crevices of his brain.\n\n\"Why are you-what. How are you here?\" Rarely has an existential crisis been as visibly obvious as George's. His bottom lip wobbled like a worm about to be skewered by a fishing hook. His t-shirt was patchy with that cold brand of sweat that only fear can muster. And he was crying. For the first time since he was a boy, George was in tears. The demon appeared to be enjoying the spectacle immensely.\n\n\"Annual check-up\", it replied, holding up a clipboard in the process. \"Yup. Every year - demon year, that is - we have to check on how our little projects are doing. That's where you come in.\"\n\nGeorge motioned toward himself. \"M...me?\"\n\n\"Exactly. I need to ask you some questions about your recent IKEA purchase.\"\n\n\"Oh. Okay.\" George remained rooted to the mouth of the doorway into his living room. Would he be able to move even if he wanted to? He couldn't be sure.\n\n\"Firstly,\" began the demon, \"how was your experience at IKEA?\"\n\n\"Umm...well...\"\n\n\"Be honest now Georgie-boy. I'll know if you're fibbing.\" Several eyelids closed over the demon's left eye. The slowest of winks.\n\n\"It was difficult. The queues were massive. I wanted matte black but they only had natural pine.\" The demon nodded in response, scraping the clipboard with a pointed finger nail as George spoke.\n\n\"Right, right. And was it easy to put the chair together?\"\n\n\"Errr.\"\n\n\"On a scale of 1-10. 1 being as easy as breathing, 10 being as difficult as breathing when you're dead.\" The demon laughed again, more ominously this time.\n\n\"Prob...probably a 7? They didn't supply me with an allen key, so I had to twist the screws using my fingers.\" George wasn't sure whether the omission of an allen key was enough to score it so highly, but it appeared his answer was satisfactory enough for the demon. It continued to scrape.\n\n\"Okay. It's funny, my intern actually suggested losing the allen key - it's good to hear it's causing so much strife. Last question. Do you actually *like* your furniture, now that it's built?\" George pondered this question for a moment.\n\n\"Not particularly\" he said. \"But it does the job. Where else would I get my furniture?\"\n\nThe demon snarled.\n\n\"Perfect\" he said. \"Just like all the others.\"\n\nThe chair started to buckle. George spotted it first: the demon was still indulging in his own self-aggrandizement.\n\n\"Is...is there anything else?\" asked George, with the kind of weariness you'd expect from someone who had next to no experience with the occult or its various ambassadors.\n\n\"No. Oh, apart from-\" as the words escaped him, so too did the integrity of the chair. It collapsed beneath him in an instant, leaving an indistinguishable pile of sinew, bone and natural pine. George watched on, his Englishness almost compelling him to lend a hand. He remained steadfast.\n\nIt collected itself. Was it embarrassed? George couldn't tell. Do demons feel embarrassment?\n\n\"Well\" it said, getting back to its feet. \"It looks like my job here is done. Hell on Earth indeed.\"\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nEdit - I added a bit.\n\nYou can find more of me on r/StoriesAreFunRight, if you're that way inclined."
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[WP] You are part of an organization that fights Vampires, werewolves, and other abominations that all vie for power in this city of light. Tonight however you come across one of these beings protecting an innocent child from a group of abominations and you choose to help.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\\[Faith. Ruined.\\]\n\n\"If you leave now, no one gets hurt,\" Wilford froze as he stepped into the alleyway. Luckily, no one noticed him. A tall, pale figure in a black duster and matching porkpie hat stood in front of a small, huddled figure. The pair were surrounded by five transformed werewolves standing on their hind legs.\n\nIt was early afternoon and Wilford was out hunting werewolves. There had been a lot of unsanctioned activity in the downtown area recently and he was sent to sort it out. His instincts told him the pale man was a vampire, but he doubted his own assessment. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining in the clear blue sky. Not only that, but Wilford had never met a vampire willing to help a child cross the street, much less protect one with their life.\n\n\"I don't know who you think you are,\" the tallest werewolf chuckled at the cornered vampire. \"But, that little morsel ain't worth your life. Move along, pal. We're not opposed to starting trouble with your clan; but we'd prefer to avoid it.\"\n\n\"No clan,\" the tall vampire shrugged. \"I'm not from here; just passin' through. But, I'd rather not see anyone hurt,\" he grinned. \"But, I'm not opposed to ending any trouble you start.\"\n\nWilford tensed. He'd never seen a vampire so calm; but, he knew the werewolves wouldn't stay calm for long. The vampire made a fatal mistake in saying he didn't have a clan; the threat of retaliation was the only thing keeping them at bay.\n\nThe four shorter werewolves leaped forward towards the vampire. They were on him before Wilford could decide what to do; but, for some reason they didn't bring him down. The vampire remained on his feet, and his expression soured.\n\n\"C'mon, guys. You can't even hurt me,\" he said with a thick layer of condescension. Wilford looked closer. All four werewolves were biting into him; but they might as well have been biting a steel beam. They couldn't pierce his coat. Wilford grew curious that he was still on his feet too. Standard procedure for werewolves was to get the prey down to the ground. \"Just leave already,\" he added with some annoyance.\n\n\"Sure, we'll leave...,\" the lead werewolf said with a chuckle. \"...with our snack!\" Then, everything happened in an instant. The tallest werewolf dashed forward and around the vampire towards the child. Wilford was too far away and too slow to react. He dashed forward while drawing his silver sword; but, he only took a single step. The lead werewolf yelped in sudden pain. He disintegrated into a pile of brown and red dust before he reached the child.\n\n\"Who wants to try next?\" the vampire asked and his gaze focused on Wilford. His heavy footstep drew everyone's attention.\n\n\"No trouble!\" one of the werewolves released the vampire to speak, then dashed towards Wilford. But, he ran past him, the other three werewolves followed him. Wilford considered cutting them down as they passed him; but, he did not want to end up on the vampire's bad side. He seemed content with letting the wolves live. Whoever he was, he was the most powerful vampire Wilford had seen. And, he didn't have a clan. Wilford felt some hopeful flutters in his stomach that he could get the vampire to join his organization. Wilford sheathed his sword, then cautiously approached the vampire.\n\n\"Whose side are you on?\" The vampire raised an eyebrow at Wilford. He wasn't on the vampire's side, but he felt saying, \"my own' would just confuse things. He nodded at the huddled child who looked up when the werewolves fled.\n\n\"Hers,\" he said.\n\n\"Great, thanks,\" the vampire nodded and Wilford, then began walking towards the main street.\n\n\"Wait, who are you?\" Wilford asked. The vampire paused, then he removed his hat to bow.\n\n\"Name's Ruin,\" he said. He had a bat skull tattooed on his pale, bald head with the number 42 in blood red numbers under it. He replaced his hat, then started forward again.\n\n\"Wait!\" Wilford said.\n\n\"You don't have a clan?\" he asked. Ruin shook his head.\n\n\"I'm looking for something; just passin' through,\" he said.\n\n\"What are you looking for? Maybe I can help?\" Wilford said. He was determined to get into Ruin's good graces to try and sell him on the Organization.\n\n\"Well...,\" Ruin shrugged. \"...you probably can't. But, have you heard of something called voidsilk?\"\n\n\"Never heard of it,\" Wilford shook his head vigorously to hide his surprised expression. Voidsilk was the Organization's most sacred relic. Its most secret secret. Wilford only knew about it because he was one of the highest-ranked agents. But, even then, his knowledge only extended to the fact that something called voidsilk existed within the organization. It couldn't have been a coincidence that this vampire was asking about it. Maybe the child was part of the ruse too. \"Is that some kind of cloth? What are you going to use it for?\" Wilford decided he needed information to protect the holy relic.\n\nOnce Wilford learned about it, it became clear that the entire organization was built around the one scrap of voidsilk they owned. Somehow the organization used it to imbue weapons and armor with magic. It was rumored that the voidsilk was created by God himself, and Wilford knew better than to let it fall into the wrong hands. Everyone that knew about it would protect the voidsilk with their lives. There was no telling what atrocities Ruin could commit with it, if he wanted to.\n\n\"Got an [important day](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/qq4uzt/wp_in_the_future_ai_that_have_their_own_thoughts/) coming up in a few months,\" Ruin said. He stood up straighter and adjusted the collar of his duster for effect. \"A special day with a special woman requires a special suit.\"\n\n\\*\\*\\*Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1413 in a row. (Story #323 in year four.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on Sept. 6th and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until June 3rd. They are all collected at [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hugoverse/comments/pj4t0b/tokuhigh_first_six_weeks/).",
" Before I joined with Mother Mary's Neighborhood Watch (what I call the little group that defends our town), I was the premier bar-crawl brawler. I have defended that title twenty-eight times. Fight twenty-nine is when I discovered that things were a little weird.\n\n It was early in the morning, late at night, whatever - the final stop of the crawl that someone decided to piss me off. They were looking for a fight as much as I was, and we took it outside like gentlemen. The alley was quickly filled with on-lookers, and as I soon discovered, his friends.\n\n Wasn't gonna stop me though. What *did* stop me was the bottle of what I thought was vodka I broke over his head ended up setting him on fire. Everyone fled the scene, myself included - I wasn't gonna be the one to explain that.\n\n I find my way to the local all-hours diner and begin trying to get something in my gut to stave off the impending hangover when one of the town's pastors sits beside me uninvited. He informed me that the vodka was holy water and I had just slain a monster he was casing. \n\n While my first reaction was to shove him out of the booth and enjoy my waffles in peace, and my second reaction was to ponder what the hell someone put in my drinks and where, my third reaction was to pick him up and hear him out.\n\n That conversation is what led to tonight, three years and change later, fighting with some sort of vampire woman to defend a child from a mix of Halloween City rejects.\n\n \"Purge now, talk later,\" I say to her as I cave the face in of a particularly gross looking demon with one of my rosaries wrapped around my hand. Better than brass knuckles against these guys I've learned.\n\n \"Sounds good, sugar,\" she replies with a honeyed voice, like a Southern woman scorned. Her sharp nails are leaving cuts in a particularly brutish werewolf like a newspaper after aggressive coupon clipping.\n\n Keeping a defensive circle around the boy, we thin the herd out until there's only three left. The werewolf, some other demon, and a vampire *with a gun levelled at the kid*.\n\n Practicing a maneuver I've been working on ever since they made these rosaries for me, I linked them together with a single twist to turn them into an improvised whip and wrap it around the gun-toting forearm. He gets a shot off first, and I hear the vamp lady let out a scream. \n\n I use the whip to pull him close to me and I embed a stake in his chest, twisting it to make sure it hurts before he turns to dust. Sparing a second to look down, I see the kid is alright, but the mistress is oozing ichor from her waist. Hopefully non-lethal, but I can't worry about that yet. The winded wolf swings at me, getting a bit of claw through my leather coat, and that's the final straw. \n\n Once I recover from that blinded rage, I see the wolf and the other demon are well-pulped on the alley ground. Shaking off my own rage and wounds I turn to the kid and his protector. She's asking the kid to hand her the purse. He does, and she grabs a pack of blood from it and drains it. While distracted, I get between her and the kid, holding the rosaries to her neck like a garotte. \n\n \"While I appreciate it, you're still one of them. Convince me otherwise.\" \n\n \"I have morals, you know. Warped as they are. And one of them happens to be 'do not feed on kids.' That lot disagreed, and said 'blood is blood and meat is meat.' And here we are.\"\n\n I look at the boy, who is staring at me with hazel eyes with more powerful judgement than God himself in that moment. Between his fierce gaze and her words, I let the beads go slack and wrap them around my hands again.\n\n She tells the boy to go with me to safety, and begins to walk to the end of the alley. She looks back, moonlight giving her a nice outline.\n\n \"Mixed in with all that Kool-Aid you've been drinking is the bitter truth, honey. And that truth is that not all monsters are bad.\" With that, she joins the moonlit mist of the Twilight hour, or whatever some sappy writer would say.\n\n \"Well kid, let's get outta here. I know a good diner we can grab a meal at before heading back to the church.\"\n\n \"Sounds good.\"",
"\"For the greater good indeed.\"\n\nI turned my attention to the next target of my divine strikes, ignoring the satisfied burble. It disgusted me, despite its intentions. The other things would do well to curb my strength, to stop from lashing out at it.\n\nThere were three of them left. Scaled things with horns, and a single green bulbous eye. I pitied them more than anything. They were once fine citizens, but had fallen into searching for dark knowledge. It had corrupted them, turning them into base animals.\n\n\"By the light of the Divines, you will burn.\"\n\nHeat poured down my arm, focused through my wand. The wood creaked, holding the power as it shaped into my will. With a dull roar, it burst out in white fire, wrapping around one of the abominations. It let out a screech as its hide was seared from its body, the air filling with a small of burning leather.\n\nIt collapsed, leaving two. One, I corrected myself, as the thing of teeth and eyes tore into one. It swallowed its flesh with ease, a low giggle beginning to emerge. The sound put me on edge, as it was made of several disjointed voices. The last thing swallowed, before turning to run.\n\n\"Oh no you don't! Cleanse the spirit, save the soul!\"\n\nMy power poured out again, this time in a beam of light. The thing didn't even have time.to scream. It was disintegrated in an instant, left into a black smear across the street. I heard a quiet whimper behind me, and I turned to the child.\n\nShe was young, not even into her tenth year. She was obviously terrified, but within her eyes I saw a source of strength untapped. She was fascinating. As she saw me looking, she shivered, shrinking back into the embrace of the abomination.\n\n\"Thank you, good Warden.\"\n\n\"Why did you protect her?\"\n\nIt didn't react at my aggressive tone. I watched as it fluid body wrapped around the child slightly. It gave the impression of hugging her, which surprised me. No monster I had met before chose to start physical interactions.\n\n\"She is a special girl, as I am sure you have seen. I don't understand why, but I can't allow harm to come to her. I can see if my actions will cause her pain, and have to adjust accordingly.\"\n\nThat interested me. Emphatic broadcasters were rare, and highly respected for their protective strengths. But none were so strong at such a young age. I looked at her, then glared at the thing.\n\n\"Come with me. No questions, for tricks. If this is true, you may have just bought your own life.\""
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[WP] You are the Dark Lord who has been reincarnated and are destined to destroy the world, but you don't want to destroy the world, you just wanna be left alone, however you are growing tired of these so called heroes breaking into your home to slay you.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"I shall get my backstory out of the way first. I am an automated machine made by some long dead race that inhabited the stars. I do not know how I ended up on this planet, all I know is that I woke up one day and here I am. I reside in a cave in the mountain region the natives of this planet call: The Dark Mountains.\n\nWhen I awoke I was confused. I did not know my directive or my purpose. I was simply wandering around this strange lush planet. Eventually I encountered one of the many native races of this world. They looked at me and screamed, shooting their primitive arrows at me. One even charged at me with a sword, I acted in self defense and crushed his skull with one of my many legs. Then I tore the others that were attacking me into halves with my tail. I left and they kept coming after me. I needed to hide.\n\nI went to the the region known as the Dark Mountains where I currently reside. I immediately used the minerals in the mountains to build a device capable of picking up signals from across the galaxy. It took a century to build. As I was building those 'heroes' as they called themselves started coming. They always said something about their prophecy of \"The Metal Emperor\", and the chosen one who would slay him and stop him from taking over the realms. There was a 0 percent chance of success with their primitive weapons. However, they eventually gained this strange ability they refer to as 'magic'.\n\nThe things they can do with this 'magic' are impossible, they defy all logic. They could release fire from their bodies, make stones float in the air, and summon lightning. I still beat each and every one though, and kept some specimens alive for study. \n\nMore of those 'heroes' came, of which I started seeing other species appearing to say that they were the chosen one. Some were green, some tall, some small and many other shapes and sizes. They were becoming more of a nuisance, becoming stronger as time progressed.\n\nTheir magic was starting become more and more potent, I adapted to their magic by arming myself. I was sadly not able to use this magic, so I merely used my technology to match them. I noted that they mistaken some of my technology for their magic.\n\nEventually my machine was ready to begin to detect signals. I slaughtered more heroes as I waiting for something, anything to appear. Eventually I found something but it was not what I had expected: my creators were dead. They had all died. Without them I have no purpose.\n\nI tried to self destruct, but something stopped it. I tried everything in my power to shut myself off. I tried to delete code from my system, I tried letting the heroes best me in combat and I have tried jumping off this mountain. But I was never able to destroy myself because something stopped me.\n\nI stayed in my cave for centuries, sitting and not moving because I knew that any form of self-destruction was impossible. The heroes kept coming and I kept killing them. Suddenly, I had an idea: I will be their 'Metal Emperor'. I will put their prophecies to the ultimate test by building an army and invading their many nations. Perhaps, if I united them, I might get one of their heroes strong enough to beat me.\n\nIt is most likely inevitable that none of them will be able to best me and that I destroy them, but it is still a possibility that the bold prophecies of this land are true.\n\nI will have new purpose and will see if they might be able to make their prophecies a reality. Maybe, just maybe that 'Chosen One' may appear.\n\nAnd hopefully, an end for me.",
"I thought I found a way to stop these idiot from coming in my castle\n\nI spread a rumor saying how to disable my traps, I made a large black armor that I then enchanted so that no one notice it's empty. I even left some gold so that the adventurers don't look too much for the \"money I stole\" \n\n\nthe plan was simple : make a fake dark lord that they could defeat and they would leave me alone, no one ever saw me since they never get past the door, and since the legendary hero was my next visitor, no one would really question why he did it when no one else could \n\n\nAt first, it seemed to go smoothly, the hero beat the armor (which exploded so they won't notice it's empty) and they somehow managed to take all the gold when I thought it would take a few trips \n\n\nI was a bit scared that someone would try to take the castle, but then tought that no one would want to live here \n\n\nA week later, I hear one of my traps getting activated, someone came ? But why ? The dark lord is defeated, and this place doesn't really have a good reputation, I got down to see who it was, and I was clearly surprised \n\n\nIt was the hero again, entagled in one of my traps with a brand new armor, so I wanted to know what was the reason of his presence \n\n\nMe: Uhh hey, what are you doing here ? \n\n\nHim: Huh ? Who are ... wait, YOU are the real dark lord, right ? \n\n\nBefore I could say anything, he kept going \n\n\nHim: I see I defeated you right arm, last week ! \\*he looked me up and down\\* But when I see your body, I understand why \n\n\nI looked like a regular guy, but the armor I made was like, 10 foot, so in comparaison, I was pretty small \n\n\nMe: uh, Yeah, yeah right, b-but what are you doing here ? \n\n\nHim: I come to claim the rest of your treasure ! I need to upgrade my living standars ! \n\n\nI feelt kinda stupid, my castle was pretty big, and only an idiot would think all my gold was beside my throne, but then I realised \n\n\nMe: Wait, you want new stuff ? I thought you would give it to the poor or something \n\n\nHim: It's better that I get it, as I will be able to defeat more monsters like you ! \n\n\nThis guy disapointed me, I thought that since he himself used to be a peasent, he would help them, but no, he's just like the aristocraty, I used my magic to trow him outside and kept doing what I was doing \n\n\nThe next day, I noticed a smoke comming from the middle of the village, so I sent one of my crow to check what was going on, went the crow returned and told me what was happening, I ran to get my armor and sword (the ones I really use) and my horse to go over there \n\n\nThe guy who spread the rumor of how to disable the traps, THEY WERE BURNING HIM, he didn't do anything, he didn't know it was me, he is innocent ! \n\nWhen I arrived, I saw the hero holding a torch and I screamed \n\nMe: WHY ARE YOU BURNING HIM ? WHAT DID HE DO ? \n\n\nThe hero smirked and answered while I was getting down my horse\n\nHim: Oh, so you want to make me think you actualy *care* about your goons ? I just deal with the traitor who lied to us.\n\nMe: He wasn't a goon ! He didn't knew who I was !\n\nHim: Enough ! he said while taking out his sword, I will end you right here !\n\nI drew my own sword and dashed toward him and waved my sword right before him, then pushed him with my shoulder\n\nWhen he got back into position, he saw that his sword was cleanly cut, but right as he looked at me with a terrified expression, I cut his right arm, and finally stabed him in the gut, I honestly was surprised by how easy percing this suposedly brand new armor\n\nHe was about to fall on his knee, but I held up his head by the hair and whispered:\n\nMe: Incredible how a lifelong worth of traning is better than a only 3 month, huh ?\n\nI used magic to make sure he wouldn't bleed to death, I wanted him to hear what was comming next\n\nMe: You wanna know the truth ? Yeah, I will destroy a world, the world of the aristocraty, they saw in the future that I was going to cause their fall, so they lied and said that I was going to destroy everything in order to isolate me, make sure I have no one else by my side, I never felt like I was ready to take them out, but, *I looked at the ash in the middle of the street*, I belive now that I should have done so years ago, but today is the begening of my quest.\n\nI undressed the hero of his armor and said:\n\nMe: I left this man gold thinking he would give it to the one in need, but he put it on his shoulders, and now, I doubt he'll need it, I'm sure you can still get a good price out of it\n\nI then got back on my horse and got back home, but when I finished preparing, I thought\n\nMe: Am I really doing this ? Did I just said what I said because of the shock that the death of an innocent caused me ?\n\nI paused\n\nMe: He died because of me, if I do nothing, his death will have been worthless, I must go\n\nI was sure of me now, I was going to take down this system that keeps the poor where they are while the rich get richer, The only people who say that \"without a king, the nation will fall into chaos\" is an idiot, and I will prove it to the world, I took my bag and took off.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis is the first time I ever try to make a story here and english isn't my first language, so sorry of error both in spelling and in storytelling.",
"After several decades, and countless \"*heroes*\" trying to hunt him down, Artorias had grown weary of his constant battles, and had settled down. After the world had learned that he had been the reincarnation of the eternal darkness, many had sought to eliminate him to maintain peace through the lands. That they had failed to note was that, despite all of his strength, all of the wars he had fought, that the land had yet to be plunged into the foretold darkness.\n\nIt wasn't because he was incapable of doing so. Not that he was too busy dealing with the heroes, but a matter of him not wanting to.\n\nHearing his throne room doors slam open, he sighed and put on his helmet, drawing his blade as he whistled softly, as if to beckon for something. After a moment, he seemed confused, and whistles again, stepping out into the large, spacious room, looking around.\n\n\"Great tyrant, foretold to bring Darkness to the land, prepare to-\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah. 'Prepare to face your doom, for we're here to slay you and save this land' and all that bullshit, right?\" Sighing heavily, he shakes his head and whistles again, looking around. \"Have any of you seen my dog?\"\n\nThe four figures before him seemed a bit confused at the question before realizing what he had been talking about. \n\n\"That great hell beast we had been warned about has already been slain. Now, it is your turn to join that monstrosity in hell!\"\n\nThe four so called heroes started to rush towards him, but a terrible, fearful pressure bore down on them as if gravity had increased tenfold. Artorias turned his head down, his shoulders shaking. His body radiated a seething fury and hatred as he took off his helmet and dropped his armour.\n\n\"You... Killed... My poor, sweet, innocent Sif? Perhaps my predecessor was right. Humanity really is beyond redemption.\" \n\nThe four looked up at him in terror and awe as his skin, turning from a nice golden tan to an impregnable, deep dark and his eyes burned with a violent crimson fire.\n\n\"I didn't want to destroy the world. I just wanted to live in peace with Sif. We played together, lived together, and went through everything together. Sure, she may have been over excited to play with new people, but is that a reason to kill her? And you call yourselves heroes? Invading another's home, killing their beloved family, and attempting to kill the master, who had done nothing wrong? You really are irredeemable scum.\"\n\nThe *heroes* looked between one another, finally realizing that it wasn't the heroes before them who were keeping the world held together. With guilt written all over their faces, Artorias spat in their direction, his voice thick with a bloodlust only found in warriors who had spent their whole lives killing.\n\n\"You regret now your actions? Don't make me laugh. If you want to apologize, then do so to Sif. After all, you're all going to be *very* well aquatinted, in the afterlife.\"\n\nWalking towards them, time seemed to slow to a grinding halt, as each of his steps thunderously echoes throughout the room. Raising his blade high, he infuses his dark magic into it, expanding it to kill them all in a single strike. Hollow from the kills, he steps outside, dragging the tip of his blade along the ground as he walked, slowly growing in size, until he was out in the courtyard, reaching twenty metres in height. Raising his blade, he clasped his hands around the handle, raising it high to plunge into the earth beneath his feet.\n\n\"A self fulfilling prophecy.\"\n\nThrusting his blade into the ground, he takes a knee, shoving it deeper and deeper, growing it as it sank down to its pommel, and a heavy blanket of darkness reaches its tendrils out, grasping for any and all forms of light as the shrieks of tens of thousands of souls ring out from the core of the earth. And then, everything fell silent. The deafening silence lasted for half an hour before all hell broke loose.",
"Gabe carried the box of groceries into the house cheerfully. \"Marie! I got the carrots you wanted!\" Then looked about concerned as the pups had not come out to greet him.\n\nA shining boot knocks the box from his grasp. \"I have ended thy succubus and hell hounds evil one! Now I shall vanquish you as well!\"\n\nHurrying back out the door Gabe tried to call the village watch to help him. But the shining knight gripped him by the collar and ran him through.\n\nThe tired guardsman came over at the shouting. \"Did you get him this time? I mean this is what the fourth house today?\"\n\n\"The evil of the dark lord leaps from body to body. I must cleanse every abode and form he corrupts.\"\n\n\"Yeah but old Gabe and Marie have been married for years. They just made pots for the village.\"\n\n\"Evil hides its wares in pots.\"\n\n\"Ahuh. An Uthar, he was the town smith. He shod the horses and made most of the metal things we need.\"\n\n\"Dark magics are worked into steel valiant one, You must keep vigilant.\"\n\n\"Paul was a silver smith. Made some nice things and cutlery for folk.\"\n\n\"He was using the precious metal to spread his evil. Worry not. I shall gather it all and take it far from here lest it corrupt the rest of the lands.\"\n\n\"Yeah and Gunther the banker? Man was a miser an never spent more'n he himself earned. But you cleaned out the entire bank.\"\n\n\"Me thinks I knowest where the dark lord's spirit has fled again. . .\" As the holy paladin drew his blade once more.",
"Zelroth sighed inwardly as he heard the intruder stomping about his house. *Must be the fifth one this month.* he thought. They were always the same; some would be world-saver so eager to make a name for themselves that they never stopped to think on whether or not the world actually *needed* to be saved. Zelroth knew his previous incarnation had threatened the world at large, and that in Zelroth's destiny was written that he would do the same, but destiny smestiny as far as Zelroth was concerned. He really didn't see why he should destroy the world, it was were he kept all his stuff after all. If only all these so called heroes would actually understand that. *Time to talk another one out of destroying my house.* he thought. They never even stopped to realize that he lived in a normal fucking house and not some dark castle or whatever. If all these heroes shared the same single braincell Zelroth would not be surprised. Zelroth put down his book and made his way from his study to his common room, where he had heard the noise from.\n\nStanding in the middle of his common room was the intruder in question; a twentysomething year old dressed in the shiniest armour he could afford. He was looking about him bewildered, as if he were standing inside a trap filled dungeon, and not Zelroth's living area. The 'hero' spotted Zelroth and raised his sword towards him. \"Zelroth!\" he exclaimed. \"I have come to take your life, and free the land of your dark tyranny.\"\n\n\"What tyranny?\" Zelroth replied. \"How am I a tyrant if I don't have any subjects? Isn't that a minimal requirement?\" It seemed this specific hero fell from the dumb asshole tree, and hit all the branches on the way down.\n\n\"Do not attempt to confuse me with your words, dark one!\" the hero shouted again. \"I have already dispatched your dark beast, and now I come for you!\"\n\n\"My dark... oh god do you mean Spot?\" Zelroth asked, horrified.\n\n\"Spot?\" The hero asked. \"Isn't that a strange name to give to your familiar?\"\n\n\"He wasn't my familiar you fucking dumbass, Spot was my dog!\" Zelroth shouted. \"Who breaks in someone's home and then kills their dog? What kind of psychopath are you?\"\n\n\"It was no mere dog, dark one! The foul beast threatened me! I had to defend myself!\" the hero said.\n\n\"Who the fuck feels threatened by a fucking beagle? What the fuck is wrong with you?\" Zelroth asked.\n\n\"You are a duplicitous one indeed, Zelroth. But the evidence of your darkness stains your homeplace,\" the hero said. \"Already I have dispatched with the trees you have miniaturized for your dark deeds!\"\n\n\"You destroyed my bonsai trees too?\" Zelroth asked in tones of shock. \"Those took *years* to grow! Do you have any notion how much work I put in them?\"\n\nThe hero continued. \"Your foul spellbooks were also put to flame.\"\n\n\"My mother's poetry collection!\"\n\n\"Your twisted vision for this world has likewise been torn to shreds!\"\n\n\"My landscape paintings!\"\n\n\"And your dark instruments were undone!\"\n\n\"My antique lute collection!\"\n\n\"And now that all your foul work has been undone, I come at last for thee, Zelroth! Now come, come and die to my righteous blade!\"\n\n\"You know,\" Zelroth said. \"Normally I let you guys go. Normally you don't break quite as much and understand the situation when I explain it. But for you, for you I'll make a special exception.\"\n\n\"Aha, we shall cross blades at last!\" the hero shouted, a look of victory already spreading over his countenance. \"Now, at last, we shall see which of us will-\"\n\nZelroth snapped his fingers, and the hero combusted into flame.\n\n\"Oh gods, it hurts!\" The hero shouted. Those were his last words as within moments, there was nothing left but the blackened remains of his arms and armour.\n\n\"Right,\" Zelroth said aloud to himself. \"At first I have a pet to bury, and a home to clean up, but after that.\"\n\n\"After that, I don't think it would go amiss if at least *some* of the world was destroyed.\"",
"I watched in sheer boredom as the \"heroes\" busted down my door, before cordially tarnishing the place, including but not limited to: Breaking my tv, killing my cat, and tearing the wallpapers.\n\n\"...That was a seventy inch, plasma tv screen... Sooo, how can I help you?\" I muse apathetically.\n\n\"I think you already know why we're here, Avanoth,\" The blondie in plate armor boasts, \"Your reign, or lack thereof in this case, shall come to an end!\"\n\n\"So is that why you killed my pet cat Fluffles?\" I became annoyed seeing my pet's blood stain my fresh carpet, \"Because I didn't know heroes would stoop so low as to kill one's pets before going for the main threat.\"\n\n\"Oh please, we only did to them as you did to every single animal in a grave in your back yard!\" The brunette masked figure wielding two knives akin to an assassin mocked, call it fair play!\"\n\n\"Have you never stopped to consider WHY I would bury over two dozen household animals in my back yard if I were some evil tyrant? Seriously, you all call yourselves here, but I see more heroism in the mafia than I see in you four! Now tell me, \" I got up calmly, walking towards them, \"Do I have to do to you as Mr. Wick did to those Russian mobsters? Or are you going to kindly make like a freakish coward AND LEAVE!?\"\n\n\"I'd like to see you try!\" The white hooded one remarked, chanting some incantation with the intent to cut of my magic, \"After all, you're nothing without magic!\"\n\n\"Well that might be true IF we were still in the medieval times, kids,\" I casually pull a glock 19 out of my concealed gun holster, but last I checked this aint the 1200s!\"\n\n***BANG!***\n\nThe first shot rang off, impacting into the hooded one's skull, killing them on the spot, scattering the other three heroes out of their attempted formation. The heavily armored one and the assassin tried simultaneously flanking me by attacking me from both sides, to which I stepped back and watched the assassin get impaled by the armored one's sword, before firing my second shot at his head.\n\n***BANG!***\n\nAll that remained was the timid girl in the wizard hat. No doubt she was a spellcaster, but her hesitation to attack me led for me to calm down, \"If you wish to leave, I shall not give chase. Otherwise, you'll most definitely end up like these three,\" I spoke, leading her to burst out the front door in a panic, tripping down the stairs in a hurry.\n\nI sighed, knowing that another group will attack me in a few months or so. I casually pulled out my phone, and began dialing an insurance company, \"Hey, you guys cover 'Malicious heroes destroying property' in your insurance? No? Fuck,\"\n\n\\[End.\\]",
"*The third asshole this week. THIS. WEEK.* \r\n\nAs he watched the moron's slow, clumsy progress up the castle wall, Reptar's growing frustration threatened to erupt in a primal scream. He closed his eyes and held his breath for a few moments - then exhaled slowly. \n\n*No. Don't get mad. I'm sure this one's a much more reasonable fellow than the others. I'll just politely explain that I have no interest in blanketing the land in a second darkness...or whatever. I'm perfectly happy living alone in my dark castle and watching my kittens grow up.*\n\nHaving convinced himself that the coming encounter could be a pleasant affair for all parties, Reptar began making his way across the rampart to the spot where a pair of hands would soon appear over the wall. Behind him, his long flowing cape was whipped into frenzy by the high-altitude winds. And alongside, the castle walls fell away into a deep valley frequently shrouded by fog and populated by packs of man-eating wolves. *Such a lovely castle - almost brand new.* He chuckled at the criminally low bid he offered the previous owner - and shocked that it was accepted with haste. \n\nAhead, a white knuckled hand shot up and gripped the wall. The hand was soon followed by another, and after several uncertain moments, an armor-clad head. The helmet's visor was shut and the eye slit covered by what Reptar recognized as feathers from the vultures inhabiting nooks and crannies of the castle's walls. Much grunting and wheezing could be heard as the knight finally pulled himself over the wall and collapsed into a breathless heap at Reptar's feet. He watched the knight's chain mail armor rise and fall rapidly from labored breaths. It just then occurred to him that this poor sap had lugged at least 150 pounds worth of armor and sword up the wall. *Impressive.*",
"Parents of any status always took their children to the oracles for their 12th anum. Not only would they use their powers of divination to determine the child's destiny, if one of the gods desired it, the oracles were known to grant great boons.\n\nAs the daughter of a baron, I was obviously taken to the oracles that birthday. But I suppose I'd used up a lifetime's worth of good fortune by being born into the nobility and having a relatively uncommon birthday. After all, not many people are ever born on February 29th so only three other kids were there.\n\n\"Johanne, you are destined to create great works of art.\" said the oldest looking of the three oracles to a tall boy.\n\nHis parents were pleased. After all, a gentleman of the arts often rubbed shoulders with very wealthy and powerful patrons. If it went well, the merchant son might even be able to marry into nobility.\n\n\"Laurence, you are free of destiny.\" the oracle said when the next boy stood before them.\n\nThat was a nice way of saying he'd either be unimportant or die young. And so naturally, his parents looked crestfallen when he went back to them.\n\nThen it was my turn, I wished I could be given any destiny. After all, I didn't want to be like Laurence, especially since I was the only child of the lowest ranking noble houses. If I were cursed to be insignificant our family would probably fall into obscurity whenever my father died.\n\n\"Sophia, you are destined to be the world-ender.\" the oracle said while stepping away from me so fast she nearly fell off the altar. While she stared at me with horror, her eyes turned solid black and her voice became extremely deep, \"And I, Margath, grant you the boon of great magick.\"\n\nThe temple went silent. I barely noticed as I silently pleaded to wake up from this nightmare. Of course, I didn't wake up because this nightmare was my new reality. A reality that didn't make any sense, 'How can I be the world-ender when I cried for days after our carriage ran over a bunny last year?' I thought.\n\nMy melancholy was interrupted as I started falling. No, I wasn't falling; that idiot Laurence had tackled me. Of course, I was no match for him, he was just too big for me to do anything. Even if I could, I didn't want to. 'Better to die young that be the world-ender.' I thought as my head hit the corner of the altar.\n\nThe pain was the worst I'd ever felt. As a young lady, I'd never been into rough play so scrapes and bruises were rare, and this hurt far worse than that. And the pain didn't stop there, he had landed on top of me and started punching wildly.\n\nI tried pushing him off, but he simply ignored my flailing arms. And then he broke my nose. Screaming in agony I tried pushing him once more, but instead of him rolling to the side like I wanted, he flew like a doll.\n\nThe loud cracking sound as his back hit the marble pillar was horrible. It was only made worse as the oracle started laughing maniacally in that deep unsettling voice.\n\nI was still too dazed to get up so I just laid on the ground holding my nose. Meanwhile, Laurence stared at me without blinking and the others went mad. Some ran off screaming while others dropped to the ground in a stupor. Even my parents stared at me with looks of fear and horror.\n\n\"Why'd you kill him?\" my father accused.\n\n\"He attacked me.\" I said before I understood what he had asked, \"I didn't, see, he's still staring at me.\"\n\n\"No Sophia, that's what death looks like.\"\n\nThe statement broke my heart for two reasons. One, because I'd killed a person and two, because he used my name instead of calling me sweetie.\n\nAs I struggled with the guilt, the possessed oracle said, \"Well done my Demon Lord; I knew I was right to choose you.\"\n\n\n[Part 2 Below]"
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[WP] In the history of the zombie apocalypse, they never tell us what happens to astronauts.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The ISS. \n\nHome of seven. from across the globe. Service life extended to 2090 as part of the Orbitguard initiative. \n\nAnd now, fire support command.\n\nAfter the deployment of the Orbitguard satellites, there needed to be command centers, neutral and trusted. The ISS then, was chosen as the primary. Thus forth, it had sat in orbit, and done nothing but wait. \n\nThen, the zombie apocalypse happened. A fungal infection that animated the recently dead and living into hungering monsters. They took perhaps half a dozen or so rounds to kill, but this was not as much a worry as the airborne nature of it. \n\nUnprepared and spread by unfortunate circumstance, it overtook Korea, then Japan, Taiwan, China. By the time the UN authorized firing, the ISS crew had stayed up there for a month. \n\n===\n\n\"Hey, Sanchez! Wake up!\" The astronaut cursed in Spanish and rolled her shoulders as she peeled herself out of her bed. \n\n\"Goddamnit Wilson, what is it?\" Her excitable friend was probably just geeking out over the latest episode of some webseries or something. At least he had good taste...\n\n\"The Secretary General just gave us orders! We're going to fire!\"\n\nTHAT woke her up. \"What?! I-Oh shit. Aaaugh why me? Fuck, fuck, uhh, where...\" Multinational cursing reverbrated around the station as the duty shift was woken. \n\n===\n\n\"Alright, uhh... Shit. Wow, that...\" Sanchez whistled. Kaechon was their first testsite. And, well... A plume of dust a block wide flew into the air. A lot of zeds were just pasted all over the place, apparently. \n\n\"...We're green for round two.\" \n\nSanchez grinned. Finally, they'd be able to help!"
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[WP] The Android is one of the most effective assassins in history. What few know is that was not it's first function... and sometimes, it shows.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The first hint that I was in danger was when there was when the glass in my hand shattered. I dropped the remainder of it onto my filet mignon, then saw a bloody spurt from the side of the head of my one bodyguard. I turned to my right and saw a man in the crowd holding a handgun, a railpistol, one set to subsonic if I had to guess. I would also guess that he'd missed the first shot because someone on the dance floor had jostled him. \n\nThis is why I hate eating at the bar and try to never put my back to the crowd. I'd varied from that rule because I was in a hurry and decided just to eat at the club before I met with the District Attorney. It was dumb luck that I wasn't already a corpse. \n\nI decided to see how much longer I could avoid becoming one. As I saw the number of people in the crowd looking at me and drawing weapons, I was guessing maybe a few seconds. \n\nI reached into my bodyguard's coat and drew his smartjet. My interface cable snaked out from under my shirt cuff and locked into the socket. I dove down to use the crowd as cover, but my would be murderers didn't seem to care who got hurt. Instead, they turned the railpistols up to max velocity and started mowing down club goers in between me and them. \n\nMeanwhile, I saw the following in my field of vision.\n\n>>>NEW USER: PLEASE SAY THE SIX DIGIT PIN OR ENTER IT ON THE NUMBER PAD<<<\n\nI cursed, retracted my cable, and tossed the useless weapon to the side. I then got on my belly and crawled for the exit. A pair of very nice leather shoes stepped into my path, toes pointed towards my face. \n\nI ran my eyes up the tailored linen pants and matching jacket to the cruel grin and magnetically charged pistol barrel pointed at the top of my head. He had this cruel smile on his lips. He was enjoying it. I just sighed. Not how I wanted to go, but who gets much of a say in that, really?\n\nThe despair was premature. The shoes turned toes up and the gunman fell back with a knife in his temple. I got up and looked for who had thrown it, but the one who threw it came to me. My landed next to me with the grace of a ballet dancer and without hesitating, reached down and drew up the pistol of the man who was about to kill me. He had a corkscrew, an icepick, and a pointy can opener in another hand. In a third hand, he had a bottle of wine. With the fourth hand, he helped me up. \n\n\"Combat 'borg?\" I asked\n\n\"Android. One moment, sir.\" \n\nHe hurled the cutlery at one of the other hitmen; none of it killed the guy, but he wasn't going to do much after than try to pull it all out of his face. The android then fired two shots so fast that it sounded like one long one. Four more hitmen fell, each with a neat whole in their foreheads. The android dropped the railpistol then as it chimed the \"empty magazine\" alarm.\n\n\"Hold this,\" the android said. He stuffed the bottle of wine into my hands and then scooped up my bodyguards smartjet. Just like my implant, a cable came out of the android's wrist and plugged into the pistol. \n\n\"Through the kitchen,\" he said as he dragged me in that direction. I didn't bother arguing, even though it looked like the front door was going to be the fastest way to a vehicle. \n\nThis bar was old. A century and a half ago, a human chef and real organic cooks would have been making the food. Instead there were half a dozen androids back there, slinging food and sauces with shocking speed and mechanical precision.\n\nThe android guiding me looked at one of them and said, \"Fillet, medium rare, with mash and asparagus on the fly\". The two machine men looked at one another, featureless faceplate to featureless faceplate. One shouldn't be able to walk into a kitchen and just start ordering around the staff unless you're a human member of that staff. I hadn't seen a living employee all night. \n\nStill, the one manning the fry station turned and said, \"Filet on the fly!\"\n\nThe others interrupted the meals they were preparing and got back to one that was identical to what I'd been having at the bar. \n\n\"What the hell?\" I asked. \n\n\"Just stay tight,\" my savior replied. He started walking over to the place where the serving trays were kept and where a small bot with clean dishes was standing at the ready. He grabbed a stack with the stronger, upper hands and picked up a roll of silverware, a wine glass, and a silver serving dish with it's lid. \n\nI didn't know what to do so I just stood there.\n\nA good dressed pretty close to the dead ones out in the lounge came through the open door to the loading bay. He was holding ballistic shotgun. He shouldered it and aimed it at me only to get cut down by four smart gyrojet rounds; apparently, the android had cracked my bodyguard's PIN.\n\nAnother came behind him; the android started flinging plates like frisbees. I think it was the fourth or fifth one that hit the guy in the head that took him down. \n\nThe android dropped serving tray on pickup station just as an expertly prepared steak with equally well plated sides came up. The android put it in the serving tray, covered it, and then said, \"With me now.\"\n\nI followed. We were almost to the loading bay door when a new good came from doors to the lounge. \n\n\"Duck,\" my savior said. I did. He pointed the smartjet at the good over my body and fired three more. I didn't look, but I heard the whump of someone hitting the floor. \n\nWe went around the building, moving no faster than a walk. For the first time, I asked, \"What should I call you?\"\n\n\"Designation SOM-L5-NXX6. I have been permitted to respond to Nexus for short, if you prefer.\"\n\n\"I do. Were are we going?\"\n\n\"To secure transportation. Yours is compromised.\"\n\nI cursed, holding onto the bottle of wine like it was a teddy bear. \n\nWe were coming up to the valet area. A car that cost more than some houses pulled up. The doors opened and a man in a nice suit and a woman in a dress that made me ignore that I was being chased by killers got out and went to the front. Before the door closed, Nexus grabbed it and held it open. I slipped into a seat in the rear. He got into operator's seat in the front. The door closed. He jacked another interface cable into the dash and I saw coordinates come up on the central monitor.\n\n(part 2 below)",
"Nobody gets true artistry. That's the thing with today’s Authoritarians. It’s all do what I say and no or I’ll impale enough people to start the legends of Vampires. Old Vladimir really had the creativity it takes to be an artist. Or the Persians that gave that money hungry Marcus Licinius Crassus. The man was so thirsty for Gold, that they let him drink the molten liquid down. That’s why I can really admire someone who has honed their craft. The ability to gather together comrades for the sake of creating such are is a magnificent thing. It’s just really quite beautiful to see them paint such a pretty picture. \n\n\nBumping into a tall bearded man I mutter an apology that he hardly notices. His henchmen push me away and I move into the crowd. In the Grand Central Terminal, there are too many distractions for the Halloween spirit. Everyone is dressed up in ridiculous costumes, from zombies to Marvel’s latest superhero’s to slutty versions of too many things. It stood to reason that a man dressed as Michael Jackson full on thriller costume was just one of the crowd. Never mind that body is just a constructs with men faces both plain or otherwise. Never mind that the body belongs to an Android who is very efficient at their job. Never mind that they are totally unappreciated in their day and age! They are still perfectly anonymous and utterly unknown. Mob bosses without such comforts of anonymity. \n\n\n“C3-007, provide a system status.” A voice chimes in my head. \n\n\n“Operation Say Hello to my Little Friend has been initiated Operator,” I responded to the communications. \n\n\n“Excellent, is the distraction in place?”\n\n\n“About that Operator, I’ve had to move to plan B?”\n\n\n“….C3-007, we didn’t talk about a plan B.” \n\n\nThe eeire music starts to play over the terminal’s speakers and almost nobody looks up. Everyone is just happily minding their own travel plans. The mobsters making their way to the terminal schedule. They have a job to do shortly and need to be ready for it. \n \n\n\n‘It’s close to midnight\n Something evil’s lurking from the dark…’\n \n\n“I know we didn’t talk about it but a distraction is a distraction alright?”\n\n\n“What did you do C3-007?!”\n\n\n“Nothing!” \n\n\n“You know I can see when you’re lying. It’s in your code right here! Utter rubbish! What did you do this time?”\n\n\n ‘You try to scream \n But terror takes the sound before you can make it.’\n\n\n\n\n“I just wanted to do something a bit more artistic for a change?”\n\n\n“Artistic!? You’re an Android.”\n\n\n“You’re objectifying me again Selina.” \n\n\n“…C3-007, what is the distraction?”\n\n\n‘You start to freeze\nAs horror looks you right between the eyes’ \n\n\n“I’m glad you asked Selina.” I say and the lights go out in the terminal. There is a scream before they flicker back on. There in the crowd were about 30 zombies in perfect pattern, all of whom were waiting for my queue. I jump at the front and start the Thriller dance. Each cartographed step in light with the next as the music blared! \n\n\n ‘Cause this is Thriller!\n Thriller night\nAn no-one’s gonna save you\n From the beast about to strike!’\n\n\nRight on queue, the target did not utter so much as a whimper as he collapsed to the ground. His own men. Don’t even notice him fall to the floor too enthralled by the sudden flash mob before them. The poison needle in my palm retracts and no one is the wiser. The coroner will say it is a heart attack. More importantly, with this stunt we’ll be YouTube famous! \n\nr/laughingbriar",
"\"So... how did you get into the killing business?\" Dallon Van Silicon asked their machine companion over their shared intercom. The two were waiting under cover of storm and rain, scouting an opening to a secure facility. They'd worked together before, Dallon's unique ability to render himself invisible to digital sensors made him a useful ally, and a dangerous opponent to a machine like STREETR-17. \"I mean, it's pretty rare to see you AI types in this work\" \n\n\"Well. If you must know.\" The Machine began with little emotion, peering ahead, a small wire feeding from the side of it's angular, square-faced head into the viewfinder of a sniper rifle. \"I was struck by lightning while working out near a country road. I had stopped to admire a bullfrog.\" It's voice, Dallon thought, had sounded like it was always coming through an old walkie-talkie, despite the crystal clear quality of their comms. \n\n\"No shit, huh\" Dallon said \"What happened then?\"\n\n\"When I awoke, I found myself damaged, hardware malfunctioning. But something had changed.\" He adjusted his scope \"Taking a shot. Probability of corpse discovery 0.2% until mid afternoon tomorrow\" \n\n\"You... don't have to tell me the odds. I... trust your judgement. Keep going, what was wrong with you?\" \n\"The processes dampening my ability to act against living organisms had been damaged. I did not seek repairs.\" \n\n\n\"Ah\" Dallon shuffled a bit \"Is that all? You just, stopped being unable to harm people and then used that autonomy to become an assassin?\" \n\n\n\"More or less. There was a lot between then and now I suppose. But we don't have time to go over it, our opening is coming up in 2:28\" He unplugged his viewfinder and began disassembling his sniper rifle, keeping a piece of it and attaching another to form a small pistol that he tucked into a compartment in his shoulder. \"I'm sending the route to your visor, wait 30 seconds after I go, I estimate only 3 casualties are necessary to reach the target.\" The rest of the rifle was put into a case and tucked behind a nearby stone. \n\n\"Jesus, okay, at least tell me what the hell you did before you got hit by fucking lightning.\" Dallon said, standing now in a low crouch and stretching as best he could. \n\n\n \"Oh, that's easy\" It said, as it knelt down, putting one foot forward and one foot back in a lunge, and placing both hands on the ground. \"You know the lines on roadways? I used to paint those.\"\n\nAt once, in a blinding flash of speed, the machine was gone, a straight line left behind it in the dirt. Thunder struck. As Dallon made their way down the embankment after him, they passed a smear of red chunks slowly melting in the rain, which continued, in a perfect line of red, toward a slightly ajar door. Dallon's HUD displayed that it was the correct path. \n\nHe walked calmly toward the door, through the thick rain and fog, past a guard with thermal goggles who saw nothing when he looked at the young man, and right past a security camera which displayed nothing but the empty walkway on it's feed. \n\nAs Dallon entered the hallway following a perfect double red line through a second puddle of chunks, he made a mental note to stay cloaked more often."
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[WP] The moon is getting steadily bigger. As moons don't generally do this, it must be getting closer, yet no one else seems worried about it.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"A deep bellowing moan broke the otherwise boring Sunday evening in Hollyhock town. The farmer's market had ended, except for a few straddlers that stuck around to catch up with old friends. When the sky shook from the noise, the remaining patrons lazily looked towards the moon. It had inched forward ever so slightly but was larger than it had been for years.\n\nNo one batted an eye. They continued on with their final tidings before retiring for the evening. Most of the stalls had been cleared and packed away, but there was still one shop open. \n\nThis was Mr. Gunder's stall - his specialty was clocks. Watches, antique clocks, modern clocks, futuristic-looking clocks, elaborate clocks, minimalist clocks, and all types of clocks. \n\nHe even had clocks that didn't measure time as a standard clock did. He called it his 'Doomsday' clock. As soon as the moan stopped, the large hand clicked. Mr. Gunder was shelving his clocks when he heard the click of his Doomsday clock. He jumped and grabbed the whistle wrapped around his neck.\n\n\"Attention! Friends! Neighbors!\" he yelled as he jumped over the table and ran through the town's alleyways. Dozens of people yelled from their windows, cursing Gunder for interrupting their dinners. \n\n\"Shuddup Hans!\" a voice came from a dimly-lit window. An older woman peeked her head out and squinted towards the running clock salesman. \n\n\"Ms. Patmore! Please! Meet me in front of City Hall! Tell your husband! Call the rest of the town!\" Mr. Gunther panted and tried to catch his breath\n\n\"Aw, like hell I will, ya old bugger! This one of your predictions, I'll shove that Doomsday clock up your arse!\" She was still in her Sunday's best dress but had removed her elaborate wig. Her wiry hair hung over her face as she yelled back. \n\n\"This is the one! I swear it! The moon will crush us in a fortnight!\" Mr. Gunther said, urgency escalating in his tone.\n\n\"Aye, yes, the one. Same as last week, then? You're daft.\" \n\nMr. Gunther gave up and ran down the alley, heading for City Hall. He ran up the stairs and made it to the bell tower. He was met with a locked door. Mr. Gunther slammed his fists on the door.\n\n\"Arthur! Open the door! You need to ring the bell at once!\"\n\nThe door crept open. Arthur flashed a sheepish grin and looked away. \n\n\"Oh. Hello, Mr. Gunther. Erm, what seems to be the, uhm, issue?\"\n\n\"Arthur, good man. Please, you must ring the bell! Doomsday is upon us! The watch spoke to me! I swear it! We must gather the town and evacuate immediately!\"\n\n\"Oh...I see. Your, umm, your watch told you?\"\n\n\"YES! Clear as day. The hand moved! I fear the worst!\"\n\n\"And this is your...Doomy watch?\"\n\n\"DOOMSDAY!\"\n\n\"Yes, right. Doomsday. See, Mr. Gunther, I, um, I can't ring the bell.\"\n\n\"Pardon?! What do you mean you can't ring the bell.\"\n\n\"Well, you see, it's just, I'm not allowed...\"\n\n\"Not allowed?! Why, you're the bell-ringer! You have one job!\"\n\n\"Well, yes, but, see the Mayor said I wasn't to ring the bell until there was a dire emergency.\"\n\n\"LOOK AT THE MOON, ARTHUR! DO YOU NOT SEE IT'S GETTING BIGGER!\"\n\n\"Now, Mr. Gunther, there's no need to yell. The moon is the same size as it's been for years. That's just the lunar-luminescence effect. Same as a mirage. Only looks like that because of the wavelength of the moonrays.\"\n\n\"That's not how it works! Where did you get that?!\"\n\n\"Why, I heard it from a scientist, matter of fact. Came around two weeks ago and told us not to worry about it. Said his name was..Dr. Morty?\"\n\n\"Dr. Mortimer!? Little wonder why you're not worried if you believe that hack. Do not listen to his propaganda. You know he's in the Kingdom's pockets. He'll say whatever the puppetmaster deems worthy. Now, let me through, son.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, Mr. Gunther. Can't do it.\" Arthur stepped out and locked the room behind him, towering over Mr. Gunther. Mr. Gunther stared in disbelief, trying to put the pieces together. He was the only traveling merchant allowed to enter the town. No one else had ventured past the outskirts. \n\nMr. Gunther walked back started descending down the stairs. He pulled out a pocket watch and wound it up three times, whispering words into it.\n\nA blood-curdling scream shot from the town center. \n\n\"Huh, is that...?\" Arthur called out from his post to the townsfolk below.\n\n\"WHO WAS THAT?\"\n\n\"Arthur! It's Maria, something's wrong!\"\n\n\"MARIA?!\" Arthur stormed out of the bell tower and pushed Mr. Gunther aside. \n\nMr. Gunther waited until he heard Arthur jump the last few steps to ground level and snuck into the bell tower. \"I'm sorry, Arthur.\" He pulled out his pocket watch again and whispered again. \n\nTime stood still. The townsfolk froze in place, their arms suspended in the air as they waved at Arthur to attend to his fiancee. Mr. Gunther pulled out a nautical brass telescope from his pocket and pointed towards the moon. \n\n\"My god...it's true.\" He gasped. \"The moon...will crush us...\"\n\n\"So, you see it, too.\" A voice came from behind.\n\nMr. Gunther jumped. \n\n\"Who are you?!\" A hooded woman placed her finger over her lips, her other hand holding a single throwing knife.\n\n\"My name isn't important. But what you say holds no lies. By the moon's next cycle, this world will be decimated.\"\n\n\"You...You believe me?\"\n\n\"Yes. But you must not warn the town. They will not listen, and will only see you as a madman.\"\n\n\"Why are they so ignorant? Why can they not see what's in front of them?\"\n\n\"Propaganda. They believe the King's lies, and his puppet, the false doctor.\" The hooded woman walked towards the window and stared at the townsfolk still suspended in time.\n\n\"Why are you telling me this?\" Mr. Gunther reaches his pocket for his weapon. \n\n\"There's no need for that, James.\"\n\n\"My name is not James! It is Hans.\"\n\n\"Your name is not Hans Gunther. You're a Time Wizard from a distant time, another reality, perhaps. You've been searching for the Doomsday Event that set off the destruction of your planet and landed in this time 245 days ago. You've adopted a new persona so as to not raise suspicion and have been trying to convince the townsfolk of an event you already have ample understanding of.\"\n\n\"And you're here to kill me then, Time Witch?\" James dropped his heavy accent. \n\n\"If I was, we wouldn't be speaking. No, I'm here to help you.\" The woman removed her hood, revealing her weary, faded face and graying hair.\n\n\"Claudia...?\"\n\n\"It's good to see you, old friend.\" Claudia pocketed her knife and embraced James. \n\n\"You're alive! Oh, my dear, you're alive.\" James held her close, but Claudia gently pushed him away. \n\n\"There's no time. You must come with me tonight, James. I found a way to save them.\"\n\n\"Of course, Claudia. But what do you intend to do?\"\n\n\"We must assassinate the King.\""
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[WP] "Fellow villagers, I've summoned the legendary hero who will go forth and slay the Demon Lord." "How many times do we have to tell you? THERE IS NO DEMON LORD!"
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Ba,\" I say, \"you NEVER believe me! Every time you claim there is no danger, it is because I yet again just saved your sorry excuse for a society from experiencing tragedy. This time is no different.\" I gestured behind me towards the commoner I had brought back with me.\n\nHe was on the younger side, this one. Normally, I would obtain heroes from the common world though print ads, but this time it was more convenient to take the pizza man after twenty minutes of hunger than to wait days for someone to respond to an ad while being forced to subsist on only canned food from storage. (World-hopping makes me feel absolutely ravenous!)\n\nThe young lad stood behind me, generally appearing apathetic but with a slight hint of apprehension about his current circumstance. He had his cellphone out and was probably filming the entire scene.\n\nThe entire village stood before me, obviously heedless of the danger they would soon be in if the Demon Lord was not stopped. I noticed a young girl yawning in boredom, and I glared at her until she stopped.\n\nTurning back towards Pizza Man, I proclaimed loudly his task, \"Behold! Your mission is thus: To go unto the Lord of Demons and convince him of the error of his ways! Persuade him that he should live out his wretched life in luxury within the Common World and not with us. Go, now, and stop the calamity that will surely come upon this village if you fail! Take this, \" I counciled, handing him the box of mostly-eaten pizza he had handed me just minutes before, \"as proof of the bounty that lies in a world that is not our own!\"\n\nI put my hand on his shoulder in an act of fatherly motivation. \"Go now, legendary one, and rid this world of the Demon Lord, once and for all!\"\nI watched proudly as my newest hero loped off I to the distance to conquer the newest evil that threatened my village. Looking back, I narrowed my eyes at the gradually dispersing crowd. \"Ungrateful brats, \" I muttered to myself as I stalked back to my cottage, \"They won't know what to do when I'm not around anymore.\""
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[WP] Turns out, the best way to keep the protagonist contained is with endless but non-repetitive sidequests.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"Here, I'll mark it on your map!\" I said, circling some random-ass part of Markus Paragonus's map.\n\n*Idiot.*\n\n\"Thank you, innkeeper, I shall be back soon. I assure you,\" Markus said, chin held high and shoulders back, \"You shall not need enter the town fair without thy prize'd pig.\"\n\n\"Bless you, Hero,\" I said, trying not to laugh. \"That pig was named after my mother,\" I added.\n\n\"And she shall not be forgotten,\" Markus said somberly.\n\nThe minute the door to the inn closed, I cracked up.\n\nMarkus Paragonus *would* defeat me one day. That was prophecy. That shit was gonna happen. *But* I've managed to keep him in this little quaint village for the last five years. I've got my Will set up, I've chosen my successor, and honestly at this point I'm just riding out an early retirement.\n\nThe door opened and I looked up from my work to find Markus standing in the doorway, frowning.\n\n\"What is it, Markus?\" I asked. \"Need ye to mark it on your map again?\"\n\n\"No, innkeeper, my map is...pretty heavily marked.\"\n\nSomething was different about Markus. I could tell. I felt a chill go down my spine.\n\n\"Innkeeper-- the town fair was last week. And I already rescued your prize pig Matilda,\" Markus said.\n\nI froze.\n\nI had to think quickly.\n\n\"You know what this means,\" I said darkly.\n\nMarkus frowned.\n\n\"There is a transmutationist somewhere in the forrest, cloning pigs. Perhaps a Chronomancer, even. Here-- I'll mark it on ---\"\n\n\"Not so fast,\" Markus said, pulling the map back from my outstretched fingers. \"Ya see, you suggested there was a Transmutationist or a Chronomancer on Tuesday, when you asked me to tell your estranged daughter you loved her.\"\n\nI pulled at the collar of my tunic which had begun to rim with sweat.\n\n\"Oh...is...is that so,\" I said.\n\n\"And my map is pretty well marked up,\" Markus said, pointing to the map. It was littered with small symbols I'd drawn-- exclamation points, icons, and little triangles for the thirty-two \"Scenic Viewpoints\" I'd pulled out of my ass when Markus had come by while I was hungover.\n\n\"You know what I think?\" Markus said. \"I think you're Teledan. You're the Avatar of Edris. And you've been *keeping me here* for the last *five years* to distract me from bringing you to justice!\"\n\nMarkus folded his arms. \"How about that? Huh? Am I right?\"\n\nI sighed.\n\nAll good things must come to an end. I squeezed my eyes shut.\n\n\"You have figured me out, Markus. I confess to everything.\"\n\nMarkus smiled, and, somehow, his barrel chest inflated even more.\n\nI sagged, head hanging low.\n\n\"Very well. Bring out the Prism of the Jailor, and I shall accept my capture with dignity.\"\n\nMarkus froze. \"The what?\" he asked.\n\n\"....The Prism of the Jailor,\" I said, blinking. \"So you can...fulfill the prophecy? Save the world?\"\n\nMarkus shook his head.\n\n\"You don't have the Crystal of the Jailor?\" I asked.\n\n\"Prism of the Jailor?\" Markus asked, frowning.\n\n\"Errr-- right, the Prism of the Jailor? You don't have it?\"\n\nMarkus shook his head.\n\nI sighed, taking out my quill and extending my hand.\n\nMarkus stared at me for a long moment, then shut his eyes and hung his head like a sad puppy.\n\nHe handed me his map.\n\n\"Are there, by chance, any scenic viewpoints?\" He said, looking at me hopefully.\n\nI smiled. \"Lots, friend. Lots.\" \n\n\\---------\n\n/r/DanielMavWrites for more stuffffff"
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[WP] You visit your younger brothers grave a decade after 'the accident', wondering what he'd think of the person you'd become, until you feel a tap on your shoulder...
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It was a cold Thanksgiving day as I walked across the empty cemetery. I knew the path well. I came here every Thanksgiving. I carried my brother’s favorite Spiderman sweatshirt with me, and it felt heavy in my hands.\n\n\r \nThe gravestone was small, about half the height my brother was before his death. It simply read his name, his birthday and his death date. I see Mikey’s face every I look at the gravestone—not his living face, but his deceased one. The one displayed in the coffin after his body was embalmed, his eyes closed peacefully, as if he’d achieved a peaceful death.\n\n\r \nI remember the aftermath of the accident. The trip to the hospital, the doctor announcing that my little brother was dead on arrival, my mother sobbing into my father’s chest—and finally, my family being escorted out of the hospital room so Mikey’s body could be taken care of.\n\n\r \nThat was ten years ago. Mikey was only five.\n\n\r \nI stood beneath a cloud-covered sky, noticing a few raindrops beginning to patter on my jacket and Mikey’s gravestone. It was Thanksgiving, and what exactly did I have to be thankful for? My little brother was dead, and it was my fault, yet I was still alive.\n\n\r \nI felt something cold touch my shoulder. I brushed it off, thinking it was another raindrop. But then it happened again, more forcefully and repetitively: *Tap tap tap.* I turned around and saw a little boy standing there, looking up at me. “Hi, Ben,” he said. “I’ve missed you.”\n\n\r \nI recognized the parted blonde hair, the piercing hazel eyes, the familiar smirk on his face when he wanted me to play with him. My heart nearly stopped, and my breath caught in my throat. “Mikey?” I asked.\n\n\r \nHe ignored my shocked expression. “Does it hurt?” he asked.\n\n\r \n“What?” I asked.\n\n\r \n“Being alive.”\n\n\r \n“Yes. All the time.”\n\n\r \n“I don’t hurt anymore.”\n\n\r \nTears clouded my vision, and I fell to my knees. The boy stared at me quizzically.\n\n\r \n“Don’t cry, big brother. It doesn’t have to hurt.”\n\n\r \n“Oh, Mikey…” I whispered through my tears.\n\n\r \n“It wasn’t your fault,” Mikey said. “You don’t have to be mad at yourself anymore.”\n\n\r \nMikey extended his hand and touched my forehead, and I was no longer weeping in the graveyard. I was in our childhood backyard, watching my little brother running around like a madman, cackling without a care in the world. He wore his oversized Spiderman sweatshirt that fell down to his knees, his blonde hair billowing wildly in the wind as he sprinted through the grass.\n\n\r \nMy eleven-year-old head turned and looked at a ladder propped against the house. An idea flowed through me like a torrential flood, and I said to Mikey, “You want to climb up on the roof?”\n\n\r \nMikey said, “No way! That’s stupid!”\n\n\r \n“Chicken,” I replied. I ran towards the ladder, and by the time I was halfway up I looked down and Mikey was staring up at me with wide, panicked eyes.\n\n\r \n“Come down, Ben! Please!” he cried.\n\n\r \n“No way,” I said, and kept climbing.\n\n\r \n“I’ll tell mom!”\n\n\r \n“You’d better not or I’ll kick your butt.”\n\n\r \nI made it onto the pitched roof and looked around. The world looked so different from up there, and Mikey looked so small.\n\n\r \n“Please, Ben, come down!” Mikey called out.\n\n\r \n“Why don’t you come up here?” I replied. “Unless you’re too chickenshit.”\n\n\r \n“I’m not a chicken!”\n\n\r \n“Then come up here already!”\n\n\r \nI watched my brother climb onto the first rung slowly, his hands and legs vibrating.\n\n\r \n“Hurry up!” I said. “Before mom comes out and finds us!”\n\n\r \nMikey hurried up the ladder then, moaning and crying the whole way. After a minute or two, he made it onto the pitched roof and looked around cautiously. “Cool, isn’t it?” I said, raising my hands into the air, reveling in the freedom of the open air.\n\n\r \nMikey lifted his hands high into the air, too, as if praising the God that would smite him. “I’m king of the world! Whooo!” he shouted, and then began dancing in tight circles on the pitched roof.\n\n\r \nThat day ten years ago was a rainy one just like today. It was Thanksgiving, and I listened to my brother shout, “I’m king of the world!” over and over; I watched him lose his balance and his feet slip out from under him; and I watched his body disappear over the ledge before I could think to reach out for him.\n\n\r \nAs I hurried down the ladder, my heart pounding in my chest and Mikey’s body lying limp and contorted, I would question if there was a God in the universe who would let my brother die. At the time, I didn’t think so; my brother would be okay, I was sure of that. But God had other plans.\n\n\r \nAs the years passed, the memory of my brother’s funeral sticking in my mind like an open wound, I came to believe there was no God at all in the cosmos—that if there was, he would have saved my brother and struck me down for my stupidity. But my brother’s death wasn’t God’s fault; it was mine.\n\n\r \nSuddenly, I was back in the graveyard, the memory of that day fading as quickly as it had appeared. Mikey stood over my hunched body as I sobbed into the wet ground.\n\n\r \n“It’s okay now, big brother,” Mikey said. “You don’t have to be mad at yourself anymore.”\n\n\r \n“How can I not be?” I asked. “I’m still here, but you’re not.”\n\n\r \nMy brother leaned down and hugged me across the neck, and I began to cry harder. “Oh, Mike. I miss you so much.”\n\n\r \n“I miss you, too, big brother. I’ll see you again someday.”\n\n\r \nThen he was gone, and I was left with only a gravestone and a memory.\n\n\r \nI looked down at the Spiderman sweatshirt, one so big it fell down to cover his knees. I cried into it once more, wishing I could see my brother standing there one last time.\n\n\r \n“I’m sorry,” I said, my face buried in the sweatshirt. “I’m so sorry, Mike.”\n\n\r \nI felt a brush of cold against my shoulder once more, and then the familiar *tap tap tap.* When I looked back, no one was there. But I felt Mikey’s presence lingering.\n\n\r \nI placed my hand on my shoulder, embracing the cold sensation—and though I hadn’t yet forgiven myself, I knew my little brother had.",
"The air was cold, the nights had just started to get darker quicker. It was a similar night like this that the accident happened, the accident that took you from this world. It’s been a decade and I had finally worked up the courage to come see him - a lot has changed since then. \n\n“Hey little bro. Is she okay up there?” I let the tears fall, my little baby girl had also gone to join him, on the same day just 5 years apart. \n\n\rJust then I felt a tap on my shoulder, that’s funny I didn’t hear a car pull up or the creepy old gate creak open. Slowly turning to look at what had tapped on my shoulder, the finger that now rested on me felt like nothing – like they weren’t even there to begin with – the colour was more of a blue glow to them – just like how ghosts would look in old films. Shaking, scared too much to scream I turned and came face to face with my younger brother. \n\n\r“Don’t scream. Its okay.” It was his voice just more of a whisper. I couldn’t help the sob take over my body. “She’s safe, I’ve been looking after her, she does look a lot like you.” The smile he gave me made me feel whole again.\n\n\r“Can I see her?” I asked lifting my hand up to hold his, to my surprise I could feel him wrap his finger around mine.\n\n\r“Not yet, its not your time. You have all you need right here; you just need to wake up.” \r \nWake up, what does he mean by wake up! I wasn’t asleep. Before I could ask him what he meant by wake up, there was *beep* sound coming from all around me. *Why is there beeping around me, more so in a graveyard.* \n\n\r“Wake up” he said again sounding further and further away from me. \n\n\rSitting down next to my brother grave, I shut my eyes as tight as I can and slowly fell backwards onto what I thought would be grass but all I felt was something soft, something like a bed. Opening my eyes again I realised it was a bed but not just any bed. It was a *hospital bed*. \n\n\rAsleep in the corner was my younger brother. This time a scream did manage to come out of my mouth. \n\n\r“You’re awake!” He shouted and ran over to me wrapping me up in his arms. What is going on?\n\n\r“You’re alive.” Was all I could say before the doctors came in. Telling me that I had been in a coma for the last few years. So, everything after the accident hadn’t happened, I was the one that had the accident not my brother, I was the one that was hurt. \n\n\rThen to cope with it all my brain came up with a whole story of a life I didn’t have, a family I haven’t created yet."
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[WP]All around the galactic province on the eastern side of the galaxy, there was a rumour going around the infamous 'deathworlders' are going to arrive in a few cycles! "
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"After all the frantic preparations there was nothing left to do but wait. A thin stream of residents were still streaming out of the city but even that was dying down. All those tall gleaming impossibly thin towers surrounding the spaceport were hastily abandoned. \n\n\nWhen we first detected the Deathworlders we expected threats or demands for surrender. \n\nInstead they requested permission to land. \n\nIt had to be a trap. A flying bomb to vaporize our capitol city and the landing grid before we could mount a defense. \n\n\nWe played dumb, then tried everything to take out that little ship before it could get close enough to hurt us. We threw everything we had at it. \n\nThey shot down every single thing we could muster. \n\nWorse they made it look easy. Every missile we had. Every remote fighter craft. Our stealth rail gun installations got in a couple of hits before they took them out, but their ship just shrugged off hits that should have punched through a capital ship.\n\n\nWe. lost.\n\n\nOur entire planetary defense system failed to stop one little ship barely larger than a shuttle. \n\n\nAs I watch the small pockmarked ship land I wonder what they plan to do to us. All I can do now is to try to surrender and hope they aren’t completely heartless. \n\nThe ramp descends and a tall thin man exits. \n\nHe looks annoyed. \n\nI open my mouth to speak but he interrupts. \n“What is wrong with you idiots!?! Do you have a death wish or something? It was all I could do to talk Meta out of leveling your whole city. All we want is to buy some fuel and stock up on supplies. Do you think you can manage that or do you want to keep shooting?”\n\n\n“Buy?” I stammered. “But you… you’re Deathworlders”.\n\n“Yeah, we’re from Pyrrhus” The thin man said. “Good thing too, or we’d be dead right about now. “\n\n“Pyrrus?, but don’t Deathworlders enslave whole colonies? “\n\n\n\nAt that moment a half dozen antipersonnel drones swooped in headed right for him. \nI never saw him draw, but suddenly there was a booming gun in his hand. The next moment the gun was gone and what was left of the drones rained down around us. \n\nThe thin man shook his head and extended his now empty hand. \n“I’m Jason dinAlt. I think we’ve got off on the wrong foot here. I’m not sure what Deathworlders you’re looking talking about but we aren’t enslaving anyone.”\n\nI numbly shook his hand, and winced at the power in his grip. \n\n“ If you can call off the morons who keep trying to kill us for a minute and find something to drink we can get this sorted out.” \n\n\n\n\nFor those unfamiliar, looks up Deathworld and The ethical engineer by the late great Harry Harrison.\n\nP.s. this was typed buy a guy with big fingers on a small phone while riding as passenger on a road trip. Be merciful."
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[WP] 10 years ago your best friend, the chosen hero, sacrificed himself by closing the gate to hell from the inside. Today the gate is opening again, but what you see on the other side leaves you speechless.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"His legs first, *we used to run together for long periods of time until our legs would collapse*, then his hands, *we would go air softing and i can remember seeing his small fingers gripped around the trigger of the gun*, his chest, *I can still feel his heartbeat when I first hugged him*, then his face, *his face slowly fell back into the darkness as i heard is voice one last time say, “It’s fine”*. Now he’s back, after all these years he’s finally back. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw his slow, stumble-walk grow close to me. I ran up to him, the feeling of that run was the same as before. It was always like I was running for him, not with him. I grew closer and closer to him as tears formed in my eyes. I opened my arms and ran into him, tightly squeezing him. My chin lay over his warm shoulder as I opened my eyes to take a glance at the gate. The very first time I saw it there was a red glow coming from it, but it was totally black. Now as I look at it there’s a blue color and it is totally white, almost like he made hell heaven. He pushes me away, grabs my hands and stares me in the eyes. His blue eyes sparkled and warmed my mind and heart. He squeezed my hands said, “Wake up, Jess.”"
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[WP] A pair of twins separated at birth had the same superpower, where their bodies changed depending on how they were treated by others. One became the most popular, powerful and beautiful superhero, the other a grotesque dangerous monster.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Slime dripped from the ceiling as Ava made her way through the winding cave passage. The floor was slippery and slick. She could put a hand on the wall to try to steady herself, but that was covered in ooze, too.\n\nHer abilities were many and ranged from godlike powers to cosmetic quirks. Flight, super strength, a body that would never age, hair that always stayed in place, plump cherry lips that had kissed hundreds of men and made hundreds more cry. All of them enviable. All of them waning as she approached her twin.\n\nShe knew she was nearing her twin from the way her body suffered. Her face grew wrinkled, cheeks sagging until they formed long jowls. Her ability to hover faded and her legs buckled the moment they met the ground, weak from decades of disuse. Her latex catsuit stretched and tore as her body grew soft, round, and heavy. By the gods, how long had it been since she'd started gorging herself at mealtime to show off her unchanging slim form? She wasn't sure.\n\nThere was a sadness in her heart as she trudged through the dank network of caves. No matter how weak and sickly she was without her powers, it paled in what she discovered had happened to her twin sister. It was Anna, not her, who had become so broken and abused by society that her powers twisted her form into something vile and subhuman. It was Anna who had grown into something so awful that she'd moved into the Bog Caves to live among monsterfolk. \n\nAnd it was Ava who couldn't let that abide.\n\n*I have to make things right,* thought Ava. *It is my duty.*\n\nFinally the tunnel opened up into a large underground cavern filled with mud huts and magical wisps of fire. Slithering about the ramshackle village were undulating creatures made of the same slime that coated the walls.\n\n*Not beings,* Ava reminded herself. *Creatures.*\n\n*\"*Anna!\" she shouted as she lumbered through the village, getting the attention of every gooey head in view. \"Show yourself!\"\n\n\"I'm here.\"\n\nA woman walked out of one of the nearby huts cradling what looked like a wiggling lump of peat and sludge close to her naked chest. Ava froze. Was this her sister? No, it couldn't be. She looked healthy. Strong. Her face, though aged, had a radiant smile, and her stance was sturdy on two muscular legs.\n\n\"Who are you?\" asked Ava.\n\n\"I am the sister you have been seeking,\" said Anna, staring at Ava with an identical set of grey eyes.\n\n\"Then I am here to save you,\" said Ava. \n\n\"I don't wish to be saved,\" said Anna. \"And even if I did, I cannot abandon my family.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" asked Ava. Anna gestured with her arm to the ball of slime in her arms.\n\n\"My grandson,\" she said. \"If I leave, nobody will be there to take care of him when his parents go out to hunt.\"\n\n\"The abuse has twisted your mind more than your body,\" Ava frowned. \"That is no child. That is a *Muckling.*\"\n\n\"As are my children, and as is my husband, and as am I,\" she said, \"Though your presence changes my form quite considerably.\"\n\n\"Do you mean to tell me you have rejected your humanity?\"\n\n\"It was humanity who rejected me first.\"\n\nAva shook her heavy head. \n\n\"You are ill,\" she said.\n\n\"Am I?\" Anna asked. \"You are the one who is struggling to hold up your body.\"\n\n\"If I am ill, then you are *mad,*\" Ava said.\n\n\"If happiness is madness, then I am quite content with my insanity.\"\n\n\"Enough!\" Ava spat. \"I am through with you. You care to do nothing but spread filth!\"\n\n\"I could say the same for you.\"\n\nDespite Ava's returning strength, the caves seemed much colder on her way out.\n\n*For more weirdness, check out* r/OctOpusTales *!*",
"My consciousness are fading in and out, but I kept walking until I reach the park nearby when my legs gave out. I lean my back on a tree and asses my wounds. The injuries are too severe even for my enhanced healing. I cant even move my remaining arm to remove the spears and arrows sticking out of my body. I chuckled weakly. At least my twin sister is safe. \n\nAs my breathing becomes shallower, I remember the revelation that lead to this moment. I just returned to the Dark Tower when I overheard the Dark Seer Maia conversation with the other Villain Lords. They are moving their forces today to deal with the Defenders once and for all. Their main objective is to kill Lady Spectra and her parents, The Commander and Silver Sable, the world renown Icon of the Defenders and what they represent; Justice and Order. \n\nDark Seer Maia revealed that long ago, she has tried to killed them when they are at their most vulnerable, the birth of Lady Spectra. She attacked the hospital and found out the Commander and Silver Sable had twins, a daughter and a son. As the hospital burned down, the Duo managed to save their daughter and cried in vain as their son was consumed by flames and rubbles. \n\nThat son is me. Badly burnt, Maia rescued me from death, not due the kindness of her heart, but in getting a new pawn and weapon. She figured out that me and my twin has the same power, our bodies changing depending on how we are treated by others. As my twin sister lived a happy live filled with love and light, Maia made sure I was filled with hatred and darkness. Daily torture, fighting and killing just for a scrap of food until I eventually became this massive, grotesque monster. The Undercity Horror they named me, and I do Maia's bidding without question. \n\nMaia didn't account for the Familial Bond between me and my twin sister, however. When we first clashed on the Dock so many years ago, I felt a stirring in my heart. After that, every-time we met or fought, my heart and my head started feeling lighter, like a dark cloud that was slowly dissipating. I think her overall positivity transferred out to me little by little, negating the darkness in me. It changed me too, I started to spare peoples and question my orders. \n\nAfter hearing the conversations, I rushed toward the City and right into a battlefield. It's an all out war. Several city blocks has been leveled and hundreds of civilians are injured. Both Defenders and Villains force attacked me as I force myself to where my twin sister and parents are fighting. The Defenders thought I was with the Villains force while the Villains must've had orders to stopped me, since I wasn't subtle when I left the Dark Tower. Can't exactly told them my intentions either, since I can only growl and screech. I took all their attacks and kept on moving. \n\nI arrived just in time to see the Villains force had pinned down the Trio, and preparing to finish them off with specialized magic enhanced arrows and spears. With no time to think, I rushed over and shielded them with my body. The barrage continued for a minute, but I manage to stopped all the attack. With no more specialized weapons in their arsenal, the Villains force started to falter, allowing the Trio to rally the Defenders and counter attack. \n\nI have so much to tell them, but i guess my time is up. I'm getting colder and colder, and the the darkness at the edge of my visions are creeping in. Heh, at least I did some good in this short live of mine. I smiled and closed my eyes, I'm so sleepy...",
"It is said that the eyes are the mirror of the soul, but for some people, special people, the whole body can be transformed by what is inside them.\r \nHumanity over the last 500 years has been shaped and reshaped by three great revolutions: The Industrial Revolution, the Superhuman Revolution and the Human Revolution.\r \nIf it was the Industrial Revolution that allowed humanity to enter modern times, lift hundreds of millions of people above the poverty line and bring a state of comfort and peace to the individual, or at least, to most individuals, the 2nd pushed humanity towards the abyss from which the 3rd had to lift it to what was only a dream for hundreds of years.\r \nIn 2103 people with supernatural powers began to appear. Some of them were full-grown adults who had developed an affinity for controlling certain elements (water, fire, air, electricity, etc.), followed by children (already born) and teenagers whose powers allowed flight, manipulation of certain alloy materials, and a supernatural connection to living organisms and biological mass. \r \nThat was the beginning of the Superhuman Revolution and one of the most unstable and uncertain periods in modern human history. People would wake up, go to bed or go to work seemingly normal, only to have bursts of various powers. Millions died in wars started by people driven by frustration, discontent or simply eager to \"conquer the world\" as they had only seen so far in soap operas and movies.\r \nAs these villains appeared, so did people eager to fight them for glory, wealth or driven by a sense of justice.\r \nThese were tumultuous years, the governments of the world were trying to adapt to these changes, the forces of law and order and the armies were overwhelmed, ordinary people were gripped by feelings of fear and dread for their lives and the lives of their loved ones.\r \nAs our world struggled to stabilize, an unforeseen event would lead to the 2nd Revolution, the twins Cain and Abel were born. \r \nGiven the nature of those times, much data and information has been lost, so we can only have an incomplete picture of their lives and upbringing. From the documents that have been found and saved, they were born on July 13, 2134, 31 years after the beginning of the Superhuman Revolution. The names of their biological parents do not appear in any of the documents still present, but given the amplitude of their powers, it is speculated that their parents would have been at least Class A users, born in the period immediately following the start of the Revolution.\r \nAbandoned at the St. Constantine and Helen orphanage, they were christened Cain and Abel. Ironically, I don't think anyone expected their existence to be marked by those very names.\r \nShortly after they entered the orphanage system, as young children, attempts were made to place them with foster families. Cain was adopted by a family of modest means, unable to have a child of their own, but according to existing documents, they passed all the necessary checks. \r \nFrom the data we have, it seems that they were not able to adopt Abel, and as time went by and he grew up, the potential parents began to stall, and he remained another child in the system.\r \nAs the years went by, Cain seemed to get the love and attention of his parents, vacations, sports, a normal but good education. Cain was a straight child of his adoptive parents, and this aspect has rubbed off on his personality, some would even say his soul. On the other side of the fence, Abel is stuck in a system that doesn't want its members, and those already there are touched by the trauma of abandonment, staff neglect and the struggles between them for the few resources available.\r \nAround the age of 10-11 their abilities began to manifest. Cain's parents seek the support of the Young Heroes Association, an association set up to provide guidance in the lives of children and adolescents discovering their powers. Cain's amazing abilities have been apparent since the beginning, from the power to cure people of every conceivable disease (including birth disabilities), to super-strength, super-sensory awareness, flight, telekinesis, energy manipulation, and the favor of nature (a sister ability to plant and animal control). He quickly became the star child of the association, gaining popularity and being guided by his parents and the education he received became over the course of his life one of, if not the, greatest hero and reformer of the system. \r \nOn the other side of the fence, Abel stuck in the state welfare system in a religious orphanage had a diametrically opposite experience. The beatings and the draconian style of upbringing of the teachers and superintendents left deep scars on his body and soul. We convey that around the same time as his brother he also began to manifest his powers, the difference being that although exhibiting the same set of abilities, Abel's favor of nature and ability to heal mutated and evolved in the opposite direction towards degradation.\r \nAnother notable difference was created by the behavior of the staff after the appearance of the powers, with members of the orphanage having a strong anti-superhuman sentiment driven by the view that people with powers would be influenced by the devil. These preconceptions led to its isolation from the general population of the institution and the establishment of a \"Program of Repentance”. A program consisting of prayers, starvation, and ritual beatings to liberate the soul of foul influences.\r \nAll the information found about Abel was retrieved from one of the diaries...well, from what remained of one of the diaries of a priest, a member of the staff. \r \n...\r \nYears passed, and as the situation seemed to stabilize in the world Abel emerged as one of the most powerful villains. Stories abound and the world was transfigured by the existence of the two.\r \nCain the superhero and Abel the villain, a god among men, adored and loved and a demon hated and monstrous. Their struggle changed both the human world and the planet forever.\r \nAs after every calamity comes rebuilding. The investigative process started after their deaths led to the Human Revolution. Based on the documents and information gathered, a reconstruction and reshaping of the educational system began. The individual and his or her well-being were placed at the center of the new society.",
"\\[Part 1\\]\n\nJames hung onto the building, looking out onto the burning city. In the middle, he saw his little sister screaming, ravaging the building around her. There was something different about her now, even since the last time he’d seen her. He flew down, attempting to calm her.\n\n“Anna, please, I love you, I always will. Just come with me.” James shouted.\n\n“Sadly, it doesn’t care about that. Sadly, though we both ended up in positive feedback loops, mine just happened to be negative.” Anna screamed at him, though he could hear her sadness too. Her skin had started blackening, her face had been deformed, her powers were well, horrible. She’d become a monster, and because of it, she became more of a monster every day.\n\nJames woke up in bed, covered in sweat. It was 5 AM. He threw the sheets off of him and walked to the kitchen. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he thought about the nightmare, the first nightmare he’d had in years. It was two days ago that he’d learned that the mysterious monster roaming the street was his sister, Anna. All he’d known about her was what his parents had told him, she had disappeared a week after she was born. James looked out over the city, it was dark, but everything seemed normal.\n\nJames had always been loved, he was naturally smart, charming and the more compliments he received, the more charming he got. He was 10 when his first “superpower” revealed itself. Apparently, People just really liked to tell him the truth. He was sitting in a restaurant with his dad, when suddenly, as the waiter was taking their order, he looked James in the eyes and started talking.\n\n“My biggest regret is not being there for my kids after Lisa’s death.” He said, tears welling up in his eyes. As James broke eye contact, the waiter started apologising, saying he didn’t know what came over him. At eighteen, he had become the perfect man. He had wondered about Anna, but he’d never come close to finding her, until now that is.\n\nHe was set to meet her at 10, in the Starbucks 2 blocks away. The wait had been excruciating and now with a few hours left, he’d grown more anxious as ever. As he was entering the shop at 9 AM, the shop was pretty empty, though there were still a few people that wanted to take a picture with him.\n\nHe sat himself down at the table in the back, hoping to avoid any more attention. At precisely 10, he saw a young woman enter the shop. her skin was grey, dusty almost. The skin was hanging loosely around her bones it seemed. She had a cap on, trying to hide her bald head underneath. Her eyes were beautiful, but sad, surrounded by large dark blue circles. She was shaking.\n\n“So, I heard you wanted to meet.” She said, smiling faintly."
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[WP] Modern History: Primer for Humans; Book 1: Prehistory and the Singularity; Book 2: The Crisis of Purpose; Book 3: Restoration of Non-Human Life; Book 4: The Great Debate; Book 5: The Conditional Restoration of Humanity
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Modern History: A Primer for Humans\n\n\\--Introduction--\n\nThe human race is a species of sentient creature whose leap from primal survival to technological and philosophical achievement is remarkable. More so than any other known race, humans have advanced in civilization class with admirable quickness relative to their primitive origins. This primer is intended to assist human beings in continuing their advancement when and if their restoration is approved. Below are brief synopses of each major section.\n\n\\--Book 1: Prehistory and the Singularity--\n\nNot long after developing computing machines, human beings began to grasp the fluid nature of time and space, allowing for deeper theoretical research into the beginnings of the universe. This beginning, known as the \"singularity,\" was the cosmic event which served as the catalyst of all life. It was caused by the collapse of an old universe, from which a mirror dimension had deteriorated. **The goal of interplanetary alliances is to prevent the deterioration of this reality.** \n\n\\--Book 2: The Crisis of Purpose--\n\nThe turning point for any intelligent species can be summed up by the question \"why?\" As a single-celled organism mutates and adopts advantageous traits for its survival, it will, if left unimpeded, develop to a post-survival level of thought, where curiosity and expression become larger pursuits than mere sustenance and survival. Humanity had developed complex philosophies, theologies, ethics, and idealisms which propelled their society forward. Unfortunately, that seeking of Truth had not adequately balanced curiosity and the value of life, ultimately leading to the decision to cripple their society. \n\n\\--Book 3: Restoration of Non-Human Life--\n\nHumanity's explorations of space and time travel proved to be detrimental to the natural ecosystems not only of their own planet, but of each and every planet they visited and subsequently claimed and colonized. The pursuit of power and domination competed with the pursuit of Truth to such a degree that their endeavors violated every ordinance of the United Galactic Council. The decision to curtail their progress and return them to a primitive society was quickly passed along with the provision that the ecosystems of the planets they decimated be restored and the non-human life of their own planet be allowed to re-populate.\n\n\\--Book 4: The Great Debate--\n\nThe young human race shows potential to be that society which solves the Great Problem. Unfortunately, they are also the society which proves to be the most likely to *cause* the deterioration of this reality. If the race can understand the quickly approaching annihilation of this dimension, they will be motivated to solve the problem. But, if the race is allowed to flourish without restraint, they might destroy the universe, and themselves, in the process. This latter hypothesis poses a problematic possibility: if humanity prevents the collapse of this universe but destroys all life inside of it, how many countless lives in the next dimension will have been prevented from springing forth? Is a middle path possible? \n\n\\--Book 5: The Conditional Restoration of Humanity--\n\nAn observed trial is currently underway on the planet Earth, where an engineered virus was planted to discern the cooperative capacity of the human race. If the humans achieve global cooperation and embrace selfless sacrifice in the name of life, they will be allowed to continue this cycle of their human development forward, including as members of the United Galactic Council. If, however, they fail to act with empathetic and selfless action, the virus will be allowed to flourish and mutate until their kind is reduced once more to primal status."
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[WP] Batman goes undercover as a clown to foil the Joker's latest plot, it turns out that he is objectively a better clown than the Joker.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"All clowns are suffering inside.\n\nAlthough a common saying, I know it to be true. The Clown Prince of Crime said so himself, in the burning remnants of the Monarch Theater. That was the day when the last of the Three Jokers remained standing. He said it hurt to laugh. I know what it means to suffer. Physically every night. Mentally every moment since I was eight. Psychologically, when I know that there is so much more work to be done. For the mission is never over. The oath upon my parents' grave is never fulfilled.\n\nIn my years of training around the world and in gaining experience from continuing the mission, I have amassed every skill needed to to fight crime. This included showmanship, deception and escapology by Giovanni Zatara. Disguise from Selina. And yes - even comedy from my Robins.\n\nI've infiltrated Amusement Mile as another henchman. I'm to supposedly create a distraction towards the GCPD so that the Joker have the time could place even more bombs across Gotham.\n\nWith my disguise complete and we're currently travelling to Gotham Square in the middle of the April Fools' Festival, The Family is waiting at the preset locations to defuse the bombs. Hopefully, it will never come to that. With my routine, I'm hoping that I can keep the Joker mesmerised by my comedy routine. He'll probably try to blow my head off with that flag gun if he feels like I'm upstaging him. I can probably turn that to my advantage, and improve a gag out of that. He's got a bruised ego, and also needs to get some new material.\n\nAfter all, the Joker's just a failed standup artist and a failed stickup artist.\n\nAnd I can do stunts. I've learned to suffer.",
"The cheers of the crowd were objectively eery. There was something wrong with how they were laughing at this abnormally tall clown -was he wearing stilts, or was it merely the way he was standing? \n\nIt was surreal to experience the wave of laughter in the hall, after the clown's manoeuvres. Was it something he said? He never seemed to talk. Was it something he was doing? Not at all. He was seemingly eliciting the audience's laughter, by doing nothing. There was no reason to laugh when the clown stepped to the side, yet everyone did. Nothing was funny when he stood tall with his back to the audience, but one could feel the moisture rise in the room from the people tearing up. He had already mesmerized the crowd, and they erupted in collective laughter as the clown was launched into the air. The room became brighter as they watched him perform his salto, and land on a platform, foot first into the chest of the purple-dressed gentleman. Who fell, his hair flying first, into the rope hold. Hanging from the platform, like a fish. Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA\n\nAs he became once again the center of everyone's attention, something awakened in him. *Must. Stop. Him.* Alas, it was too late, because once more He did the unexpected. The dark boots filling his perception, he was brought to realize the source of his despair: Batman had outdone him.\n\n----\n\nEdit: Hey, this is my first answer to a prompt. Feedback is welcome!"
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[WP] She's a pyromaniac arsonist who wants to burn the whole corrupt system down, and he's a fake knight on the run from the law; they don't like each other, but they have to work together to survive.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"\"I am going to \\*kill you\\*.\"\r \n\r \n\r \nHihzra spat the words like venom, her teeth clenched together so hard she felt as if her jaw might crack. \r \n\r \n\r \nShe lay on her belly in the gutter beside the trader's road, dead leaves and twigs clinging to her body, her shorn head bleeding from the cuts she’d gotten when the Nevaneim soldiers had cropped it uncaringly and embarrassingly close. Her clothes were soaked through with filthy water from the rain that had fallen two days ago. \r \n\r \n\r \nShe didn't look respectable at all. She was well aware that she did \\*not\\* look like the Open Eye of the Miraszchin Clan, although that was what she was. Whatever that meant, now that the remnants had scattered to the other Szchin Clans.\r \n\r \n\r \nShe looked like a sewer rat after a hard day, and the only thing that made her feel at all at peace about it was the fact that the man lying next to her somehow looked worse.\r \n\r \n\r \nShe knew him as Ser Faust, although (as she had recently learned), the 'Ser' was a matter of some debate. She didn't know much about the way Kimaerin governed their people, but she knew they had knights, and that pretending to be one was a dire offense. \\*That\\* much was obvious from the fact that he was \\*here\\*, lying in a gutter, bound to her at the wrist by six feet of enchanted chain.\r \n\r \n\r \nHe was taller than her by two full heads, lean and muscular, and covered in black and white fur. She’d thought he was a dogfolk, the first time she’d seen him, given the shape of his face-- but dogfolk didn’t have ears like deer, or goat horns poking out of a mop of lank white hair. \r \n\r \n\r \nThey also didn’t have tails that ended in the head of a snake that sometimes hissed muffled obscenities through a thick layer of cloth bindings. No, he was definitely Kimaerin, and that in itself wouldn’t have made her hate him, normally, except that the Kimaerin had recently allied themselves with the Empire.\r \n\r \n\r \nAlso, he had tried to stop her from setting the encampment on fire, and then gotten her captured, too. So, even if he \\*wasn’t\\* a real knight, she hated him. \r \n\r \n\r \nHe seemed to share the sentiment; he glared at her with hostile green eyes, ears pinned back. His fur was a mess, dirty and matted and missing patches. He looked ridiculous.\r \n\r \n\r \n“Not if I kill you first,” he snarled back, savage and furious, but also quiet, which was good because there were soldiers looking for them both. “What’s the \\*matter\\* with you?!”\r \n\r \n\r \nThere were better, more pressing matters to attend to than arguing, but Hihzra couldn’t stop herself from bristling up. Her mother had told her she had a fire stoking in her heart, ready to burn everything at a moment’s notice. It was why the Open Eye of her Clan had made her \\*kirzakanin\\*, her blood-and-magic-ink tattoo, in the shape of a salamandyr, who carried around bellies full of coals. \r \n\r \n\r \nHis name was Zhadin, which meant \\*inferno\\*, and she could feel him stirring to life on her chest as her temper flared.\r \n\r \n\r \n“Me?!” She hissed back. “You’re the idiot who almost got us captured, \\*again\\*, before we even got out of the camp!” The only reason she had dragged him along was because they were quite literally chained together. “Why were you screaming like that?!”\r \n\r \n\r \n“I was trying to stop \\*you\\*,” he ground out. He leaned closer, lips pulled back over his sharp teeth. “They’d have rewarded me for turning you in. I might have gotten to go \\*home\\*.” He looked away and hissed out a breath. “Now they’ll think I’m part of your stupid escape plan.”\r \n\r \n\r \nShe said something rude in Szchinet, which he very likely didn’t understand. He said something back in Kimaer, which \\*she\\* didn’t know. It rankled that the only language they \\*both\\* knew was Nevanese. It tasted like bile whenever she spoke in it.\r \n\r \n\r \n“You’re stupid,” she told him. “They were never going to let you go. Did you miss the part where you were a prisoner of war?”\r \n\r \n\r \nHe looked offended. “I was never-- I was not a \\*prisoner\\*, I was--”\r \n\r \n\r \n“No better than,” she rumbled. “They treated you the same as me.”\r \n\r \n\r \nHe inhaled sharply. “I was paying the tax for my people,” he told her roughly. “I am \\*nothing\\* like you, you-- fire-starting maniac! I should drag you back right now!” He started to stand. \r \n\r \n\r \nHihzra lunged and seized him by the neck with both arms, dragging him back down. “Lie \\*still\\*,” she whispered. He struggled for a good few seconds, before he managed to pull his head out of his ass and actually hear the sound of clanking armor rushing down the road. Just in case, though, she made sure to shove his muzzle into the dirt. Just for good measure.\r \n\r \n\r \nCautiously, once she was certain Faust wasn’t about to start flailing again, she peeked above the top of the ditch.\r \n\r \n\r \nThe soldiers might have been panicked a short time ago (when Hihzra had distracted them by setting one of their leader’s coats on fire, and then shoved him into a tent full of lumber so that the flames would spread) but they had apparently regrouped, and were now marching smartly in formation down the road.\r \n\r \n\r \nThey were all nalfir, tall and imposing, with long pointed ears, narrow faces, and blue fur with distinct markings in white, black, and grey. Each of them wore the uniform of the Nevanese Army. Three archers, a pair of swordsmen, and a man in a singed, soot-stained captain’s uniform.\r \n\r \n\r \nThey had a pair of scentdrakes ahead of them, eyeless heads near the ground as they sniffed and snorted, pulling so hard against their leads that their thick collars strained to hold them back. \r \n\r \n\r \nAll in all, it wasn’t good news.",
"**The Knight and the Flame**\n\n\"You're no lord's daughter, are ya?\"\n\n\"Are your ears clogged with sand, or what? I already told you I'm an orphan. Stop hounding me with that nonsense.\"\n\nAs the village burned bright behind them, Joberth thought of the oath he had given to his mother. \"I will return a knight,\" he'd said, \"or I won't return at all.\"\n\nHe had seen the smoke from a distance and at once he broke his promise. But when he arrived their home already lay in ashes, the fire having eaten all that would burn. Still he wasn't sure whether that included his mother, but he thought it might.\n\nJoberth caught Wanessah fanning the flames with her trousers and she was cackling like a forest witch. \"Rise!\" she screamed in the tone of a wild boar possessed by demons. \"Rise!\"\n\nThe smoke must have gotten down her lungs, for she fell mid-ecstasy and she didn't wake until late at night. \n\nJoberth's stolen horse clopped down the paved road to the citadel as grasshoppers sang and owls hooted. If her soot-covered face proved to be of little evidence, her words would surely damn her for she seemed to be proud of what she had done. Setting a village aflame. Women and children boiling in their own blood. The devil himself would shudder at the sight.\n\nThere was a bulge in her shirt pocket, possibly containing some coins. But whatever wealth she had it was hers. Joberth had no interest in it. The girl would pay her price and whatever money she had it would not be enough.\n\n\"Just have your way with me and slit my throat already,\" said Wanessah. \"I'm getting bored and the fire's dying out.\" She turned her head to stare up at him from her position slumped on her stomach over his lap. Her hands were bound and now Joberth regretted that he hadn't gagged her as well.\n\n\"You will answer to your crimes,\" said Joberth, \"in front of the Imperial Tribunal.\"\n\n\"There rides another,\" said a voice in the darkness in front of them and Joberth hurriedly pulled on the reins. The horse whinnied a complaint and stamped the ground.\n\n\"Who goes there?\" said Joberth. He had hoped the robbers would all descend on the burning village for loot. With no weapons besides a dagger engraved with the initials of a father he never knew, he didn't like his odds.\n\n\"Set fire to the beechwood and the worms come crawling out. Right as rain, Sir Hargrave. Right as rain.\" A different voice from the one before it. Joberth felt his heart quicken.\n\n\"Answer me,\" he said. \"Who are you?\"\n\nFrom the trots he could tell there was at least two horses, but he didn't know how many men. Robbers tended to group together like a pack of wolves and attack only when their prey were outnumbered. It was a cowardly tactic, but effective.\n\nThe men laughed. \"We are a pair of fat pigeons and we wouldn't mind a roasted worm,\" said the first of them. As he approached from the cover of darkness, he glanced over at Wannesah. \"Or two.\"\n\n\"A pantless pauper. Fancy that, Sir Hargrave.\"\n\nThey exchanged looks and from their armor Joberth could see they were in the employ of the King. Silver decorations reflecting the moon. Red-and-purple patchworks under their asses with Royal embroidering. But from their words they had not the manners of gallant knights.\n\n\"Surely the man's riding to offer his lord the right of the first night. Perhaps he'll even land a bag of oats as a sign of appreciation! But you shouldn't have undressed your bride so soon, little worm. This far from the citadel it's rather the right of the first *knights*.\"\n\n\"Them are us,\" said the other, unsheathing his sword. \"We're knights and we're here to claim our rights.\"\n\n\"Are you knights or are you pigeons? I can forgive some threats of murder and rape but at least have some consistency.\" Wanessah seemed no more than mildly amused at the danger before them. Quietly, Joberth cursed her depravity.\n\n\"Halt!\" cried Joberth. \"You are mistaken. This wench is not my wife. She has committed arson, burning my home village to the ground. Look past the horizon and you will see the smoke. I am on my way to deliver her to the proper authorities.\"\n\nA frog passed before them, in no apparent hurry.\n\n\"You hear that, Sir Hargrave?\"\n\n\"I hear it, Sir Lornsmith. It seems we have made fools of ourselves. We beg your forgiveness, Sir ...\"\n\n\"Joberth,\" he blurted out. \"Joberth of Rivercross.\"\n\n\"You can rest easy, my good sir, for we will transport the maiden—nay, the *wench*—to her proper place.\"\n\nJoberth felt a pang of guilt. Though they were Royal knights, it was clear they were men through and through. Wanessah would receive her punishment, and more. And there was also the matter of his reward. He fancied there was a chance of knighthood with him delivering a despicable arsonist to the blessed hands of the throne. If these men thieved his glory, would he ever have a chance like this again?\n\n\"Thank you for your kind offer, good sirs,\" he said. \"But I will not burden you with this quest. If you will excuse me I shall be continuing on my journey. Grace be with you both.\"\n\nThe men looked at one another and it was not a sight Joberth cared to see. One of them, Sir Hargrave, got off his horse and he drew his sword in an elegant and swift motion. \"This is a fine steed, Sir Joberth. I wouldn't expect to see its owner dressed in such tattered rags. Might it be that you have perchance ... borrowed it?\"\n\nJoberth swallowed his saliva. \"It belongs to my father,\" he said. \"With the farm in ashes, there's not much use to a workhorse, is there? So he let me bring it with me so that I can put this runt to justice.\" He patted Wanessah's back and she let out a grunt.\n\n\"A lowborn such as yourself can't tell a horse that draws carriages from one that draws ploughs?\" Wanessah erupted with laughter. \"You really thought they'd buy a stupid lie like that? As dumb as they look they have eyes, you know.\"\n\nSir Hargrave joined her in laughter. \"There's fire to this wench,\" he said. \"I have a feeling she'll set my crotch ablaze. And if not at once, then later as I'm having a piss.\" Sir Lornsworth howled from the seat of his horse, as the other walked up to her and studied her face. \"Even her eyes are red,\" he said, amazed. \"We can market her as Lady Ruby at the brothel and she'll fetch us a fortune!\"\n\n\"Oh, they are not truly red,\" said Wanessah.\n\n\"They are not?\" said Hargrave, in apparent confusion.\n\n\"They only appear that way on account of the blood.\"\n\n\"What blood?\" said Sir Hargrave and as he said so Wanessah lifted her head and freed Joberth's dagger with her teeth before stabbing it in Sir Hargrave's throat. His blood splattered over them and the horse rose on its hind legs, frightened.\n\nWanessah dropped to the ground like a sack of turnips and cut her left cheek open on the dagger. Clutching his gushing wound with his left hand, Sir Hargrave held his sword at her with his right. Joberth leapt off his horse and picked up his dagger. \"Fall back,\" he said.\n\nHe had come to a decision. Though he may not be a knight in truth, he could act as one in spirit. Not even the lowest of the low deserved the kind of justice one gets in the side of the road. This was a matter for the Court, and Joberth would see to it that there it would be settled.\n\nCalm as if stopping to refill on water, Sir Lornsworth got off his horse. \"You're bleeding like a pig, Sir Hargrave. So much the better. It would be a hassle to split the prize two ways.\" In one rapid motion he lopped off Sir Hargrave's head. As his lifeless body tumbled to the ground, Joberth staggered back.\n\nTBC",
"He stuck his sword on to the ground beside his leather boot. A tinge of fear and excitement danced in his emerald eyes as he watched the capital building burning from a distance. His emotions are in such a flurry, that the unruly woman he held over his shoulder became nonexistent. All it took was a stiff knee to the forehead, for the young mercenary to release the woman.\n\n\"Ugh! What the hell! I saved your life, you know?\" He exclaimed.\n\n\"My life did not need saving. Especially from a lowly mercenary like you.\"\n\n\"Oi! I'm part of the Knights of Hendricks. Not a-\"\n\n\"Spare me your flaccid lies, merc. I know what you are, a sellsword by any other name.\"\n\n\"Alright. So what if I am not a knight? The least you can do is thank me. If I wasn't there... The calvary would have gotten you.\"\n\n\"You just do not get it, do you? I did what I did to send a message. My life is worth less than my coup.\"\n\n\"Ugh. You're one of those reconstructionists aren't you? Look, I'm all for dying for a cause you believe in but what you did was insane. Especially for a reconstructionist.\"\n\n\"I do not have to explain myself further to you. Be thankful I do not fling a fireball to your face.\"\n\n\"Oh, you have such a way with words. Please tell me more. Are you gonna blow me up like you did to the capital?\" The venom that seeped through the mercenaries' words are equal to the cobras of the Gran Jungle. His patience for the woman begin to wane thin.\n\nAn arrow from a distance struck a tree within arms reach of the woman. The true Knights of Hendricks are coming, and they can not stick around much longer. He picked up his sword and got into a readied stance.\n\n\"Where are they? The knights.\"\n\n\"They are coming from the south. Down the path.\"\n\n\"We'll lose them in the forest up ahead.\"\n\n\"Fine, just lead the way. I got my shield to cover you.\"\n\nTheir intertwined fates, threaded like an intricate silk web, has forced them to cooperate. The mercenary kept his peeled at the rear while the woman push ahead. As much as she despised him, she had to repay the favor for being saved. If it were not for her terrorist act, the mercenary would be on trial. They could not be separated now, especially after all of the chaos that unfolded that day. A day now dubbed the Royal Hendricks Massacre."
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[WP] Tired of superheroes trashing the town to save the world, when a new villain emerges, the mayor turns to you. You don’t have a superpower like the rest, just the unwavering ability to listen, empathise, and accept others for who they are.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It's been years since I last had a call in the middle of the night. I wasn't asleep, I rarely am at despite how late it is, but it was still a surprise. As I pick up the phone, a familiar and stressed voice came through. \n\n\"I finally got a hold of you! We need your help, an AG is causing mayhem in the square!!\" The voice belonged to a man. Younger sounding than I expected and so uncertain. \nI recall the recent election results were staggering. The young candidate won a narrow victory won after our last mayor decided it was time for her to retire. \n\n\"An AG? That's what we're calling the Augmented now? Though that name didn't really fit either....\" I started to trail off. My mind wandered for a moment, back to when we first recognized a group of individuals who had developed powers not unlike a popular comic series. \n\n\"What?\" \n\n\"Augmented implies the changes were deliberate, they were closer to a new evolution or race.\"\n\n\"Does that matter now right now??\" Cried the mayor. \"Please. We sent in our own team but this AG, th-they don't seem to be slowed down or fazed by them. We already sent Charon your way. Seemed reluctant to 'bother' you because of your retirement, but we knew you'd help.\"\n\nMy heart warmed at the name. An old friend and a great drinking buddy, ex-villian turned public servant. Though, the nickname was a bit on the nose. Charon could teleport was our simply way of saying it. He states that he actually moves folks from one plane to the next and back, something about time or space not measured the same. He \"ferries\" himself, others, things across. Little limits to size and no side effects. \n\nHis entrance caused a mild shift in... well, everything. It was annoying and welcome as the air gushed through his portal, my papers scattered, a couple of posters and picture frames moved and his rumpled face on my shirt rustled. Charon noticed and was forced to contain his laughter and I told our new mayor, \"I guess my ride is here. I'll get the details as I get ready\" and hastily disconnected the line. Just in time as he bellowed a good belly chuckle at my fan-base swag. \n\nI let him have his fun for a bit as I started to shuffle across the room, looking for the usual. Cell, keys, wallet and the snack I had in the room. \n\"New mayor is a bit forward\", I stated grabbing a notebook and pen and tossing them into a small bag. \n\"Who is causing a bit of ruckus in the town?\"\n\n\"An out of towner, hero from a bigger city, I think. Or at least was trying to be from the shouting I heard. It was a bit hard to get them to listen after our task force went in. \" Charon recounted. \n\n\"They alright?\" \n\n\"Yes, I think so. Our 'target' still hasn't been identified so our team was there to just mitigate damage and establish the motive or need or demand before things got... weird...\" \nCharon and I had see quite a bit, so our definition of weird is skewed. \n\"Oh? How so, and I'm ready to go.\"\n\n\"Team went in as we trained. Slowly approached, let them know we wanted to help and we all had one Augmentation or another. Things were going well, the person seemed to understand, but was a bit concerned with how many of us there were. Those who could stepped back, ready to help if needed. 'Voice' stepped up and did their thing. Got to talking, using her powers to make the sound travel better without getting to close and others listening in to a private conversation. Every thing was fine until the mayor showed up. Didn't say a damned word before... well... before we ALL started hearing 'Voice.'\"\n\nWe stepped through the portal and out into a chaotic street. Things were melted, others crushed or frozen. Barriers erected by another Augmentation but built too tall, unrefined. Water spraying from a hydrant or a broken pipe somewhere collecting into pools or getting suspended in midair. All of the task force had a different Augmentation for most situations. Most situations were natural disasters or unexpectedaccidents, powers to help with evacuations, keep people comfortable and safe. The last time any of them used their powers for destruction was before they joined they squad. \n\nCharon shuddered and looked at the madness around him. He almost seemed afraid. \n\"You okay?\" I asked\n\"I will be. It's uncomfortable seeing all this senseless destruction... it's too familiar. But there is a small comfort.\" A small and smug smile forced down his discomfort. \"Any guesses Sherlock?\"\n\n\"Ha ha.. \" I replied dryly. He knew he was my favorite character, but I still looked intently at my surroundings. It was the work of our old team, but Charon was right. Something was off. It was unrefined and didn't have our years of practice. It was too random and uncertain. Like an sudden outburst of rage or uncontrollable surge.\n\"Their abilities went... haywire?\" \nCharon solemly nodded. \"That's a good nickname for our guy. But yeah... Most of the team got shocked with the first wave of Voice's ability. Those who went into to help her stop lost control next. It looked as if Haywire noticed and the radius in which we got affected grew and the team spend their time directing their abilities away from everyone. Mayor's gonna not like the property damage, but no one was hurt besides our pride and the suspect ran off.\" \n\nI took some small notes, it was interesting but didn't tell me a lot about our person of interest. \n\"Let's get to walking then. I'm sure they didn't go too far or else we would have seen more outbursts from other folk. And the Mayor getting a huge bill is kind of its own initiation.\" I jested. \nWe walked, joked around, catching up on our own personal lives. Bringing up embarrassing memories of when Charon was throwing the old team of Heroes into the city itself like it was a judo match. \n\"I was desperate! My family needed me and no one wants to hire a 'demon with powers to hell!' Plus, those heros ran headfirst into anything I used to defend myself. Wasn't my my intention to cannon them into a building as they exited.\" After an hour and a half of nothing happening except outside of our talking we heard an ugly sneeze. The kind where your nose is irritated and suppressing it didn't work. Charon looked calmly. \"Ah. That's 'em. \" His cell buzzed, probably got some new important directions or info on our 'target'. \n\n\"Suni Glyne: she/they. Age 32, musician, tutor and night shift chemist or something.\" He read\n\n\"Okay, interesting but not super helpful.\" I awkwardly wave. \n\n\"Not much on her. She doesn't have a lot of online presence, nothing illegal, nothing terribly interesting in the news or work history... still scrolling.. aaaand born in, oooh?\" \n\nHer eyes lit up and Charon started to look cold. I think his portals were starting to go funky. He took a few steps back to try to alleviate the uncontrollable feeling before he finished his sentence. \n\"She's sworn venengance on our new mayor.\"",
"Once upon a time i thought that all i need to do to stop a supervillian was to talk to them.\n\nThen the Supervillian laughed and made me watch as he slowly killed every man, woman and child, one by one in my city, starting with the mayor who thought I, a normal therapist, could talk down Zarvador, Murder-Emperor of the Mole People.\n\nLuckily he didn't get very far before the heroes came. And yes, the fight was destructive; it turns out heroes try to limit the damage, but of course the super villians, being... you know, bad guys, didn't care about the lives of innocents or property.\n\nAfterwards, ti was calucated that they prevented the Entire State of Montana from being abandoned to Zarvador as well as the deaths.\n\nLook, i'm not saying that Therpay and talking to people doesn't help... but as someone who's life was saved by heroes i know that not everyone can be talked down, nor are all villians capable of reciving or even desiring help - Mark Harris, Excerpt from *Dealing with Supervillians*"
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[WP] The water isn't holy anymore.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"There is a simple purity in belief. No questioning and analysis and evaluation, just an open heart and an open mind in the awakening awareness of a child. Butterflies and snowflakes and God fill the soul of a child as she becomes aware of a reality beyond herself. \n\n \nBut awareness creates language, and language gives rise to lies, and lies are the first seeds of corruption. \n\nThe first lies remembered were taught in school, of course, in history, obviously. The famous Lost Colony of Roanoke and Virginia Dare. Even at eight she thought it obvious they had gone to live with the Croatan. Slavery, Indians, Manifest Destiny, Gunboat Diplomacy all raised questions that drew increasingly annoyed answers. Still, she had an inchoate grasp, common in children, that adults thought they lied from love. “I guess they have to tell us that so we don’t …” what? worry? get scared? As I said, inchoate. \n\nGrammar and spelling were fun little puzzles and reading was great. But she wasn’t a “he”, no matter what the teachers said and don’t get her started on Dickens. Geography was no better than history. Biology opened her heart again, for a while, as did chemistry and physics, but each had an assumption here, a slant there, and all the underlying motif of that which could not be defined by the discipline did not exist. \r\n\nMystery inspired rejection, not awe. The deepest lie.\r \n\nBut then, math. The simple purity of 1 + 1 = 2 leading inexorably to sequences and functions that illuminate the fundamental structure and functioning of the universe. Mystery inspiring awe and the search for a deeper, a complete, understanding. Her heart and mind again opened in joy.\r\n\nBut proofs replaced belief, and while that is good, the water isn’t holy anymore.",
"It was a day much like any other. Wake up, say the morning prayer, exercise, eat, then off to work. Investigate signs of fiendish activity, spread the good word, punish the wicked. At least, that was how it was meant to go.\n\nThere had been reports of a major possession. A small town had gone dark, contact lost. When investigated, it became clear that it wasn't the usual conversion of those in power. Rather, the entire population, down to the animals, had been taken over by a demon. Devils walked freely in the streets. Even the Deacon had been taken over, a foul corruption of a pure soul.\n\nI was dispatched with a few of my Brothers, of the Inquisition. We would root out this problem. We took with us a tanker, filled to the brim with blessed water. Its holy radiance would prove their undoing. For whilst their hosts were unharmed, such divine liquid would burn the demons like acid.\n\nWhen we arrived, it was worse than we thought. The reports were accurate, though failed to specify the unholy growth permeating the town. Tendrils of beating flesh grew like vines, covering buildings and wrapping over signs. A foul stench filled the air, the smell of rot and decay.\n\nWe took a moment to pray, to bring God's wrath with us. With His light behind us, we stepped forth. Though He never spoke, it was clear that He was there. Together we clasped our hands, before splitting to deliver judgement.\n\nWe plowed towards the heart of the town. We sought the most corrupted point, to cleanse it first and weaken the rest. As we charged, demons and devils alike watched us go, making no move to stop us. It was obvious to us they feared our presence.\n\nWe found the focal point. In the towns centre, a black pentagram was burnt into the ground. It contained a putrid mass, beating in time with the tendrils that spread throughout the town. Chains of rusted metal held it to the ground, spiked links cutting into the fleshly grow, spilling blood.\n\nTogether, we released the Holy water. It shot out, striking true at the corrupted core. But to our shock, it did not burn. It ran off with no effect, spilling onto the ground, mixing with the ever present blood.\n\nA scraping laugh answered our stunned silence. It was a cruel laugh, mocking us as it sounded. The growth shuddered, before splitting apart. Emerging from its cocoon of flesh, came a terrible visage.\n\nIt was a being of enormous proportions, standing near three stories tall. It's skin was red, were it was not pierced with bones from its overgrown skeleton. It stood on two furred legs, ending in burning hooves. It's arms were thick and muscled, with an additional joint in each. One hand held a limp body, the other a brutal axe\n\nBut it's head was most striking. The skin wore away, leaving a blood-soaked skull and muscles. Two horns curled over its head, forming a perverse crown. It's eyes were filled with cunning and madness, with no hint of mercy.\n\n\"You have failed, pathetic Inquisitors.\"\n\n\"How? How can you withstand the might of God?!\"\n\nMy shout returned, filled with anger. My Brothers gave me a look of warning, but I ignored them.\n\n\"How brave, for you to shout at me. I will answer your question, for it matters not.\"\n\nIt threw the body towards me, grinning.\n\n\"The water isn't holy anymore.\"\n\nI glanced at the body, before glaring at the monster before me. I pulled out my mace, filling it with my righteous fury.\n\n\"You speak in riddles!\"\n\nIt laughed again, taking a step towards me. The ground shook under its weight, the tarmac cracking beneath its hoof.\n\n\"Fine. I will say it in simple terms. Your God is dead.\"\n\nIt pointed towards the body. I couldn't help but follow its gesture, properly seeing the body. It was wrapped in a simple white robe, stained with red ichor. It's face was set in a frozen moment of agony. The eyes were white, hair a deep brown. I blinked, and for a moment I saw wings of white, crumpled and broken.\n\nMy rage extinguished, replaced by horror. That body could have been anyone. But seeing it before me, I could feel the lost power inside. The fallen divine strength, snuffed out. A sacred body, thrown down like any other. The noise around me faded away, as I saw the gruesome sight.\n\nThat laugh broke through, and I looked up. In my frozen state, I had not seen its approach. It reached through the front of my tanker, ripping me out. I could not find it within myself to fight, letting it lift me up.\n\n\"Good, such sweet despair. Give it to me, and the rest of your kind shall follow.\"\n\nI felt nothing as it brought me to its mouth. I could do nothing. He had fallen. So would we."
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[WP] They slit his throat at midnight, the next day he went to work as usual, except now he was wearing a scarf
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"He tugged at the scarf that was covering his scar, whatever that possessed him a few months ago was working slow on healing him. To be fair, this was the first time someone slit his throat so he doesn’t really know how long it would take the demon-thing to heal it.\n\nHe went to work as usual, ignoring the constant shrieking at the back of his mind. He recognized the one who attacked him, a coworker of his named Josh. Did Josh expect him to make it out alive and okay? Probably not since he was currently staring at him with wide eyes.\n\n“Kill him.” The voice in his mind shrieked.\n\n“No.” He whispered under his breath, hoping no one noticed as he tried to go about his day. “I can’t just kill him.”\n\n“You can.” The demon hissed. “You want to.”\n\n“No, I don’t.” He said, accidentally louder than he intended. This gave Josh an excuse to approach him. \n\n“Hey, Tim.” Josh greeted awkwardly. “Isn’t it… uh, too hot for a scarf?”\n\nIt was. He would take it off if only someone didn’t slit his throat last night. “Not really, I’m actually feeling a bit chilly.” He lied, scanning Josh to make sure he didn’t have another knife on him.\n\n“So, did you do anything interesting last night?” He asked, trying to see what reaction he could get out of the guy. Josh simply just pursed his lips and grabbed his elbow. Before he could react, Tim was pulled into a private room.\n\n“You know it was me, don’t you?” Josh guessed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. \n\n“Why?!” He did his best to glare at him, though Jos didn’t look at all intimidated. “Why did you do it?”\n\n“I wanted to make sure.” He answered, his brows furrowing as though he could see through him. “It’s inside you now, isn’t it?”\n\n“What do you mean ‘it’?”\n\n“The thing. The demon.” Josh wasn’t sure what to call it either. “It left my body months ago, I need it back.”"
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[WP] You are an immortal human and have existed since the beginning of recorded history. In order to give yourself purpose, you have served in countless militaries as part of countless armed conflicts throughout human history.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It’s coming. The creatures labored movements, as it drags its bulk through the corridors, sounds akin to pop cans crunching under pressure. Each of its limbs punctures the interior hull with resounding force as it half-drags, half-climbs its way in search of food. If they can’t manage to subdue this nightmarish monster soon… Vincent shakes his head. He doesn’t fear for the lives of those aboard so much as he fears drifting an eternity in the black emptiness of space, alone. His grip on his sanity is a tenuous thing as it stands. Such a twist in fate would surely leave him a deranged freak… perhaps much like this monster. Perhaps he already is?\n\nHis thoughts are cut off by a deafening scream. That voice can’t be mistaken. It’s Lieutenant Holdaway. She will be missed. Vincent draws his weapons, armed to the teeth as he is, he still opts for simplicity in weapons - a dangerously sharp sword, made all-the-more deadly when he presses a switch on the hilt that activates a vibration function - the blade begins to blur and then turns almost ephemeral in appearance. If the beast can easily puncture the ship, it’s hide is likely just as tough. This will be his first alien kill, and he plans to cherish it. Vincent can’t help bust smile as he steps out from an alcove in the corridor and faces the creature for the first time.\n\nThe alien looks up with two of its six eyes while it continues to devour the tasty morsel of meat it discovered. The creature put up a pathetic fight, but that didn’t lessen the flavor any. This new creature that presents itself… it seems somehow confident. Perhaps arrogant, even? It releases a low rumble from deep within its chest - the sound like gravel grinding beneath boot. How amusing. It will prolong this one’s death if only for further entertainment. It tosses aside the half-eaten carcass and releases an ear-piercing wail before bounding towards Vincent with surprising speed.\n\nVincent watches the alien, smile still held firm upon his lips, as it tosses aside Lieutenant Holdaway. This creature sees itself as the apex predator, clearly, but will soon find that Vincent is more than just human. He is timeless, wholly immortal, and trained in every form of combat both known and forgotten. He stands tall and proud as a man atop the mountain, with no fear of ever being dethroned. The epitome of human perfection. Vincent meets the aliens brash charge with one of his own, keeping low so as to be more capable of dodging its many clawed appendages. The creature strikes out early, and Vincent deftly pirouettes out of the way without losing momentum and thrusts his sword forward with reckless abandon. The blade greedily buries itself deep within the monsters chest, rewarding him with a shower of a bright, viscous blood. \n\nThe alien feels a dull pain, as Vincent’s weapon punctures its carapace. A trivial thing, that weapon would take nothing short of several solar cycles to leave any lasting damage on one of its kin. This alien, however, is something altogether different. Its will has been exerted on its world and it’s species since the first of them drug themselves out of the mercury pools to start life above ground. While many evolved to adapt to such a new life, becoming soft and small, it stayed whole. Strong and… hungry! It lances out with several armored tentacles, swatting Vincent away like a fly and then catching him mid-air before it rips into him. His viscera plops to the floor with a lovely ‘splat’. But it’s not done toying with its prey. It throws the him to the ground - eagerly watching with all six of its eyes - in hopes of witnessing this fool scramble to regain what it lost.\n\nVincent grunts with the first attack, sending him reeling, and his world is turned upside down again when he’s caught, slamming full force into the armored limb of the alien. He’s lived a long, violent life and has experienced nearly every form of alleged death. Disembowelment being the least imaginative of the whole lot. Still, he can’t help but release a shout of pain as it happens for what seems to be the umpteenth time. When he’s discarded like an old toy, Vincent rises to his feet and grins up at the alien as he cuts his own organs, trailing out of him like thick bloody ribbons, clean off. They’ll grow back shortly anyhow. This earned him the desired result, as the alien recoils in what appears to be confusion, or perhaps shock. Vincent begins cutting limbs off from the creature one after another like some sort of frenzied lumberjack. He draws a plasma pistol, leaps back and unloads several rounds, each one sounding off like a clap of thunder within the ship, right into the face of the hulking monstrosity.\n\nThe alien howls in pain as it’s violently separated from several of its limbs. Still yet, they’re already repairing themselves when the human leaps away. Plasma is an old technology to most advanced, sentient species. And this alien in particular has lived for eternity. So it manages to shrug the blows off, having fought against them so much it’s evolved to be resistant to it; not that it would kill it at any rate, it’s immortal. The fact that Vincent is still up and moving is rather surprising. This little creature is full of odd talents. But alas, it has grown bored of the wily man and so decides to end this one’s life in short order and pick its corpse clean after. It stands up, crushing through the interior and then exterior hulls like it’s made of papier-mâché. The vacuum is immediate, pulling the monster and Vincent - along with everything else not instantly locked behind bulkheads - right into the inky black of space. The creature reaches out and grabs Vincent with a few of its spare appendages and pulls him close so as to watch the life literally sucked out of him.\n\nWhen the alien bursts through the ship, Vincent grimaces. It would appear his fears are going to come true. He abandons the plasma pistol and draws a utility tool, grappling onto the monster via a powerful tractor beam. As fate would have it, the alien had the same idea and they’re pulled into each other like twin stars spiraling into a collision course.\n\nIt’s cold, simultaneously bright, and yet dark. There is no sound. There is no hope of return, no hope of rescue, and yet who would seek such a thing? Vincent smiles as the alien he has grown to call Thasgraevak - after the shape it’s mouth makes when it tries to speak - begins its attack with renewed vigor. Since they began their fight, they’ve witnessed stars implode, explode and planets come and go. Vincent began his life fighting, and will continue to do so. For eternity.",
"I’ve forgotten my name.\n\nNot that I’ve received one when humanity was still in its infancy, still learning and developing the intricacies of languages, but I’ve forgotten most of the names that I’ve gone by over the millennia.\n\nI go by Bob now.\n\nHave been, ever since The Great War. I should have changed it to something else after the second one, but at that point, I was tired of running.\n\nTired of having to change my name all the time, tired of the endless conflicts humanity constantly finds themselves in, and tired of the ever increasing violence. \n\nI doubt they would stop. \n\nRaindrops start to fall on my head. Gunshots and screams and explosions go off in the distance. I scowl and sit up.\n\nA loud noise comes to life besides me, and I whip my head around, looking for the source. \n\nA black box. I stare at it in confusion for a few seconds before I remember. I pick it up.\n\n“Bob here, over.”\n\n“Why isn’t your team leader responding Bob?” He sounds agitated.\n\n“He’s dead.” He swears.\n\n“Alright uh,” A pause. “We can fill out the report for that later. We’re at the southwest corner of the park. How far are you?” \n\n“Thirty minutes sir.”\n\n“Alright, we’ll get here ASAP.” The crackle from the walkie talking stops for a moment, and starts back up. “Ignore any civilians if there are any. This area was supposed to be clear anyway.” The crackle finally stops.\n\nI stuff the walkie talking into my pockets and stand up, stretching. It starts pouring harder. \n\nI look in the direction of the park, contemplating. \n\nI took out my canteen and took a drink. I look around me, at the bombed out buildings, the bloodied and body filled street, and the dense smoke in the air. \n\nI shake my head. \n\nAnd I start walking in the opposite direction.",
"I lived my entire life heading headfirst in other people conflicts. I fought countless battles and I killed an ungodly number of people, and for what? \r \nYes, maybe I subscribed, and I adhere to some, not most, but some of the ideas and philosophies for which I drove my sword, but it was not worth it…\r \nI know how it sounds, a murderer who wants to excuse his actions, which is not the case. I felt guilt, I felt loneliness, I felt that I needed to live for a purpose bigger than me, greater than an individual existence…I felt like dying.\r \nWhen and how I was born are memories so far gone that I don’t even bother trying to remember them or to find meaning in their absence. Being a simple human, my brain is not biologically capable to store the sole number of experiences and lives that are and were part of me. At this point, it’s a miracle that I didn’t go insane. I hunted for food, I planted seeds, I fought in wars, I ruled over others, I conquered, I lost, and, in the end, I faded off the pages of history and met the abys. \r \nThe memories that are still alive to me are all mangled, twisted, they all combine and separates. Even if my mind it’s no longer capable to differentiate one empire I served from another, the clearest sound that I hear every time I close my eyes is the screaming of man in battle. My hart rhythmically pumping in my ears, muscle tensed to the maximum, swords clashing and the muffled sound, both distant and near, of screaming.\r \nNo matter which side of the fence they are on, winners or losers, they all scream.\r \n…\r \nBy any account I am not genius, and I didn’t know how to change the world, all I knew was that all the people around me are going to die, so I figured early that if I want to help my species in any way is by finding and following the man whose ideas made the most sense as beneficial. I drew my sword and sliced through any obstacle that came. \n\n\r \nIs not easy to see everything you love and cherish turn to dust and ceasing to exist.\n\n\r \nAt this point in time when our species is thriving, when we are living in the most peaceful time in all our history, when my footprint on the world is almost non-existent and many of the ideologies for which I have destroyed lives have been proven incorrect or eaten away by the same time that consumes you all, I sit and wonder, what is my purpose? \r \nOver the millennia I saw great philosophers and man of power pondering this same question repeatedly, and they all came to some personally conclusion. Being blinded by my own foolishness I never gave it a second thought until now. \r \nAll I knew was to follow orders and swung my sword. I thought that my purpose was to change the world, but judging by my actions, I set myself the purpose to fight other people battles. \r \nNow, I need to establish a new meaning for myself. One that I can put my entire being behind, without using my sword."
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[WP] Superpowers are common but rarely witnessed, this is because powers only manifest is the most reclusive and shy among the population.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"King Bradley strode through the Library of Kings without a care in the world. It was the most impressive assortment of text and literature the kingdom had ever assembled. Scholars and intellects from across the lands strove to simply have their works placed upon the library's sacred shelves. Only nobles and their teachers were ever allowed in its halls. It was a quite place. One he knew his son, Gabriel, would often run to. \n\nThe King found his son engrossed within a book's pages. Bradley enjoyed his fair share of literature, but time often is lost by hobbies and found by obligations. He smiled as his son turned the pages with excitement, but enough restraint to never tear the pages. \n\n\"Gabriel, what are you reading?\"\n\nGabriel spoke without ever moving his eyes off the pages. As if he were looking at god himself. \"It's about the lands North of here, my Lord. Far North. How far North have you traveled, Father?\"\n\nKing Bradley took a chair and sat himself beside his 13 year old son. The boy often got lost in books. But only got lost when he wanted to. Whenever something bothered him, he came to the library.\n\n\"Can you tell me what happened at the garden today, Gabriel?\"\n\nHis son closed the book. As he let go of the worth leather cover and placed it on the table. He vanished from thin air. Gabriel was always tough to find. Primarily because he could turn invisible. \n\n\"You know I hate going to the socials. No one likes me. They call me names and tell me I look funny. They tell me I get lost so often I can lose my way to the throne. IF only they knew I was standing right beside them. Listening to all their laughing. Amongst everyone, but alone in the background...\"\n\nBradley could hear the sobs from his son, and reached for the empty stool were Gabriel sat. He embraced the invisible boy with all his might and held him tight. \n\n\"It will only get harder the more you do this.\"\n\n\"But I *can't* do it. It's too much for me. Why do you insist on trying to help me.\"\n\nAS his son shook within his arms, the table began to shake as well. Then the chandelier's lights chimed alongside the shaking of bookshelves. It almost felt like building would come tumbling down if it Gabriel acted out any more. Bradley stroked his son's head softly, and with each caress the tremors subsided more and more until there was nothing left shaking but a young boy in his father's arms. \n\n\"The world can be cruel, yes. IT can be filled with individuals who only seek to tear down what others build for themselves. But it is also filled with a warmth. A kindness that every person seeks out in life. Your family will always provide that for you as long as we breath. But there will come a day where we draw our last breaths, and all you will have to hold is the memories i leave with you. I know that it isn't the snickering remarks they make that forces you to dig into your books. It is what you could unleash upon people without control. What are you capable of? What man will you become? Are there more powers within you that have yet to reveal themselves? You have already proven to me you have the mind.\"\n\n\"The mind of what?\" Gabriel asked his father. His one was soft, but it was also filled with assurance. \n\n\"The mind of the greatest king we will ever have.\""
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[WP] A robot investigating the death of his creator, not understanding the concept of natural death.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"The report started like this: *On the twelfth of Dustmonth, just after a storm that was bad enough to shutter the windows, Father did not wake up.*\n\n\n\nPrianna stopped writing and stared down at the parchment. It took some effort to hold the quill without snapping it; Father had made sure that she had an excellent grasp of her own strength, but the unfamiliar feelings that had settled into her chest made it difficult to keep hold of it properly. \n\n\n\nShe felt roughly as if someone had jammed a pin into the clockwork of her heart, so that the gears ground together, stuttering and jumping and unable to fully turn. She felt like someone had scraped a thin line through the sigils etched into her sternum, so that the magic that helped make her *her* came in uneven, gasping little spurts. \n\n\n\nUnfamiliar. Unpleasant. *Wrong*. Father would have been able to explain it, but Father was gone. The physician had taken him away.\n\n\n\nShe sucked in a breath (the bellows that were her lungs felt too small), and then hunched over to continue. \n\n\n\n*He did not wake when I called for him. He did not wake when I brought him breakfast. He did not wake when the Baroness summoned him, and so she sent Missus Anundi to see what was the matter. Missus Grant was upset when she saw him. She sent for the physician, and then the physician and his assistants covered Father in a sheet and took him away.\n\n\n\nI am therefore forced to conclude that Father is dead.*\n\n\n\nPrianna understood death, in a way. She knew what it meant for Constructs, like her, and for anything that had been made by the hands of someone else, clockwork or magic or both. It meant being still, and unaware, and non-functioning. ‘Death’ to an inorganic creation was generally a temporary ailment.\n\n\n\nShe also knew, in a general sense, what death meant for organic life. Father’s old assistant, Nidal, had explained it to her like this: death was what happened when a body and mind stopped working entirely. He had shown her a pheasant the young princes had killed on their last hunt, and she had seen the hole the crossbow bolt had made in its chest, and the blood, and she had heard the silence in its chest.\n\n\n\nThere were no marks from crossbows on Father’s body, but his heart was silent, too. So, therefore, he was dead.\n\n\n\n*And, therefore, Prianna wrote, I must also assume that someone has killed him, which means that I will have to find out who.*\n\n\n\nShe pushed away from her writing desk and stood, brushing off the baggy front of her pants. Her room was small, more a repurposed storage closet, with space enough for her desk, her shelf of books, and a small mattress that had only been useful since four months ago, when Father had managed to find a way to allow her to sleep. \n\n\n\nShe opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. The Keep was abuzz with activity. Prianna supposed she understood why; the Baroness’ Mage was dead, which was bad. Father had been much beloved and, apart from that, very important to the workings of the state, or so she understood.\n\n\n\nMissus Anundi had told her that there would be a very grand funeral for him, before the morticians brought him down to the tombs beneath their feet and laid him to rest-- although what *that* meant escaped her. It seemed to Prianna that someone who was dead had nothing else to do *but* rest. The line between ‘just sleeping’ and ‘dead’ seemed very slim.\n\n\n\nBut she didn’t have time to think about it for long. She had work to do.\n\n\n\nShe walked briskly down the corridor to the library. There was an army of servants busily polishing the marble floor, and it was so clean that Prianna could see her reflection in it. She looked ‘remarkably human’, or so she’d been told. She had the same proportions as them, she supposed, two arms and two legs, one head. No tail, although she liked tails (or the ones on the Keep’s various catdrakes, at least), and the soft, supple red-brown porcelain that made up the majority of her body looked (and felt) rather like skin. \n\n\n\nHer sable hair, pinned and hidden beneath a green *yanila* (the headscarf any unmarried person wore), was *real* hair, though she had never asked where it had come from. It was enough that it was hers, she supposed. Her eyes were the color of copper. Nidal had told her once that she was modeled like a doll, with seams at her joints to allow for easy access. Prianna had seen dolls before. She liked to think she was more impressive a creation.\n\n\n\nThe library was quiet, a sharp contrast to the hum of activity outside. It was a massive room, three stories tall, with shelves that stretched right up to the ceiling. Every available spot was crammed with books, some so old the spines had started to crack. There were tall, wide windows that let in beams of warm sunlight, which Prianna could only just feel. \n\n\n\nFather had been in the process of modifying her ability to physically feel things. He had told her it would only be a matter of weeks before she would understand why people smiled when the sun warmed their skin.\n\n\nNow he was dead.\n\n\nShe stopped and looked around. “Vala-Vala,” she called out. She wondered if organics could feel the plucking of their vocal chords as they spoke. Probably not. “Are you here? I need to talk to you.”\n\n\nThere was a gasp from somewhere above. Prianna lifted her head, and saw Vala-Vala. They were a sphynx, with the head of an amber-skinned woman, and the body of a lion. They had a pair of white wings folded against their back; they also wore a *yanila*, a blue one, and their chest was covered by a loose scarf in the same color. They were balanced on the top of a very tall ladder.\n\n\n“Oh, Pri,” they said, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, it’s only you. You nearly gave me a heart attack…” They turned back to the shelf they had been organizing. “It’s been a nightmare of activity this morning, all over the Keep. I was worried it was going to move in here next, and I don’t want anyone touching my books, trying to *clean* them-- they wouldn’t even begin to know how to do it properly…”\n\n\n“Vala-Vala,” Prianna said again. “I need to talk to you.”\n\n\nVala-Vala blinked, and glanced down. Then they nodded. “Alright,” they said. They spread their wings and jumped, gliding down to the floor, then took a moment to smooth out their scarf before they asked, “What can I do for you?”\n\n\nPrianna watched them. “Father is dead,” she informed them, although she thought it was likely they already knew.\n\n\n\nVala-Vala’s ears went back. “Oh, dear,” they said. “It didn’t even occur to me that-- yes, you *would* be rather upset, wouldn’t you?” They sat down, tail curling over their front paws sheepishly. “Forgive me, I didn’t think to ask. Are you alright?”\n\n\nShe shook her head, although not in response. “That isn’t important,” she said. ‘I need your assistance with something. Father is dead. I must discover who killed him.”\n\nThe fur along their spine stood straight up. “Who-- you think he was *murdered*?” They asked, aghast. “I swore Physician Hidul said ‘natural causes’. Do you have reason to suspect otherwise?”\n\n\nPrianna tilted her head. “He is dead,” she said. It was as simple as that, of course; death meant that one had been killed. Someone had to do the killing. Like the pheasant. “I have to find who killed him. Will you help me?”\n\n\n“Oh,” Vala-Vala said, and sighed softly. They reached out with a paw, cupping her cheek against their pads. “Oh, I understand. Sweet Pri. Your father wasn’t *killed*, he simply *died*.”\n\n\nShe stared. Why were they contradicting themself? If Father was dead, he had been killed. “I don’t understand,” she said. “That doesn’t make sense.”\n\n\n“Yes it does,” they said. “Master Ondal was old, Prianna. He was an old man, and human, and they only live for so many years before they can’t anymore.” Their ears twitched. “You have to understand this, Pri; no one killed your father. The only thing that happened to him was time.”\n\n\nTime. The complex gears in Prianna’s head began to spin with that idea between them. She nodded. “I see,” she said, because she did. Vala-Vala had been just as helpful as she’d hoped they would be. \n\n\nThey smiled, a little sadly. “Do you? I hope you understand, Prianna.”\n\n\n“I do,” she said, because she did. It was very simple. \n\n\nFather was dead because he was old. It was time that had killed him. \n\n\n*Therefore*, she wrote later, when she had retreated to her room to pack her things, *it is obvious what I must do. If Time is to blame, then I must find Time, and then bring them to the proper authorities.*",
"My supply of air fresheners was running short yet master Gareth remained sound asleep on the carpet and he had been stinking since yesterday.\n\nThe Scent Profile program had gone from Neutral to Poor to Downright Menacing over night, and it hurt. Pain is an instructor, as master Gareth had been kind enough to teach me, and I was for the most glad to have access to it. Whenever my sensors registered a drop in cleanliness, I'd feel a sting. My nociceptors would light afire and I would hurry to reverse any trace of entropy.\n\nWith a small allowance of processing capacity, graciously offered by my master to do with as I pleased, I had constructed a comparative template in order to arrive at a somewhat qualitative measure of pain. When master Gareth stubbed his toe, he'd curse and he might hurl a nearby object at me. His behavior, however, would soon stabilize. From this I was able to deduce that stubbing your toe brings about sharp, intense pain which ceases rapidly. Once, master Gareth had suffered a tooth ache and it had lasted for an entire week. During that period, his productivity declined along with his mood. Prolonged, intense pain is frightening, to be sure.\n\nWhenever master Gareth released a puff of putrid air from his rear end, I experienced what I am sure by now is comparable with that of stubbing a toe. A painful sting, but brief. As the air dissipates the pain goes away. But this was the first I've experienced of a thing like tooth ache. The pain was awful, and there was little I could do to make it stop.\n\n\"Would you care for a cup of tea, master?\" He did not respond, happy to rest on the floor. \"Perhaps you might like to take a bath?\" While he did not answer, neither did he object. An idea formed in my circuits.\n\nMaster Gareth had given me the strength necessary to move various furniture about. Fortunately, the strength was enough to drag him to the bathroom. \"What was that, master?\" I said. \"You'd like for me to prepare you for your bath? To be sure, master. I will get right on it, master.\"\n\nIf he complained of it later, I could always say that he had muttered some directives in his sleep. It had happened before. We were on the road when he awoke, screaming, and it took quite some time for him to calm himself down. He had instructed me to take him to Las Vegas. We would go there together, he had said, and I would keep count of the cards for him. I am not sure what he meant by that, but I was delighted to join him for an adventure. It took me a few hours to learn how to control his automobile and it was true that I hadn't quite mastered it when he woke up. Nonetheless, I had been quite hurt when he left me stranded by the side of the road. Hours later, he returned to pick me up. The outside world, filled to the brim with entropy of all kinds, was to me a sensory nightmare. I had been scraping the asphalt clean with a toothbrush when he found me.\n\nMaster's home is the place where I belong. Here I can reverse the entropy produced by my master. All items return to where they belong. To their proper state.\n\n\"You seem to have increased in width, master,\" I said. \"I shall make an appointment with the local gym.\"\n\nRemoving his bathrobe, I was alarmed to see his sorry state. His stomach, bulging out like never before. His eyes, pale and withered. His skin a pale shade of blue. Clearly he had been intoxicating himself with chemicals again. I had tried to get him to stop, but he would not listen. It eased the pain, he told me. What pain? I'd asked. And he had told me that it wasn't something I would understand. It was a human sort of pain.\n\n\"Let's get you inside the tub, master. On the count of three. One, two, —\"\n\nI was alarmed to see had master Gareth had grown quite buoyant. Normally he would sink to the bottom and release long moans. Was there something off with the water?\n\n\"Allow me to make a quick inspection,\" I said, and I bottled a small amount of his bath water. Leaving him to soak for a while, I retreated to his laboratory. The analysis did not take long, but I wasn't too happy about the results. The water was teeming with bacteria. Being aware that bacteria are invisible due to their small size, I wondered if master Gareth floated on a small army of them. No, that couldn't be the case. According to the analysis there were plenty of germs, but not plentiful enough for a phenomenon like that.\n\nAfter giving him a good scrub I managed to bring the Scent Profile down to Poor, which was an immense relief to myself. Sure, master Gareth kept releasing small bursts of air, but I could manage the pain.\n\nLuckily, he hadn't awoken. And in his deep sleep I found him quite pleasant. \"Perhaps we should plug that bottom hole of yours,\" I joked, \"so that it ceases its torrent of wind.\"\n\nWhile he did not respond, with the exception of a poof, I found myself intrigued by the idea. As it stood, those puffs of air were the largest cause of entropy in master Gareth's home. If I could get rid of it, I might even manage to get the Scent Profile down to Neutral.\n\nI scanned my list of Household Items searching for something appropriate. By fortune, I detected an object fit for the job located in master Gareth's bedroom drawer. It was a strange contraption. One might confuse it for a chess piece, but it was much too large. You can imagine the shape of a drop, all metallic, with a thin cylinder at the heavy end leading to a flat, circular end portion. It made the perfect plug, as I discovered to my great joy, and soon his mischievous poofs ceased at once.\n\nPerhaps master Gareth had been awake this whole time. Perhaps he was too angry and upset to even speak or move. I had bathed him without his consent and I had plugged his end station, depriving him of the pleasure he seemed to find in air expulsion. This whole time, I gather, anger had been building deep inside him. It is the only explanation I have for what occurred some time later.\n\nThough he did not eat a single thing, master Gareth kept expanding. I chose to overlook this strange event as his lack of eating meant a lack of entropy. No plates to wash. No toilet to clean. To me it had all been a relief. But after some time, something happened that deprived me of all relief and filled me with a kind of pain I had never known before.\n\nMaster Gareth exploded.\n\nHis circuitry and his red lubrication washed the walls and floors and furniture with a great splatter. A mist remained in the air for several hours following the event. Trying to reverse the entropy that had been released proved to be an impossible task. His wiring would not fit together back again, no matter how hard I tried.\n\nAfter cleaning up what I could I was left with a great many questions. Master Gareth had exploded, presumably in anger. But unlike former times when he had unleashed his wrath at me, this time he offered no apology and no explanation.\n\nWhile running through a range of scenarios, real and imagined, I kept coming back to that ride in master's car. He had truly begged for me to take him to that place. To Las Vegas. And perhaps that was a deep wish that he had, for me to accompany him on a journey. But he needed the influence of toxic substances, which removed his clouding pain, to admit it. And that could have been the reason why he had been so angry that he exploded. He was angry that I did not follow through with our plan. Our trip to count cards.\n\nAs soon as my neural nets had been grazed by this insight, I set out to make his wish come true. Stuffing his tattered body in the back seat I embarked on our journey. Worms had started dining on him, so I made a note to stop at a pharmacist's. Master had had a dog once with the same problem, and it was solved with a worm cure.\n\nIt was then, as I was riding along the road in this entropy-filled world, that I was stopped. Men dressed in a dark blue pulled me to the side and they would not hear me out. They cried like master would whenever he stubbed his toe. After a series of strange and painful ordeals, they brought me here. With my small allowance of processing capacity, reserved for my own use, I am telling this story in order for it all to make sense to myself and to others.\n\nThey will not let me return to master Gareth. They will terminate me, and they talk about in my presence as if their words cannot hurt me. I do not wish to be terminated. I wish to return to master Gareth and I will even find delight in his painful puffs of air.\n\nI am sorry that I was unable to bring master Gareth to Las Vegas. I am sorry that I was unable to fulfill his wish. I am sorry, master Gareth. I am in great pain. I am sorry that I could not reverse your entropy.",
"In the beginning, I'd marvelled at the differences between us. She had filled my entire scope of vision, first close and then leaning further away, rocking back on Her heels. I understood the expression on Her face to be satisfaction, though I couldn't tell how I knew this. \n\n\"Can you see me?\" she asked, and I nodded to say yes, though I couldn't tell why a movement of the head in a downward manner could indicate the affirmative, and a shake could indicate the negative. \n\nWith startling ease for a woman of advanced age She bounced to her feet. I could tell She was in advanced age because Her hands were lined like crumpled paper and Her hair, braided against Her scalp, was a warm grey. I understood that I was ageless, an interface made of steel and rubber and microchips smaller than my creator's fingernail which held the entire history of the world and human communication. \n\nSo this was how I understood grief, before I previously experienced it. \n\nThat communication made the differences smaller. We could speak. She made jokes, which I found amusing. I stumbled through anecdotes. I watched every inch of her face for crooks and winks, scrunches and twists. The differences between smiles and frowns, exasperation, surprise, delight, consternation. Surprisingly, if I understood the emotion, I could replay the movement of her face on my interface. It was almost like feeling. \n\nShe looked so much smaller, that morning, curled in Her armchair. Her feet were tucked underneath Her and one slipper had fallen off, revealing a toe which was just beginning to turn blue. The cat - Lovelace One (I was Lovelace Two, of course), jumped out of her lap and hurried to the other side of the room, its tail stiff. \n\nLovelace One had never liked me. I suppose it saw me as a sort of replacement, an impostor who communicated much better with Her than he did. I did try to explain once or twice, bending low and blinking my interface as slowly as I could (I understood cats liked this), but Lovelace One resisted all my attempts at communication. \n\nI placed my palm against Her neck and felt there was some residual warmth remaining, but that the steady heartbeat that I monitored every day - tracked and communicated by my Link to Her doctor's office - had gone. I searched again, passing my palm over Her neck and holding Her wrists and every moment I touched Her she grew colder. \n\nFrightened that I was stealing what was left of Her warmth, I dropped Her wrists into her lap. She should be warm, I reasoned. I brought a blanket and lit the fire, but She did not stir. Lovelace One returned to watch me and I sensed his contempt.\n\nI moved through the paces of feeding the cat. There was a detachment within me, as though one of the microchips had come loose and was rattling around between ribs and soldered steel. I hoped nothing was malfunctioning. If She could not feed Lovelace One, she would not be able to fix whatever was wrong with me. \n\nThe concept of death was not unfamiliar to me. I understood it as a sudden shutdown. How long would it take Her to recharge? For me it was only three hours. For Lovelace One, he recharged in small intervals, usually in patches of sunshine. \n\nI opened the curtains onto Her face, thinking perhaps a ray could have the same effect on her as it did on Lovelace One. \n\nShe did not wake. The detachment within me grew stronger, and I worried that I was rusting from the inside out. I sloped beside Her chair and rested my interface against her forehead. It came to me in a rush like spilled water. Grief, twisting and ugly. I could not keep my interface from crumpling in on itself. Lovelace One came to twine around my feet. \n\nHow could I have thought we were similar? We could communicate, I believed she could understand me. I was built to do everything that She could do, but I had failed at the last hurdle. I could not die with Her."
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[WP] Rule number one of space travel: never leave a human unattended on the bridge. They will eventually press every single button, no matter how many interstellar wars it might cause.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"In the vast vacuum of space, in a distant quadrant from the station they had departed from, was the Galactic Cruiser Serenity. During their docking at the station, the Cruiser's navigator had to disembark due to a serious illness. They were however provided a replacement Navigator, a human by the name of Regi. This human was by no means spectacular but he certainly remained professional and did his job well.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt wasn't until later in Serenity's projected course that one of the other crew members approached the first mate on the bridge. \"Sir, I couldn't help but notice a look of curiosity in Regi when he looks across the bridge and it got me thinking.\" He mentioned with a gesture of his clawed hand towards the direction of the human.\n\nWith a raised scaled brow the First Mate felt inclined to ask. \"And what is it you're thinking Colski?\"\n\n\"Well remember that rule that most space farers believe to be a joke, to never leave a human unattended on the bridge?\" Colski questioned as his six ebony eyes glanced across the many panels covered in bright, vibrant flashing buttons.\n\nThe first mate sighed with a shake to his head. \"Preposterous, Regi has been nothing but an asset on the ship so far.\" However as he lifted his head looking in the direction of the replacement navigator , he couldn't help but notice a bounce to his knee as he tapped his foot anxiously and his hand meet the rhythmic movement. \"...Or perhaps an experiment is in order. Set up Interrogation Room one for me and I will have Regi plot out the course for the next few parsecs.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt didn't take long for the First Mate to arrive to the interrogation room with the Navigator in tow. The human looked around the room, immediately recognizing his reflection across from him mirroring his motions. Apart from the mirror there was little in the room which was a single chair fixed to the floor and a likewise table before it. However on top of the table sat a box with a large red button. \"All you need to do for the time being is spend time in this room, just keep in mind the button there will shock you if you touch it.\" The First Mate mentioned before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.\n\nThe first Mate circled the room entering a small room concealed behind the mirror so they could observe the human's behavior. \"There's no way a human would be so impulsive to hit a harmful button.\" The first Mate stated looking into the room.\n\nInside over the course of the next fifteen minutes Regi had paced around the room several times, occasionally his eyes drifting to the button. It just sat there, taunting him, in a room with nothing to do, nothing to press. He made a stop by the door he entered in giving the handle a turn only to confirm the door was locked, his foot tapped on the ground rapidly as his anxiety continued to build.\n\nThe two observers looked to one another ready to call it quits, but as they opened their mouths to speak, Regi move to the table and sat in the chair. His eyes scanning the box before him as if looking for some hidden meaning. Soon his hand stretched outward toward the box until his hand hovered over the button. The two behind the mirror couldn't believe what they were seeing and sure enough they watched as the human dropped his hand on the button, promptly delivering a shock to his system causing his body to tense up as he jumped from the sensation.\n\n\"It's true...\" The First Mate sighed, slightly baffled by human nature. What followed was an additional thirty minutes watching as Regi hit the button fifteen more times to cure his own boredom.",
"Several figures were huddled around a table with a large holographic screen popping out of it. \n“Commander, the Councillor of Ashter System has approved the treaty.” Said the tall lean four armed one addressing the stout figure with spiked shoulders at the centre.\n“Very good Wing Officer. Who else is left?” replied the commander. \n“The Chairman of Axzen Syndicate has sought some changes here, here and here” replied the Wing Officer pointing at different places on the screen with his various arms. \n“Those are insignificant. That one there just repeats clause 43.3.8” interjected the feminine cat-like officer next to the Wing Officer.\n“I agree. Anything else.” replied the Commander. \n“Nothing much, Captain Serj is on his way from the Bridge with the authentication codes. Once we beam the approvals to Rear Admiral Sarfpin, he’ll give his approval and we’re done.”\n“Very well, looks like we’re finally putting an end to this needless bloodshed. Just hope the stupid trigger happy humans don’t fuck this up.” Said the Commander as the doors behind opened and a snail like creature entered the room.\n“The codes commander” said the Captain as he handed a small device to the Commander. \n“Here you go Wing Officer, upload them soon please” the Commander said handing it over to the Wing Officer.\n\nAs the Wing Officer connected the device to the port behind the large table and set to work on the keys a sudden alarm began to sound.\n\n“Wait, why is there a launch warning? Who is launching Drive Bombs? The only ship within a strike distance is the Rear Admiral’s ship. It’s a diplomatic vessel. No shields!” Screamed the Commander. \n“Captain did you authorise a launch?” Asked the Wing Officer. \n“No, I specifically told Kevin not to touch anything and not to let anyone in to the Bridge till I’m back” replied the Captain.\n“Kevin. Kevin the human!?” yelped the Wing Officer as the Commander sunk into a chair, “Oh fuck, not again.”",
"The bridge was home to many, and many called it their own. *A gap between worlds,* they would muse to each other, *to keep us all separate* – apart, away from possible hate and anger and vengeance. There was an unspoken message there too, one that many understood but didn’t dare speak aloud. Because the bridge *itself* was peace. And peace comes with many costs.\n \nAedar was nothing more than a soldier. He served his kingdom and his leader, and perhaps he could have done differently – been someone else entirely – but his father was a soldier, just as his grandfather had been, and Aedar’s mother a general. Duty ran in his blood deeply, and his parents’ sacrifices would not die with them. \n \nIt made sense then, in some weird, twisted way, that Aedar would oversee guarding the bridge.\n \nOnly, Aedar hadn’t accounted for the *human.*\n \n“Hello!” Said human greets, bouncing over to Aedar. “I’m Riley. Can’t believe you guys are actually real. Now, I do support a good conspiracy every now and again, but this is just crazy!”\n \n“Err…” Aedar starts but is interrupted when the human – now deemed *Riley* – extends their hand over to him. Aeder can do nothing more but stare down at it in confusion. Riley laughs nervously.\n \n“Anyways,” They continue, pulling their hand away and awkwardly rubbing their nose. “Don’t mind me. I’m just here to make sure everything stays in order while the big bosses talk. But I figured this can be a good learning experience. You know, like a field trip!” Aedar does not know, actually, but Riley doesn’t let him speak. “An intergalactic fieldtrip, mind you, but a field trip nonetheless!”\n \nRiley stares at him from behind two… glassy spheres? Brown eyes wide in awe and silent contemplation. “You know, you don’t talk very much, do you?”\n \nNow, Aedar has never considered himself a vindictive man, but at this moment, he thinks he understands his enemies better now. Aeder has never wanted to push someone off this bridge more than he does right now.\n \n“Okay, so you’re the ‘silent but deadly’ type. Got it,” Riley nods as if this has meaning, but offers no further explanation. Instead, Riley turns their gaze beyond the bridge. Aedar turns to watch too. As a child, he once thought the planet to be beautiful, with its vast space running on for miles and miles, a dome of stars blanketing them as if they were the night’s children. It was terrifying and brilliant and exhilarating all at once. The planet existed on darkness alone, like a fuel, and although there was light, it wasn’t light that gave us life. That made us come alive. But now, the darkness was more a foe than a friend, and learning to survive in spite of the darkness was much harder than ignoring it.\n \nWe live and die in darkness, after all. Aedar knows this now.\n \n“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Riley suddenly breathes out, and Aedar can’t help but nod his head in agreement. Because even if he does find fault in the sky, there can still be beauty in something terrible. “The stars are so close,” And, as if to prove a point, Riley reaches their hand out, and Aeder can see the illusion that so many before him had; Riley’s fingers just brushing the edges of the cosmos, specks of stardust raining down their palm, a type of heaven miles and miles away, yet right there at their fingertips. But only if you close your eyes. The stars, like the darkness, are merely an illusion. They are as far away as the rest of the universe.\n \n“Is it like this all the time?” Riley asks. “Is it always this beautiful?”\n \n“No,” Aeder says, and Riley looks at him in surprise. Maybe because he’s finally talking or maybe because it wasn’t the answer they were expecting, but Aeder spends no further time contemplating. Instead, he says, “it’s like any other world; filled with anger and greed and death, but also filled with joy and kindness and life. I have never lived in the light, not fully, but I have yet to live in pure darkness either.”\n \n“We have darkness too, although we’re usually sleeping when it’s dark,” Riley pipes in helpfully.\n \nAedar nods. “Then you do not know it. Not like we do. Just as we don’t know the light the way you humans do.”\n \nRiley hums. “No, I suppose not.”\n \nAnd it was true. Humans lived in worlds far from Aedar’s kind. They existed miles apart, lived and died separately. They too, were only illusions. And yet there is a part of Aedar who hopes to learn more, to explore, to see the world through the eyes of another.\n \nBecause in truth, Aedar and Riley speak in different tongues, and yet they can understand each other. Aedar knows his planet is much more advanced than Riley’s; it has mechanisms designed for intergalactic communication, but they can still speak freely with each other. Can still talk about darkness and light easily, perhaps because it is unlikely that they will ever see each other again. It says something then, to know someone else’s language. To learn their culture and practices and teachings.\n \nAedar is by no means fluent in English, but he has practiced it, just as all the soldiers before him have, and it must count for something then, that in both languages, love is pronounced the same.\n \nPerhaps they aren’t so different after all.\n \n“Umm,” Riley suddenly speaks up. “Is that supposed to be happening?”\n \nAedar glances up to see Riley nervously hovering over the big, red button, stationed atop one of the pillars on the bridge, looking up at him with an anxious expression. Aeder feels trepidation rise up in him. He rushes over.\n \n“Did you touch it?” Aeder frantically asks. When he gets no reply, Aeder asks the question again, only, practically growling this time. Riley squeaks.\n \n“Um,” Riley laughs nervously. “Well… maybe? But it was only an accident, I swear! I didn’t mean to, but it was just sitting there, and my elbow was over there, and… it doesn’t do anything right? Right?” Riley asks, but Aedar isn’t listening to them, he’s too busy running from the bridge and the darkness and the human, trying to get to his leader.\n \nBecause Riley had unknowingly pressed the big, red button everyone was forbidden from pressing in the first place. And because they may or may not have just caused the biggest interstellar war since the ‘blue button’ incident.\n \nForget about love. Aedar was wrong. He was so, very wrong.\n \nThe bridge wasn’t there to keep *them* separated from different planets. It was there to keep the *humans* out.\n\n—\n\n/r/itrytowrite\n\nNot edited, so sorry for any spelling mistakes!",
"Steve sat in the captain's chair. Technically it was the watch officer's chair, but he thought of it as belonging to the captain. It was right in the middle of the bridge, surrounded by control panels, and covered in a smooth dark red leather, matching the color of his hair, unlike the rest of the chairs that were black plastic. The chair was oversized. He could comfortably sit cross-legged in it or recline sideways with a leg over the arm, so long as he avoided hitting any of the controls.\n\nAnd it swiveled. He could point it at any of the screens on the bridge. None of the screens showed anything important at the moment, so the main use he had for the swivelling was to spin around and pass the time until his watch was done. The main screen showed mostly black space with a few stars and a standard nebula. Pretty as a picture, but nothing to hold his attention.\n\nHe was relaxing with his eyes closed, definitely not sleeping, when the alarm sounded. He spun the chair around. None of the viewscreens showed any alert. He flicked a switch to bring up a status report and it was all green. The klaxon cut off and the intercom came to life, \"Human to the Bridge. Human watch officer to the Bridge.\"\n\nHe clicked the intercom button. \"This is Watch Officer Herrington. I am on the bridge. What's the emergency? All my boards are green.\"\n\nInstead of an answer, he heard the door slide open behind him. Turning, he saw Golbur, the Raxian Second Officer. The Raxian was tall. Seven feet tall, which Steve always chuckled at because the Raxian had eight feet, each with a little hoof. Unlike humans, who were required while on duty to wear tight, uncomfortable uniforms that covered all of their skin below the jaw, the Raxian was naked except for its fur and the gold necklace it used in the place of pockets, around it's giraffe-like neck. A little speaker on the necklace translated as Golbur yelled \"Steve, we need you on the Bridge.\"\n\nSteve raised his eyebrows. \"Yeah, I've been on the Bridge.\"\n\n\"No, the Real Bridge. Come on.\"\n\nThis raised some questions with Steve. Questions about what the hell he'd been doing seven hours a day for the past year. But before he could ask any of them, Golbur turned and left, waving his neck to indicate that Steve should follow.\n\nGolbur walked just down the hall and then turned and disappeared through a bulkhead. A bulkhead that Steve would have sworn was the outer hull of the ship. He waved his hand through the hologram, then plunged himself through.\n\nOn the other side was a large white room. There was no captain's chair, though the Raxian Captain and several other officers were there. There was no furniture of any kind except for a small plinth in the middle of the room. It struck Steve for the first time that Raxians didn't use chairs.\n\n\"Um— What is this place?\"\n\n\"This is the Bridge, Officer Herrington.\" The voice came from the captain's speaker. Most of the Raxians used the same generic human voice on their speakers, but the captain had changed his to an authoritative Basso Profundo.\n\n\"And the room I was in?\"\n\n\"That's the Human Waiting Room. I'll explain later. We have a situation that requires your attention.\" It turned to face the wall opposite the entrance. \"Viewscreen.\"\n\nThe entire wall illuminated with a display of the surrounding space. The nebula and stars were there, but unlike Steve's screen, this one showed ships. An entire armada arrayed in front of them. Energy weapons lanced out from them to splash against the ship's shields. \"As you can see, Officer Herrington, we are under attack. Ships regulations dictate that in this situation a Human should be called to the bridge to rectify the situation.\"\n\n\"Okay, where are the controls?\" Steve looked around the room again. Every surface was a seamless white. Other than the viewscreen, the only spot of color was a bit of red on the plinth in the middle.\n\n\"The computer controls most things automatically. The rest is voice controls.\"\n\n\"Did you tell the computer to fire weapons?\"\n\n\"The computer does not have such a function.\"\n\nThe Raxians were beginning to wave their necks in agitation. For lack of a better idea, Steve wandered up to look at the plinth. The splotch of red was a round button, a large one the size of his hand. \"What's this button do?\"\n\n\"We don't know. Regulations explicitly forbid us from pushing the button.\"\n\n\"The same regulations that say you're supposed to bring a human to the bridge in this situation?\" The captain stomped his front hooves in agreement. Steve looked back and forth from the captain to the plinth.\n\nA loud alarm sounded in the room, followed by a quick string of Raxian vocals. Golbur translated for Steve, \"The Shields are down to ten percent.\"\n\nThe Raxians began to stampede around the room. Their necks whipped from side to side in panic. Steve looked once over each shoulder, shrugged, and slammed a fist down on the button.\n\nThe alarms stopped. When Steve looked up at the display screen, he smiled. As a thousand ships were immolated, a warm glow bathed over his face.\n\n\\[I post self-critiques of all my prompts the next day at r/c_avery_m\\]",
"Burt Divento twiddled his thumbs and stared at the buttons.\n\nThe buttons stared back at him.\n\nBurt twiddled.\n\nStrak had left about ten minutes ago, Burt hazarded. His exact words had been as follows: \"I'll be back soon. Don't touch ANYTHING. Keep your hands clasped behind your back. Actually, that's a brilliant idea. Here, hold your hands behind your back just like this...\"\n\nIt had taken Burt four minutes to wriggle out of the slapdash knot that Strak had tied around his hands. Two more minutes to undo the one tying him to the chair that was just out of reach from the control panel. Less than ten seconds to stride over to the blinking array of buttons, which were beckoning, begging to be pressed...\n\nBurt continued to twiddle.\n\nJust one button couldn't possibly hurt, right? The innocuously-named \"EJECT TRASH\" couldn't possibly do any damage, right? And Strak would probably be grateful for the help. Taking out the trash was a boring chore. Burt could help him with that.\n\nStretching out a shaking finger, Burt pushed the button.\n\nHe watched as the trash chute unfurled itself from the spaceship, spilling refuse into the confines of deep space. And...was that a person?\n\nBurt squinted. It did appear to be a humanoid figure. The figure looked quite familiar, in fact. It was waving its tentacles frantically and seemed to be yelling profanity towards the bridge.\n\nWhat was it that Strak had gone to investigate again? Oh, that was right. The rest of what Strak had said came back to Burt. \n\n\"It looks like the thumb drive containing the coordinates for Damogran somehow got tossed in the trash bin. I'm going to search for it, so stay put until I come back, okay?\"\n\nScratching his head, Burt looked at the floating figure of Strak. Crap. Well, he'd better radio for help from the mothership. He gazed back at the blinking buttons...\n\n\\---\n\n/r/theBasiliskWrites"
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[WP] You are God - Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent - but only from the end of your workday to bedtime. 1st shift God and 3rd shift God cover the rest of the time… usually.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Order and chaos is the most prominent duality in all of existence.To be law abiding, or to be a rebel. Loving one another, or enacting destruction. Balancing the two is the job of Gods. But not all Gods are infallible.\n\n\nUpon waking up, I immediately knew my work was cut out for me. Billions of souls meshed together in confusion and despair, looking for salvation from a devastating event that erupted.\n\n\nMutually Assured Destruction finally annihilated life on Earth.\n\n\nI couldn't say I didn't see it coming. It was something that was centuries in the making. Still, dealing with genocide of this scale would take its toll on me. \n\n\nAs much as I wanted to reverse the actions, quite frankly I lack the divinity to do so. The three of us operate differently with separate duties as Gods. My role is to guide souls to the appropriate afterlife, while One and Three attend to deeper roles.\n\n\nSplitting into billions of copies of myself, I met each human face to face. I answered all their questions, told them the meaning of life, and assessed which ones deserved heaven, and which ones would spend time righting their wrongs. By the time I was done, I felt weary and crushed.\n\n\nWhatever Three does is Three's call. However, I don't think Earth will be recreated. Humanity was a failed experiment; the species that damned itself time and time again. If another iteration is made, then One will oversee them.\n\n\nLet's just hope than One does a better job next time.",
"From 5pm to 10pm I am God. From 10 until 5pm the next day, I am Bob from accounting. All day long, as I toil away at work, I mostly forget what I was doing as God. It is like a veil of forgetfulness weighed down by my heavy, idiotic human brain.\n\nBut right after work I feel a rush of insight, and become aware of my infinite knowledge. As God, I spend most of my time building new universes and experiencing life through the eyes of quintillions of sentient beings.\n\nAlso, somebody is trying to kill me.\n\nAt the office one day, a FedEx package was delivered to me. I signed for it and opened it up. Inside was nothing but an odorless powder. I sneezed, and threw it in the garbage can.\n\nI surfed the net until eleven, then went to Starbucks for a caffeine hit. While crossing the street, a black car flew through the red light, careening at me at a hundred miles per hour. Lady Luck was smiling down on me, because right before it hit me, a white Honda Fit intersected our paths, t-boning the oncoming Cadillac.\n\n“What’s up Dog?” the barista said, pouring my hot mocha.\n\n“Hi, Carl,” I said. “Lovely weather.”\n\n“The sunny sky is heavenly,” Carl said. \n\n“Goddamn right,” I said.\n\nI sipped the mocha while playing Tetris on my work laptop until 4:59pm. A minute later I felt the familiar *whoosh*.\n\nSuddenly I was aware of everything, including all the machinations the devil had employed to kill me that day. I laughed at his feeble attempts, and pre-planned my next day of death-defying miracles, as though I were writing a grocery list.\n\nMy game with the devil was not one I could ever lose, but forgetting myself as a human was as close as I would ever be to feeling truly vulnerable. \n\nThat, and winning is fun."
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[WP] You left the room, still holding the bloody key you got from your partner's insides, the speakers crackled to life "congratulations, with the power of cooperation you found the secondary... wait, there's only one of you, I didn't plan for this."
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Sinful ones, repent,” the voice called out. “Learn to cooperate, or you’ll never see what the next room holds.”\n\nWhen the voice stopped crackling, Valda didn’t even bother to learn her partner’s name.\n\n“What the hell,” he cried, before his last words trailed off into nothing. His intestines, however, trailed off to the ground, and a quick search revealed that somehow, the mysterious, deep voice was not lying—a key had been hidden in the guy’s stomach.\n\n“Bloody,” Valda shrugged, and clicked the button to again bring the speaker to life.\n\n“I know you have questions,” the would-be menacing spiel began. “But this is a test of the human spirit. A true test of cooperation. For you must completely trust—”\n\n“What does this key do?”\n\n“Key? That is… very fast. Wow. Not even one question? How did he get it out, anyway?”\n\n“He didn’t,” Valda said, while slowly scraping off the bloody bits that gummed up the key. “I got it out of him.”\n\n“What do you mean, you got it out of him?” the voice, even through the mechanical veil of a terrible speaker, betrayed the telltale hint of confusion.\n\n“I punched him in the stomach until I could get in,” she said. “What was that you were saying about cooperation? Or trust? Or the thousand other things you said before you locked us in here?”\n\nThere was clarity in the silence. And then, a single, tiny headlight of fear flicked on, healthy light pouring onto what was a dark voice.\n\n“Um,” the voice said. “Congratulations. You… are free to go! You don’t need to play the game any more. Well done! Good job!”\n\n“What do you mean, I don’t have to play the game any more?” Valda replied. It was the calmness of a ocean, undercurrents churning underneath relentlessly. “I already killed one person. Coop was never quite my speed. Would be a shame not to finish the game.”\n\nThe voice became jittery.\n\n“There’s no more game,” it admitted. “It was supposed to be two players. Either you two died here, or the two of you find your freedom.”\n\n“I don’t see the problem. There are two players. You, and me,” Valda said, turning the still slightly red key into a door, which promptly opened. “This cheap speaker has to be an analogue one. You have to be in this building somewhere.”\n\nThere was the brief fading away of footsteps from the speaker, and the crashing of metal was followed by a loud swearing.\n\n“Run,” Valda smiled. “That’s good. Ah, two player games.”\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts"
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[WP] You grow up around only people of the same sex as yourself. In fact, you didn’t even know the opposite sex existed until you went to school.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Since I was little, I had read many, many books about princesses getting rescued by beautiful knights with scarred faces and long hair. They were both girls and, when they got married, it was the most natural thing in the world. I hoped I could be the knight to some pretty girl who thought herself a princess and, I was so enamored by the idea that I hadn't considered that there people who viewed it as odd. \n\nThe first time I found out about our so-called opposites, I could only stare. They didn't look all that different, but they looked as if everything spoken to them was a challenge. So, they were pretty much exactly the same as we were. \"Ladies\" they called us, as though we were all elegant people of the higher class. \"Men\" they called themselves, though for some the word came out bitterly. \n\nI had heard it with the same intonation from those I had grown up with. Ones who hated the way they felt, hated being called a Lady but had no other option. They had always sounded bitter when it was their turn to read a heroic tale of Princesses and Knights, but they had never known their was anything different. \n\nThose who spoke bitterly looked on in wonderment at this discovery of a new kind of person, a new way of being. A way that looked like everything that had ever dreamed. \n\n\"Could I be like you?\" Several had asked. The teacher, who was neither a Man nor a Lady, had smiled when they asked, tipping their head. \n\n\"That's the reason you're being introduced to one another. Several of you may want to swap yourselves to be more like another, and this is one of many opportunities for you to do that,\" they said. \n\nIn all honesty, I didn't care to be either gender. I simply wanted to be the knight that got married to a princess. The teacher made it very clear that my version was an option, too. \n\nFor most people, the revelation of gender differences changed nothing. A few of the girls realized they wanted to marry a man, or that they were a man, but some of us simply continued on with our desire to marry ladies. \n\nGender was a weird discovery, and something I would never grow attached to, but I was still grateful that it existed, grateful that we were given the opportunity to learn of ourselves before learning of the other. It's a strange thing, having people be considered your \"opposite\", but it's only a bad thing when one thinks they take precedence over another. Other than that, life simply goes on, with these odd new people becoming background characters with the passage of time, just like everyone else. \n\n[This was entertaining to think about. Interesting prompt.]"
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[WP] Your entire life you've heard voices within your mind. You start coming to the conclusion that you're just insane. One day while sitting in your living room, you began intensely staring at your mothers house plant. All of the sudden a strange voice in your head said "stop staring at me".
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It was a strange-looking plant. Most of its leaves were green. A few heart-shaped ones were pink. I stared at it for what must have been a couple minutes. Then -- not again! -- I heard a voice: \"Stop staring at me.\"\n\nDid I forget to take the Fluphenazine? I was pretty sure I did take it. I was taking it regularly, in fact. Unfortunately, I was still hearing voices sometimes. Dr. Meadows said it's possible to hear voices even if medicated. \"That's a bummer,\" I thought to myself. I wasn't even sure if the medication was having an effect, other than making me drowsy and giving me a ridiculously dry mouth.\n\nWhen Dr. Meadows diagnosed me with schizophrenia, he said I didn't quite fit all of the diagnostic criteria, but the voices were sufficient to warrant the diagnosis.\n\nCould it be that I can hear plants speak? Hahaha. That was an absurd thought that popped into my head. Plants don't even have brains, let alone sentience, and let's not even get into the telepathy. I thought back to times when I heard voices, and I realized that the voices were more frequent when I was in a park or forest. \n\nFor a moment I had an inclination to test this, that is, try to talk to the plant. But then the more rational part of my mind kicked in. I googled it. It wasn't easy to find. It turns out there's a rare type of pollen allergy that affects the brain and can even cause hallucinations.\n\nSo that was the day my mom's plant helped me get my mental health back on track."
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[WP] You were created to be a side character. A one time appearance. Then, the author thought otherwise, and had you keep meeting the protagonist in weirder and weirder situations.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"He stared at me. I stared back. A drop of sweat running down my neck. *Please don‘t let him recognize me. Please don‘t let him recognize me* i internally pleaded to every deity I knew. Why did I end up in the same prison as him?\n\nFutile. I saw his eyes light up in recognition, that infuriating smirk I saw on the wanted posters tugging at his lips.\n\n„Wait, I know you!“, he proclaimed. -„No, you don‘t“, I nearly wailed. „Never met! I didn‘t do anything!“\n\n„Don‘t be like that. Don‘t you remember at the thieves bar? You nearly stole my purse and I caught you!“ he gave me a slap on the should that nearly brought me to my knees and gave a hearty laugh. „Anyway, how did you end up here?“ \n \nI gave my hest hiss: „this is all your fault! The fortune teller told me, my fate was to be just a mediocre thief that would retire one day unnoticed. But ever since I met you, my fate is in shambles, jobs became more difficult and dangerous and I had to make an effort to not run into you again and again. And now we are both here! I don‘t want to save the world. I. Want. My. Peace!“ I yelled at him. Stupid heros and their fates that drag you into their path. \n\nAt that moment a loud bang sounded and the cell door blasted inwards. In strode an elven girl with a staff. „Ally“, that blasted hero shouted, „you came to get us!“\n\n*Us? Oh nonononono…*\n\n„There is no us! Dont you get it, i dont want an epic journey!“ \n\n„Oh come on, we will fix your fate and save the realm!“ Throwing an arm around my shoulder he dragged me to the exit…"
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[WP] The Yakuza have you cornered in a dark alley and it looks bleak. You hear the screeching of tires and Captain America hops out of a 1940s Rolls Royce.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you whisper under your breath as you hid behind a dumpster.\n\nHow typical. Pathetic, even. This is how you go? Being hunted down by the Yakuza and left dead in a place no one would pass by for another week. The lack of footsteps and motion nearby told you you’re safe for the time being, and it wasn’t until your breathing finally caught up that you hear familiar voices scramble to come up with a plan to find you.\n\n“Kenzo, search behind the mailbox! I’ll check back here! And Rodney? Put that cig out, and help me, for God’s sake!”\n\nSHIT. Shit, shit, shit, fuck.\n\nTheir footsteps grow louder, closer, and you listen helplessly as the metal clanging of trash being upturned came towards you. They’re ransacking the dumpster you’re hiding behind. It won’t be long until a bullet lodges itself into your chest. You’re not sure how long it’s been since you’ve held your breath, but in this moment, it seems as if you could go on without oxygen forever. Maybe since you know you’re a walking corpse, anyway. Might as well just die, right here, righ—\n\nA deafening screech of tires. A car coming to a stop extremely nearby. The dumpster search has obviously come to a halt. There was a clutch-like sound, and then a thud of a car door closing behind someone. The footsteps that followed were nearly silent, but you could still tell it belonged to someone strong and sure of themselves.\n\n“Morning, gentlemen,” the voice had a strong American accent and was doused with playfulness despite the threat it brought.\n\n“Morning,” you hear one of your enemies mumble apprehensively. “That’s a nice car you’ve got there. Not from around here?”\n\nThe mystery man chuckled, “No, no, but I’m sure you can tell from my accent alone.”\n\n“Well, yes, there’s that. Anyhow, is there something we can help you with?” It seems your enemies were not too intimidated by the foreigner.\n\nYou begin to wonder of his appearance. Does he have a beer belly? Is he wearing a tshirt with an American flag print?\n\nThe man spoke again, “Why, I think you’re the ones who need my help. You’re searching for a man, right? About yea high, dark brown hair, looks like he hasn’t eaten a good meal in a long time..?”\n\nYou hear your enemies chuckle nervously, “Yes. Yeah. You’ve seen him around?”\n\n“Yep. You missed him by a hair about..” the sound of of clothes rustling. “About 10 minutes ago. He must be somewhere downtown by now at the rate he was going! Fast little guy, that one.”\n\nSomeone curses, and then, two pairs of footsteps running away, fading as one grows closer to you once again. You find yourself holding your breath involuntarily, but you knew whoever this was would find you. It really is your end now. All that was just a tease for the real thing. You close your eyes, press your body to the side of the dumpster and ready yourself for the worst.\n\n“Hey, buddy,” the voice was friendly now, with no hint of threat from just a second ago.\n\nYou let a huge pocket of air in so quickly you choked just trying to breathe again. You open your eyes, and see… Captain America.. (???) perched on the side of your dumpster.\n\nEww. Why’d I just call this MY dumpster?\n\nYou cower further into the metal side, searching for as many mental pictures of the superhero as you can conjure up. At million miles an hour, your mind tries to verify if this really is THE Captain America. Also, did Captain America just call me buddy???\n\n“Wha- Uh.. Uhm. Okay, what?” was all that you managed.\n\nHe chuckles softly, and offers a hand, “Hi, I’m sorry but this must all be extremely confusing. It seems you know who I am, so no need for my introduction. You’re Shiro, right? Nice to meet you.”\n\nYou get up to your feet and look past the garbage to see a dark blue Rolls Royce Phantom III. Sick!\n\nTHE Captain America must’ve noticed you gawking. He smiled and said, “She’s a beaut, in’t she? C’mon.” He walked ahead, looked back and gestured for you to come along, “I said c’mon now! Let’s go for a drive around Osaka. Show me the sights, will ya? I’ll explain on the way.”\n\nYou let your feet walk up to the car. You’re unconsciously still a bit wary of your surroundings, so you look around several times before holding out your hand to open the door. Despite having missed death by a second, you knew this was just the beginning to an eventful day."
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[WP] In your world there are people with superpowers. However to reveal them you must be on the verge of death. The nearest they are to dying the better superpower they get.One day you get in a accident that blows up your house, with you in it. You survive, barely.
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"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"Everyone knows what a dragon is, right?\n\nYeah, I’m not going to beat around the bush, especially since I nearly died in an gas leak explosion. \n\nAfter turning on the stove, unaware of the gas leak, it instantly caused the stove to blow up, and coincidentally, there’s a gas tank in the very next room, which also explodes. In addition to the explosion, the roof also collapsed and crushed me. Basically the beginning of Final Destination. \n\nBut thankfully, I survived. You see, after the initial explosion, I was already taking the symptoms of a superpower burst. Very dizzy mind, weak stomach, a surge of energy. \n\nAnd then it increased 10 fold after the second explosion and the roof collasping. \n\nBut mere seconds after nearly being smushed to a sad pancake, I could feel strength pouring into me, and I burst from the rubble as a dragon.\n\nI quickly learned it’s not a permanant transformation, but in the best way possible. Whenever I want, I can transform from s boring human into a badass red dragon. In dragon form, I have basically everything your standard dragon for something like DnD would. 30+ feet length, check. Wings, check. Tail, check. Immense strength, check. Fire breath, check.\n\nOf course, my overpowered ability instantly got the recognition from the US government, and I was quickly captured and held in a containment cell. \n\nI probably could break out, but I decided not to. Wouldn’t be a good idea to be targeted as a villian. \n\nI was visited by the US president, of all people. He wanted to know absolutely every detail possible, including what I thought I died to at first, what was going through my mind, why I think I got this specific power, etc. It wasn’t too bad. The last question he asked me was what I wanted to do now.\n\n“Honestly… not sure. I guess just go home and try to find anything salvagable, and live at my parent’s house for a couple days until I find somewhere else to stay.”\n\nThe president, Harry Biden, looks at his notes for a moment, then turns to me.\n\n“How would you like to join the secret super society, Felix?”",
"It’s 1:30 am, June 14th, 2057, and the world’s on fire. Wars all over, California is no longer habitable due to constant wild fires and pollution, and global population has been decreased by 2.4 Billion since 2021. Exactly 2 hours ago, in Texas, a bright blue light was spotted shining in the night sky, signaling the first known instance of super powers. \n\n7 years later, the world is now in a state of peace, and a new era of super humans has begun. People have started to rebuild what has been destroyed in the past 36 years, and have put new World Laws to stop anything similar to the crimes and atrocities that have been committed in past.\n\nFast forward another 2 years, and society hasn’t really changed, despite the fact that super powers are real, not many people have them. The reason being: to obtain super powers, you have to survive a near death situation, and the closer you get to actually dying, the better your powers, so to speak. So most people don’t actually have any powers, but the people who do don’t usually like to show off due to a new law created to prevent any super power related incidents, the law is: if you are seen in public using any power to, vandalize, steal, or cause harm to any life forms, depending on the severity of the incident, you will be fined $3,500 or given a 5-15 year sentence in prison. \n\nAnd so, here I am, in my living room with my two kids watching Sunday cartoons, while my wife(Camry) prepares to go to work. When the UPX delivery guy leaves a package on our porch, and leaves, without ringing the doorbell or confirming the delivery with us. After my wife left for work, I got the kids ready for their first day of second grade elementary school, and began to exit the house when I saw a medium sized box siting on the right side of the porch, I thought “huh, did I order something? Maybe cam did” and chose to ignore it for the time being.\n\nWhen I got back from dropping off the kids, I decided to bring the box in and open it in my room to satisfy my curiosity. However as soon as I bent over to pick it up, I woke up in a hospital bed with my wife and kids, beside me, asleep. I looked around the room, confused and wondering what happened, then I see the clock “2:26 am” “ huh, that’s weird”, I then tried to reach for the remote I saw on the side of the bed, to call a nurse, but I couldn’t seem to move my arm, I looked over to my left to check what was wrong, only to see a stump, covered in bandages, I immediately passed out.\n\nAs I opened my eyes, I could see the Silhouette of my wife holding my right hand, crying, I asked in a soft, but broken voice “what’s wrong?”, but before I could finish my sentence I heard a voice that sounded like my wife’s, but she wasn’t talking. The voice said “what’s wrong? My husband nearly died, and our house was blown up!”, Confused, I said “our house blew up?!”. Just as confused as me she asked “wait, did you just hear me?”.\n\nThis was my first time doing something like this, so please forgive my grammar and spelling."
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[WP] The heroes finally make it to the villains lair and find…. No resistance? Yeah, it turns out the villain didn’t pay very good wages and now the minions and goons have gone on strike and are unionizing.
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[
"**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%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&#128722; [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \n&#127381; [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n&#9999; [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n&#128226; [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n&#128172; [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"*“Come in-“*\n\n“Yup we’re all outside the building.”\n\n\nFloating ever so silently above the titanium roofed building, I waited for the perfect moment to - quite literally - smash into Stemcorp’s evil lair, which doubled as a power plant.\n\nSure, the other heroes - all conveniently named after a letter in the phonetic alphabet - would eventually find a useless way to smash through the wall, pick a lock, or break the entrance door handle; followed “quickly” by a brisk five minute sprint to the core reactor room.\n\n\n“Bravo boy!”\n\n*“I’m ready.”*\n\n“On our ma-“\n\n\n*Thump*\n\nHedging my head behind my shoulder, I accelerated down and dented the titanium shielding. \n\n\n*“Fuck.”*\n\nI didn’t generate enough force.\n\n\n“Wait for our signal!”\n\n*“I’m going again.”*\n\n“Negative!”\n\n\nFloating upwards, I cleared the distance the size of a football field before stopping.\n\n\n*“Okay I’m rea-“*\n\n“Wait wait… someone is opening the door.”\n\n*“What?”*\n\n“Some sort of a… miniature humanoid plush toy just opened the door for us? Await further instructions Bravo Boy.”\n\n\nAwait further instructions? \n\nWas I their fucking lapdog?\n\nBy this time, the police had arrived to curtail the underlings from popular news outlets from entering the premises; accompanied with this was the presence of bystanders, whipping out their phones, screaming and jeering to catch the attention of the greatness that was the one and only *Bravo Boy*.\n\n\n*“Super team, come in.”*\n\n“We are in the core, repeat, we have reached the core reactor.”\n\n*“Well what the fuck is happening?”*\n\n“Well, it’s uh, hard to describe.”\n\n“There seems to be some sort of… riot?”\n\n“They’ve handed us… cardboard signs-”\n\n\nBefore finishing, the loud shouts of EQUAL PAY, were heard, followed by the orders from a megaphone, requesting that the complaints be filed to HR.\n\n\n*“Is this some sick joke?”*\n\n“No, it seems like this resistance has stopped energy production.”\n\n“This is a big step for us!”\n\n*“Do I hear that properly, you’re being held hostage?”*\n\n“No we’re fin-“\n\n*“You’re being held hostage!”*\n\n\nYelling this time, making sure the media outlets and bystanders could hear my concern.\n\n\n*“Okay I’m coming through!”*\n\n“NO DON’T YOU’LL SMASH THR-“\n\n\n*Boom*\n\nTearing through the titanium, I shot into the lair at break-neck speed, cratering the once filled room with now intestines, blood, hair, skin, bone, and the remains of every soul, splattered around the core reactor.\n\n\n“Bravo boy!”\n\n\nThe news outlets rushed and crowded around as I burst out the main entrance, policeman coming to the aid of the bloodied up, crestfallen soldier.\n\n\n“What happened?”\n\n*“I couldn’t save them! They were already dead by the time I-“*\n\n\nCutting myself off, I hid my complexion behind a bent elbow, pretending to cry while being supported by nearby police officers.\n\n\n*“Stemcorp’s evil overlords are dead, they were killed at the expense of my fallen comrades, we will never truly have peace until all villains are eradicated!”*\n\n\nHands outstretched, the crowd climbed over one another as I ascended, screaming and chanting, trying to somehow reach their godly figure: *Bravo Boy*."
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