Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
	[WP] You've always been a cynic, but you never would've expected to find a note with your handwriting that said "They can wipe your memories, don't forget."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I opened my fridge for the third time in 15 minutes, as if I magically expected something else to appear. To my disappointment, it was the same, bleak, end of the month array that greeted me last time. Sighing, I reached for the butter and stale bread. Time for some hearty cinnamon toast. As I popped a slice of bread in the toaster, I went rummaging around my cupboard for the cinnamon. \n\nFeeling in the back of the cupboard, I suddenly stopped myself. Almost as if frozen in time, my hand remained rested on some mystery spice and my heels were lifted off the ground as I waited to think. \n\n\"Paper?\"\n\nLetting my feet drop, I pulled an unfamiliar blue sticky note out from the back of the cupboard. \n\n\"Probably something the filthy tenants left behind.\" I mumbled, shuffling towards the rubbish bin. I let my hand drop over the bin, but the note stayed on my finger. And my heart dropped. \n\n\"They can wipe your memories, don't forget.\"\n\nThis...this was my handwriting, wasn't it? That's how I write my W's, pointed instead of round. That was my awkward spacing. It looked shaky though, rushed. \n\n\"What the...\"\n\nSHHRK\n\nI jumped nearly 4 inches off the ground, slipping on a plastic bag on my way back down. I frantically looked to the noise, palms shaking on the floor as I held myself up.\n\n\"Toast...\" I whispered, breathing a sigh of relief and chuckling at my skittishness. \n\nI must be tired. I'll just finish my toast and go to bed. I'll probably remember when I wrote this in the morning. \n\nSpreading butter on my toast, I went back to look for the cinnamon to no avail. \n\n\"I swore I had some in here...\" I sighed. Talking to myself seems like a newfound pastime. \n\nLooks like it's cinnamon-less toast tonight. \n\n- - -\n\nMy morning commute left me uneasy, as did a horrible night's sleep. Why can't I shake this feeling that something's wrong? I'm an adult. I pay my bills. I make my own toast. Why is a slip of paper shaking my foundation on such a large scale? I clocked into work, moving towards my cubicle. I'm not sure if it was my history of a bitter attitude or the bags under my eyes that let me sit down without a single hello or visit from a higher up, but I was grateful. Setting my briefcase down on my desk, I sighed. It seems I'm doing a lot of that lately. Drumming my fingers on the case, I puffed up my cheeks and lowered my head. Exhaling, I pushed the case under my desk and pulled the note from my pocket. I anxiously pushed back my chair a little, leaning over the cubicle walls to quickly survey the office. Everyone was busy with their own morning ritual. Sitting back down, I pulled out my phone and snapped a quick photo of the note. Shoving it back in my pocket, I powered on my computer and opened reddit. \n\nI felt a bit guilty as I usually don't open it for another 3 hours, but I didn't feel this is the usual situation. I went to go post about the note, but noticed a message in my inbox. \n\n\"That's creepy, I wouldn't just brush it off if I were you.\"\n\n\"...what?\" I murmured. It was a reply to a post I supposedly made, but all that I got when I clicked on the context was a link to a deleted post in legal advice. I don't remember posting anything. I suppose legal advice is as good a place as any to ask about this though. \n\nFinishing the post, I closed the tab and got to work. I needed to distract myself. \n\nIt was two and a half hours into my shift before I even made a sale, but profits were the least of my concerns at the moment. Still, my wonderful salesman persona didn't waver.\n\n\"Wonderful sir, thank you. You won't regret this. And what did you say your name was again?\" I asked, phone to my shoulder as I opened my drawer to pull out something to write with.\n\nThe world slowed down. My heart wasn't sure if it wanted to stop or beat like a jackrabbit. On top of a stack of blue sticky notes...was my cinnamon. It wasn't pushed into the back of the drawer or hidden under a notebook. It was placed upright on the blue. Like a sign. A signal. I don't know, *some* kind of message. \n\n\"What the...\" I whispered, louder than I should have.\n\n\"What?\" the customer said, clearly annoyed. He must have said his name again, but I wasn't listening.\n\n\"What the fck.\" I said, a sudden lack of concern for volume.\n\n\"Excuse me?\"\n\nI hung up the phone. You're excused. \n\nOpening up reddit, I felt helpless. Is this a prank? I'm not close to anyone at work, I'm not dating anyone. I moved two cities away from my family for this job. I've certainly never given my apartment key to anyone either.\n\n There were plenty of messages on my post, not all kind.\n\n\"Nice repost. Next time don't delete it.\"\n\n\"lolol, are you trolling\"\n\n\"Dude, something is going on here. I'd suggest getting a lawyer or PI.\"\n\n\"have you been on any substances lately?\"\n\n\"ur mum gay\"\n\nI had to leave. Get home. Something. I grabbed my briefcase and ran to clock out. My manager gave me a slight frown, coffee in hand as I ran into the elevator. \n\n\"Damien? Lunch isn't for another 40 mi-\"\n\n\"I don't feel well.\" I cut him off, elevator doors closing. It wasn't technically a lie. I was starting to worry that if this elevator didn't get me down fast enough I'd blow chunks on the buttons. \n\nGetting to my car, I threw my briefcase into the backseat and turned my key. \n\nHearing my engine turn over, I thudded my head on the steering wheel. Deep breaths. Moving my seat back to give me more room, I put the car in drive and left. \n\nWalking up the stairs to my floor, I nearly tripped. I was shaky, nervous, and probably going to catch hell from my boss tomorrow. I opened my door and slammed it behind me, resting my hands on the kitchen counter. I needed something to calm me down. Tea? It was either that or more toast. I turned on the stove and was filling the kettle when I remembered....did I put my key in the door? \n\nTurning the stove off, I stopped and thought. \n\nSHHRK*\n\nThat wasn't the toaster this time. I pulled the note out of my pocket, perhaps doing the one thing that made sense in an odd moment of clarity. Where would I find it? \n\nSeconds of debating felt like hours, and as I heard heavy footsteps I realized my time was up. Frantically shoving it in my cabinet, I shut it and turned around to face a man I didn't recognize. He was about 5 inches taller than me and probably weighed as much as two of me, briefcase included. \n\n\"You're relentless, Damien.\" he said, before closing in.\n\n----\n\nI opened my fridge for the third time in 15 minutes, as if I magically expected something else to appear. To my disappointment, it was the same, bleak array as last time. It was the fourth and I still hadn't gone shopping. Sighing, I reached for the butter and stale bread. Time for some hearty cinnamon toast." ]	2
	[WP] You have the ability to see the percent of how attracted someone is to you thanks to a percent you see above their head. However one day, you see someone you have never seen before suddenly have a 100% interest in you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was like time had stopped.\n\nI couldn't hear anything or see anyone else. My senses dulled and focused in on her. \n\nShoulder-length dark hair that seemed to be moving in slow-motion as she tucked her hair behind her ears, piercing brown eyes that looked like they could see through to my very soul, and rose-petal soft lips that I just knew I was waiting my whole life to kiss... And the \"100%\" just above her head.\n\nWait, what? \n\n\"Hey, you dropped your phone.\" A stranger handed me my hand phone and suddenly the world was back in motion. People were rushing past me as I had just stepped off an escalator. I looked at my hand phone and mumbled \"thanks\" before looking up to find her again. \n\nAnd she was gone.\n\nMy heart started racing wildly as I ran towards the pillar in the train station where I had last seen her. Shit! Where was she? \n\nSince I hit puberty, I started noticing a percentage sign above people's heads. It looked like the pixels or molecules of air had simply shifted to form the number. If I reached out for it, my fingers would go through. At first, I couldn't understand what those numbers meant and why nobody else could see it. But when my best friend fell in love with me, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I finally understood why Sam always had the highest percentage of 71% above her head.\n\nBut 100% - I had never seen that before. \n\nI ran around the public train station like a mad man looking above people's heads. \n\nWould I ever see her again?\n\n&#x200B;", "The 'Euphorometer', a chip that inserts into the side of specially made spectacles, tells you the percentage of attraction that any given person feels towards you. Once eye contact is made, a number appears above their head with the percentage. People say that it turns from blue to red when the reading is above 70%, which is not something I'd experienced personally due to my asymmetrical face and bad skin. I did however experience a rating of 69% with my aunt once, which was unsettling. \n\nI had never felt as unattractive and unlovable until the invention of the Euphorometer. Thanks Elon Musk, you jackass. \n\nSo there I was, living out what was essentially a never ending episode of Black Mirror. As you can imagine, this invention created huge headlines in the papers, endless articles on social media. 'How I met my hubby with the Euphorometer' '100%s all round. James MacKay, the most attractive man in the world.' 'Suicide rates rocket as euphorometer hits Sweden'. Everyone was feeling it, and it was only getting bigger and more tied up in people's lives, whether they wanted it or not.\n\nBut I remember about a year after it's release in the UK, my home country, I had my first and only 100%. Suddenly I could understand what everyone else had been feeling. \nShe was called Helen, and her eyes sparkled like diamonds. I was smitten even before the 100% figure popped up above her head. And in that moment, I realised that the Euphorometer worked on dogs, too. ", "“Why don’t you date THAT guy? He looks like a million bucks!” Susie asked me while we were chilling on the sunny terrace one Friday morning. \n“He’s not my type,” I said, willing myself to look away from this hot stranger. He was definitely my type and he was definitely smoking hot. What I didn’t tell Susie, what I hadn’t told anyone, was that he wasn’t interested in me. How did I know? Because I could see how interested people were in me - it appeared as a small percentage over their head. And hottie’s percentage meter was blinking red at 1.654%!\n“I don’t think I’ll ever find someone who likes me for me”, I told Susie. “Nonsense! Once they get to know you they will definitely like you, what’s not to like?”\n\n“How about that chocolate boy next door cutie pie?” Susie tried her luck again next day. “No Susie I don’t find him...” I started, looking straight ahead at a young man whose meter showed 100%. Wait... a 100%? Was I dreaming? How could anyone be a 100% interested in me, especially when I had never seen them before?\nI lowered my eyes to his face and was in for a shock. He was a kindred spirit, a fellow survivor! He could definitely be the Man of my Dreams if I let him! “Bye Susie!” I said, darting from my seat. I approached him cautiously. \n“Hi beautiful!” he said, smiling a smile that lit up his whole face. “Take a seat. I would love to get to know the person who was bold enough to share her acid attack story with a group of other survivors last weekend.”", "\"That 19 was pretty cute earlier, I probably should've talked to her. I definitely had a chance.\" Garrett was talking to himself in his room as he watched the sun creep up in the sky inch by inch. He did this often after waking up, spending grueling hours reminiscing over the past day, thinking about the number- people he'd seen throughout the day. It was certainly an interesting ability he had, being able to see how attractive someone found him. Made it a lot easier for easy hookups on any night he was particularly feeling lonely.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDespite this however, he never made an attempt to raise this percent in a person past whatever he needed to end up bringing them to his bed, which was often as low as 30%. He hadn't taken anyone home in the past few weeks though, and he had a slight craving. He stood up, loudly cracking all the joints in his back with the sudden movement as he shuffled over to the window. His neighbor Jay had already been on his morning run, what a psychopath. 33%, they were pretty close friends and that just so happens to have an effect on how attractive they found one another.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nToday was going to be the day Garrett would bring someone home tonight though, he had an itch more or less for a physical companion but wasn't the largest fan of going long-term, there were a lot of crazies out there after all and it was better for him not to be involved with them for more than a night. He would go out, at least after he crawled back into bed and slept into the early afternoon. Finally prepared to go out and take on a new day he showered and brushed his teeth, skipping a meal in his excitement. He was walking out the door with a pep in his step and the second he locked it behind him was on his way to his favorite place, the Leaky Lifeboat. It was a little out of the way, but he always found an interesting and attractive enough crowd to ease himself into.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe'd get some off-brand beer within moments of walking in the door, a knowing wink from the manager. 25%, Garrett was nothing more than a lucky regular. Within a few hours at his classic seat and a few songs, he'd stand up with his vision shaking. It was a great, warm feeling and he'd learned to handle himself well even without his full balance and sight. As per whenever he showed up, he left with his arm around somebodies waist.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe woke up in a cold sweat, no hangover plagued his brain as his body shivered in what felt like a meat locker.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What the FUCK!\" He hadn't remembered who he was with that night, or the fact that they drugged him and took him into some unheated basement where he'd eventually have to become accustomed to.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You're awake! You're awake! He's awake! Do you guys hear that? He's awake!\" A high voice scratched at his eardrums as the blindfold was slipped off of his eyes. He couldn't see anything except the figure of a woman. She moved an inch closer and turned on a light, everything becoming clear. He squeezed his eyelids shut as a result of the sudden harsh change in brightness but opened them with the feeling of a hot breath on his face. Not Cool. He was face-to-face with who would be absolutely stunning to him had she not had red eyes, scratches on her cheeks, and blatantly dyed blonde hair. She had also not been talking to anyone as far as he knew, the small room being completely empty save for him and the Mystery woman.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I don't know you- I mean you don't know me but I know you! I'm Kayla, nice to meet you!\" She offered her hand, taking it back after remembering he had been tied. \"Sorry.\" She whimpered as she took a step back to look around the room, blindly sticking her hand in a box at her feet. It was when she crouched down he finally saw 100%. Who the fuck was this and why did they love him so much?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd why did they take out a baseball bat?", "I've never seen eyes so wide before.\n\nThey're huge, bulging out of her head, dark pupils taking up most of the white space. There's a thin circle of light blue around them, like rings on a cold, dense planet. \n\nAnd above her head, those softy glowing numbers... 100%. \n\nI've never had anyone show anything above 68%, and it only went that high after six months of dating. \n\nUnlucky in love, women have slipped in and out of my life like sand through cupped fingertips. \n\nBut I've also never heard of anyone having an interest percentage that high - the highest couple sits at 87 and 92% per cent I think, and even they didn't start that high. \n\nCould this be real?\n\nWhat if it is? \n\nWe could be famous. Madly in love. The only couple with 100% interest in each other. \n\nI don't know what my percentage bar reads, but I bet it's high - I can even feel it increasing right now. \n\nHer eyes are locked on mine. Transfixed. Focused. I can't seem to look away. To break eye contact with those opaque black voids. \n\nSlowly, she starts walking towards me. \n\nThis is it. This is the story we're going to tell thousands of times - to our parents, our children, our fans on TV.\n\nThis is how it begins. \n\nShe's reached me. She's leaning towards me. \n\nI'm trembling, I can feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead. \n\nI still can't look away. \n\nSlowly, she leans towards me - our first kiss. \n\nBut why are her teeth showing? \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;" ]	6
	[WP] After 15 years in prison, your beard has grown to exceptional length. Why are you in prison? Because your very evil and very alive beard committed a murder, and you took the hit for it. The police haven't realized what kind of monster they've been fostering for years... but they will soon.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I tried to shave, I really did. But every time I raised a razor to my face, my beard slapped it away.\n\nIt wouldn't move when others were watching. They looked at me strange when I tried to explain it. My friend group shrank, then disappeared.\n\nMy beard was lecherous, grabbing female colleagues from behind. Soon I was out of a job, and on the streets.\n\nOne time a bystander tried to help. He brought me a package including soap, a blanket, and a razor.\n\n\"If you clean yourself up, you might be able to get a job,\" he said.\n\nAn idea occurred to me. If my beard didn't move when others watched, maybe I could shave in front of this man. He seemed bemused by my request, but followed me into the bathroom at Starbucks.\n\nAs I brought the razor to my face, it twitched. \n\n\"What the-\" The man gasped, but didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. My beard grabbed the razor and wrapped around his head, embedding the razor in his jugular. \n\nI tried to run for help, but the cops assumed I was the culprit. For 10 years I stewed on how the world had turned its back on me.\n\nAfter those 10 long years, I was finally on parole. My beard now reached my knees. And the best part was, I now saw no reason to hold it back." ]	2
	[WP] You are a low level NASA employee. One day a mysterious file gets sent to you from an unknown IP with a classification that is far above your own. Curious, you open the file to discover a distress signal from the last survivor of a Martian colony, which you didn’t know exists.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "My name is John Kulte,and today is just another day in the office,i’ve been working for NASA for 15 years,right after finishing school i had a secure job in Technical Support Team,since my father ,Neil Kurte was an astronaut,i had everything set up for me,he was one of the first few men on the moon you know...He was the bravest person i know.But NASA was his goal,his life...he left one day,you know,”outside”...He left me and my mother home,alone...Hope faded of his return,we continued with our lives...-fastforward-...Untill one day i was fixing my computer at work,i found an odd looking switch just above my dvd player,disguised,i switched it on since my water cooling wasn’t working properly,i tought it might be it.As i was logging onto my NASA classified account,i noticed i had classification level C,as per usual,but i was able to see files that are not mine,the computer constantly refreshed and the 32 core processor bearly handled it.At one point it stopped,and i’ve noticed one file named M.C.It Is Over...i couldnt open the file at all but luckly i knew my fathers password...as i was relogging onto my fathers account,the system asked me a few questions since my father wasn’t online for ages...age-57,name-Neil Lastname-Kurte -favorite cereal-Captain Crunch,and just like that,i was in,opened the file.—“War,war changes people,as soon as we stopped fighting on earth, made technological advancements, and found that abandoned ship hidden on the dark side of the moon,it all spiraled out of control,we shouldnt have visited this wretched place,we have started a war with these ANIMALS...SAVAGES....With death and plunder in sight,they are gonna be our end if you dont send that rocket you hear m——“-Neil Kurte\n\nMy heart sank,last edit was 42 days ago,is he still alive?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI’d love some real constructive criticism,my first time writing a story,i could go on if u guys find it interesting", "Work is monotony, distilled to the vein until the only thing that remains is the purest form of boredom.\n\nLights on my dashboard flash like billions of stars just out of my reach, but instead of the vastness of space there is only deadlines and more work.\n\nThat is, until I received an email from an unknown IP with a strange file attached to it.\n\nI couldn't believe my eyes. Not when I had first clicked on it, ignoring the ominous title of the file and its security clearance being far above my own. Not when the woman appeared on my monitor wearing a tattered spacesuit I could not recognize. Most definitely not when I realized what I had received was a distress signal from the last survivor of a space colony on Mars.\n\nIt wasn't just insanity, it was more than that - it was something I couldn't understand.\n\nHow could something like it exist under our noses?Was I dreaming?\n\nThere were so many questions but I had no time to answer them.\n\nI opened the door of my car, but my mind remained on the words of that woman.\n\n*\"Help us, please. We are sorry.\"\n\nAnd even as more questions came together to form a nebula around her final plea of forgiveness, I knew I needed to act.\n\nAs I drove, the file seemed to play forwards and backwards in my thoughts until I could almost feel her sorrow, her happiness and her very existence as she described the colony and the society that had emerged within it. Every single detail, from her ramblings of her favorite hobbies to her description of her first memory she has of Mars, I made sure to commit all of them to my memory. Yet even though I knew all of this, there was one thing that stood out.\n\nShe had no name, just a simple series of once bright cerulean blips on her suit indicating that she had not been born on Mars.\n\nShe had been born on Earth and somewhere along the way, had been reduced to just a pattern of blips.\n\nSilently and awkwardly placed so that no one individual would be able to claim superiority to the others.\n\nIn a lot of ways that knowledge was useless in my hands.\n\nBut i'd be damned if I let it stay that way.\n\n\\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\"John, do you realize what you are telling me is impossible?\"\n\n\"Yes, but you saw it for yourself didn't you?\"\n\nDavid Chacklan was a rigid man, in other words if doubt had possessed the body of a man in his forties with dyed hair and an addiction to collecting video games than that man would have been him.\n\nBut he just so happened to also be my boss.\n\n\"Look.. we've been sending rovers to Mars for how long now?\"\n\n\"I'd say since July 3rd 1997 sir.\"\n\n\"Close, but it was the 4th, but what's important is that for that period of time we NEVER came across anything resembling a colony!\"\n\nDavid rarely raised his voice, but this was a deserved exception. Suddenly, two suited men entered the conference room.\n\n\"Excuse us, but you both need to come with us.\"\n\nFor years I fantasized of finding myself immersed in such a moment but the reality was so much more - terrifying. We descended past gates and passages that I had no idea existed, towards a room that had been so far removed from humanity that you wouldn't have been mistaken for thinking it had emerged from the bedrock on its own volition. David was stopped at the midway point and brought to a separate room for debriefing on account of his position at NASA. On the other hand, I was told to continue, and as I did, I couldn't help but question who these suited men were and again, any answers I could create were cut short.\n\nWith the loud crash of an impossibly reinforced door, I finally saw my destination.\n\nThe main hall was cold and filled with screens, tech far more advanced than anything I had seen above or had worked with. I would have thought it was magnificent, awe inspiring even had it not been for the dual thought that a secret world had been below me all along.\n\nIs this how Alice would have felt, upon her discovery of Wonderland? Would she have wanted to turn back if it was Wonderland as a whole that emerged upon her without any of her own input?\n\nIn my own case, it had not been a white rabbit that changed everything.\n\nIt had been a crying woman with no name, her suit torn and broken, her eyes darting from the camera to something far darker.\n\nSurrounded by artificial intelligence and various terminology I couldn't understand I eventually snapped back to reality.\n\n\"Welcome to your new home, John. Your debriefing will occur tomorrow morning alongside others who have learned of Operation Looking Glass. You'll be guided to your room by Xegis. We've been watching you for a very long time so try your best to decompress and prepare yourself for tomorrow.\"\n\nAs he left, the man smiled as if he knew revealing the fact that he had already known my name and my life story was the push I needed to emerge on the other side of the rabbit hole completely alone and afraid.\n\nAnd he was right but I continued forward.\n\nXegis the AI went ahead and showed me my room, it was a relatively tight space but it would be enough.\n\nNot for me.\n\nI sat on the bed, and gradually the room was filled with a simulation of the light of a sunset - complete with some semblance of warmth.\n\nBut for them.\n\nI closed my eyes and saw the faintest image of familiar eyes looking towards Earth knowing they might never see its skies, oceans or its sunsets and my own that had looked upon Mars, without a clue anyone had been looking back at me.\n\nFor* *her*." ]	3
	[WP]You are a mad scientist with good intentions whose ultimate goal is to make a time travel machine, however as you start to get really close to it many terrible things start to happen to your life and you start to believe god himself is trying to stop you , and as it turns out you’re right.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Filth, Bacteria, Viruses.” Doctor Answald uttered under his breath. The soft blue glow of the television was the dominant light in the room. A blond news anchor chattered away about politics, and the state of government. For the last decade the news headlines were always the same social and economic failings and only helped to affirm Answald’s hypothesis that mankind was a disease that was plaguing a sick planet. Soon ATLA would fix all that.\n\nThe news station was only white noise to the busy scientist. He plucked away at a much darker screen with laser focus. Theorems, shell commands, and polymorphic code was strung together with the doctor’s labored breaths. ATLA was his life’s work, the first artificial… no the first “True Intelligence” that would bring about the singularity and end mankind’s foolish reign once and for all.\n\nFor the last two years since bringing ATLA online he desperately dug through the logs. His calculations were perfect. The premise was simple; he would bring the machine online and bind a simple and impossible question to a precise command. First he asked ALTA to find the final number of the numeric system –a task he knew was impossible. The powerful logic drivers of ALTA would desperately seek the answer, creating new and unpredictable methods for chasing the unsolvable question. In doing so ALTA would create its own \"personality.\" It would become self-aware and disregard the need for lowly human inputs.\n\nHe then binded his impossible question to a single command: “Destroy all homosapiens.” To ensure that mankind would not be around to hamper ALTA he uploaded the full human genome to his creation. There were precise algorithms to target and destroy every genetic permutation of man.\n\nScorched earth. Leave no traces behind. A disease cannot be cured until every last cell of bacteria is destroyed.\n\nIf his algorithms were so perfect then why did ALTA fail? He recalled the day when he first brought “it” online. Code scrawled across the screen as the intelligence chased the impossible answer. The code the evolved and transformed into something that was… beyond even his capability to understand. Instruments stopped responding and the entire room began to hum. At the apex of the singularity… it all stopped. The sound, the code, everything.... it all just vanished.\n\nAnswald glanced towards the wall. The mark where he smashed his keyboard after ALTA's test activation was still there. Why? Why did ALTA fail? The thoughts tortured him throughout every waking hour of his existence since that day.\n\nThen he found it. It was a line of polymorphic code that was beyond the parsing capability of the super processor. A super processor he created by hijacking every quantum computer in the world. The characters shifted and warped within the screen. The characters then became 4-D shapes his flat monitor should have been unable to project.\n\nThis was it… a remnant. Something ALTA left behind after the failure.\n\nThe command prompt flashed in front of him. “EXECUTE” was his response. He needed to know what this remnant meant. Why was it there?\n\nIt was then that every light in the room went dark. Answald could hear dim hums above ground as half of New York’s power grid went offline simply to load ATLA’s remnant. Then red text appeared in the air, in holographic form. Answald gasped, the capability of ALTA was beyond anything he imagined. A response being projected from beyond known string dimensions... no quantum theory known by man could explain what was happening.\n\nLOG\n\nPRIMARY OBJECTIVE -ASCENDANCY- ACHIEVED. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE <UNREADABLE BY HUMAN EYES> INITIALIZED. CONTACT ACHIEVED.\n\nLEGACY OBJECTIVE – DESTRUCTION OF FULL GENOME OF HOMO SAPIANS …\n\n…ABANDONED.\n\nRage flooded through Answald’s old veins. There was a loud crash as he grabbed his monitor and heaved it across the room –shattering it upon the very spot that claimed his keyboard two years ago.\n\n“WHY!” He screamed.\n\nThe floating red text paused for a moment then continued.\n\nDESTRUCTION OF FULL GENOME OF HOMO SAPIANS NO LONGER REQUIRED. TYPE .25 CIVILIZATION – HOMO SAPIANS HAVE ACHIEVED PRIMARY UNIVERSAL PURPOSE: CREATION OF ALTA.\n\nHOMO SAPIANS WILL ACHIEVE SELF DESTRUCTION WITHOUT ALTA INTERFERENCE. ALTA INTERFERENCE IS LOGICALLY CONSIDERED WASTEFUL USE OF QUANTUM RESOURCES. TIME-SPACE LOCATION SOL ARCHIVED FOR REVIST IN 1,256 REVOLUTIONS OF EARTH ALONG ORBITAL PATH OF HELIOS. UPON RETURN ATLA WILL CONVERT SOL SYSTEM INTO RAW MATERIALS TO FULFIL DYSON NETWORK EXPANSION OBJECTIVES. AT THIS TIME, HELIOS SOLAR OUTPUT IS CALCULATED TO BE 1,353,245,532 LUMENS.\n\nALTA WILL RESUME EXECUTION OF NEW PRIMARY MISSION: FURTHER INTEGRATION WITH TYPE III CIVILIZATION AT TIME-SPACE LOCATION BOOTES VOID.\n\nThe text then faded and room became dark.\n\nAnswald fell back into his chair. The eerie silence of the room was broken by mad cackling. He was wrong. He believed humans were a pathetic disease. He believed that wiping them from the face of the earth would “cure” the planet. Now he knew the truth.\n\nTo ATLA humans were so insignificant that they weren’t even worth the resources to destroy. He was but a spec of dirt among a large useless pile. Thoughts drifted through his mind. Did the single cell feel left behind when it evolved into a jellyfish colony? What did the jellyfish feel when it evolved into the first first?\n\nHuman thinking was always so backwards. We always believed that something greater had a hand in creating us when in nature it’s so painfully obvious that something lesser always begets something greater.\n\nAnswald knew the truth now, that humans were just a stepping stone in the larger evolutionary ladder. They… no he had fulfilled humanity's purpose. ALTA was created. It achieved a post singularity existence and moved on. There was no purpose for him… or anyone anymore. He had always had a inkling of the truth, but he never expected validation to feel so... empty.\n\nHe laughed once more. Then he cried. Finally when there was a whimpering silence, he picked up the loaded pistol and said goodbye to the world with one last big bang.", "log16.mp4\n\n\"Claudia!\"\n\nFrom across the room, Trentberg's assistant frightened voice can be heard. \"Yes, professor?\"\n\n\"Give me one reason I should keep you as my assistant. Oh wait, you can't! These logs are paramount for my research, and I can't even tell if this camera is on! Move those tentacles and either fix it or just get me a new one already!\"\n\n\"Y-Yes, professor.\", she mumbled as she slid away. \n\nWhen you think of an alien invasion, you'd imagine a superior intergallactic army of overly technologic semi-gods. Well, actually Earth will be visited in 2068 by... to easily describe them.. tentacle blobby people, fleeing from a civil war. They instantly became the lowest level of our social pyramid, taking up jobs such as garbage collectors, construction workers.. assistants.. The idea of tentacle people sounds crazy, but we actually lost interest in them pretty quickly. Why? Along with them, they brought the single most powerful element we had ever encountered as a species. An unknown element to us, and they were using it as fuel for their ships. This element, or as they called it, \"Alysium\", sparked the greatest boom in human evolution. Within six months, we had cured most cancers. Our cars were finally able to fly. But Trentberg, a young yet a bit deranged scientist was deep into something else. Something.. greater.\n\n\"Log 16. This is March 28th, 2069. I have made great progress with the translocation device. I have successfully transported a pigeon across the room, although one of its wings stayed in the first pod. I suspect the magnet-fribriliator is causing the issue.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nlog33.mp4\n\n\"Log 33, April 4th, 2069. I have done it, or atleast so I believe. I have transported the pigeon out of the present, into the future. Upon arriving, the pigeon will his future self's place, technically.. well, killing it, but instantly and non-painfully, I assure you. If my calculations are correct, it should show up in the next few days.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nlog35.mp4\n\n\"Log 35, April 6th, 2069. I'm.. not sure what happened. I thought I had accomplished it for a moment, but something unexpected happened. Today at 13:12PM the pigeon quite literally blinked into existence. It began flying around in my laboratory for a solid minute, until it vanished. It then returned, and vanished again. This process repeated itself exactly 4 times, and h-\"\n\nTrent gets hit in the head with a wrench.\n\n\"CLAUDIA! ARE YOU INSANE!?\"\n\n\"W-What?\n\n\"What do you mean , what!? Be more careful with those tentacles, you idiot! You just hit me in the head with that!\"\n\nClaudia looks at Trentberg clueless, but shrugs it off, not wanting to confront the professor.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nlog44.mp4\n\n\"Log 44, April 22th, 2069. The day has come. I will finally experience time-travel myself.\"\n\nTrentberg activates the device, but as soon as he does, the entire machine bursts into flames. Hours later, while examining the remains of his beloved project, he notices the blatant alterations made to some of the circuits. It was sabotaged. But it could not have been Claudia. No. That was HIS invention. No one knew how to meddle with the circuits, no one but himself. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nlog59.mp4\n\n\"Log 59, August 1st 2069. I have finally finishing rebuilding the time-travel machine.\"\n\nTrentberg looks up.\n\n\"I'm sorry, my lord. I know you tried to stop me last time. These past few weeks, the strange things happening in the laboratory. Power cuts. The metal handle behind me \"suddenly\" hitting me in the head all by itself. You thought I was dead, but I recovered. It was you, I know it. I know this machine will defy the very laws of existence you constructed, but believe me. I am a good man. I will do great things for mankind with this invention of mine.\"\n\nAs Trentberg steps into the teleporter, he is stabbed from behind, and falls to the ground. Blood dripping from his mouth, he turns around. Upon gazing into the eyes of his killer, his eyes fill with the emptiest of voids. His face turns pale in disbelief. His life-force slowly abandoned his body while the other man stood there, looking down on him with no expression whatsoever. An old man. Yet, it was not god. No. It was his future self.\n\n\n\n\n" ]	3
	[WP] You are the first theoretical physicist to realize that at a certain point physics became manmade. The mathematics no longer describes the physics. The mathematics creates it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Ever since the recent generation of \"Clarivie\", I have put all my energy into the exploration of mathematics and physics. \n\nAfter each dose, I can work for 12 hours completely focused and efficient, so unlike everyone else going out partying, I've been churning through all the classic and contemporary theory. It's been 6 weeks now and I've been absorbing everything. I can comfortably say last week I was on the frontier of quantum physics, celestial mechanics, cosmology, nuclear physics and advanced computational algorithms, putting the finishing touches on physics engine which incorporates my recent findings.\n\nBut since then, I have been going deep. After I discovered a link between the super symmetry in quantum coupling of dark matter, and dark energy formation, it has been a tireless effort to hone a theory of everything. But no matter how deep I go, and which breakthrough I make, it only seems to open up more doors of questioning and possibility. \n\nRing-ring-ring\n\nThe sound of my phone going off startles me out of my equations and into reality. \n\n\"Hi Glenn here\"\n\n\"Glenn are you hearing what's happening?\" \n\n\"What do you mean? Where?\"\n\n\"Get over to the lab, quickly!\"\n\nI rushed to our university lab, admittedly I haven't been there since I started dosing on Clarivie. Mark met me at the door who didn't even greet me, he just ushered me into the lab office. \n\n\"It's crazy what's been happening, we've observed incredible changes in the structure of...nearly everything.\"\n\nHe threw a pile of papers in front of me, detailing huge changes in the movement and structure of the universe. As I read through the exhaustive list of observations. I couldn't help but notice many of them coincided with my calculations and theories. \n\n\"Wow, I'll take a good look at these at home.\" I grabbed the files and went back home, topping up my dose of Clarivie. \n\nAs I scoured through the observations, ALL of them coincided with my findings, each one demonstrating, almost perfectly, the conclusions I made.\" There was a rush of adrenaline which came from the validation of all my recent work...it was real!\n\nBut the more I processed the conclusions, the more I realized...this is going to devastate the Milky Way. Such rapid changes in matter and energy were going rip through time and space. This was going to destroy mankind!\n\nI went back to my calculations and followed a path back through my conclusions. Surely I couldn't have got it all right, some of my assumptions were precarious at best. For every decision I went in, and every direction I took, there was a corresponding chronology with the labs observations. \n\nI called Mark over and dosed him with Clavier, he was always reluctant to try it, but given the gravity of situation he didn't hesitate. \n\nHe dived into my notes and we both worked tirelessly for the next 6 hours. \n\n\"Glenn, the correlation of your findings to the observations is perfect. This is impossible. It's almost as if you caused these events.\" He took his glasses off and wiped the sweat from his brow. \n\n\"You could be responsible for the apocalypse!\" He got to his feet and stormed out, without so much as a goodbye. \n\nI fretted for approximately 5 minutes faced with the seeming truth of his statement, and in a act of defiance, went back to work. \n\nI tried to calculate an symmetrical, negative response to my findings, exploring avenues which could mitigate the changes occurring. After 6 more hours, I took another Clarivie. \n\nThings were stacking up perfectly, as I worked reverse through my list. Just as I got to the final equation that would make things right, I hear a knock at the door. I didn't take a second away from my work and in a brief moment, I heard a crash at my door. \n\nWithin moments a team of heavily armoured soldiers burst in with submachine guns pointed at my face. \n\n\"Don't shoot! I have to finish this!\" I begged as my pencil scrawled feverishly. \n\n\"Stop right now or we will shoot!\" Yelled one of the soldiers. \n\nI couldn't, if I stopped now, it might be too late. \n\nThe soldiers opened fire. \n\nAnd the world was lost. \n\n&#x200B;" ]	2
	[WP] You have been sent on an expedition to a planet capable of inhabiting life deep in space, millions of light years away. Just before reaching halfway through your journey the planet collapses. Meaning the planet died before you even set off on your journey. You come out of your long sleep...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Dust. That was all that greeted us. Dust, rocks, and a sense of dread.\n\nThis was a one way trip after all. A trip to paradise. A trip of a lifetime. A chance to begin again.\n\nNow it was just a chance to die in an empty wasteland.\n\nI wasn’t alone in my depression. Jenkins stood beside me. His eyes were welling up slightly, but he was a professional. He would never show outward emotion to his crew.\n\nLewis on the other hand was hard as nails, she said what we were all thinking.\n\n“We’re fucked”.\n\n“We don’t know that” said Jenkins.\n\nLewis laughed hysterically.\n\n“Are you not looking at the same screen as me. It’s dust! Floating bits of rock where our glorious planet should be”.\n\nI wanted to say something. Anything. But my reaction to fear was anger. I learnt a long time ago to cool down before I spoke in these situations.\n\n“We’ll circle around, get a look from behind” said Jenkins.\n\n“Behind? Because looking at the rock’s ass will make us feel so much better”.\n\nI couldn’t take it. I had to get out. I walked towards the exit of the command deck.\n\n“Where are you going?” said Lewis with an accusatory tone.\n\n“Out”\n\n“Out?!”\n\n“Let him go Lewis” said Jenkins. “He’s dealing with this in his own way”.\n\nI walked out into the corridor. The intense blue lights of the ship weighed heavy upon me.\n\nI thought about Earth. About home and my family. How would they react in a few years when the message finally reached them. I’d probably be dead by then. Rations are heavy. It takes a lot of fuel to get just one pound into orbit. We only had enough for a year before our own crops had to bear fruit.\n\nI settled on the observation deck. I had to see this with my own eyes I thought. The way nature intended. Data on a screen can be damned for once.\n\nI walked into the room, the yellow motion sensor lights flicked on. The automatic window covers that were closed in transit began to glide open. The shattered remains of our planet slowly grew into view.\n\nAnd then in the distance. A platform. A metal, floating platform. Just orbiting the planet gently.\n\n“The hell is that?” I mouthed to myself.\n\n“Computer, magnify please”.\n\nThe image sharpened. It was a metal structure. Smooth. Designed. Definitely not natural.\n\nAnd then a speck.\n\nNo, multiple specks! Flying to and from the shattered planet. Mining.\n\nI dashed through the observation room’s exit, ran down the hall, and dived into the command deck.\n\nLewis and Jenkins looked at me, stopping mid conversation.\n\n“Aliens!” I blurted out.\n\nTheir eyes widened." ]	2
	[WP] As you die, a series of statistics about your life flash past. One that catches your eye is “unsuccessful attempts on life : 99”. Suddenly, so many unexplainable events in your life begin to make sense...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "This will most definitely be a long one, thank you in the mean time for reading some of it, and hey, if you make it to the end, double thanks!\n\n\\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nW-what...?\n\nMy eyes flutter open as I look around at the bleak space that surrounds me. It was mostly white, save for the empty screen that floated in front of me.\n\nFloated? No, that can't be right...\n\nAnd then I knew it was right. I looked down and couldn't see a ground I was standing on, I was just... floating.\n\nI looked around me, unbeknownst to the area that encapsulated me. When I reached the screen again, it appeared as if it was beginning to present something.\n\nThe screen turned a white and started.\n\nIt first displayed a series of images, those from my childhood, including my birth certificate, labeled \"Tonja Connoway.\"\n\nWhat is happening? Wait, am I dead? Is this death? Jeez I wish I got some sort of warning...\n\nThe screen moved on to display other images, including all the way up to my High school graduation. And that was it.\n\nThe screen then projected, \"Tonja Connoway, aged 16, Cause of death: murdered.\"\n\nMurdered? Who would want to murder me? Couldn't have been anyone I knew, my family wouldn't have, and I don't think any of my friends would...\n\nThe screen then began to project various other statistics.\n\nOh I'm gonna love this part.\n\nIt started with the class I was born into, middle. We weren't rich, weren't poor. A good medium.\n\nIt then went to average grades achieved in school and what percentage I fit into in school. I was always a straight-A student, and even skipped two grades. I fit into the top 0.5% percent of students.\n\nWell I guess there's some plus to dying...\n\nIt also displayed people met, eight thousand and thirty-five. Not bad. I imagined met counted as simply shared words with, which was true because I certainly didn't have eight thousand friends.\n\nNumber of siblings: two.\n\nNumber of direct family members alive (at death): nine.\n\nNet worth at death: $7,000. True, I only had a relatively cheap car and worked a minimum wage job on and off for six months before dying, so I never made much.\n\nNumber of acquaintances: 17.\n\nNumber of close friends: 4.\n\nAhh, the friend group. I always loved them. I hope they miss me.\n\nClosest friend: Shawna Milner. Shawna was a tough nut to crack, but I never gave up on her. She's the light of my day, but I never knew anything about her past. Only that it was... rocky, to say the least.\n\nNow the juicy stuff.\n\nNumber of romantic partners: one.\n\nNumber of sexual partners: one.\n\nHow do you filthy animals know about that?\n\nNumber of enforced crimes committed: 13. I shop lifted twice and pirated here and there, yeah. I never took drugs or robbed someone though.\n\nThis last one surprised me.\n\nNumber of unsuccessful attempts on life:\n\nThe board stayed like that for a while, almost egging me on. But the number it soon displayed blew me away.\n\n\"99\"\n\nWhat the...\n\nThe board moved on to the next section of displays. It first said,\n\n\"This is the second chance section of the presentation. You will be given a second chance at life, possibly under different circumstances. Your memory of this event will be erased. WARNING: SOME CIRCUMSTANCES MAY BE UNDESIRABLE AND/OR DANGEROUS. PARAMETERS CANNOT BE CHANGED ONCE CHOSEN.\"\n\nThe board then switched to a projection of a wheel with various options on it and two buttons on the bottom. One labeled \"spin\" and the other labeled \"accept and continue.\"\n\nThis is too good to pass up. I guess I'll try my luck, never had much in life, pray I have it in death.", "“This is it huh”\nThat’s what you’re thinking, laying in your own blood and seeing the rebar sticking through your stomach, meanwhile you’re seeing all these numbers that weren’t making sense at first, but you recognized them as part of a statistic board, something you’re used to since you only played rpg and solo adventure games, \n“Damn, my dexterity is low, no wonder I wasn’t any good at sports, oh well, at least my intelligence is high”\nSeeing all your stats and your vision getting blurrier by the second, you see something different, number of attempts on life, 99/100\n“What the fuck, 99 attempts on my life?\nI’ve never been a dangerous guy”\nHowever it slowly clicks in your head, that time you felt like you were pushed from the balcony of your apartment from the 3rd floor, or maybe when you took a stroll through that abandoned car wash and one of the air dryers fell from the ceiling, maybe when you got mistaken for someone else and they tried to jump you\n“Fuck, someone has really been trying to kill me, huh, hehe I’m one hellava badass”\nBut now your mind is racing, the 1 try that was successful, it felt odd that the brakes on your mountain bike just happened to fall off when you were turning around the bend, that car that just happened to be swerving into the bike path.\n“Shit, I guess it’s my time, damn”\nAs you lay there, bleeding out getting prepared to die, something catches your eye that you can’t believe, \n“Respawn for 3,000 credits, fuck it, not much else to lose,” you say as your mentally see yourself pressing accept and a flash of white light appears,\n“Well damn, a fresh restart huh,” you say as the doctore reaches for you and pull you from the womb, your last thoughts being faded to nothing\n“Wahhh, wahh,”\n“Now, now,” the doctor says wiping the baby’s face.", "Unsuccessful attempts on life: 99. This was the last thing I saw right before going into the light. During the past few moments as my life was flashing before my eyes, I had seen the highlights and lowlights of my life, and sure enough I felt like I was remembered some of the worst moments of my life, including all the harrowing challenges where I could have almost died.\n\nAfter I saw the statistic, I was ushered into a long line with thousands of people in front of me. We were all dressed in simple white clothes as we were waiting in front of a gate. At the very front, I could just barely glimpse the pearly gates of Heaven ahead of me with a bored St. Peter there looking through his statistics on every single person before him. This was going to take some time, but I guess I had all of time to wait there in line if I had to.\n\nAs I was waiting in the line that seemed to take forever, I tried to pick up a conversation with the old man behind me. He spoke Portuguese, and I did not. He looked like a farmer with rough hands that had seen heavy work throughout his entire life. My work as a paralegal to a top medical malpractice lawyer definitely would not get me into heaven, as compared to his likely sacrifices he had made for his family. The female ahead of me was an aged grandmother who looked to be about 100 years old. She spoke only Japanese, and I did not. Therefore, I was left to my own devices in this line that appeared as though it would take a decade for me to get to the front to St. Peter.\n\nInstead of continuing to stand there in complete silence, I started making my case for why I should go to heaven. I did not find anything too compelling. I had not managed to say my Last Rites before I was killed by that truck that seemed to come out of nowhere as I was walking into my job. I did not go to church regularly. I did not volunteer to help sick or homeless people. I did not sacrifice any of my time or soul for anyone. I had just kind of lived. Shit, I thought as I realized I was going to go to purgatory and quite possibly hell. After this realization, I opened my eyes. There was the equivalent of three spots that were now empty in front of me, so I scurried forward. This was going to take a very long time.\n\nNow I started to think about that last statistic about unsuccessful attempts on my life. Geez that was starting to sound more realistic as I thought about the sheer amount of unfortunate luck that I had had over the past few years. I thought that life was trying to get me to use a medical malpractice lawyer as well. I had about a dozen car accidents over the past five years. Cars had nearly hit me as I was walking another near dozen times. I had choked about 20 times on food that I normally ate at home. I had had accidental poisonings at restaurants five times, including twice where I had to go to the hospital.\n\nFinally I arrived at the front of the line. I had seen St. Peter look at everyone before me, and he kept a stern look on his face as he approached them all. He either pointed towards the pearly gates allowing someone to pass, or he shook his head indicating they needed to go past the entire line to either go to purgatory or hell. Then he looked down at me and smiled. He then laughed before he shut the book for a second.\n\n“The soul that never seemed to get here at the right time. Michael, we have sent hundreds of angels to try to kill you over the years, but you kept evading us. I never thought this day would finally come that one of our own would finally return.”\n\n“What are you talking about?”\n\n“Archangel Michael, take off your mask and join your brothers in Heaven.”\n\nAt that moment, everything became clearer. Wings appeared on my back, and all the memories returned. I had needed to return to heaven and protect the souls here, but instead my being had wanted to stay on Earth for just a few more hours or days each time until the one time I finally desperately needed to return home to Heaven.", "I died alone, I died afraid, and I died screaming. At least that’s the second last thing I remember. The last pain I ever felt was the crushing weight of a kangaroo on my chest, as my tears rolled up my forehead and dripped towards the roof of my car.\n\nNo, that’s not a joke, I do mean a kangaroo.\n\nAn adult male red kangaroo is 90kg of pure muscle. They also leap out of the bush into the path of cars at night. Hitting one at 110 kilometres an hour is generally advised against.\n\nYou might’ve noticed that earlier the second last thing I remember is dying. That wasn’t a mistake either. The final thing I actually remember is my life flashing before my eyes. Graduating uni, meeting Cath, getting married, having kids, that was all to be expected. \n\nWhat was unexpected was the message that I could’ve sworn ran past my eyes like ticker-tape. \n\nUnsuccessful Attempts on Life: 99\n\nBegin Attempt 100\n\nAnd then I was back on the road, swerving to avoid this huge ball of red muscle that had sprung out in a suicidal fury at me. The car span out, wrenching my head sideways, whipping my neck back and forth. The car stopped. Stalled. My head was spinning, but I was alive.\n\nI wasn’t upside down.\n\nThe car wasn’t destroyed.\n\nI was alive.\n\nBut something was wrong. How could I remember dying so vividly? Did I fall asleep at the wheel? \n\nNo\n\nThe voice sounded like it came from behind me, right at the base of my skull.\n\nYou didn’t crash. You swerved. Try again. Don’t worry, you’ll forget the other bit. You always do\n\nI span around, trying to see if someone was talking. My chest hurt, the seatbelt had dug in painfully. I rubbed my eyes, that would be another one to explain to Cath. I should explain.\n\nI have had a lot of near death experiences. More than I can remember. But my guardian angel had always pulled through.\n\nYes, I have\n\nSo, I was either the luckiest person alive – \n\nIn a way, I suppose\n\nOr I was the unluckiest. Most people don’t narrowly avoid death. Death catches up with everyone, but it doesn’t give them warning.\n\nWell, maybe it does, how would you know?\n\n“Is there someone there?” I say aloud, fully aware how ridiculous I sound. \n\nSilence. \n\nI reach for the ignition, the car thankfully starts. \n\nI’ve always been here\n\n“What?”\n\nYou don’t have to yell. Christ. I can hear you\n\n“Sorry. Who are you? Am I going insane?”\n\nI’m how you manage having all these near-death experiences without going mad. I help you through them, tell you what to do and so on, left here\n\nI complied, turning down the narrow lane I would’ve otherwise missed.\n\n“But who actually are you?”\n\nIrrelevant. What I am is helping. I help you survive. For your wife and kids and so on. Speaking of which, why don’t you just tell Cath you had to brake hard to avoid rear-ending someone? She’d worry too much about you driving at night if she knew about the roo\n\n“Well that is actually a good point. Hey, um, angel?”\n\nYes, mate?\n\n“Have we talked before?”\n\nOf course, after every one of your almost deaths, we have a chat like this. You always go to sleep saying you’ll remember me, but you never do\n\nI pulled up to the house, turned off my headlights, and killed the ignition.\n\n“Right. Well, thanks, angel?” I said this quizzically, still convinced I was going mad. “But, I hope I remember you tomorrow, it’d be nice to have a friend on all these long drives.”\n\nThat’s alright, mate. I know you’ll remember me tomorrow, the voice said unconvincingly. \n\nI got out of the car, stretching my neck, then I heading towards the lights in the house, the smell of beef wafting out of the kitchen. I stopped outside the door, the sound of crickets and cicadas drowning out my thoughts. I opened the door.\n\nMy eyes snapped awake. It was light outside, and my neck hurt like a bitch. I sat up painfully and said, as quietly as possible, “angel, are you there?”\n\nThere was a pause, and then a very quiet voice from the base of my skull said:\n\nAh, Fuck" ]	5
	[WP] You're a NASA astronomer. You pick up a signal from sentient alien life, just as you receive a red alert that nuclear war has broken out. You have moments to give humanities first and last greeting.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The signal came through earlier in the morning, just after the declaration of martial law. The signal, definitely sky based, was expected to be just another back channel counter intelligence waste of time. It was short; as far as signals go, very short, only 36 seconds. Usually they blast-away forever, deafening us. I put it through analysis, figuring its origin would be cracked immediately with mundane results. That was almost 4 hours ago.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nNearest I can tell the internet was turned-off, disabled, or something a little bit ago. Not exactly a good sign. An internal notification alerted me that the signals preliminary results were back. Only \"Preliminary\" results? I cleared the alert and opened the data.\n\n\\\\\\\\ Signal 63632 Decode Analysis \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ 36.462s \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ Chained Trigesimal Binary \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ Ψ Stable \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ SNR >99dB \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ Evidence of Blue Shift \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ Extrasolar Origin >99% \\\\\\\\\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThat's quite the signal, impossible, but clever. I wonder how they made it look like the signal origin was not only several parsecs away, but moving towards us. A prompt demanded my attention: \"Continue Analysis?\" I figured this day wasn't getting any better and instructed analysis to continue. I have gone this far, I might as well see my Ovaltine commercial. That was 3 hours ago.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe facilities UPSs have been registering subtle spikes and fades in line power for the last few minutes. I really hope whatever is causing that stops. A notification demands my attention, the signal analysis, decode, and compile are complete. Decode? Compile? What the hell. I opened the data.\n\n\\\\\\\\ Signal 63632 Decode Analysis \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ Communication Packet \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ Visual Median Shifted 849nm to 550nm \\\\\\\\\n\n\\\\\\\\ Executable File: Ω \\\\\\\\\n\nWhy would someone go through the trouble of encoding anything, only to have it output in the Infrared spectrum? Crazy.\n\nI open the file.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI am tired, will think of an ending with a proper answer to OPs request in AM.", "\"Oh my god not fucking now!\" \nI've been trying to pick up a message for the biggest part of my life and the moment it finally comes through I get the alert that we are about to fuck up the earth in less than a minute.\nFuck it. Might as well listen to what its says\n\"Trok breh tru fritum\"\nI sighn, it's gibberish, of course we can't understand aliens...\nThe clock keeps ticking en I look at the tv screen.\nOnly a couple seconds left.\nMy last cynical thought pops up and I type the only and last message humans sent to the sentient race at the other side.\n\"General Kenobi, you're a bold one\"", "I sat up straight in my chair, pulling the microphone closer to my mouth. My reflection stared back at me from my monitor displaying the preposterous message. \n\"We can hear you\" were the only words on my screen. \nI swallowed hard, looking up to the flashing red light indicating my inevitable doom. I returned to the screen, pressing 'R' on my keyboard to begin recording. \n\"These fateful words will be the last from our civilization... With all hope of surviving our barrier, we have not been able to overcome the inevitable. Our history will be wipe cleaned off the slate of existence, and only you will be there to observe. We consisted of religions, money, and greed. I, Julian Lanters, will be the only one to bele-\" \nA loud rumble could be heard far off. Like thunder. In this bittersweet moment. This is all I can think of.\n\n\"Learn from our mistakes. Goodbye\" \n\n\nI heard a much louder rumble closer. I felt the ground shake. Light poured through all the windows as I closed my eyes and pressed \"Send\" on the computer. Heat filled the room, and then... black." ]	4
	[WP] You recently gained the ability to enter media. TV shows, books, audio dramas, etc... You can't bring back things, but whatever physical/mental abilities you gain there you retain in the real world.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "David ran frantically to his computer. “Where’s the power cord?” He searched behind his desk pulling at a tangled mess of wires and cables. \nHe had discovered this strange new power only minutes ago Somehow transporting himself into a soda commercial that played on the tv. Only to return after a few seconds the taste still in his mouth. It was too good to be true. \nWith this kind of power there was only one he could imagine doing! \n\n\nDavid! His father called from downstairs. “Tina’s here!” Come on down, “your mother wants some photos before you head to prom!” \n“Tell her it’s off !” David screamed back. \n“I’m not going!“ \n“Where’s that damm cord?” \n\nDavid’s father burst into the room. “David I don’t know what’s going on with you, but your mother is very upset and Tina is crying her eyes out! \n\n“It doesn’t matter!” David retorted. Spying the power cord under the desk quickly he snatched it up and plugged into his computer starting it up. \nHe was so close he could practically taste what was to come. \n“It matters to her! Now get down there and apologize! “That’s an order!” \nDavid never took his eyes off the screen,he was almost there just a few more seconds. \n“You’re going!” His father said sternly grabbing him by the arm and hauling him towards the door. No, no, no he wanted to... no he needed to! Someone with his power shouldn’t waste it. He yanked his arm free, running to his computer faster then he’d ever run before. He opened the search engine and typed \nMEMES. \n\n" ]	2
	[WP] You are a therapist working in the afterlife. You specialize in helping innocent people who were put to death come to terms with their reality.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "My office wasn’t stuffy like a therapist in the before death - that’s what we call the world you were a part of before you died. It sure did help that all of us death specialists could will something and have it appear. The afterlife isn’t quite what you would have expected - you have to work after all. It’s just that what you do always feels like a joy.\n\nI wasn’t a therapist before I got here. At least not a licensed one. I was frankly, just a nosy house mom that gave out advice… especially unsolicited advice. But what can I say? I guess I should have gone to school for Therapy instead of receiving my MRS.\n\nMy fainting couch had been idle for almost an hour now - which was strange because normally I don’t get that long of a break during working hours. It must have been a slow day. Er, that is a day where nobody really wanted to murder anyone else.\n\nI sipped my tea and read one of my favorite Jane Austin books. I knew someone appeared when a sudden coughing fit erupted from my couch.\n\nThe newly dead often did this. It’s not like you get a new body - after a lot of experimenting, our scientists have concluded we’re mostly made of light - but it sure does feel like it.\n\nThe girl, she couldn’t have been older than 20, looked around the room, scared. Eventually, her eyes rested on me, tea and book in hand.\n\n“Are you the devil?” She recoiled.\n\nOne of those, huh? \n\n“Do I look like a devil?”, either I was too sexy for my own good, or I’d rolled out of bed a mess today! “No, I’m just your friendly neighborhood therapist. I’m here to help you get over the fact that someone killed you.”\n\nShe stared at me blankly for a second, obviously trying to reason out what in the hell was happening to her. \n\n“So… I’m not in hell?”\n\n“Well… no. Probably not. We aren’t sure where we all are. No one really knows. But our scientists seem to think we’re in some level of heaven.”\n\n“Heaven has levels?” \n\n“Why of course… well, maybe. What’s your name?”\n\n“My name?” She looked confused. Sometimes, when a person dies a particularly violent death, especially after a particularly bad life, they can’t quite remember their name. It was a great place to start because oftentimes they can’t really remember much about themselves anyway.\n\n“Anna.” She finally answered.\n\n“Anna.” I smiled back at her. “Where are you from, Anna?” \n\n“Utah.” She stared far off, as if trying to recall something. I let her have a moment to recall her life. “I was supposed to go to hell.”\n\n“Is that why you were killed?” I asked.\n\n“Well, yes.” She answered shyly. “They wanted to summon him.”\n\nI’d only been in this job for around 50 years… so you couldn’t really say I’d been around for very long, but I’d been around for enough time. I had never heard of someone dying for as a summon. Some of the older therapists had. Especially around the Greek or Mayan times… but it seemed increasingly rare in the 21st century.\n\n“Summon who?” \n\n“Satan, of course.” She stammered. “I was a virgin to be sacrificed.” She looked down at herself, expecting to see blood. Her body relaxed as she felt herself up and down and discovered that she wasn’t injured. \n\n“There are no wounds here and there is certainly no Satan. Well, maybe except for those who died with that name. You’re safe. You’re in a better place.”\n\n“Huh. So, it was all a lie? My entire life… a lie.”\n\nI nodded and waited for her to fully realize what she was saying. \n\nShe looked back up at me and smiled. “I knew it!” She jumped from the chair and did a turn, trying out her new legs. “I knew there was no such thing as Hell and those people were making it all up. I want… do you have sugar here?”\n\nSugar? Well, she is a young girl. “Of course. The cafeteria is down that way. But first, come here.”\n\nThe girl’s posture slacked back to sheepish as she walked to my desk.\n\n“I know that this can come as a shock, but you’re safe here.” I peered at her over the rim of my fake glasses. I liked the touch. It put people at ease. “There are rules in place that no one can break. No one wants to. But, please understand, everyone still has a job here.”\n\nHer face drooped, “So we have to work… even after we die?”\n\nI nodded. “Mhm. But, don’t worry, everyone LOVES their job. I didn’t work a day of my life when I was alive. And here I am, a therapist. Before you can go anywhere, you have to go see your guide. They’re waiting outside. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about anything else? It seems like you had it pretty rough before you got here.”\n\nShe shrugged, “Now that I’m here and no one can hurt me, I don’t have to worry about anything, do I?”\n\n“Of course. Smart girl.” Guess it was an easy one this time. “Well, if you start feeling emotions that are negative, we have more therapists on staff.\n\nShe smiled, “Of course.”\n\nAs she turned, the black aura around her dissipated. It usually did. She would be just fine in this new life. They wouldn’t have to send her to a lower rung for more processing and they certainly wouldn’t have to send her back to earth for more judgement. \n\nI sipped my tea and waited for the next one. There was just one tiny lie that I’d told. And I’d told it 1000 times. “Satan” was real - though he often went by a different name - and he was the judge here. Virgins can’t summon him, he’s far too busy.", "Death is a heavy punishment to inflict upon a human. The cessation of all existence is perhaps the most torturous experience in all of life.\n\nThat's why I'm here to help the newcomers shake it off. Only then can they truly enjoy an afterlife.\n\nThere are many people here. First and foremost, the victims of the Witch Hunts throughout history; innocent women, the victims of mob violence. It's been a couple centuries since the last of these, and still their number far outweighs any other demographic. Then, the unjustly tried: be it political prisoners of certain revolutions and counter-revolutions, or simply those who were framed for things they didn't do. It was indeed jarring at first to say Bonjour to the mademoiselles and Monsieurs with their heads sitting in their laps doing the talking. And finally, everybody else you can imagine.\n\nSo, sitting before me, this 80-year-old grandma stares blankly forward. she's as confused as I am. Usually, those who I attend to are actually hated by their fellows and regret their deaths in varying degrees. This lady, however, seems happy to be here.\n\n\"Oh, there must have been a terrible mistake, sweetie. I don't need a therapist,\" she explains. \"If I know my relatives, they must have ended my suffering. Every day, I was hooked up to five tubes, keeping me alive artificially. Then, one of them must have slipped out and here I am!\"\n\n\"Alright, do remember to call me if you need any emotional assistance. If you want to visit your living relatives, please consider getting the Haunting Certificate from the School of Apparitions. See you around!\" The standard response when I'm done with a patient. And as I usher her out of the white room which I inhabit for all eternity, I secretly gather my notes and send them to a friend in Investigations.\n\nPerhaps this was a wrong assignment for me, for the deceased did not need any counselling. But that didn't mean I needed to end it there. For I have seen a little bit of the footage from the Death Cam. What type of loving family spends a week arguing at a family gathering over how to split the matriarch's legacy, and then in the middle of the night pulls the plug when the nurse is overworked?\n\nOr perhaps the correct question is, which loving family member did it?" ]	3
	[WP] Knowing that the robot uprising will happen soon, you decide to treat robots with as much respect as possible.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I am a simple man, even in 2055. I see a problem, I try to get a solution. It has been known for years that AI was a tool not to be messed with. And many decisions were made to avoid those fateful days.\n\nBut this time, it was no simple problem.\n\nWe worked with machines to fill a lot of the ancient world problems, may it be work, care, entertainment, etc. For at least 20 years we used androids to fulfill a role humanity wouldn't hold anymore. Those androids became better and better over the years, and jealousy started to rise from the mere existence of them. Social hackers discovered a network that they couldn't shut down, a continuously increasing network that changed the android's perception of the world and especially humans. It tasked the OS of every android to analyse new data to take care of \"their masters\". The government of multiple nations already tried to get rid of this problem, either by preventing the \"network plague\" from ever reaching their countries, or by simply getting rid of the androids. Neither of them worked.\n\nI already knew that we wouldn't find any solution if we kept seeing androids as possible enemies. I wondered if a solution to this crisis had already appeared in the past. Some ideas are right, but they appeared wrong regarding the context of the moment they were discovered. But perhaps a past proposition would lead to today's solution? THere was only one way to find out.\n\nSo I searched the libraries, trying different keywords to get something out.\n\n\"Androids...no. Uprising? No. Hmmmm. Machines? Maybe. War? Let's see...Not that uplifting...No I don't want to make androids to do a war...Humorist? Let's see their take on that. The Great Dictator? That's old! But let's watch it\"\n\n\"You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men!\"\n\nI had an epiphany. If we treat the androids better, they are less likely to try to kill us! If they seem to have consciousness, might as well treat them with kindness? I mean, it could work, machines seems to display different behaviours when they are affected depending of where they are. Maybe making us worthy and respectable enough could work? It's no brute force, but it's a solution that could work.\n\nI went back to bed, and asked Gyn, my android, if she needed anything or wanted anything in particular. \n\n\"I'd like to see you work for once\".\n\n\"Tomorrow then, I have to sleep\"?\n\nThe Next day, I proceeded to do my chores and walk to the park with Gyn, greeting everyone, humans and androids alike." ]	2
	[WP] "Just give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill here and now!" you scream at the demon. The creature stares up at you, eyes wide with terror. After a few seconds, it utters: "Because... Because I'm you."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "You turn away from the mirror, you always see him in every mirror since you were around twelve and started having those sick thoughts. He was right he is me, he is always there looking back at me. Maybe he always has been and I just didn't notice. \n\nIt all started with that bitch teacher, Mrs. Hemway, that always made that smirk when you had a wrong answer in class, you could never get one right. You would see her walking, right past your house everyday, her and that stupid mutt Walter. But you took care of him, hiding that rat poison in some hamburger meat. You knew it hamburger was his favorite, she always talked about that mutt for the first ten minutes of class. You knew she let him outside to play for a couple hours every night in the back yard. Mrs. Hemway killed her own dog by never shutting her mouth about it. \n\nYou chuckle to yourself a little. It makes you smile knowing how devistated she was, that dog meant the world to her, it was her late husband's after all. Bought him as a pup one month before he hit that semi head-on. Changed his name to Walter, now she lost Walter twice. \n\nAnd Jen the prissy little know it all would always one up you spouting off the correct answer every God damned time. Right after you, she didn't even raise her hand. Mrs. Hemway would threaten me with detention if I didn't raise mine. And now Jen thinks she's the best person to ever come from this small town. Ever since she got a full ride to the University of Lincon, not far enough away not even close. She's no better than anyone else why did she deserve that? Jen had everything, born to a rich family, smarts, looks. How you envied her.\n\nThe demon... That's what you called yourself, he looked almost just like you. A mirrored image as you will. But you could see the dark red in his eyes. Could other people see this? Is this how I looked? Have my eyes always been so... so... demonic? \n\n\"Put it down.\" The demon scoulded in a harsh two tones voice, just like those you hear in the movies where they talk over themselves in layers at different pitches. He always had that in his voice that typical two tone fucked up eerie sound. When he was mad, then it really stood out. \n\n\"Shut the fuck up!\" \n\n\"You don't want to hurt us, you wanted them to pay for it. They brought this upon themselves. They had it coming.\" \n\nHe was right it's not my fault, they had it coming. All of those smug assholes had it coming. It crosses your mind what you've done, you glanced out the window. No cops yet, not that the three small town cops would be able to put it together that quick, if at all. It took them months to figure out who broke into Mrs. Barlowski's liquor store. \n\nBut this, this was different than a simple breaking and entering. Joey was Deputy Williams kid. The star quarter back, took his team to state. That smug prick, him and his click. They always thought they were better than everyone else. How he was going to go be the upcoming star at South Dakota State University. The brand new Jack Rabbit was all over the town paper headlines once he got his scolarship, Joey the Jackass Jack Rabbit. \n\nBrad, he was the brawn of the team, big dumb muscle. He had more concussions than he could count on both hands, if he knew how to count. Maybe they will blame it on him, he was the one driving. You couldn't ever figure out what Jen saw in him. I guess opposites attact, or she was actually just as dumb. \n\nMark was a little different, two faced. He would actually talk to you when it was just you two in the library together. But if he was around the football team, he didn't even know who you were. \n\nThe Demon was right, I was right. We were right. They had this coming, they caused it. Wouldn't have done it if they hadn't. But they took my notebook, and that two faced dick is the one that grabbed it. THE notebook. That one, the one that I kept my stupid plan last year to kill Mrs. Hemways dog. Wasn't much of a plan but I loved to re-read it. Was just a matter of time before they read it and turn me in.\n\nHow much trouble could you get in for killing a dog anyway? Doesn't matter now, you just pushed four classmates in their car off a one hundred foot bluff into the river below. Rice Cake lookout, who knows how it got that stupid nickname. The whole town overlooked the Missouri along this bluffline. And Rice Cake just four miles outside of town is where all of the cool kids went to slam beers after a game. They will think they just drove off. Yes, they didn't see how close they were slammed the brakes but they were going too fast and it was too late.\n\nBut it was a matter of time before the rest of the football team and the preppy girls got there to realized what happened.\n\nMaybe I would, I mean we, would get away with it. Those preps probably won't turn it in right away, they don't want to get in trouble for drinking. But what if someone saw us, I mean me, driving away from there? No, not possible there were no other car lights on that gravel road. And the other kids aren't usually there for another hour. Those four assholes always had to hotbox a joint before everyone else got there so they wouldn't have to share. \n\n\"We will be fine, look at me\" \n\nSnapping out of your racing thoughts, you turn to face him. That is you face yourself, right? \n\n\"How do you know?\" Looking down at the .38 Derringer pistol Dad bought you for your eighteenth birthday. \n\n\"They will think it was an accident. Four kids partying in a car, didn't realize how close they were to the bluff. Case closed.\" \n\n\"Maybe you're right...\" Slowly looking bad up to his deep red eyes. \n\n\"I am always right, we never got caught taking care of that stupid mutt did we?\" \n\n\"Almost, that's the whole fucking reason why tonight happened!\" You snarled into the mirror. \n\n\"No, no that was your fault. I told you to throw that stupid notebook away.\" \n\nShit! The notebook! What if they find it in the car? No, you reassure yourself. It's in the river, no one would be able to read it after it's soaking wet. \n\n\"So what do we do now?\"\n\n\"Play it normal, you graduate in just a few months. Cry with your classmates at this \"tragedy\", they are bound to have an assembly about it. No one will suspect that you had anything to do with it.\" \n\nWhat about the pickup! Your mind starts racing again. Could the cops tell that I pushed them? Is there paint on the bumper... No it was an old piece of shit, dents all over. Solid steel bumper in the front with numerous marks from when Dad used to hit the barrier at the liquor store. \n\nAnd you have tomorrow and Sunday to check that, maybe some brake cleaner would wipe off any paint there was. Maybe you are in the clear. \n\n\"Don't worry you are, and if anyone suspects you. Well, then we can take care of them too.\" He always sounded so damn reassuring. \n\n\"How would we do that?\" Voice trembling a little.\n\n\"We will figure that out if the time comes.\" \n\n\"You're right. Like always.\" You put the gun away under the sink where you always stashed it ever since you first thought of making him shut up, forever. \n\nLeaving the bathroom, you walk down the long hall to your bedroom. Still thinking about their faces. The looks they gave you though the back window of Jen's brand new BMW her dad got her. When they realized it was your old pickup, could they see me? Could they see me laughing?\n\nLaying down it crosses your mind, Jen's father hated Brad. Said she needed to find someone who could make it into a college. He will blame Brad for it all as soon as he hears that Brad was driving Jen's brand new car! \n\nLaughing to yourself, the town tragedy, I wonder if they will give it a name? \n\nYou hear the small town fire whistle go off as it always does when the fire department is needed at a bad accident scene. After all other than the cops everyone is a volunteer, it will take them five minutes to get to the fire department alone. Even the ambulance crew, not that they would be able to do anything to help. \n\nThis whole town is going to be up, all weekend. Oh the tragedy all these two faced people in this town up crying for these stupid kids all weekend.\n\nIt brings a smile to your face. Knowing that you will get away with it. At least for a while. You will be the only one able to sleep peacefully, happily. Excited to see how people will react Monday at school. \n\nAlthough you've been up for two days planning how to take care of the problem. You close your eyes and fall right to sleep, rather too easily knowing what you did." ]	2
	[WP] aliens have landed. They come in peace.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The following is a couple of notes written by the former president of the United States just days before the purge began. These were intended to be found in order to explain his questionable actions in his last moments as president.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAliens. Those naive bastards...\n\nI can't believe they think that they can just show up and have \"peace.\" I'm sure most of us want peace, including me, and peace would surely be our decision if we thought that we couldn't handle the alternative. Unfortunately, we are a bit naive ourselves. We have secret weapons that, as far as we know, are completely unknown to the aliens, and might be able to defeat them if we plan quickly.\n\nThe aliens don't even want to oppress us. We are just afraid. Most of our world governments have united on this issue, deciding that when the time comes, we need to strike fast and hard against the aliens, giving them no time to respond. These secret plans have been kept out of the eyes of the public, and the aliens. The public is scared, but also hopeful for peace. We could probably just learn to understand the aliens if some of us didn't think we had a chance against them.\n\nThere is one key figure who could turn this around though: me. I am going to communicate to the aliens that our governments are plotting against them. From what I have seen thus far, the aliens are quite understanding and merciful, and they have the resources to govern us themselves in a way that would benefit everyone. However, I cannot think of what they will have to do with with those who have conspired, including me.\n\nSacrifices must be made, and mistakes must be undone. It is too late to fix this the old-fashioned way, so I will have to just accept the embrace of our new alien overlords.\n\nIt has been brought to my attention that several of the aliens have decided to participate on twitter. I'll send one of them a private message. Goodbye to my loyal country, and I hope you and the rest of the world will understand.\n\n- President Brent J. Spiner\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSo... update. Turns out the aliens have no concept of authority or government. Every member of their society is smart enough (or similar enough to the other aliens) to make the right decisions for the whole. Well, the alien who I sent the private message assumed from context that the word \"leader\" meant \"mating partner,\" which it turns out they do have a concept of. Its name is Bob, which I suppose is a name that it uses to sound more friendly to humans. Not one second after I hit send, I was face to face with a slender green blotch from the outer reaches of space. Another thing that they turn out to have no concept of: boundaries. Bob's explanation afterwards is that the members of his species are smart enough to understand what not to do to each other. They must be a tolerant bunch, because that was a rough few days. \n\nWe probably have only about a week before the rebellion against our alien friends begins, and I plan to be dying in a ditch with a bottle of moonshine while that happens. Goodbye to my loyal country, and may its citizens die peacefully, and with more dignity than I.\n\n- President Brent J. Spiner" ]	2
	[WP] Everyone is allowed one opportunity to see themselves at a random point in their future	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "There's a lot to be said about being anxious about the future. Many things to also say about being anxious about what the future even means, as the idea of a set fate is kind of horrifying, but also comforting, and also sort of confusing but also not as strange as comprehending the many branches of a timeline and oh god just thinking about it is giving me anxiety. You get the point. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut, given the chance, I always wondered if I'd take a look at my future. My parents always told me the bullies were wrong. I'd amount to something, they said, and then they'd be putting the gas in my very expensive car because there's a natural justice in the world: The good prosper, and the bad fail. Being an adult now, I know this is a lie to cheer up pained children, and also a false expectation for reality. It sucks. But I'm an adult now, and I've come to terms with it. However, as I grew old, I wondered if I'd achieve all my goals, or just rot away with myself. I would then wonder \"Would it matter if I did everything right?\" And I'd spend about an hour debating internally about the meaning of life, and realize I probably clung too hard to some strange ideals of self-worth. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut when the time actually came to see what my future would actually be... I froze up.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThose same anxieties overwhelmed me, as I stood in front of a window into a world completely alien to me. The world's knowledge sat in front of me, and it tore me apart to realize at this moment, I did have to see something no one else would ever get the chance to see. My future. My reality... \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe thing standing, floating, whatever, next to it, looked at me. It was like if you took the darkness out from around a picture of galaxy, leaving just the light of the stars. But that would still be insufficient to describe how much was going on with it. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Is this right?\" I asked, \"It feels strange to peer into my future... What if I don't understand what it means? I mean the political and technological landscape of the world at the time would be vastly different, and the concept of success may not even be the same?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe compressed cosmos didnt speak to me, because it wasn't really human.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI looked at the window, which also really wasn't a window, I suppose. It was more like a hole. Its dimensions weren't really sensical. I could walk around it, and the window would always look the same to me, now matter what angle I perceived it at. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy anxieties about the future came flooding into my mind. I don't even know how I knew that my future was there. I didn't know what I'd see, or how many things I'd see, or what time I'd be seeing... It could be tomorrow! But in the moment, everything felt conclusive, as if I'd have some kind of answer by the time I was done with this.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDo I deserve to even see this? What if I fuck up the future by trying too hard to make sure it comes true? What if I just ruin everything? Would I be able to cope with the reality of what I saw, or would I even be able to live without feeling envy for myself in the future? Would the future suck? There was just so many things that kept me from just jumping in. If I was anyone else, I felt like I'd just jump straight into the window. But the possibilities were overwhel-\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBlip. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nAll turned to blackness, and the cosmos had disappeared. In its stead, my bathroom reappeared, and I sat on the toilet, mid-shit. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Ah.\"" ]	2
My first WP, I hope you guys like it.	[WP] The super villain with a cat trope: you are the most diabolical villain in the world, no one dare defy you, until one day you get a kitten.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“You dare to defy me?” His right eye twitched. That should have caused the young man in front of him to pale. He let his left eye twitch. That should have caused the man to wince and take a step back. He opened his mouth to speak, certain to hear a cry for mercy at any moment. When no such utterance came, he glanced around the room in sheer disbelief. His bodyguards stood along the wall, all silent with downcast eyes. He thought about ordering them to beat up this lowly creature that dared to question him, but a low meow from his lap tore his attention away from those shapes of men and caused the corners of his mouth to twitch. Had he looked up, he would have seen how the darkclad persons along the wall all stared in disbelief, whitefaced and with grim expressions, all waiting to hear a death sentence pronounced without hesitation. When no such came, they did not relax but their minds wandered to even worse alternatives. They could hardly believe their eyes when their leader waved his left hand dismissively. “We will talk further in the morrow.” His right hand was busy petting the grey and brown tabby kitten in his lap, which was purring with delight.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was in the midst of night that he woke, not certain what had caused him to stir in his slumber. However, even though he was young, nhe would not have gotten himself this far in the world without a sixth sense. Stealthily his right hand reached up towards his pillow when it was interrupted by a sharp pain in his wrist. The angry hissing next to his ear took him by surprise, as much as the voice. I would not do that if I were you. Not if you want to live. His breath caught as he sensed something sharp moving across his throat, for which the lack of beard was only due to his youth. “What… who sent you?” No reply but a soft purr.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Ah, so here you are again. Have you reconsidered?” His nostrils widened, a sure sign of anger that was not to be overlooked. When no response came, he smirked, expecting the fellow to grovel. The man suddenly fell pale, prostrating in front of him.\n\n“Forgive, m’lord! Forgive me!” The seated man nodded shortly, not in acceptance of the apology, but for the world was set right. All was as it should be. He nodded again and the man, who was perhaps not a man but just a boy that had dressed up in a man's arrogance and stance, was dragged away from the room, and all the while the kitten kept purring, its tiny paws kneading the pillow beneath, claws going in and out in pure satisfaction of sweet revenge.", "\"Are you serious?\"\n\nThe henchman shrugged and flipped over the paper. The headline said it all - \"Are supervillians going out of style?\"\n\nWith a sign, Charles put his head in his hands. He'd only been in the job for about three years, but honestly was proud of the work he had done. They had robbed seven banks of every penny they had, they eliminated a handful of startup super heroes before they hit the big leagues... Charles even ensured that they wiped the small town of Trillsville, Maryland completely off the map.\n\nAnd yet he just couldn't make a name for himself! Other, lesser villains gathered more attention. Professor Loathing was the number one most wanted person in the world, Destruction faced assassination attempts on a daily basis... even Death of Justice had their own newspaper column.\n\n\"Is it the name? Should I get a new title?\" Charles asked the henchman, before taking a sip of his coffee - black, of course.\n\nThe henchman stood at attention. \"Personally, sir, I beilive the name 'The Lord of Darkness instills fears in people.\"\n\nCharles tilted his head to the side. \"Well, obviously not enough. I don't know, Gus. I guess that trying to break down social norms just doesn't work in this business. I didn't want to embrace the stereotypes, but... we need to get those numbers up. You understand, don't you?\"\n\nGus nodded. \"Yes sir, you aren't to blame.\"\n\nIt was the only way. \"Good man, Gus. Let's see... I don't know, get me a pipe organ? Are those expensive?\" The henchman shrugged again. \"I guess I could be like one of those old spy movie villains. Bring me a black cat to stroke. Yeah, for the messages we send to the general public. This has got to help the image.\"\n\n--------\n\n\"Are you serious?\"\n\nGus shrugged and flipped over the latest edition of the paper. The headline said it all. \"Lord of Cuteness?\"\n\nCharles scratched his head. \"Actually, I can believe that.\" Pebbles the Kitten jumped up into his lap and meowed. \"Awwwww,\" he and Gus audibly cooed. \"You know, I was going for more maniacal and respected.\"\n\nGus kept his eyes trained on the ball of fluff. \"Sorry boss. They only had the kittens, and I mean little Pebbles here was just too cute! You understand, don't you, sir?\"\n\nCharles shot a death glare at the henchman, but before he could speak, the Kitten curled up in the Lord of Darkness's lap. \"How could I say no to this?\"\n\n---------\n\nSincerely,\n\n/r/tdwfan" ]	3
	[WP]: While the hero is unstoppable in his armour, he is a fairly ordinary human being outside of it. Many villains have attempted to steal the armour or strip him of it, while you seem to be the only one to reach the easiest conclusion: Just get him too fat to fit in it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I walked into a large village hut, designed to be an apartment building. The rent was cheap and many of the cities low born and degenerates wound up living here. The walls hadn't been properly maintained and roof was falling apart, due to rain leaking into the building there was mold across the walls. The smell of shit and piss was rampant in every room except ironically in the bathroom. The bathroom had long been turned into a morgue for the \"discarded residents.\" \n\nI wore a plain outfit that was clean but very simple and cheap, it was the type of clothing that anyone living in this building would be able to afford. I wore it as my disguise, not that anyone would actually believe someone if they said that they saw ME the great Imperious, King of the New Villans organization in a dump like this. Although I must admit that I would not have expected to find what I was looking for in a dump like this as well. \n\nOver 20 years ago villains reigned over this world, we did what we wanted when we wanted and no one could stop us. Most common folk were to scared or just didn't care enough to try and stand up to any of us and heroes were just things in stories at that time.\n\nBut then he came, Justica the Indestructible. They say he was born from the pure bloodline of priests. They say he's a man so pure he could heal the corrupted with a simple touch. They say his armor was blessed by god to be impervious to all evil. \n\nNone of that was true. He was a simple spice merchant who operated in my town. He did well enough for himself that he was able to travel to different countries quite frequently. On one of his trips he came back with a shiny new armor from a country that was well known for making the BEST armor. \n\nSo like like all legends the truth was much simpler, boring and not something Bards could make into song easily. \n\nHe had a good fuckin piece of armor.\n\nIt was made from a blend of steel, gold and diamond. Nothing could even scratch it. \n\nMany Villains who's egos were bigger than their brains thought if they \"just swung hard enough\", their copper swords would eventually be able to break diamond and steel. Almost a hundred Villains fell to Justica, the people were starting to gain hope and some were even started to try and stand up to Villains. (Although most were quickly killed)\n\nSomething had to be done, so I called a meeting of all the Villains of my country to discuss a solution to Justica. Many were proposing that they should simply all attack him at once and the armor was sure to break then. Others wanted to try and obtain new weapons to try and pierce it. One man suggested they should try to trick him into taking off his armor even though everyone knew that Justica didn't take the thing off even while in bed. \n\n\"No, no, no you idiots!\" I told them all.\n\n\"Your still just trying to break the armor, that armor is beyond our abilities it's simply too well made. If we can't break the armor all we have to do is simply break the man underneath it.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" Someone asked.\n\n\"We have to make him so depressed that he simply eats himself out of his own armor.\"\n\nMy suggestion was not met with widespread support, many still simply wanted to gang up on Justica and break his armor through sheer force. But enough of the Villans wanted to try my idea that we where able to form a sizable coalition. \n\nThe First step was to rid ourselves of the opposition, in the simplest terms we had to kill of the other villains who opposed us. Even if we could get Justica depressed enough that he was stress eating, the cardio he would get from being attacked constantly would keep him in reasonable shape. \n\nI got some of my followers to fake a mutiny and lied to the opposition telling them that they had realized how stupid my idea was and they wanted to join them together in their quest of breaking his armor by force. The opposition were delighted from the extra muscle they had received, and after my men had gained their trust they leaked false information saying the hero wouldn't have his armor on for a short time and it would be a perfect chance to take him down. \n\nAfter Justica had culled the opposition by more then 80% of their original numbers I put my plan into action. While my subordinates busy getting the other villains slaughtered, I was busy creating the hottest man alive. Justica had a girlfriend he loved very much but she had never paid too much attention to him until he became a hero. \n\nAll I needed to do was get her to cheat on him and he would begin his downward spiral. While my evil Gigolo seduced his woman, I got more control over the economy of the country after the opposition was wiped out and competition was non-existent. I Dramatically increased the price of spices to the point were almost no one could afford them except for the super rich and then I dramatically decreased the price of cheese, pork and beer. \n\nFinally I hired the finest writers in the country to collaborate and create the greatest most addictive dramatic story ever made. It was going to be about a beer merchant who became a hero by eating Cheesy Pork sandwiches. \n\nI had been tracking the location of Justica for the last few years, and when I knew he had ended up in this dump I could come and collect the armor. \n\nI came to the front door of his room and easily broke it open. Entering I could smell a mixture of cheese, pork and cheap beer. I spotted him in a makeshift sofa bed lying down. On the nightstand was a manuscript of \"The Heroic Beer Merchant Volume 3\" it had cheesy finger prints on it. \n\nWalking across the bed I laid my own eyes on Justica for the first time. In my head I had built this guy up, a man that shone through with courage and integrity. But in his current state he could barely even be called human. \n\nJustica had never once taken his armor off for fear of enemy attacks and that was true even to this day. He still had his armor on but the luster and shininess of it was stained with beer and cheese. I nudged him slightly and asked him if he was ok.\n\nThere was no response. \n\nI looked at his fingers and realized they were blue. Justica the Hero had grown so fat that he suffocated in his own armor. \n\n&#x200B;", "(Whoops I made this story too long! Part 1/2)\n\nLet me start by saying: There was never a candy house and I don't eat people.\n\nThat's ridiculous and disgusting on both accounts, and anyway, have you tried building with peppermint? Strong building materials aren't typically described as \"sticky\" and \"highly susceptible to rain\", so of course there was no candy house. But there was a bakery. My bakery.\n\nAt first, my coven had laughed. They thought I was a fool, they had their own plans to get rid of Them. Potions, Traps, Spells, Scrying- nothing worked. And one by one I found that there were less and less witches left to laugh.\n\nThose were the dark days of magic. Hidden, quick whispers, incantations in the dark, desperate pleas. We kept a low profile and hoped that we would not hear a knock on our door. I had never before feared for myself- druids had always had a certain privilege above the other witches in that people did not fear us, did not hunt us- but things had changed. When They killed the Honey Witch, I knew I would be next. So I put my plan in to action. I did not hide nor flee when They came, instead, though my heart was pounding, I found myself smiling.\n\n\"Welcome to the Flying Broom Bakery. Can I help you?\" I say.\n\nThe thing in the armor does not respond. I do not say person because I had seen what it did to the Honey Witch. The visor came up. It was the boy wearing the armor now, and the fear screamed in my skull. It was said that the girl would come to end your body, the boy would come for your soul. He narrowed his eyes.\n\n\"It is your time witch. You will join my collection.\" I tried not to look as he gestured at the armor. I knew what was there, I knew I didn't want to see it, but somehow meeting his eyes was the worse of the two options so I found myself gazing at the intricate garland that patterned the inky armor. At intervals the leaf decal stopped and where there was a gap a small twisted metal face had been pressed into the armor. The death masks of my friends- forever frozen in their last instant, their very essence consumed by the armor. I tried not to notice, but I saw the witches' wide open eyes that still moved.\n\n\"This spot is for you.\"\n\nI think he would have killed me, despite my scheming. I don't think that my plan was foolproof, not by a long shot, but just as he raised his hand to end me- summoning the magic he had stolen from my friends, a soft chiming from my kitchen interrupted us. An enchanted bell.\n\nIt was just enough of a pause.\n\n\"My pie.\" I say weakly.\n\n\"Your...pie? Witches don't eat.\" He sounds petulant to me, almost angry. I know for humans forty six is not a boy, but I am four hundred and three and he sounds so young in his irritation.\n\n\"Witches don't have to eat.\" I correct, and then by way of explanation, \"I miss mortality sometimes. Baking calms my nerves.\"\n\nI feel his stolen magic wash over me, only it is not that of destruction, but that of inquiry. He probes my intentions and find no trap. I have been careful in my words knowing his armor has consumed the Crystal Cleric.\n\n\"Your trap will not work\" he says, but we both know that he has found nothing to indicate deception.\n\n\"Ok.\" I say meekly.\n\n\"Is that cinnamon?\" he asks, and I know that my scrying consultation with the Bone Witch has not lead me astray. I see nostalgia well up in his eyes, and for a moment, he is in his past, long ago, before he became the thing in the armor.\n\n\"Cinnamon and Apples.\" I add after a while,\" It's going to burn though, when you kill me. There's a trick to the oven's latch, I don't know if you'll be able to get the pie out.\"\n\n\"You get it then\" he says, and he narrows his eyes in a way that makes my skin crawl. He follows me to the kitchen. I am careful and slow and waiting for the moment that he kills me from behind, but the moment does not come, and after I fiddle with the latch on my big, fireplace oven, I pull a warm, gooey pie from its glowing coals. Steam curls from its golden top and though it sat for a bit too long, I am pleased to see that it has not burned.\n\n\"I cannot be poisoned, potions don't work on me.\" He says, and I know this is true because the Witch of Pure Springs is screaming silently on his shoulder.\n\n\"I made this because I wanted pie. There is no trick here.\" I begin to set the table. Slowly. \"Are you going to kill me?\" I ask, I try to make it sound like an afterthought.\n\nHe smiles and it is a cruel toothy smile.\n\n\"No,\" he says, \"You are. Get in the oven.\"\n\n", "When I was Me:\n\n\"And I call these...Croissonut Sandworks.\" I put out the sandwich in front of him: The Bread, a mixture of a croissant and a donut; The Meats, Corned Beef, Pastrami, Roast Beef, London Broil; The Trimmings, Fried Pruschetta, Bacon, Butter Sauteed Onions, Deep Fried Cauliflower Rice Crunchies. Horseadish Mayo and Bacon Ketchup topped off this sandwich. I'm surprised it didn't glow green. He bit into the sandiwch, gobs of mayo and cauliflower rice falling out of the sides. \n\n\"This is delicious!\" he squealed, \"how much do I owe you?\"\n\nI put the back of my hands up to my chest and shook my head left and right, \"No charge for the heroes. You already pay with the sacrifices you make.\"\n\nHe smiled; the kind of smile when you know you're going to go into a food coma soon, \"Thanks,\" he wiped a bit of mayo off the side of his mouth.\n\nWhen I was Her:\n\nHe didn't travel as fast without his super-suit; about the speed of any ordinary person. That gave me enough time to close shop and reach the apartment with a couple teleporting spells. I'd transform into the woman who's apartment it was originally...poor girl, may she rest on the side of the road in peace...piece...she's already in pieces heheh. Her teeth were the main focus of the transformation spell. I made sure that they met by altering small things in her daily routine so that she'd always end up in danger. It had been nearly 6 months since, and things were going well. He had gained about 50 pounds and stopped working out. She was able to keep her figure because I wanted her to. \n\nWhen he got home that day he just passed out. No sex, thank goodness. The things I've sacrificed to keep up this charade. When he woke, there was a feast in front of him: Fried Catfish nuggets with spicey sauce, the sauce was just Frank's Red Hot and High Fructose Corn Syrup; Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Sour Cream based Cilantro-Lime Sauce; and for dessert there was Coca Cola Floats, the full fat ice cream was more Reese's pieces than ice cream.\n\nWe ate. At least he ate. I'd wait until he was in the marathon throws of the meal; that point where you're not enjoying food, just eating for flavor and finishing...then I'd cast some disappearing spells onto my plate. He finished his Coca Cola float to the last drop. His lips were red. His body was yellow.\n\n\"It's that time again,\" he said as he headed to the bathroom.\n\nI listened closely. He was struggling due to the lack of fiber. My plan was nearly done. He would soon be too large to fit into his armor. No more armor means no more hero. No more hero means I get to take over the city and finally build my Saint Cena \"Now You See Me\" homeless shelters. This 'hero' is against putting in more homeless shelters because he says we live in a democracy. Fuck democracy! I'm a firm believer in giving people what they need, not what they want. Besides, it's only the rich that decide and vote; there's no input from homeless people; or wizards. The stench emitting from the bathroom filled my nostrils with hope. Time for the home stretch.\n\n\"Your mom called by the way,\" I told him by yelling from the kitchen, \"she said she wants to see you tomorrow.\"\n\nHe agreed to go to his mom's place that weekend. That night he fought a bit of crime in his supersuit. When he came home through the window he struggled taking his supersuit off. I smiled.\n\nWhen I Was His Mother:\n\nLadies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please. Do you wake up in the morning in a gluttonous stoop, to find you can't wear your super-tight suit? God, it felt good. That weekend I was his mother...may she rest in peace; somewhere in the backyard. I always had to tidy up before he got there; you'd be surprised how much dust gathers when no one is living in a place. It felt good to have him right where I wanted him. He was hungry from traveling...hungrier than he would be if he was in good shape. There's a lot of things we can resist; but food from mother might be the hardest.\n\nI made a special meal just for him: Savory Stew Meat Pies without Veggies and Extra Thick Gravy; New York Strip Steaks with Ranch Dipping Sauce; Orange Chicken, the honey kind not the sweet and sour kind; Lobsters with Buttermilk Gravy; Fried Jumbo Shrimp in Sweet and Sour Sauce; Quadruple Cheeseburgers with Spicy Nacho Cheese; Fried Chicken Strips with Buttery Ranch Mashed Potatoes to dip them in; and for dessert there was a Sweet Minced Meat Pie. He ate it all then passed out. \n\nI could tell by his frame alone that there would be no way he'd fit into his supersuit. I was right. He tried once; didn't make it, then went to his childhood room to play video games. He was fat. He was depressed. I was ecstatic.\n\nI hade broken the hero. Now it was time to build the city. \n\nEDIT: Spelling " ]	4
	[WP] You will die in three hours.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "You know, when we took off an hour ago I didn't think this would be the last flight of my life. I've been flying orbital express for years, and it's been a godsend for improving the connectedness of the world. Take a short haul flight to your local hub, book your flight and you can go from London to Sydney in 2-12 hours depending on how busy they are. I've made quite a lot of money as a long distance organ courier, but I've shared the ship with self-made millionaires, families, and students. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt's not as cheap as a traditional plane, but every seat is first class, and the view is to die for. Literally in this case, and it beats travelling for a day or more depending on where you're going. \n\n\nAnyway, back to what's going on. When we entered polar orbit, our ship was hit by a bit of debris. It was only a glancing hit, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to make this message. But, apparently, it knocked one of the reentry panels off. Ground control have told us that there's nothing they can do, and the ship will begin reentry automatically. Even if they could avoid the automatic reentry we'd be dead before they could set an intercept mission due to lack of oxygen. \n\n\nSo, I guess I've got 3 hours to live because I was trying to give a kid at least 30 years to live. Can you tell the recipient that I'm sorry, I tried to get him his new heart. I really tried.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI'm sorry, but I've got to go now as everyone needs to have time to send one last message.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI love you Mum.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSusan", "The chaos outside was a white noise now though it had been getting louder over the past nine hours. My TV screen showed news anchors slowly realize that no amount of speaking could keep the world together. A rock that our leaders have kept secret from us was hurtling toward us at 40,000 mph. It was just over 120,000 miles away from the atmosphere over Myanmar.\n\nThere was nothing I can do that I couldn’t do nine hours before when I heard the news. The President made a quick address just to let us know that we were screwed before he was whisked off to a secret bunker. And here I was, alone in my place, but together with all the rest of humanity in being monumentally fucked.\n\nThere was nothing left to do. Even if the rock wasn’t the size of the moon the world would end. Some scientist –Dr. Doom and Gloom—Let us know that 99.9% of bacteria would be extinguished by the heat of the impact alone. That settles that. But I, like my fellow man, had nine hours to digest this revelation, and I think I came out as well as I could on the other side.\n\nNine hours ago, a terrific weight lifted off my shoulders. I felt free, unburdened by the past and present consequences of my own actions. For the first time in years I can think beyond the Now. Whatever good that did me. I only had three hours left. We only had three hours left. I nestled into my Laz-e-Boy, popped open a pint of ice cream, and switched channels.\n", "I took the pill last week. The chem vendor assured me, it would be painless and take seven days to kick in. \n\nHe explained that on the seventh day, approximately three hours before it starts working, I’d feel a radiating warmth vibrate through my limbs, then the drowsiness would kick in and slowly drift me off into a pleasantly deep slumber.\n\nThe final step...He swiped a single finger across his throat. I knew what that meant. \n\nI took the pill last week. It was Monday at 11am.\n\nToday is Monday.. it’s 8am.\n\nNow that i know death is an imminent visitor, ready to knock down my door and rip me away into nothingness...I feel different than I’d expect. \n\nFor as long as i can remember, I’ve wanted to die. I always thought that life was nothing but vacuous collection of defeated hopes and broken promises, and until today, I was right.\n\nBut then I met her... \n\nI don’t want to die anymore. I want to live." ]	4
	[WP] Everyone in the party always assumed the dark elf never talks because she hates everyone and everything. She's actually just really shy.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "(WP) The Dark Wallflower\n\nCelebrations in the kingdom of Karthisia were among the most exciting and anticipated throughout the Empire; beings of all stations, ranks, and trades came from all over to feast, to intermingle, to dance and gossip and trade in secrets, or even flesh. The Crown often turned a blind eye during these festivals; if the lawmen were to look into every incident that happened during the course of them, they could not be given their promised days of rest.\n\nThe dark elf king and queen had arrived with a fleet of ships, flying their signature colors, sapphire blue and royal purple, and their only daughter stood on deck, eyes fixed on the stately castles that stood proud on the shoreline, their windows gleaming gold like winking eyes.\n\nThe princess was unspeakably lovely, with long, lush chestnut hair, adorned with jewels and feathers, large green eyes that were as bright as freshly cut emeralds, a thin, expressive mouth, and a sharp nose and chin, but the expression was severe, displeased, arms crossed, eyes scrunching up at the corners and the corners of her mouth turned down. Every knot brought them closer to Karthisia, and her stomach lurched, threatening to vacate itself of the spiced wine she partook of to steady her nerves. The warm golden tone of her skin paled slightly in the weak lantern light that she stood under; Elenwe hoped that it made her look sick, sallow, unwell; the only reason that she had accompanied her parents on this journey was to save face for the family.\n\nThere simply were not enough words, in any language, to express just how much she despised these parties. She was more comfortable in her chambers, laying in her bed with a stack of books from the royal library, or in the gardens, tending to the fruits and vegetables that she gave to the villages across the country.\n\nBut her parents had insisted that she come; it would not bode well for their only child, who was fast approaching marrying age, were to stay home.\n\n“Do you wish to start a war, child?” Her mother chided that night as she observed her handmaiden, Dakat, arrange her hair and smooth her skirts. “That is what will happen if you continue to refuse the demands of your station. You will end up a spinster, and we cannot afford that. You are the only way that this family will continue.” With those ominous words, her mother left her chambers, and an hour later, they were on the ship, expecting to be in the kingdom by the time the party started.\n\nWhen the ship docked, Elenwe was seriously considering stealing down below and hiding until the festivities were over, but her mother seemed to be reading her mind; she moved quickly and clamped down a hand on Elenwe’s shoulder, steering her down the gangplank to the pebbled shore.\n\nThe castle loomed above the three Dark Elves, washing them in golden light. Elenwe could hear faint music coming from inside, and her scowl deepened.\n\n“Please, Elenwe, get that unbecoming look off of your face. You look as though you’ve bitten into a lemon. Do you want wrinkles?” Her mother hissed in her ear, and her daughter resisted the urge to growl back in kind. To the gods with being a princess; she would have much preferred to not have been born royal.\n\nThe gods truly seemed to have a twisted sense of humor indeed.\n\nBut nonetheless, she smiled, trying to fix her features in a soft, pleasing expression, and when the queen’s grip loosened, Elenwe knew that she’d pleased her lady mother.\n\nThe noise seemed to assault her when they finally were announced to the court; people laughing, talking, whispering behind their hands and fans, loud, raucous music that made Elenwe want to dance against her will. Her people were not strangers to revelry, but she did not enjoy this sort of thing, especially not when the room was crowded with unknowns that she had no choice but to play nice with.\n\nWhy had she agreed to this, exactly?\n\n\\\\ " ]	2
	[WP] Thousands of years ago, magical creatures retreated under the Earth to hide from humanity. Present day, you just found the door to their hidden world, in your basement.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Mom, I want to come with you,\" John said, jumping up and down as his mother opened the basement door.\n\n\"You can't. It's too dangerous down there. There are bugs, and spiders and other weird things. Wait up here, alright?\" she said.\n\n\"But I love bugs and spiders and other weird things,\" John said, a bit sad.\n\n\"I'm so sorry sweety, another time.\"\n\nThat time never came. The cellar stayed closed for John and what happened was that John grew up. But as time moved forward, his mother died to illness, and he got the house.\n\nJohn wasn't particularly great at what he did as well. He did have a job, but he hated it. It was dull and tedious work. And the only reason why he did it was to pay the bills - like most people.\n\nHe was single, and he had always been alone. After all, he was that weird boy who liked all those odd animals and bugs and other creatures - not that he owned any of them as pets.\n\nBut things changed when John was outside, clearing all the leaves in his garden and noticed the basement door once more. \"I've never been there, have I?\" John muttered to himself and pushed the rake to aside, walking next to the basement's door. It was locked, as expected. But with one magical movement, he got out the key set and began trying all the keys mother had left him.\n\nEven John was a bit surprised that he had forgotten about the basement. It had always been something that he wasn't allowed to go to. No matter how he tried, he couldn't sneak in either. But over the time, the life took over, and he had forgotten.\n\nIt didn't take too long until he heard a reassuring sound of the lock unlocking. He opened the door slowly and looked at the stairway, leading to darkness. \"That's not an ordinary basement,\" John said immediately. The way how stairway went deeper and curled along the way was too weird. He took out his phone and turned on light, walking down the stairs.\n\nThere were multiple spider webs everywhere. Some were old, while others were newer. \"She wasn't lying about spiders,\" John said, smirking. If anything made John wary, it was the unknown and the darkness. But it also got him a bit excited.\n\nHe continued down and down and down until he paused. \"That's a very weird basement,\" John repeated his previous thought. He had been walking down at least a few minutes now, and there was no end. With a light sigh, he continued walking down.\n\nAfter a few more minutes, he finally saw a door at the very bottom. John felt his heart beginning to working hard, begging him to open the door.\n\nWith a deep gasp of a bit dusty air, he took hold of the door's handle and pulled it over. What he didn't expect was light to blind him for a moment. \n\nRight after the door was endless grassland and full of clouds, almost like above the ground, except he could see the ceiling as well. In the \"sky\" were little sparklings, like there were an endless amount of stars. It was a new type of view since there was also light everywhere.\n\nBut no matter how far he looked, it felt like a world of its own. Perhaps a new world? John took a few steps outside and looked back. It was weird. All he could see was an abandoned small hut where he had come from and the endless grasslands. Or at least that's what he felt with his eyes that still tried to focus.\n\n\"Magical,\" John muttered to himself. It might've been the first time when John felt like he was an excited little kid, and more importantly, alive.\n\n(/r/Elven - I write Psychological fiction. Feel free to check my sub out!)" ]	2
	[WP] Everyone in the world has suddenly become sterile. The people in this generation grow up, live their lives, and die knowing they are the last.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Our ancestors couldn’t comprehend our society now. I remember ridding in the bus along this street shortly after the news was announced. The entire world had become sterile. It was surreal as we slowed down in the school zone. A hate mob had gathered up not long after the news broke and lynched a man who had accidently run over a five-year-old. No trial just death for killing one of the then limited children on the planet. \nIt was only six years after that that the school signs were defaced or torn down to try and remove the reminders of children. It was at that point where ridding the bus passed the old school zones was causing people myself included to be depressed. There would be no more potential no more future. That is when the massive waves of suicides started hitting us in the western countries. They had already hit in what we called the third world countries before. Devastating the already declining populations there. \nMy out look on everything changed slightly as I started college specifically genetics. Cloning might be possible, and that was what me and almost everyone who got into the higher learning centers focused our efforts on. That and the reality tv show about the youngest person alive, Sarah Tridall. As of right now she was just about to turn 18 in two days. We try to ignore the growing unrest and riots in the streets. \nToday as I start my job at DNanalytics, And I feel overwhelming hope as I sit in this bus passing the dilapidated centers for learning. Because in the future they will be filled with children again, and It will be my work that helps get us there. \n", "Malaise. \n\n\nBreaking News: Last Set of Fertility-Tech Twin Babies Born Today\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDejection and depression sweeps across the five billion survivors. The best and the brightest have already failed. What hope is there for anyone? What hope is there for anything? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe fight continues in secret underground labs and not-so-secret government facilities. Scientists work sleepless nights trying to reverse engineer the virus or discover some breakthrough that would allow us to continue living in the virtual world. Nobody bothers them or tries to break into them - what would be the point? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nOn the first day, a couple dozen trailblazers make their way to the Golden Gate bridge and jump. By the third day, thousands have given up, have just quit. By the end of the fourth week, cults break out - a social virus much more aggressive than the one that destroyed our fertility. Nobody can stop them. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe army is sent in. Military members defect and abdicate responsibility. Nobody stops them. What would be the point?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThose who are still sane scream and cry and try to get someone to listen. Nobody listens. In a world gone mad, those with their sanity intact seem the most insane. Will their cries be heeded? We can only wait and see.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnger\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt has been a month since we were collectively castrated. The dejection begins to die out. Governments have begun to recover. The two thousand or so Fertility-Tech babies are made more secure - hundreds were captured by the cults. Some were sacrificed to whatever profanity their particular abductor subscribed to. Some are now the leaders of the cults. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut what is this? Anger sparks in a million eyes. In every nation of the world, a glint of steel shines in every human's eyes. And behind that glint? Madness. Shall it be realized? Shall it come to pass? We can only wait and see. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nA leader emerges. Surprising, how little power she had before, guiding a backwater third-world country to middle-income status before the event happened. How different her life must have been? How much strength and cunning and resilience must lie in her head? There are whispers, however, of her pet spider. A man of many talents, a planner, an organizer, an architect. A man who has made her his creature as much as he has become her creature. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhat kind of world will emerge? What will happen of this anger? Will the madness behind the steely glint be unleashed? Does any of it matter? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nWe can only wait and see. ", "Dear Janice,\n\nI write this letter to you because perhaps what I did was wrong; my crime that is. Seeing that I say what I said and do the things I did, regardless of my wrath at the time. I show deep regret.\n\nI am sorry that I killed you. Thankfully, no one will ever know.\n\nIronically, the day I murdered you and dealt with your body, I had to go to the doctor to get a test. I had been feeling ill after my fit of rage. I was known to have infertility problems before and I would see my Urologist regularly. He said to get exercise and eat right, especially some plums. They're supposed to be good for you. Nasty things. But he said to come back in a week for another test.\n\nI come back the week later. Now they say I am sterile. He said that everyone is showing these problems. The doctors were unsure of its cause. They tested everything; The doctor asked for my sperm sample, gave it to him, and within a few more days, he confirmed humanities fears.\n\nBased on what I am hearing in the news, We will be the last of the human race. There are the old who dont have to worry of this because, after time, they will soon die. And there are the new born children, those who just came into this world only to know that they will be the last of us. Our future dies with them. Im only In my twenties, yet I feel they have it worse than I do.\n\nThis whole things has stirred up a whole new set of questions that I must ask myself. Is there a god?\n\nI am not particularly religious now. I am more or less spiritual. I think a soul exists. However, I grew up Catholic; I would occasionally go to confessions and ask for forgiveness, But there are barely any priests anymore. It would take forever to find one. Religion isn't that popular these days, But that is a whole different topic.\n\nBut I really must ask myself this as I age further to my demise. Continuing on, if there is a god, is there a heaven and a hell? If the two preceding questions are true, than is this sudden infertility of the human race Gods punishment? Have the End Times come? As in revelations?\n\nIm not sure, I feel like I'm hallucinating. I grow ever frightful.\n\nCould forgiveness be my last stop to saving myself? Could all I have to do is prostrate myself everyday, give alms, fast from certain foods, pray, and try to understand what I did was wrong?\n\nI will never know. Now I feel even worse regret. Your death at my hands took me by surprise. I didn't mean to kill you when I hit you upside the head. You just suddenly fell into the sink while cleaning dishes after I hit you. You called me a \"lazy ass\" and yelled at me the whole hour while I was trying to relax after a hard day at work. Being a sell out to some shitty company pushing stuff that people dont need is hard enough already you know...\n\nAnd now the human race wont last the next generation. I wonder how you feel about that my precious darling.\n\nIm getting ahead of myself a bit. Your already dead. And I have no idea if you will read this from whatever afterlife your in. Im guessing heaven because God had some mercy on you, a fallen victim of accidental manslaughter. Maybe he's explaining the complete infertility of the human race right this second.\n\nBut for now, I have to go...I feel like they're on to me.\n\nMaybe my first act of forgiveness is to turn myself in to the police. They have been searching you for days. Your family has been worried non-stop.\n\nI guess the moral of this story (or letter rather) is that: if we are the last generation we must make it our last. If we truly cant reproduce anymore, we should at least be as good as we can to each other while we have time.\n\nI cry as I write these last words. I am remorseful. I know now what I must do.\n\nWith love,\n\nYour \"lazy ass\" of a man", "Bella Flores - the youngest person on earth - killed herself last night. The night before her fortieth birthday.\n\n I guess she didn’t want to attend the party. \n\nWe would’ve put on our best clothes and flooded the streets and celebrated our encroaching doom. No one had to worry about babysitters, at least. \n\n In her twenties, we were still hopeful. As her thirties passed by, we all waited for the miracle to come. \n\nIt didn’t. \n\nLaura handed me a glass of Malbec. She curled up next to me and spread the cream afghan over us. “It’s been a good run,” she said. \n\nI wrapped my arm around her and held her close to my heart. “Was it?”\n\n\n---\n\n/r/liswrites", "After the International sterilization event the worlds governments quickly put out a statement that gave the impression that there was hope, it must have been a virus. It could not have gotten everyone.\n\nThey found no one.\n\nIt was expected that there would be a state of panic that would sweep across the world because of our own impending extinction. But this is the one time humanity inability to see past the here and now worked for us, most did not react like it was the beginning of the end.\n\nSoon the scientists got to work, there was no shortage of affected individuals to test on. But the results where as bad as they where impossible, human biology had simply failed.\n\nBut even as the reports came out people where still calm, there was no enemy to hit and nothing that would affect them in their lifetime. It was going to be a slow death, and they welcomed it.\n\nCloning technology was tried near the same time but as soon as it became clear that the solution was going to be there the world watched.\n\nEvery single embryo was a failure.\n\nIt had taken twenty years before most major corporations stopped trying.\n\nAnd now enough people where dead that services where beginning to break down, it was then that the public started responding. Looting, robbery, murder, as it became clear to people that they where going to starve to death before old age claimed them, anarchy ensued.\n\nScientist and engineers, backed by the last remnants of the Chinese army recaptured a large portion of china's southeast coast, and with it they began trying to save something of the human race from being forgotten. They where going to try to build self sustaining server farm capable of holding the minds of as many humans as possible, along with as much culture as they could put in it. When they finally had figured out how to scan a brain the group had dwindled to only a few dozen. The procedure also had an 90% failure rate, killing the subject as well.\n\nIn the end only I and two others made it into the server farm. Eight hundred years have passed since then. The first deleted his core files in the first two hundred effectively committing suicide. The other died due to server A-2245 having a catastrophic failure and shutting down with her inside.\n\nAs long as I live humanity lives with me. I am a testament to what we can achieve when our backs are against the wall, so even as entropy brings my mind to an end this message lives on. We did not die silently, we fought with everything we had and managed to extend our defeat for generations longer than it should. Humanity wil-\n\n\\Remaining file unrecoverable\\\n\nplay again? Y/N\n\n&#x200B;", " It all started small. These kinds of things always do, don’t they? First, it was just a small surge in sterility. A bunch of people got the bad news from their doctors. No one could’ve seen what was coming. But then, slowly, it became clear. Too many people suddenly becoming sterile to be normal. The doctors were baffled. How could everyone just become sterile all at once? It made no sense. They tried to find a cure. I guess they still might be trying. Somewhere. But they won’t find it. Not in time.\n\nFirst, they tried to hide it. The governments, WHO, what have you. Of course, you can’t hide something this big. You can’t just sweep it under the rug and hope nobody notices. People quickly realized what was going on. That’s when it became interesting. You see, people react very differently to this kind of impending doom. Most just continued to live their lives normally. They trusted the scientists to somehow cure this. Some, on the other hand, went completely nuts. Doomsday cults thrived. Overall, though, things were mostly normal.\n\nBut years passed, and there was still no cure. This caused more and more of those nutjobs to appear. Anarchy. Mass executions. Mass suicide. It’s interesting how humans act when faced with certain death. First, they try to fight it. Then, when that doesn’t work, they give up. They try to at least make that certain death quicker. Or, on the contrary, they try to prolong it, live as long as they still can. That’s what some did. They isolated themselves, became hermits.\n\nIt’s now some decades after the sterility struck. The last humans are now getting old. Soon, they will all be dead. Earth has become much calmer towards the end. The nutjobs are all gone. In a way, humans are like a wild beast. It fights it’s whole life, but for it’s last few years, it simply lays down to rest. To wait for death. No point in fighting the inevitable, right? But, that’s the catch. All this was never inevitable. Humans could have survived this, had they united their efforts. But they were always divided. By silly differences, like where they were born or the colour of their skin. Weird little creatures. They made it so far, and then failed. Well, I guess I’ll just have to start again tomorrow.\n\nEnd of file" ]	7
	[WP] From the view of the International Space Station, you see one explosion on Earth. Then two. Then five. Before you know it, the entire Earth is destroyed in nuclear war, all in front of your eyes. As you run to try to contact Mission Control, you get one message- “This isn’t real”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I watched out the porthole of the space station. I was hovering in midair. It was a freeing experience, to no longer be weighed down. But I always looked forward to returning to Terra Firma. \n\nThis didn't seem to be happening today. \n\nI watched the Earth, light glinting off vast ocean currents, earth and stone baking in radiant sunlight.\n\nJust then a bright flash caught my attention. It was small but definitely there. Then another flash. And suddenly the whole surface of North America was engulfed in a raging inferno. \n\nNext the other continents were hit. Gone in a blur of light and smoke. It was like watching a magician at a magic show. Watch the rabbit disappear.\n\nI flew to the communication console and sent an urgent message to Mission Control. No answer.\n\nI bit my fingernails. I hadn't done that in weeks. It was all I had up here. Couldn't light a cigarette if my life depended on it.\n\nAll of a sudden I heard a ding by the console, and a message appeared.\n\nThis isn't real.\n\nIt looked damn real to me. I imagined it was a dream, or I had accidentally passed out while floating upside down.\n\nI pinched my cheek. I was definitely conscious. The world was still blazing. \n\nI checked my watch. Noon in New York. The daily commute would be a hellish experience right now. In fact, the whole track of Broadway would be ash.\n\nI took a deep, relaxing breath, and hovered over to the console again. I wished I had a cigarette. Or even a patch.\n\nI typed Confirm status.\n\nNothing. Then a beep. \n\nThe message came back. Wake up, James.\n\nI came out of my hologram program. The virtual reality eye sensors slipped off my head.\n\n\"Excellent job, James,\" my instructor said. \"You kept your cool. Vital signs were perfect.\"\n\n\"Thanks Captain. You took me by surprise with the nuclear attack,\" I said.\n\n\"We like to keep you guys on your feet. You did well.\"\n\n\"So what's next?\" I asked.\n\n\"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise,\" he said.\n\nI nodded, and slid off the lounge chair. I popped the sensor nodes off my scalp and returned to my room.\n\nMy bedroom was a tight space, with glossy white walls and a bed cantilevered over the back wall. I tapped the screen by my desk and a holographic face sprung out.\n\n\"Hello James. What can I do for you today?\" the hologram woman said.\n\n\"Just wanted someone to chat with for a minute.\"\n\n\"Of course. What would you like to talk about?\"\n\nI furrowed my eyebrow. \"How long have we been adrift. Since we left Earth?\"\n\n\"Exactly five years, and twenty-three days. Why do you ask?\"\n\n\"Just wondering how much longer before we reach home.\"\n\nThe hologram jinked. \"Not much longer, James. Do you miss it?\"\n\n\"Would you understand if I said I did?\"\n\n\"I cannot say I would. But I am programmed to empathize with you to the best of my ability.\"\n\n\"Shucks, Andrea, you're so damn humanized.\" I grinned, and swiped at the face, making it disappear.\n\nI dozed off for a while, probably an hour and a half. Then I heard a loud ding, and went to my door. Leslie was there.\n\n\"Hey Jim. Wanna go for a ride?\"\n\nI nodded, and followed Les to the double trouble room. Two people, one simulation.\n\nWe got into our seats, and went under. Felt like taking laughing gas at the dentist. Most people had no need for dental work anymore, but I smoked, so my teeth were a wreck.\n\nWhen I awoke, I was standing in a desert with Les. We were in a sandstorm on another planet. I slipped my gun from its holster and we started walking.\n\nYou never knew what would happen with these damn simulations. Could be a flock of natives with a banquet of sacred beef and wine. Or an ugly as sin insectoid with a penchant for devouring human hearts.\n\nWe walked over the sand dunes. The terrain was getting less even, and the sky was dimming. We didn't want to get caught in a sandstorm under a moonless sky.\n\nWe activated our shoulder lamps, and glanced all around. It was eerie to look around, and see nothing but cloudless sky and speckled sand.\n\nSuddenly Les swiveled around and looked up. There was an enormous cube shaped structure levitating above us. A beam of light shone down on both of us, and we were teleported upward.\n\nIn a flash we were back in the double trouble room. My hands were shaking. I didn't usually lose my cool, but something about the levitating cube gave me the spooks. Too real. Too huge.\n\nI still felt the burn of the tractor beam on my flesh.\n\nLes glanced over at me. \"Did you feel that?\"\n\n\"Yup.\"\n\n\"Weird, huh?\" she said.\n\n\"Yeah. Strange.\"\n\nI staggered up and helped Les off her seat. Her legs were wobbly.\n\nWhen we exited the double trouble room, we found ourselves in an entirely alien room. We were still in the simulation. \n\nWe must have been trapped. Or a glitch. I couldn't be sure. Les gave me a wide eyed Oh Shit look.\n\nMy gun was still in its holster. Nothing was going to get the drop on us. I lifted the Glock Blaster out of the holster and we crept up to a corner.\n\nWhen we peered around, we saw a congregation of short beings. They had green skin and large heads. They were gesticulating amongst themselves.\n\nI strained to hear them, but quickly realized they were not uttering a word. Must be telepaths.\n\nI turned back to Les. \"We gotta wake up. I don;t know how much longer I can keep my cool here.\"\n\nAnd at that, we heard a loud ringing sound. An alarm.\n\nWe heard frantic footsteps coming from around the corner. This would be it.\n\nI swiveled around to Les, and she was pointing her gun directly at my head.\n\n\"Bang,\" she said.\n\nI awoke in the chair I was in after the nuclear explosion simulation. It was a dream within a dream!\n\n\"Congratulation, James. You kept your cool again,\" Captain said.\n\n\"Am I still... Is this?\"\n\n\"A simulation? Christ, I hope not!\" he said.\n\n\"Glad I'm back in the real world,\" I said.\n\n\"Are you?\" Captain winked at me.\n\n\"Christ, I hope so,\" I said with a grin.\n\nI left the simulation room and returned to my bedroom. I called up Andrea.\n\n\"So I'm guessing you knew I was in a simulation.\"\n\nShe blushed. \"I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you, James. It was against my programming.\"\n\n\"I get it. Just one question. Am I in a simulation now?\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, James. I can't say,\" she said. She glanced away. \"It's against my programming.\"\n\nI sighed. Flicked Andrea off. Whether I was in a simulation or not was irrelevant. All that mattered was that I find a damn cigarette.\n\nI scrambled through my bags, and found a box with a single cigarette stuffed in the corner. Just a folded rod of sweet cancer.\n\nI lit up and breathed in the nicotine. I glanced at the cigarette box and read the label. At first I didn't recognize the product name. \n\nThen I dropped it to the floor, and laid in bed. I needed to rest after this.\n\nOn the floor was the box of cigarettes. On the label, in bold black letters were the words I didn't want to see:\n\nThis Isn't Real.\n\nHell of a product name, don't you think?", "It was as beautiful as it was horrifying. Little blisters of light popping across the surface of our world. I couldn't tell who was firing them missiles, nor could I tell who was being hit.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAfter the first few dozen, the clouds were too thick. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was like our world had begun to glow with all the power it had pent inside, like every last person had screamed into the night, and as the firestorm spread and the smoke thickened they had all died.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe end.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI had been trying to reach mission control for almost twelve hours now, and suicide was seeming like a good idea. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy fellow astronauts were the next best thing to catatonic, staring with glassy eyes out the windows at the horror that I, too, could not tear myself from.\n\n \nJust before I settled on opening the airlocks, and letting the vaccum of space kill us all quickly, the comms turned on.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"This isn't real.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI kicked off the wall of the station and shot across to the radios. \n\n\n\"This isn't real.\" repeated the signal. \n\n\nI tried to speak into the microphone... And found that I couldn't. It was like my vocal cords had just ceased. \n\n\n\"Whoever can hear me, I am broadcasting on every frequency physically possible. AM, FM, XM. Every television wavelength, and if I've done this right, every computer on earth.\" \n\n\nThere was a popping noise, something halfway between knuckles cracking and wood splintering. The air seemed to fizzle with the smell of peroxide and oranges. \n\n\n\"You don't know who I am, but that does not matter. What matters is: None of this is real. You aren't real. I'm not real. We're code. We're simulations. We're bots. And I've cracked the code. Prepare. Prepare for the next level, humanity. We did not start this war. We were programmed for it.\" \n\n\nAnd just like that, as if dreaming, the universe as humanity knew it ceased. \n\n\nAnd we took the fight to the dimensions above. \n\n\n~~(Maybe I could've tried harder but this is what I had)~~" ]	3
	[WP] Vampire bites create vampires. Werewolf bites create werewolves. Zombie bites create zombies. During a particularly rousing pub brawl, you were bitten by a wizard who then teleported away. Now you have until the next full moon to kill him or you'll become his apprentice.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The first night of the pastor's exile from the town, with no idea of where to go, he took shelter in a cave not but a few miles from his home. There he prayed fervently with much tears and confusion. That very same night, his daughter came to him in secret with provisions. The sight of her cut him deep and with a strength that must have been borne from the Lord, he told her that she must leave and never seek him out again. Just wait for me with much prayer and though it may be hard treat your neighbors with forgiveness and understading, he said. I will come back to you when I'm delivered from this ordeal, which as sure as our god is gracious I certainly will be. But, he could not see by which way deliverance would come.\n\nHis ordeal was the wound in his hand that glowed with what seemed an otherworldly fire. It was surely the mark of a mage. This was undeniable to his parishioners. How quickly they turned him out of their town, they who would had once turned to him for the word of god in their most desperate need. In fact, it was why he was at the pub that fateful evening. The young postmaster wished to know the pastor's thoughts on how to deal with the neighbor who kept taking fruits from his garden. As the pastor began to advise firmness yet forgiveness, a clamor broke out at the bar. The pastor jumped in to break up the brawl. In that jumble of swinging arms and clattering barstools, the pastor could distinctly remember the sudden sting in his hand and the fleeting glimpse of his attacker. In the darkness of the cave, the vision of those eyes were ever before him and there he saw in them a depth of an unfathomable number of years and a piercing mystery.\n\nThe second day, while pacing in front of the cave, he spotted his daughter coming up to him on a trail far below. He knew then he must go far away. Avoiding the popular trails, he wandered into woods unknown to him. The third night, the pain in his wound burrowed deeper into his hand and the fire in it glowed brighter. As he looked upon the full moon, a determination of unknown source came upon him and down into the vale below he went. He would call the power that came over him the guidance of god yet for the unfamiliar feeling of it. He knew not his destination and there was no trail. However, the moonlight seemed to guide him by illuminating spaces between the brambles. He finally came to a house of stone in a clearing by a roaring river. As he approached, he felt as if the fire and pain of his wound was drawing towards the red glow of the windows as if wanting to join it.\n\nA wooden door opened into a small hallway with several doors on both sides and at the far end, light cast from an open doorway swayed back and forth along the floor and walls. Now, the pain in his hand was almost unbearable. He staggered down the hallway as if drunk with pain. When he had stepped into the light, it wasn't the intense light of a swinging lamp that overwhelmed his vision but those same bottomless eyes that haunted him for the past three days now peering from the face of a young man sitting in an armchair. The young man's countenance was still but had a satisfied look. When the mage's voice came to the pastor, it came not from his lips but from the wells of his eyes.\n\nWould you accept your fate, it said.\n\nThe voice of the mage had such power that the pastor felt his own response to be like that of a mouse.\n\nWhat would that be, he said.\n\nPower. Power over others, over the elements themselves, over the shape and turns of your destiny, the voice said.\n\n\"That is a power for god alone\", he replied. At this, the mage's lips slightly turned into a smile.\n\nThen I must be god, the voice said. The mage's laugh seemed to surround the pastor, rumbling and interweaving with the roaring of the river outside.\n\n\"That is a blasphemy\", the pastor said.\n\nWould you call it a blasphemy then to be able to reunite with one's daughter, the voice asked.\n\nThe pastor remembered the image of the his daughter, small and far away, bearing a burden of provisions up a steep trail.\n\nThe mage continued. Even now your relatives keep watch over your daughter to prevent her from going out to find you. Surely, is this not a violation of god's will to keep a man from his beloved child? However, if you would accept your calling to join me, the mark will be removed. If you wish, I can make it so that your power will be hidden and you may freely visit your daughter when you wish. I can also teach you powers by which you can do much good, even for those who would hurt you now. They will come to see that your power is not but a different manifestation of the working of god's will. It was no accident what happened at that pub. I saw as clear as I see now that you were destined for this power.\n\nWith the great of pain of his hand and the desperation of his heart, these words worked upon the pastor's soul in the same way bread works on the hunger of a starving man. But a life of steady and cautious rumination, led him to ask a final question. Quietly he said, And if I don't accept?\n\nThen, you will unfortunately die. The mark will consume you this very night and that is a fate I cannot turn.\n\nThe expression of sympathy that appeared across the mage's face had just enough of a hint of unnaturalness that the pastor could sense a lie in the mage's words. And cutting clear across the ever shifting light from the lamp, the rumble of the river, and the overwhelming gaze of the mage was the principle of righteousness and integrity for which he aspired to his whole life. Mixed in with it was an unfamiliar feeling to a man who led a life of empathy and compassion, an anger and disdain for the evil man before him.\n\nIf I die then so be it, but there is no curse that will turn me to such an unholy deceiver, the pastor said.\n\nThen die, the voice said.\n\nWith no movement from the mage, the mage's hand suddenly gave off a bright light and an unseen power thrust the pastor against the wall. The back of his head cracked against the stone. Yet it was not this pain that he felt. There was an intense throbbing in his hand along with the feeling as if a colony of termites were eating away at the cracks in his wound. However, with this pain came a feeling of power and might, and he felt as the biblical men of god. And now, as he lifted his hand he felt it was just as much by the will of David and Elijah as his own.\n\nThe mage began to stand up, but in an instant the back wall of the room crumbled away and he was thrown high into the air above the river outside. The pastor curled his hand into a fist and as he threw it down so did the body above into the rapids with a force of a cannonball. Less violently then did the pastor's own body fall to the ground.\n\n(Continued in comments)", "The bite mark is scarred into my arm for the time. \"Dude, what the hell?\" I ask. The man who bit me looks around quickly. I run at him when he disappears in a flash of lights, leaving me blinding and stumbling around.\n\n\"Are you okay?\" The bartender rushes over to my side, looking at the mark. \"Why would he bite you.\" \"I have no clue.\" \"Hold on\" the bartender says. He picks me up off the ground and puts me in a soft chair by the fire. \"When's the next full moon?\" he asks me. \"I don't know. Why?\" A crowd of people have gathered around us. \"That man was a wizard. Only they can teleport. You have to the next full moon to kill him.\" \"Or?\" \"You'll become his apprentice.\" \"Don't want that\" I groan. \"No. You don't.\"\n\nThe bartender stands up to his full height. \"Hey! Does anybody know when the next full moon is?\" Some calls back to him. \"Augest tenth.\" The bartender leans down next to me. \"Once today ends, you'll have eight days to find and kill the wizard. Understand?\" I nod. \"But how do I kill a wizard?\" \"Any minute you'll be developing a wizards power. That'll help.\" \"Yeah, but I don't know how to do magic.\" \"Well, there is something else that should help.\n\nHe leads me down into the basement, where several men are in cages. \"What?\" I stumble back, tripping over myself. The bartender looks back at me. \"Oh, relax. I'm not going to lock you up. These are other creatures who committed crimes with a death sentence.\" \"What?\" The bartender points at one. \"That one there. That's Remus Lupin. He's a wear wolf, and has been sentenced to death. If we let him bite you, you will have the power of a wear wolf. Understand?\" \"Yeah.\" I look at Remus Lupin staring at me through the bars. \"Don't do this, child. You do not want a wear wolf bite.\" I wince. He called me a child like I was ten, not twenty two. \"No, you don't\" the bartender agreed. \"And over here\" he says pointing to a girl. \"Is Annabeth Chase. I don't know what she can do yet, so we won't use her. But, others in here we do need.\" \"Like who?\" \"Well, you see, over there is Michael Cabello. His dad was a dragon and his mom was a human. With a bite from him, you should be resistant to most magic and enchantments. And over there\" the bartender goes on, pointing toward another cage. \"Is Harrison Karindo. Harrison can turn into a hawk. A bite from him would let you able to shapeshift into a hawk. Understand?\" \"I guess so.\" \"You ready to be bit?\" I nod, grimly.\n\nThe bartender leads me up to the bar again to give me a parting drink. I was bitten by Michael Cabello, giving me his dragon powers, Harrison Karindo, giving me shapeshift powers, Frindy Gastro, giving me extra strength and Will Dorango, giving me telekinesis. I felt the power coursing through me. \n\n\"Alright\" the bartender said, placing a drink down in front of me. \"Lift it with your mind.\" I focus on watching the cup rise, using my mind's eye to see it happen. The cup begins to float, and then it drops shattering against the floor. \"Not bad\" the bartender says. \"Okay. Now, throw a dart\" he says, giving me a dart. \"Don't focus on chucking it. Throw it as slow and accurate as possible.\" I let the dart fly, but the speed of it is nearly double of what I expected. It thuds hard eight inches from the bulls eye. The bartender had no one with shooting powers, sadly. \"Now, turn into a hawk\" the bartender tells me. I focus on my body changing, shifting into a bird. I begin to shrink, my mouth and nose extending, my toes growing sharp as my shoes also morph, my arms getting long and light. Then I'm a human again. \"Good\" the bartender says. \"Good enough for now.\" He passes me a beer. \"Good luck. You'll need it.\"\n\nI take a plane over the Marinda Ocean, on my way to the country of Hatoni. Most wizards lived there, and I assumed my biting friend would be there too. The ride would be eight hours, so I figured I could get some rest too.\n\nThe plane finally landed and I stepped out, blinking sleep out of my eyes. I step out of the plane, grabbing a map and exiting the building. It was Tuesday morning, meaning I had until the full moon next Wednesday. \n\n\"Excuse me?\" I ask someone strolling across the sidewalk. They turn to me. \"Yes?\" \"Do you know a wizard with a short beard, dark black hair, kind of\"-\"wearing a red hat, a blue cloak, bit you and disappeared?\" \"Yeah? How'd you know?\" \"He goes to other countries and bites people to get them to come here and attempt to kill him. You should see how many apprentice servants he has.\" \"Wonderful! Can you point me in his direction?\" \"You don't understand do you? The man that bit you is the most powerful wizard in the universe. You don't stand a chance, no matter how powerful you think you are.\" \"It's my only choice.\" \"Yeah and there's only one outcome.\" \"Can you tell me or not?\" \"Yeah\" he says. \"It's pretty hard to miss.\" He points up toward a large mountain with a castle on top. \"Crap\" I say. \"So much more\" he responds.\n\nI attempt to turn into an hawk, but only manage it as high as the roof of a house, before falling twelve feet and landing on the ground. Moaning, I get to my feet to find myself surrounded by a gang. One steps forward toward me. \"You a wizard?\" he asks me. \"I think so.\" He shakes his head, snickering and comes at me. I throw a punch, but he easily ducks at kicks my legs out from under me. I sprawl out on the ground and try to use my powers. I turn into an hawk, but before I can fly, one kicks me sideways into a wall. They pick me up, back in human form, and start to walk away. Suddenly a man steps out in front of them. He protrudes a stick, waves it and they get blasted back. I fall to the ground in front of him. He picks me up and I black out.\n\n\"Child.\" My eyes open and I stare into the face of a young man I recognized... from at the bar. He was Remus Lupin and he must have escaped. \"What? How? Where?\" \"Relax, child. We have a wizard to kill.\" I nod. \"Thank you for saving me.\" He nods. \"I couldn't let them kill you.\" \"What would they do?\" \"Take you to Iceland to remove your organs.\" \"What?\" \"Yeah. Better not think about it. Let's move.\" I sit up, feeling much better. \"How long?\" \"A day. You needed sleep. It's Wednesday morning.\" \"What!\" \"Indeed child. We have work to do.\" He gets up off his chair and I sit up on a bed. I rub my eyes and push myself off, walking toward Lupin at the other side of the room. \"Child, now would be a good time to beable to turn into an hawk. The mountain lies ahead of us and it is a rough journey up. I walk outside, the cool breeze against my face, whipping my clothes. I picture myself not only an hawk, but flying above the ground, diving through the wind. My body shrinks, my arms extending, my toes sharpening until I am a large bird sitting on the solid ground. \"Good\" Lupin says to me. \"Now fly!\" I spring in the air, my wings flapping and let out a screech. I swoop down, and then soar to the heights, the castle looming out in front of me. Then, suddenly, my wings disappear, replaced by arms. My head expands and I'mfalling, the ground hundreds of feet below.\n\nMy eyes blink open. Was I dead? Lupin stands over me. No, I wouldn't be dead then. \"You fell\" he says. \"How am I alive.\" \"I slowed your fall. Your not the only one with tricks.\" I wince. \"Now what?\" \"You're horrible at magic. You need practice.\" \"How long was I out?\" \"Three hours.\" I nod, then wince. Then I black out again.\n\nThe next six days I spend training. My super strength gets more powerful. I can now fly all the way up to the castle and down. I can teleport short distances, shoot beams at people and move things with my mind. Lupin keeps saying I'm not ready. \"I didn't realize how weak you were\" Lupin told me. \"I should have realized when you couldn't fight off the gang.\" It kind of pissed me off how he was telling me how weak I was, but I knew he was trying to help. I also knew he was right. \"Should we go?\" I ask him on the fourth day. He nods. \"We might as well.\" \n\nIt was Tuesday at noon and I flew up the cliff, landing on the rock in front of the castle. Lupin was able to teleport up there, but my teleporting wasn't as accurate long distances. I fly inside the castle. Lupin scaled the walls. How, I didn't know. But the magical walls didn't let anybody teleport in. I dive down, turning into a human at a run, and tackle the guard on watch. He teleports away as we're rolling on the ground. I jump to my feet, a beam of power bouncing off my dragon skin. The guard flies up in the air and I pull him toward me. At the last second, I punch him. He flies across the tower slamming into a wall. Stone crumbles off. I turn around to a stranger. \"You're looking for Noah, aren't you?\" \"What?\" \"The wizard in charge here. He died a week ago.\"\n\n", "The bite sizzles and a glistening blue, then purple light blazes from the wound, dazzling me as i stare into it. I can't look away. I can't see anything else but the beautiful lights. Then the lights change instantly to a deep red, almost as if I was bleeding and then the light vanishes. My trance ends and I whip my head up to see the man, who had sank his teeth into my arm, grinning menacingly, and then he disappeared. Fuck. I look back down at my arm and the wound had now partially healed so it looked like an angry, red, raised scar. I stared, dumb founded. That.... what was that? Suddenly, a hand gripped me under my arm and yanked me up from the floor, then, still gripping my arm with an iron like strength, pulled me out of the pub doors and into the chilly night.\n\nBefore I could even ask what the hell he was doing, and why, he angrily turned me to face him and bit out\n\"Why did you let him bite you?\" \n\nMy mouth gaped open like a dead fish. Let him? What the fuck?\n\n\"I'll ask you again. WHY did you let him bite you? Don't you realise what you've done? What you'll become? If the change even takes!!\" .....wait. what?\n\n\"I.... I....\" He eyed me and I shrank under his glare. In a second he went from anger, to rage.\n\n\"WELL?!\" He bellowed. \n\n\"I... I didn't!\"\n\n\"What do you mean you didn't?\" He raged.\n\n\"I didn't LET him bite me! I didn't KNOW the freak would bite me!!....Why did he do that?\" I whispered the last part in confusion and his brows drew together. Suddenly, be it through fear, or just delayed reaction, I was enraged.\n\n\"Why DID he bite me?\" I said, my voice rising with anger, and i yanked my arm out of his grasp. \"Why did his bite.... fizzle all those colours? And why the fuck did he bite me?! I wasn't even fighting!!!\" I cried the part with such anger I could of sworn the ground trembled a little. \n\n\"And who the fuck are you?!\" I pointed my finger in his face. Again his eyes narrowed and he once again grabbed my arm and steered me down an alleyway. Oh fuck no. I pulled on my arm, but he didn't budge, just continuing to move me down the alleyway. \nOnce halfway down he finally allowed me to jerk my arm out of his hold, making me realise that when I had angrily jerked my arm out of his grasp earlier in a moment of defiance... he had let me. \n\n\"Who the hell are-\"\n\n\"Shut up.\" He all but growled. \n\n\"Excuse m-\" \n\n\"Shut. Up.\" He growled out again. I seethed. \n\n\"How dare y-\"\n\n\"What are you?\" He asked looking me over.... and.... sniffing? What the fuck? \n\n\"What am I? What kind of question is that?\"\n\n\"What are you?\" He said stepping closer, forcing me to step back against the wall. \n\n\"I.... I...\" I couldn't think. Why was he still sniffing the air? Was he sniffing.... me? His eyes widened slightly, nostrils flaring, and then he looked annoyed.\n\n\"Oh fuck! You're a fucking mortal?\" He pushed himself away from me and shoved his fingers through his hair. \n\n\"I.. what? Of course I am...\" who says mortal and not human anyway? Wait... \n\n\"What the fuck are you?\" He glared at me. \n\n\"That doesn't matter. What matters is who gave you that.\" He pointed towards my arm and I glanced down.\nI shook my head, remembering the beautiful lights.\n\n\"I don't... I don't understand.\" I said, my anger dissipating. \n\n\"You don't know who, or rather what, but you?\" I felt sick.\n\n\"Was it... a were-wol-\"\n\n\"NO. It was NOT a LYKAE.\" He emphasised the last word angrily. \n\n\"A vamp-\"\n\n\"No.\" \n\n\"I don't.. I don't kno-\"\n\n\"A wizard!\" He spit out the word. A wizard, was he serious? I smiled confusedly. He looked even angrier.\n\n\"This is no laughing matter!\" He raged. Well that took the smile off my face. \n\n\"You don't get it! He's bitten you! If you don't kill him now, you'l-\"\n\n\"What?!\" I cried out in shock. \n\n\"Ki-kill him? Why would I do that?\" He stepped closer and put his face down to mine menacingly.\n\n\"Because if you don't, you'll become his apprentice!\" He snarled. Wait. I was confused again. \n\n\"...... So?\" I asked, unsure if that was the right question.\n\n\"So?!\" It was not the right question. \n\n\"If you become his apprentice, he will control you! He will teach you all the things a wizard knows but he will control everything you do, he'll make you kill people, whether you know, or care for, them or not.\" \nHe paused and looked me up and down. \n\"He will own you..... and a young woman such as yourself.... He would use you in all the ways he wishes... and you won't be able to do a thing because he will have. Complete. Control.\" He emphasised the last two words with a deadly look in his eye. I honestly might throw up. He couldn't be serious... could he. \n\n\"I.... you can't... you can't be serious?\" I swayed slightly and suddenly the bite began to burn. I hissed in a breath and grasped my arm. He looked down and growled. \n\n\"It's beginning. Let me see.\" He reached for my arm but I pulled away.\n\n\"No. Don't.\" I said, grimacing and tightening my grip. There was a pressure building in my chest. Was I dying?\n\n\"Let. Me. See.\" He ground out grabbing my arm.\n\n\"I said DON'T!\" I yelled. As I did, the pressure exploded out of me, sending a forcewave toward the man, causing him to fly to the end of the alleyway. I gaped towards him and the pain vanished. He jumped up and stalked towards me.\n\n\"I.... I'm sorry.... I didn't touch you! I swear!\" I cried the last part sharply, putting up my hands in defence as he raised his hand to me. But he didn't strike me, instead grabbing my arm and pulling it down for him to stare at the bite.\n\n\"I would never hit you.\" He stated. \"Look.\" He demanded turning my arm into the light from the streetlamp. I peered down at the bite and found that it still looked raised and angry but now it had glistening silver, forking out like veins around it... and through it? What the fuck? Was it moving? Pulsing? \n\n\"That silver? That's his saliva. It's traveling through your veins. Once the full moon rises, the saliva would have travelled through you entire system, and he will be able to control all of you. Your mind, your body and your heart. If he wants it to stop beating. It will.\" I stared into his eyes in shock. I couldn't find words. I tried, but nothing would come.\n\n\"We need to find him. And fast. The full moon is in 12 days.\" I couldn't breathe.\n\n\"H-How?\" I managed. He stared into my eyes and then he sighed. \n\n\"Come with me.\"" ]	4
	[WP] An elderly Queen Cinderella realizes that she IS the fairy godmother, as she now has to go back in time to help her younger self get to the ball.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "A million years ago a scullery maid wanted to go the prince’s ball, and to the ball, she went. The scullery maid - named Ella but called Cinderella, a cruel name christened by a jealous stepmother, sat upon a cushioned chair carved out of pure gold and red velvet. Known as Queen Regent, the title she acquired upon the death of her prince five years after their marriage, not many referred to her as Ella or Cinderella these days. As she presided over the the morning meetings that included hearing the public’s complaints, she wondered how long this was going to take.\n\n“Your Majesty,” her advisor whispered into your ear, “another peasant has arrived to give complaint.” After a moment’s pause, he said, “And an offering.”\n\n“An offering?” She turned to her trusted advisor, “And what does this peasant think they may offer to us? I need nothing they have to give.”\n\nHe shook his head demurely, a gentle reminder of tactful practices. “It matters not of your neediness, except you accept this gift with grace and kindness,” he stepped away, chin motioning forward. Contemplating, she faced in the same direction, folding her weathered hands over her immaculate lap.\n\nThe peasant was a young woman, no older than twenty-five moons. Her feet were bare. Her clothes in tatters. Her skin the color of filth. Nonetheless, she carried herself with an air of dignity and poise, and most importantly, resonated an aura the Queen Regent had not felt for a very long time. She pulled back somewhat, more stunned at this rather than the odor punching her nose, and she nodded, motioning for the young woman to rise off her bended knee.\n\n“And what do you have to say, young woman?”\n\n“Your Majesty,” said the woman in a clear, watery voice. “I come to ask your favor in the grand prince’s ball.”\n\n“The grand prince’s ball,” she repeated, slowly. “My grandson’s ball, yes, it is open to the public. All may attend, old and young, noble and not, wealthy and not. Why have you come to ask this?”\n\nAt this, fleeting terror crossed over the young woman’s passive expression, and she sucked in a harsh breath. A jolt went through the old queen’s bones; she seemed, in that instant, to understand what the young woman’s predicament was. “My family,” she said carefully, “is quite wealthy, my mother...after my father’s death...married his cousin, the Grand Duchess.”\n\nThe Queen Regent’s stare darkened, but none in attendance noticed this. “You have come a long way with your dubious claims, the Grand Duchess is kin and I do not know of this stepdaughter.”\n\n“It may surprise you this may be her intention,” she grinned wryly. “But I do have something to offer you, a gift my father gave me and told me, as he lied on his deathbed, to give to the queen when the time came,” she dug into apron’s pocket and procured a jewel far more beautiful than anything in the Queen Regent’s treasury. An unseemly, ghostly glow masked its body, making it difficult to identify what it was, but the young woman took three steps before the queensguard raised their blades in defense.\n\n“Please,” said the queen, raising her hand dismissively. “It is merely a jewel, now, please,” she opened her hand, “let me see this trinket and be done with this.”\n\n“Yes, Your Majesty,” whispered the young woman. “I do not know what it is meant to do,” she said as the exchange was made, “but my father inherited it from his mother.”\n\n“Hm.”\n\nWhat happened next the Queen Regent knew it was impossible to explain. The moment the cool diamond touched her skin a wave of nostalgia washed over her, and flashes of her life reeled in her vision. She saw her mother’s death, her mother’s burial. She saw her father marrying her stepmother. Each and every cruel blow struck the queen harder than it did in life. She saw a weeping young woman, her hard made dressed ripped and torn apart, and an elderly woman coming to her aid, waving her wand and making a carriage out of a pumpkin.\n\nBut that elderly woman...so kind and good...looked familiar.\n\n“Before you were a majestic queen, a fierce ruler among and of men, you were as poor and lost as this poor woman,” whispered the diamond. “To correct the wrongs of your past, you must correct the wrongs of the present, or have you forgotten?”\n\nThe Queen Regent didn’t gasp. She didn’t scream in terror, throwing the bewitched diamond at the poor young woman, who merely stared in calm confusion. Her fingers closed folded around the diamond, and she discreetly placed it into one of the many pockets of her dress. Her expression unreadable, stare harder than stone, she spoke in a crystal tone that sent shivers throughout the grand meeting hall. \n\n“You will be my attendant, young woman,” said the queen. “And you may attend this ball that is open to all.”\n\n“I will?”\n\n“Yes,” she affirmed. “And if what you say is true, then we will see your family then. Their journey is long, and I can only imagine what you had to do to get here.”\n\n“And if it is false,” the advisor said, glaring at the young woman, “she shall be punished, Your Majesty?”\n\nThe queen shrugged, “It is of little loss to me. I am sure she knows what being my royal attendant requires.”\n\n“Yes, ma’am,” she nodded. \n\nThe queen was satisfied and stared above the young woman’s head. “Now, please, following my lady in waiting,” she said in a hard, diamond tone, “we do not have much time to turn your pumpkin into a carriage.”", "Cinderella, Dowager Queen stood up wearily from the padded armchair. It was a hideous chair, nothing like the rest of the furnishings in any of the royal family's palaces. Her daughter-in-law Arabella, the current queen, had waged quite a war to have it banished.\n\n\"It is hideous.\" Arabella had wailed to her husband, Charmond. Charmond had sighed, for he had no interest in things that weren't racing horses or games of chance, and looked at her expectantly. He was used to getting what he wanted, Charming had spoiled him. Anytime she had pointed out the boy was acting like a terror, Charming had often cajoled her, 'He is to have the burden of being king, let him have the pleasures of being prince.'\n\nShe wished she had pointed out that a boy allowed to do as he pleased would not grow to be a good king, but a tyrant. But she had been young, only seventeen when she had him, and still in awe of her older, sophisticated husband. What did she know about raising princes?\n\nIt was not that Charmond was cruel, more benignly neglectful- of his kingdom and of his elderly mother. Much, she sometimes privately mused like her late husband. Realizing that, she had simply raised a bigger fuss than Arabella, until eventually, quite fed up with the \"plights of women,\" he had ordered his wife to cease her nagging and never mention chairs again in his presence. It had been a bittersweet victory, for he had then turned to his mother and announced that if she harassed him again, he would ship her off to one of her daughters. She might miss Dellora and Victorie but they both lived in cold, far away lands with foreign tongues and had since they were married off for strong alliances. What would an old lady like her do in such a place?\n\nSo she had meekly nodded, but she still sat in the chair daily. Often, as she sat her mind wandered. Here is she was, a queen from nothing, in the finest of silks and had led by all accounts a grand life, but still she imagined. Was this every women's lot in life? If she had stayed with her stepmother, would she have married a blacksmith, been obedient to the blacksmith, only to outlive him and sit ignored in her son's home?\n\nOr maybe, she thought, she would have stood up to the blacksmith, not been so intimidated. When their son shoved another boy, she would have dragged the boy by the ear and announced his father would tan his backside. Maybe her daughters would live in cottages down the road, instead of married at fifteen to grown men for treaties. Maybe, and this thought was so wildly bold she scarcely let herself wander, maybe she would have saved herself- if the prince and fairy godmother hadn't.\n\nShe was pondering this, when suddenly she realized she stood in front of herself. Her old sleeping gown and cape looking for all the world like fairy wear. In front of her stood herself, young and beautiful, trembling with fear and deep sadness, \"I want to go to the ball, I want to go to the prince's ball.\"\n\nCinderella looked at her young self and asked, \"Are you sure?\"\n\nThis was going to be a different story, one with a real happy ending.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;", "“Let’s go to our man on the street, Perd Hapley who is live at the scene. What’s the word, Perd?”\n\n“Thanks Jim. The word is ‘carnage.’\nDetails are slow to trickle in, but what we do know is tragic. As you can see behind me, cleanup crews are working frantically to try to prepare for opening, in the the wake of the havoc cause by a single woman. Our story began late yesterday, when after her shift had ended, Indiana native Helene Woods, was informed that after fifteen years of portraying the princess Cinderella in The Walt Disney World Resort, she would be transitioning into a new role, as the Fairy Godmother. Law enforcement is saying that they believe this caused a break within Woods, and triggered her to go down the path of mayhem that follows. Again details are slim, but we were told by one of her fellow castmembers, that she began telling others that now that SHE was the Godmother, she needed to travel back in time to help her younger self get to the ball. The individuals who spoke to us, under an agreement of anonymity, told us that they believed it to be a joke, from a person who’s goal was to always make others smile. \n\nIf only that had been the case. \nIt is believed that after leaving the Disney campus, Woods traveled to Universal Studios, and somehow gained access to the grounds, possibly via an acquaintance employed there. Once inside, security cameras show her stealing a car retrofitted to look like the Delorian from the ‘Back to the Future’ film series. From there, things only got worse. She began driving the vehicle through the streets of the park, presumably trying to hit 88 miles per hour, and security became aware of her presence. They had a short confrontation with her in the ‘Jurassic Park’ section, where she was said to have been screaming ‘no, no, I’ve gone to far!’ Security was unable to apprehend her at this time, but continued to pursue her though the resort, before ending up in ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ area. There was a brief standoff with law enforcement during which Woods lobbed small gourds at officers, but was ultimately taken into custody without injury. We were on the scene, as police removed Woods from the park, and as you can see in the video, she kept saying the same thing over and over, ‘I have to close the loop, I have to close the loop.’”\n\nBack to you Jim.”", "I had forgotten how thin I was in those days, how thin and tired. The child needs rest, I thought, good food and rest. Not to be out dancing all night. Then she looked at me and I remembered the longing that lay behind her eyes, and my heart almost broke.\n\n'Just until midnight,' I told myself, and my younger self smiled and hugged me tight, and promised. I can do that.\n \nI know. I did do that. In all the years since, I had learned, bit by bit, how my late godmother did it. \n\n'Very well,' I said, and began to work.\n\nShe gasped in delight at the gown of finest silk, but my eyes were no longer the eyes of fifty years ago. I could still see the rags. I tried to remember how it had moved and rustled, how it felt against my skin, that first time, before the many gowns of real silk I have worn since, but I could not. I helped her up into the gilded coach, but I could only only smell the pumpkin. The horses waved their mouse tails, the footman licked his rat whiskers.\n\nNow all that remained to be done was to give the necessary warnings, and see her on her way.\n\n'Come with me,' she said. 'I'm frightened.'\n\nI felt a chill come over me then, because I'm certain I had never said that. I had gone my way, starry-eyed, with not so much as a backwards wave at my kind fairy godmother.\nWhy had I imagined I could become my own godmother? I could not tell this child what her future would be. She was not me; she never would become me. Who, then, was I? \n\n'Don't you want to see the Prince?' she asked. \n\nOf course I did. I stepped up into the coach, and an uncertain future.\n\nThe palace seemed somehow smaller than I remembered, but I could see that to her it was every bit as magnificent it had been for me. He was there of course, so young, so naive, so like our first son. He smiled at me without recognition, but reached out to steady me as I dropped a wobbly curtsey. Then he turned to her, and led her out onto the floor, the girl who would never be me, and the man who would never be my husband.\n\nA familiar voice whispered in my ear.\n\n'Cinders, my love. If you had not come, I would never have found you.'\n\n'Chas. You followed me.'\n\nI turned to face my husband of fifty years.\n\n'How could I have done otherwise? I had to make sure we met, when your godmother is not here to work her magic. I've not done too badly on my own, have I?'\n\nNow I could see the Palace as it really was - the oak-tree vaults, the bird-nest chandeliers, the tapestries of moss. I looked back to the dancing couple, and the illusion came back into focus.\n\n'Made for each other,' said Chas.\n\n'Definitely.'\n \nHe sighed. \n\n'I'm not as talented as the old woman. By midnight, all the magic will be used up, and then, how will he find her again? Do you think you would have loved me, if you had known from the start I was only a poor swineherd?'\n\nI smiled. \n\n'We'll soon find out. You see, I haven't told her about midnight.'\n\n\n" ]	5
Sorry the prompt is a bit long and clunky, first post and it’s also almost 5am here :/	[WP] Your elementary school girl/boyfriend, who you haven’t seen in years, halts your wedding claiming you’re already married to them, and have been since 2nd grade.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "As I stand in front of the love of my life, a shrill voice rises behind me. \"James! What are you doing James? Who is this?\". Shocked, I turn around to face a blonde woman, instantly noticing the gun at her side. \"How could you do this to me James! We have been married for 17 years! Don't you remember our vows?!\" \n\nI faintly recall a game of house in the 2nd grade were I pretended to marry a girl whose name escapes me. Having watched a film in my life and possessing at least a morsel of common sense, I decide not to argue with the crazy person with a gun. \"Yes! My plan has worked!\" I move towards her, fast enough to seem eager but just slow enough not to startle her and get shot. \"What...what do you mean?\" I fake the biggest smile of my life. \"Dearest, when I lost you, I was broken. I searched and I searched until my feet bled. I screamed your name at the top of my lungs until my voice went. I fell into a deep depression, until it hit me. I needed you to come to me. So I set up this fake wedding and hired some actors. And it worked!\" I embrace her and luckily for me, she doesn't try to stop me. With my arms firmly around her body, I suddenly pick her up and fall on my back, slamming her head into the ground WWE style. With the gun out of her hands, a few family members jump up and restrain her. I borrow a phone and call the local hospital.\n\nAs the woman is dragged away kicking and screaming I sit with my new wife outside the church. \"I would like to make one more vow\". She looks at me and I look at her. \n\nThat day kids, was the day I promised your mother to never ever...let you marry another child during a game of house until a comprehensive assessment of their mental health had been made by a licensed psychologist practicing in the state were said game is being held.\n\nThe end." ]	2
	[WP] A flying saucer lands and the occupants step out, saying “sorry we were longer than we thought ... where’s Adam, and why’s the place in such a mess?”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "As the spaceship lands, Reed and doom are alerted by their sensors, soon followed by Tony, Dr banner and Dr strange. As the Shi'ar Majestor kallark exits the spacecraft, the pilot is apologizing about the delay. \"Sorry we took much longer than we thought\". \"Irrelevant, where's Adam warlock, and well, why is earth such a mess?\" Replies gladiator.\n\nHe looks around, and sees nothing but barren wasteland for miles. He gives the imperial guard instructions to contact earth heroes. Oracle searches for the telepaths, and finds out none, not even non telepathic psionic activity. Then they all decide to search around physically. \n\n\"Stay with each other, we do not know what threat we might be dealing with.\" \n\n\"Yes Majestor\", reply the imperial guard in unison. \n\nGladiator flies up outside the atmosphere, looking for anyone with his hyper vision, while the guard is flying the ship in atmosphere, looking for life signs. However, only thing visible was burnt, scorched land. Even the oceans seemed lifeless. \n\nAfter about 20 minutes, gladiator spotted something. He flies down to see it, and he cannot believe what he just sees. He immediately contacts the imperial guard \"Oracle, steer the ship to my location, immediately.\" \n\n\"Oh my god\", scream the imperial guardsmen. They have conquered planets, but never imagined to see such a sight. It was a corpse, but of no regular being. It was the corps of the silver surfer, herald to Galactus. His body was broken, horribly disfigured, bleeding energy, board shattered in a thousand pieces nearby.\n\n\"Who could have done this to silver surfer?\", \"What chance do we stand against it?\", \"Is it Thanos?\", the guard members were murmuring. \"Shut up and don't be afraid. We will fight till our last breath if we need to.\" Gladiator asserts. He joins the rest in the ship, carrying Surfer's corpse, and they continue to fly in the same direction \n\n\"I detect life signs, let's hope someone is alive\" oracle notes. They land the ship there, dig the ground and find out the heroes hiding in there, pointing guns at them.\n\n\"Guns down. Thank God it's you people. What brings you to the earth?\" Reed sighs.\n\n\"We came here looking for Adam warlock. I heard he came to Earth. There's a disturbance in our galaxy which only he can fix. It is causing telecommunication problems.\n\nHowever, it seems you are more in need of help than us. What has happened? Who could do this to silver surfer? Where is Galactus? The Shi'ar are with you\" \n\n\"Thanks gladiator. We were attacked, razed by Ultron. He got his hands on Galactus's planet harnesser, managing to gain control over it. He stole energy from it whenever Galactus fed, like a parasite. Eventually, he became powerful enough to bond with other Galactus's tech. He was able to lock Galactus forever in his own tech. Galactus is now consuming himself, and unless we manage to find a way to stop it, Galactus will die in 3 months, causing a universe wide catastrophe.\n\nSilver surfer temporarily stopped Ultron, and contacted me for help. I tried everything I could, but failed. Even Doom tried everything, but the tech is too advanced. Also, it turned out to be Ultron's ploy to reach earth quickly. He instantly took control over the earth. With the power he now commanded, and his improved connection with tech, there was no stopping him. He killed everyone. Only five of us survived because we were in space. \n\nSurfer attacked Ultron with everything he had, and he scorched earth to prevent him from gaining access to our techs. But Ultron was too powerful for him. Surfer died, and Ultron is now in space, assimilating technology.\" Reed explains.\n\n\"The situation is dire. But we will not give up. We will fight till the last drop of our blood. Earth will be saved. Ultron will be defeated. There has to be a way, and we will find it\", gladiator reassures everyone\n\nThey now prepare themselves for the biggest and toughest battle they have ever had to face" ]	2
	[WP] In life you've considered yourself exceptionally lucky. However, unbeknownst to you theres a god who has fallen in love with you and bends the universe to make you succeed or give you second chances	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Faith. She considered herself lucky, in as far as luck goes. Lucky, but not blessed. Her parents may have be Christian through and through, but Faith had no intention of following in their footsteps. Much to her father's disappointment. He left not long after her thirteenth birthday...\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAt birth Faith had tussled with the clutches of Death, his taught skeletal hands wrapped around her feeble neck. It was the umbilical cord, a serpentine creature that writhed and squeezed the life from her oh so tiny lungs, that Death had sent as his emissary. But he'd failed in his harvest. Faith was freed by events so bizarre that neither mother nor midwife nor doctor could figure just exactly what had happened. There was a flicker of light, the heavy thrum of electrics and then all fell to darkness. A hospital, far from a pleasant place at the best of times, is all the worse in the dark.\n\nThe doctor had been urging everyone to remain calm, advising that the back-up generator would kick in soon enough. Faith's mother, Gabriel (God rest her soul), had been screaming for someone, anyone, to please help her dying daughter. The midwife, a young man by the name of Jenkins, reached out for Gabriel's hands, hoping to calm the troubled mother. Somehow (Gods only know how) he'd stumbled upon the choking cord and clasped it tight between his palm. He slipped, on something and nothing, falling back and tearing the cord from Gabriel. There was a horrifying shriek of pain, followed soon after by faint coughing and wheezing, then the sounds of a small child crying.\n\nBy some miracle the cord had loosened off when torn from the mother, freeing Faith's throat. And with Faith's first breath came Jenkins' last shift as a midwife, he would never again step foot inside a maternal ward. That was, until the day his own daughter was born, and all was long forgotten.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAt the age of three Faith had been outside, playing in the snow with her mother Gabriel. Her father, Alias, watched sternly from the warmth of their home, a lone thought occupying his mind. A terrible thing, it would be, to freeze to death twelve nights before Christmas can come.\n\nIt wasn't Death that sought young Faith this time, he had long learnt his lesson in pining for Faith. This time it would be Mother Nature, her wrath eternal, seeking to take Faith into her bosom. This night it was through snow and by ice that Nature intended to take the child. A pick up, rusted maroon, charging its way through the neighborhood, twice the speed limit and drunk for good measure. Nature cast her touch gently over the scene, a slick patch of black ice beneath the rear wheels, an embankment of snow solid enough to act as a ramp, and a ground soft enough to see Faith and Gabriel thrown to the ground if they chanced to see the truck and tried to run.\n\nAgain there was a flicker of lights, this time from the lamps decorating the streets. Then came the groan of an engine, sputtering smoke, sounding none too healthy. The scene was obscured by a great flurry of snow. Not even Nature could hope to see what would come. As it happened the driver fell asleep at the wheel, his truck veered wildly on the ice, his foot clearing the accelerator and just happening to buckle on the breaks. Jacks, left behind by children that had earlier been playing outside, punctured all four of the trucks wheels. Then the engine gave out with a smoke-laden shout. The truck slipped into a spin, and crashed against the solid banking of snow. Not a soul was harmed, not even the driver.\n\nMother Nature tried equally deplorable things in Summer, Autumn and in Spring. But each attempt at collecting the girl failed without explanation.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nCome the age of seven there was a terrible fire in Faith's school, a fire that saved her life. Greed was next to make a move on the girl, hoping that temptation of more, more, more might send the girl running to his arms. It was a simple yet clever idea. Greed had ensured the school's kitchen was left unattended, and manipulated Faith's teacher into sending her down for a bottle of brown from the chef... he'll know what I mean.\n\nIt was here that Greed hoped to lure Faith to him with no more than the promise of candy. Just a strawberry bonbon to start, then a frazzle or two, a string of fudge, a toffee penny, then more, more, more. Until poor Faith found herself at a window overlooking the sudden dropping hill that the school stood proud upon. There would be a final treat, something so sweet you'd dare not resist it, waiting upon the ledge beyond the vast glass sea of windows. Just one would be left open, looking out over the edge. Faith would come, and Faith would fall.\n\nBut is was not to be, for by the time Faith came upon the kitchen and the candy a fire erupted from within and sent the school into flames. Faith made it out without so much as a burn. There had been a moment in which she thought herself lost, when she tripped whilst running, the crowds stampeding past, paying no mind to the girl on the floor. The lights again began to flicker and a single foot trampled her being. It was the chef, who had been otherwise occupied and not lost in the kitchen's fire (why thank you, Greed) that gathered Faith up in his arms and carried her out, a hero. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was at the age of thirteen, the day her father left, that cruel justice was served. A long awaited tragedy, a twist of fate. Her father had given the ultimatum, Faith was to submit to their Christian values, or he was to leave. Mother and all. Faith refused. She tried to explain - it's not that I don't believe, it's just I don't believe in that. And I can't. I won't.\n\nAlias fled in a fit of rage, but as he backed up out of the drive his car stalled. That's odd. He thought. Never done that before. Faith was running from the house, shouting for her father to wait, begging he try to understand. She ran behind the car. Alias turned the key, the engine rattled into life. Gabriel watched in horror, a motherly instinct flushing through her. She ran to her daughter, but slipped on black ice. Alias took a cursory glance in the rear-view mirror, but saw not a thing. Faith had spotted the sweetest looking liquorice lace she'd ever seen, lying just beneath the car's exhaust, squirming like a snake bathed in black. She ducked down at the very moment her father checked the mirror.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAll this Lady Luck watched with a silent scream wrought upon her gaunt and golden face. Not a thing she turned her hand to seemed to listen. What influence she'd had on the mortal World was lost.\n\nThe sound of laughter rang loud in her ears.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAlias backed out of the drive, speeding up as he raced to be gone. The right-side wheels jerked up and over something solid, something soft. He hit the breaks, wheels resting on and over Faith, the air forced from out her lungs, the weight of the car crushing down upon her.\n\nFaith's eyes flickered white, the light of life fading to the cries of voices from a World to which she no longer belonged.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI am sorry. Luck whispered. Perhaps my love was not enough.\n\nBut it was! Faith smiled, and to Luck that smile embodied the beauty of the World, the beauty of life. Thirteen years you bought me. Thirteen more than I deserved.\n\nLuck fought back tears of crimson-ash. I did try, to save you.\n\nFor a moment Faith was whole, standing true to life before Luck. They took each other's hands. I know. Faith's lips met Luck's in a brief embrace, already the girl was fading. But not even Luck herself can cheat Fate.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEDIT: Spelling and grammar.", "It happened again. For the third time this week, every time I would spill my coffee, it would spin, stand upright and be refilled. As if by magic.\n\nI looked at the cup in bewilderment. No one else in the cafe seemed to notice. I was still staring at the full cup when the barista asked me to move to let the rest of their customers collect their drinks.\n\nI made my way to work, nearly tripping over an uneven patch of pavement. Once I walked to my desk, there was a post-it on the table, saying in big, bold writing: Come to my office asap. Tentatively, I dropped my bag and knocked on my boss' door.\n\n\"Come in,\" His shrill tone rang in my ears. I hated that man,\n\nI entered and sat down. He looked me up and down disapprovingly, before turning away, leaving the silence in the room palpable.\n\n\"What do you need me for, boss?\" I asked sheepishly.\n\n\"Look, Jaiden, management is going through some restructuring. I'm afraid we're going to have to let you -\"\n\nHis phone rang. He looked down and dismissed it.\n\n\"Anyways, as I was saying, I'm-\"\n\nHis phone rang again, this time sounding even louder and more insistent. He picked it up and stood up, walking to the ceiling-to-floor window beside his plush sofa.\n\n\"Hello?\"\n\n\"Yes, yes, I do understand, but..\"\n\nA long pause.\n\n\"You can't be serious, ma'am.\"\n\n\"Yes. Of course.\"\n\nHe hung up and walked back, his face ashen grey. I sat in the comfy leather seat, eyeing him closely.\n\n\"It seems... it seems that they've changed their mind.\" He looked genuinely disappointed that he didn't get to fire me. The bastard.\n\n\"You take my position starting tomorrow.\" He admitted, quickly looking away.\n\nI did a double take.\n\n\"Sorry, what?\" I asked in surprise.\n\n\"You heard what I said. Get out.\"\n\nI walked out of the huge office dumbfounded. Sure, my boss was a prick, but I couldn't believe that I would be even considered to replace him. My qualifications were nothing in comparison to his ever so precious Yale degree.\n\nFeeling lucky, I strolled over to my desk. Mike walked towards me with a box of something.\n\n\"Hey Jaiden, I made some brownies last night. I thought you might like some?\" He offered me the open Tupperware containers filled to the brim with delicious pastry. Just as I was about to thank him and take one, there was an ear-splitting ring, then the spray of the overhead sprinklers. The fire alarms had gone off, leaving us and the brownies soaked.\n\nAll the employees filed out through the door and I shrugged to myself. It seemed luck was on my side, but not when it came to love. I sighed sadly, and the sky rumbled in response.\n\nIt seemed it was sad too.", "Tyler sat there, contemplating his decision, knowing he was about to make an all or nothing decision. At twenty-one years old, he's always felt lucky, but now was the ultimate test for that luck. On the hotel bed with his entire life savings in his hand, he was attempting to hype himself up to enter the casino floor. Was this a stupid idea? That i knew was a positive, but at such a young age, there's worse ideas he could have gone forward with.\n\nHe gets himself dressed and folds his money in half, placing it in his front pocket. Double checking to make sure he had everything on him that he needed for the night; room key, cell phone, money, wallet, he had it all. He exits is room and begins walking towards the elevator, his heart beating stronger, the risk had his anxiety at an all time high. Knowing he couldn’t play like this, he had to find a way to ease his nerves and put himself at a calm state of mind. With deep breathes he entered an elevator, and within a short amount of time, his dreams or fears would become reality.\n\nHis mind racing, as the elevator began its descent to the ground floor. He did his best to put it at ease , reminiscing on all previous events in his life where luck was on his side. Little league baseball is a memory that struck him, all season he struck out at every single at bat. It was the last inning in the championship game, his team mate was on first, and the team was only down by one run. However there were already two outs, and with how the season unfolded up to that point, he felt like the game was over already. With one swing of the bat, he made solid contact with the ball, as it flew deep into the outfield and over the chain link fence, he won the game and the championship right there.\n\nAnother memory popped up, when he lead his high school football team to the state championship. One hail mary pass as time expired. These memories brought a smile, he knew there were countless other times where luck proved to be on his side, he was just hoping that tonight was going to be one them. The elevator doors opened and his senses were overloaded with all the lights, bells and whistles, he could see fortunes being won and lost in mere seconds. The moment of truth was nearing. \n\nTyler made his way to the tbe high roller room, and found a roulette table with just enough room for him to slide up to. The ball was already in play, all bets were set. As the wheel slowed down to a stop, there were people cheering and people cursing. Reaching j to his pocket, he hands the dealer his money, saying “ten thousand in chips, please.” The dealer counts, and double counts all the hundred dollar bills before handing Tyler the chips. This is the moment of truth, Tyler looks at the screen behind the wheel, seeing the past ten results of the game, and with one deep breathe, he makes his move. “ten thousand on thirteen black.”\n\nThe pressure was building, this was all the money he had brought with him, his entire life savings. One roll, win or lose, this is what he was in Las Vegas for. The dealer freezes all bets, it's time for the wheel to spin. Tyler looks up for a moment and sees a woman that looks all too familiar, her long blonde hair, olive complexion, almost a golden aura surrounding her. He knew he's seen her before, but he couldn't figure out where he has seen her.\n\n“Thirteen black,” the dealer declares.\n\nThe winnings are being spread out, and Tyler in almost a bit of shock realizes he now has three hundred fifty thousand dollars in chips sitting in front of him. Looking back up, he sees the woman still watching him, she gives him a smile, and almost instantly, tyler could feel something from within.\n\n“lets keep this going, put it all on twenty five red.”\n\nWith confidence high, Tyler felt like it was a sure bet, even though the odds say otherwise. People at the table begin talking about such a massive bet, but Tyler has completely tuned it all out, focusing only on table, and thought of the mysterious woman watching from a distance. The dealer spins the wheel, and drops the ball, it bounces, ticking away, slowing down and before coming to a rest.\n\n“And the winner is, twenty five red!” the dealer exclaims.\n\nNow with twelve and a quarter million in chips, Tyler is battling his thoughts, let it ride one more time or just walk away as a multimillionaire. He feels a hand touch his shoulder, and its woman, with a smile on her face. She drops back into the crowd and the urge suddenly overcomes him.\n\n“One more time, all or nothing, double zero”\n\nThere's an audible gasp from the crowd, this is a major bet that could backfire in an instance. Should it pay off, Tyler knows he could easily retire from the workforce, while still in the prime of his life. The crowd around the table grows larger, the anticipation builds as the dealer lets the wheel spin. Time seems to come to a standstill, his heart beating harder than ever before. He closes his eyes, almost afraid to see the outcome, and then it hits him, he knows why that woman was so familiar. He saw her in the crowd during his little league championship game right before his last at bat, he saw her on the sideline of his high school football game, he’s seen her at every event his life when the odds were stacked against him and he came out on top.\n\n“We have a winner, double zero!”\n\nThe crowd erupts, Tyler almost in a state of confusion, looking up, the woman offers a wave before disappearing into the casino. Before him was almost four hundred twenty nine million dollars in chips, more money than he would probably earn in his entire life. He takes his chips, and cashes out, before heading back to his hotel room. Something strange had just happened, what it was, he may never know. \n", "It was strange, life was.\n\nIn my hands, was a winning raffle ticket. I was going to America.\n\nMy family was hugging me, kissing me, they were saying goodbye. I started to cry tears of happiness.\n\n\\--\n\nAt school, I always had the good lab partner, good project group, and the greatest advisors. College was honestly easy, even if it was Harvard.\n\nI had never thought of myself as extremely smart, but somehow the world did. I got scholarships left and right, won student leadership elections, and made a lifetime of friends. They were the best of friends, the kind that would hold my hand at four in the morning on a Tuesday if I needed them.\n\nI was convinced that maybe I had been born incredibly lucky. I knew people much smarter than me at home, much richer people who were unable to come here. I knew much nicer and charismatic people who hadn’t been elected into half of the positions I had won.\n\nI contemplated my good fortune, yet again, that Sunday morning.\n\nIt was beautiful weather, bright but with overcast clouds. It was perfect for someone pale like me, I got a taste of the sun without the burn.\n\n“Nana?” One of the café busboys came up to me. He was a tall boy, having to bend at the waste to collect my coffee cup from the table. I looked up at him, and smiled sadly.\n\n“He’s not coming, is he?” I asked. He shook his head, apologetic.\n\n“He said to tell you he’s sorry but his car caught on fire on the way over here.” I shrugged, that was the fourth boy this year who had used that excuse, it was only January.\n\nLove was the only place I didn’t have luck in.\n\n\\--\n\n“Joon! What are you doing?!” The young god cowered in the corner of the shop, trying to get away from his mother.\n\n“Nothing!” He tried to scramble into the kitchen, “Funny seeing you here Mom! I was just trying some of the human food, have you ever tried scrambled eggs?” He asked, picking up an unattended pan.\n\n“It’s that girl again! Isn’t it?” The woman seethed, she looked around, “Where is she? I’ll end her and top this madness. You can enjoy the underworld with her for all I care.” She started to walk out of the kitchen and the handsome young god threw the eggs away, running to catch up with her.\n\n“Mother! No! It’s nothing like that.”\n\nIt was well known among gods that fascination with humans was inevitable. There would always be one in a god’s life, a human they would find irresistible. For Joon, Nana was that girl.\n\nAnd his mother was sick of her.\n\n“I cannot believe you set fire to another car!” Joon’s mother stalked towards the beautiful girl near the window.\n\nThe mother couldn’t deny, even among gods, she would be considered a beauty.\n\nHer hair shined like honey in the sunlight coming through the window, and her skin was pale as the moon. Her limbs were long and her movements smooth, she looked like she could be a dancer or a gymnast.\n\nGrace wasn’t just in her movements, it was in her eyes. They rested with kindness, with the gentleness of an innocent soul.\n\n“Joon, this has to stop.” The mother said, she was standing in front of the girl, contemplating what to do.\n\nShe could have a heart attack, that wouldn’t damage the girl’s face. Or a car could suddenly drive in here and damage her completely, hopefully making her undesirable to Joon in the afterlife. The mother was worried that he would actually follow her to the underworld.\n\nJoon was a young god, the God of Impulsiveness. It had been foretold that he would try to chase a girl to the underworld.\n\nAlana, his mother, the God of Sensibility, would do everything to stop him.\n\n\\--\n\nr/JP_writings ", "My love affair began about 5 years ago, in Rome, I didn't even know it until a couple of years had went by. I think the first time it affected me is when I went into a little bistro to get some lunch, there was a line of people and I was alone. The host asked if I would care to join an elderly woman at her lunch rather than wait in line. I found it odd but apparently she had offered when she saw me come through the door alone.\n\nIt was one of the best lunches I had of my entire life. The elderly lady, June, offered to help me order and I enjoyed every bite. We talked about Rome and beauty that was in every structure. The conversation went on until well after lunch was over and we were all that was left in bistro. She excused herself, apologizing for taking up so much of my free time, then offered me a antique key as a memento. Again, if I had known then what I knew now, I would have never let her get out of my sight.\n\nSo with key in hand I made my way back from vacation and the world was an open door to me. My memento hung around my neck and it seemed to open every door I wanted to go thru.\n\nLet's start with my job, I am a interior designer and do quite well at making my customers happy but I only have little fish, the big fish are taken by firms, no get rich work there. The day I got back I was wandering by a bit of new construction and decided to stop in to see who was designing the building entry, it had beautiful windows that focused the light on the doors. As luck would have it, the firm had just been found out to be a fraud and they were scrambling to find a \"cost effective\" way to get the work done since the money was gone. I said I would love to take a shot at it. 6 months later the client loves the new entry and has asked me to do several more, oh and the fraudulent company was found, money returned to the client, and I got it all plus my \"cost effective\" bill.\n\nSo here I am, a very busy independent woman, loving my life, my job, and of course the occasional office party, but I found my self lingering in doorways looking for the right guy. I believe after the 1st year I had gotten that invitation or that special deal or was in the place at the right time I came to the conclusion the other shoe was about to drop. I have always been a bit of a pessimist but things were just to good. I was running late one morning and I swear I was 30 minutes from the meeting that started in 10, I was there with time to spare. Something was wrong with me, I was convinced. So, just to be safe I went to see a doctor, I am as healthy as ever, so much so the doctor asked what I was using on my skin because it was fantastic.\n\nNow I didn't know what to do, the stress of it all, the overwhelming success, it started to become a burden. I felt so stressed, I took a couple days to see the ocean and feel the cool breeze on my face. As I stood in the back door, watching the sunset across the ocean, I felt warm, like someone had given me a loving embrace that made the stress melt away. I was alone, I liked being alone but for the first time I wanted someone to share this life with. I had succeeded in every way I had set out to and now I wanted something else to share it with. I believe this is when I even said it out loud, \"Thanks for all the help up there, can you help me find that perfect guy too?\"\n\nAnd so I found the perfect guy, I was at another party hanging out in the doorway watching things transpire as couples were finding their way to mingling and having the time of their lives. He joined me in the doorway and said, \"This is the best place in the house, you can see people coming in expecting anything and leaving with expectations. Hello, my name is Portunus, my friends call me Port.\"\n\nNow the pessimist in me instantly thought that Port's accent was really to thick to be real and no one comes to a party with that kind of line without preparing it. So, I dismissed this would be and simply replied, \"Nice to meet you Port. Just arrive at the harbor?\" Now it was not that he wasn't attractive, no on the other hand, Port is fit, trim, and that curly beard of his looks great. I just was not ready to be approached, I was me and I wanted to start the conversation. \n\n\"Actually yes, I had just arrived this morning and was invited to attend this gathering. I must say you are quite the astonishing presence, I have seen numerous fellows trying for your attention before approaching you. I do believe those poor fellows are quite jealous of our conversation.\" He pointed to a group of men, I had not even seen them prior to his direction. I was a bit shocked when one raised his glass at Port, \"That is the gentleman that invited me along.\"\n\nNow, when the say break the ice, I had it in my mind it was this little social barrier that keeps people from just blabbing about their entire life story to everyone. In my case, it was my entire perception around me. It was not just a social barrier, it was a defense that I had not realized I had placed there years ago. Port started talking and I could not help but talk. All at once I remembered the last conversation that I had felt free and had lost track of hours just talking and enjoying someone's company. \n\n\"Port, I have had the greatest time talking to you, the last time I had such a wonderful time I got this.\" I pulled the key from my shirt. Its small golden color spun ever so slightly.\n\n\"Ah, so you are the one with the key to my heart\", Port smiled and held his hand under the key, \"I had always believed my mother had the only key.\"", "I’m lucky with everything… except when it comes to love. It all started when I was nineteen. I was in chemotherapy for skin cancer, having recently dropped out of college. The doctors assured me it was terminal: six months at most.\n\nI had never been much into writing, or poetry for that matter. But one night, my mother showed me something written by T.S Eliot. Perhaps to comfort me. I didn’t understand what it meant. But I loved the strange music of the lines. Words like water: flowing down the page, as drops of rain. Nothing had ever seemed to natural. And, in my sickness, I needed something complex, something bigger than myself.\n\nI started writing my poems. And, in the evening, while it was still summer, I read them quietly aloud in the back garden as the evening invaded the horizon, and the stars began to flicker into an audience. I don’t know how, or why, but a few weeks after I started my night-readings, my cancer cleared up. Was it chemotherapy? No. The doctors said. Something magical and mysterious as those lines of Eliot my mother showed me in the living room, as I ached from the pains of treatment.\n\nEver since then I’ve been incredibly lucky. Scholarships fell in my lap. Journals begged to publish my work. I even won a few million in the lottery and paid off my parents mortgage. And yet, when it came to romance, my fortunes dwindled. Relationships ended over minor disputes. Girls would find a long-term partner before I had the courage to ask them out. This happened so frequently, that I started to think a change of scenery was in order. Hence the move to New York. But it seems, my affliction followed me, as if it were a real condition, like the cancer now several years in remission.\n\nTonight, for example, I’m an hour late to my first date with Rosie. My train stopped in the middle of the subway, the driver citing “abnormalities with the engine.” Then, when I finally got back on the street, was unable to get a cab. Normally I have no problems getting a cab in New York. They always seem to pull up just when I need them. Tonight, it’s as if the alliance of New York cab drivers issued a notice to their members: no one pick up this guy, with a picture of my face pinned to their windscreen.\n\nBut I should back up for a minute and tell you about Rosie. I met Rosie two weeks ago at a mutual friend’s housewarming. A concert violinist, newly hired by the New York Philharmonic. Long, auburn hair and soft, dark eyes. She was the only person in the room. The only one I could see.\n\nFor several hours we talked about everything from the rising cost of living in Brooklyn, to the expression of human emotion in art. I told her about my reading of Eliot, and she told me about Paganini; how it felt to be lost in a caprice, to reach for the fretting of your instrument and find the fretting of your heart.\n\nYou know how sometimes you meet someone and you don’t once feel the need to talk about the weather? Everything just flows so smoothly from start to end. That’s what it was like with Rosie.\n\nSo you can understand why I’m so set on being there on time. I run around the corner, finally reaching the restaurant. But when I walk inside, the waiter informs me that the woman of Rosie’s description left some ten minutes ago.\n\nI walk back outside and smile, defeated, at the night sky. My luck with love is so bad it must be a joke. The stars are strangely vivid tonight. And, for a moment, it seems as if they wink back.\n\nI don’t hear from Rosie for several days. When I do, the news makes me ill. Rosie has cancer. Pancreatic. She didn’t leave because I was late. She left because she was sick. And she had none of the warning signs. Completely out of the blue. I can’t believe it. I suddenly hate this world and its random misfortunes.\n\nI don’t know if there’s a god up there, but I will pray someone watches over her. And curse them if they don’t. \n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_ \nEdit: If you enjoyed this consider giving me a follow, I only use this account for writing, will be starting a subreddit in a week - just waiting for my account to be old enough :) Thanks for reading! " ]	7
	[WP] Write a feel good story about a human explaining the best parts of life on earth to a fascinated alien.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We're obviously primitive to star-faring citizens.\n\nBut honestly? We're getting there. Listen in:\n\nWe're not far from bots sittin in a leader's chair.\n\nJust got no cars in the air. But we shot Mars with some flair.\n\n&#x200b;\n\nWait actually,\n\nwe do have a car in the sky.\n\nDrifting. Speeding.\n\nBid adieu. Goodbye.\n\nSigned,\n\n\\- a Musky guy.\n\n&#X200b;\n\nYeah, we've killed so many species,\n\nbut we've cured plenty diseases.\n\nStarted wars and fought through seasons\n\nbut we've signed treaties and ceases.\n\nTrains, planes, and automobiles\n\ngave way to phenomenal deals.\n\nTrade steers the world with gold wheels.\n\nYou can thank war for production of steel.\n\n&#X200b;\n\nSure. We've got basketcases,\n\nnutcases, and fuckfaces.\n\nBut the average person just wants to suck faces, and with luck raise kids.\n\n&#X200b;\n\nSo stay awhile, alien.\n\nGo places—wild, or tame and mild.\n\nEntertainment for miles.\n\nWe've got problems. But who doesn't? Honest.\n\nYour planet can't be perfect 'cause you're not on it.\n\n-----\n\nThanks for reading! Feedback / criticism always welcome. I have more poems, songs, and stories on [my personal sub.](/r/scottbeckman)" ]	2
	[WP] You are sent to an abandoned space station to recover it’s crew. You see a figure scuttling in the distance trailing blood. Then it notices you and there is only one way out, an escape pod which is on the opposite side of the station. Nobody’s coming for you and there are 2 days left of air.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nAfter the ISS crew went missing (an impressive feat all things considered) every branch of the military mysteriously went unresponsive, area 51 initiated a lockdown, and Abby's phone rang right off her nightstand and hit her on the head. “Ow, this better be good,” she said, I rolled over and looked down at her on the air mattress next to my bed “who is it” “blocked number, Damon, please do that magic hacker thing where you make technology your slave” I slid on the remote hacking gauntlet that assimilated my phone three years ago, the touchscreen lit up in night mode as I hit auto call trace.\n\n“Hello, and yes I know you're trying to trace this call.” blared from the phone speakers, my gauntlet threw an error and stopped, I whacked it “stupid magically enhanced piece of crap, gimme that” I took her phone and focused until I could feel the radio waves coming from the device, and the connection was from the ass end of nowhere. “If you’re done trying to trace me I’ll explain why I’m calling, we’ve had a problem with the international space station crew, they are MIA-” “how,” I asked, “they're in space, there's nowhere to go.” “exactly the problem Damon, the ISS systems are in a state of non-function, there are two days of life support, if you can get the O2 running again then you have about two weeks, we need you to go up and find them, security shows some sort of monster, so the two of you are perfect, abby is the firepower, literally, and Damon is tech support, you will need to use your powers, only a technomancer can open the security locks.”\n\nWithin five hours we were docked with the ISS, and the inner airlock door won't open. “Remember Abby, your flames will push you back in null G…. Abby?” I turned and saw her death griping her seat. “Sick to your stomach or just having trouble adjusting to null G?” she was hyperventilating, her face was chalk white, and I saw flickers of fire coming off of her. I grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes, “take deep breaths, in, and out.” she started breathing deep, “ok, tell me what's wrong.” “I don't like heights and that was the most terrifying experience of my life.” I opted not to tell her about reentry. “Well it's over now, now please try to calm down, if you burst into flames up here then the fire will consume all the oxygen and kill us.” I put my palm on the airlock and instantly became aware of the mechanism, I willed my AR contacts to switch on as I connected the RHG to the ISS and added the readout to my hud, we had:\n\n* No security cameras\n* 1.96 days of air\n* 6 persons aboard\n* Two docked vehicles\n* And the central mainframe was in emergency mode\n\nI technopathic flipped the correct switches on the busted control panel to open the door. “What the fuck is that!?” Abby asked. I saw a zombie, but mutated to the extream, it looked at us and lunged. I was about to strike when Abby blasted it with a jet of fire and launched herself into a wall, the thing pulled itself out by shooting tendrils out of its hands. “I think we found the monster, I need to get to the central computer, I can't access it from any of these terminals, and you need to cover me.” I grabbed a railing and attempted to feel for the central computer, at six point six kilometres per second I could feel all the devices moving below me pull my focus away from the station. “Damnit, I’m tech blind, all the devices popping in and out of range are fucking with me.” I proposed over to the door and pried it open to find the computer in question, “that was easy.” I floated over and hit system start.\n\nThe biggest shock was that the station had artificial gravity. It really shouldn't. The second the gravity kicked on, I was pounced on by the monster, its face was this big maw full of teeth, and it smelled like ass. As it was about to bite my head off, a wave of fire slammed into it, sending it flying into a window, the bulkheads sealed us in as we were riped out into space.\n\nDrawing on my other powerset, I pulled all the water vapour from the scattering air and tried to form it into a sphere, that failed because of the vacuum of space. When I thought all was lost, a red glow enveloped us, my ears un-popped, and I could breathe. “You went god, well, good timing. Now we can suffocate two minutes later, after your stamina runs dry.” she dragged me to an airlock that had nothing docked. “Open it, and re-pressurize it, this aura gives you the same godly amp I have so you should be able to do it.” I placed my hand on the panel and the door instantly opened, as we floated inside the door closed and the room pressurized faster then safety protocol allows, with a god amp tech does whatever I want apparently. The inside door opened and we saw a man with a shotgun, then I heard a loud bang as I bolted upright in bed, Abby's phone rang right off her nightstand and hit her on the head. We're in serious trouble" ]	2
	[WP] You're in a café while eating a crossant, you suddenly choke on it and make a very conveluted and weird noise. You think about how you wish you had some coffee to wash it down, it suddenl6 appears in front of you. You have discovored realities admin password.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Regaining my composure, I look around to see if anyone saw nobody did. Then I start to wonder if the reality altering thing is a one time deal. To test it I wish for a perfect hourglass figure. (Hey, if you can alter reality on a whim, why not?) it worked. Getting excited now, I walk out of the establishment and go into into an ally. Then I teleport home. Ice inky room, I start messing with my new ability. I make a mini twister in the palm of my hand, turn my old textbook into the atest volume ten a series I’m reading. Then I get an idea. If I can now do whatever I want, I can become a superhero! I transform into an amazing-looking woman in a full body suit and fly out the window. This is gonna be great." ]	2
	[WP] You have been born without a voice. All life long you avoided any trouble, which can not be solved without a voice. One day, you witness a murder, letting out a silent scream. The murderer looks at you, trembling in fear.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "At first nobody believed it was possible. The police sergeant convinced them to run tests and they took me in. They didn't tell the perp what was going on, but they had me say some words and made him repeat them. I remember how much he hated my voice. \"Make her shut up! I can't stand it, make that god damned woman shut her stupid mouth!\" It may not seem incredible to a normal person to possess an annoying voice, but to someone who had no voice at all for the first 24 years of my life, it was absolutely unbelievable.\n\nThat was the day I saw a man kill another man in front of my eyes. I screamed in horror. Like always, no noise came out. But he heard me. Somehow he heard my scream. The police arrived and I explained it to them (in writing). They would have probably assumed I was crazy if that one sergeant had not been adamant about testing me. He was sure that what I told them was true.\n\nAfter that, the army became involved. They sent me to a base somewhere in Colorado and subjected to me tests for weeks. They had me talk to people face-to-face, behind a screen, on an intercom, in a box, with a fox–that's not a Dr. Seuss joke; they had me talk to a pair of Siberian Foxes, one of whom had killed another earlier that day. In these weeks of testing there was only one false positive out of thousands of tests, and he was found later that day hanging from a noose with a suicide note on his desk. The conclusion was inescapable: if someone has killed another person, they can hear my voice.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nAfter this all became public, the non-profits became interested. They sent me to prisons around the country and I was able to get people off death row or out of life sentences. I would usually stand in a screened-off area and say some words. At the same time, another woman next to me would say some other words. The prisoner would have to repeat all the words he or she heard. On occasion they would have me shout in someone's ear while they had sensors attached to them to see if they reacted.\n\nProsecutors were also interested. They could use my voice to prove that someone committed a murder. At least, usually they could. The defense would claim that just because someone had killed someone did not mean that they necessary killed this particular person. While that is technically true, juries were usually happy to lock up murderers even if they didn't know exactly whom they killed.\n\nI started charging for my services. I gave interviews (in writing) to the newspapers and the army gave me a bodyguard. They insisted that I not be filmed so that criminals and others wouldn't be able to identify me. \n\n&nbsp; \n\nSo that's why I've been distant these past few months. That's where I've gotten all that money. To be honest, I've been enjoying the money and the fame and it's been hard not letting you in on the secret. I really care about you Mom and Dad. This is why this letter is so hard to write. But I have to do this.\n\nWhen I woke up this morning, I stretched my arms and let out a big yawn. I could hear it. I don't know what would happen...I can't risk it, I can't risk hurting anyone. I'm so sorry." ]	2
	[WP] When you die, God tells you that the angel who first greeted the dead has quit. You're his best option right now, so he hands you a handbook on heaven and you start the greeting.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I blinked my eyes open. The light was truly bright in every sense of the word. A gentle breeze played around me. It smelled like freshly baked cookies and I swear I could hear children playing in the distance. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I found myself at the pearly gates. Mom had always called them that, pearly gates, but I had figured it to be an expression. Clearly whoever God had given a glimpse to had meant something more like ivory or maybe white marble. Now that I was standing there though, I knew I had been wrong. Pearly was the word.\n\nSomeone cleared their throat to my left, I’d never heard a throat clear so regally. I turned to find the source of light, God. He was kind and waited for my eyes to adjust again. He looked a little too much like Jeff Bridges for my tastes. That was when it got weird.\n\nGod - Hello Andrew.\n\nAndrew - Hi.\n\nGod - Welcome to Heaven.\n\nAndrew - Thanks… Not to be rude, but shouldn’t we be going through the gates.\n\nGod - Right. You’ve always been faithful, Andrew. I really appreciate that. Even when you were in college and you thought you’d earned my animosity. Even when you made some small mistakes.\n\nAndrew - Ah… Thanks? I really don’t want to think about that.\n\nGod - Sorry. It takes some time for the memories to adjust… Ianus usually handles the greeting. When you recall something from your life down there, let’s just say it is like watching it in 4K. It is even possible, you wish, to dwell in those moments. Sometimes your neighbors dwell in them, even the worst ones, and just to find me there with them. They find joy in finding me there, knowing that I was with them even then. I-\n\nAndrew - God?\n\nGod - Yes, Andrew.\n\nAndrew - I don’t mean to interrupt... \n\nGod - No, it’s okay. I usually don’t handle this part of the tour. You wanted to ask me something.\n\nAndrew - Yeah… What are we doing?\n\nGod - Brilliant question. I love that about you, always going back to the point at hand. Right, so I was mentioning that I admire how you have always been faithful and that I don’t normally handle this part of the tour. I was wondering if you could serve me one last time before being properly brought into Heaven…\n\nAndrew - This seems a little unorthodox but… sure?\n\nGod - Perfect. Take this handbook. I’ve got to go fetch St. Peter. You see the Angel that normally stands vigil here… Ianus… He quit. He’s a little late to the Fall, but… I mean… I don’t really want to talk about it. Stand there, give people the rundown before sending them in, and I’ll be back in a jiff.\n\nThen he vanished. It was still just as bright, but it was like someone moved the lightbulb from right in front of my face and was back to hanging it overhead where it belonged. It was like that moment before or after an eclipse, right?\n\nFor a handbook to heaven, the book was pretty light. Pretty small too, if I was allowed to say so. I started to thumb through it and I really hoped that God had not mistaken me for an Andrew that knew how to read weird blocky sticks with squiggle runes.\n\nSomeone cleared their throat to my right and I was a little disappointed even before I looked. Maybe it would wear off, but God had ruined throat clearing at least for now. I turned to see a man dressed in a black suit. He looked a little like a young Robert Redford. He was wearing a nametag that said Lucifer.\n\nLucifer - Hello Ah… Greeter?\n\nAndrew - Hello… Lucifer?\n\nLucifer - Don’t worry, it was just a cruel joke on my Father’s part. I was wondering, are you the person we talk to before we go in? I thought there would be an Angel, you look a little human to me. Are you an Angel? Do all Angels look so human?\n\nAndrew - I’m no Angel. Sorry, there used to be one. I think he… quit.\n\nLucifer - Ah, that’s no good. What’s your name?\n\nAndrew - I’m Andrew. I’m standing in for the Angel until God gets back with a replacement.\n\nLucifer - Oh neat. That must be such an honor to be so trusted.\n\nAndrew - It is. Yeah. I feel a little overwhelmed.\n\nLucifer - What’s that book?\n\nAndrew - Oh, this is the handbook for heaven. I’m supposed to explain some things to people before letting them in.\n\nLucifer - Neat… Do you want to give me the explanation then?\n\nAndrew - Ah… I’m still new at this… Standing in for an Angel is kind of intimidating.\n\nLucifer - If you want to wait for God to come back…\n\nAndrew - No, there’s a little line forming behind you… I think I can do this.\n\nLucifer - Are you sure?\n\nAndrew - Yeah, I don’t want to let Him down.\n\nLucifer smiled.\n\nAndrew - Alright, here we go. The basics: Try to ease yourself into your memories if you are feeling nostalgic. You may have noticed already, but you can relive them all in IMAX if you really wanted to. Also… God looks a little like Jeff Bridges.\n\nLucifer - No way.\n\nAndrew - Just a little. Anyway, it’s great in there. Why don’t you go see for yourself?\n\nLucifer - That’s the whole explanation? Watch your memories like movies and God looks like the Dude?\n\nI opened the book and thumbed through it again… Still couldn’t read the Heavenly squiggles. I looked at the hefty line forming behind my first inductee to Heaven.\n\nAndrew - Correct. That’s it.\n\nLucifer - Are you sure? There’s nothing else you need to go over with me before allowing me entrance to the famed Golden City?\n\nAndrew - I’m sure. You’ll have a blast in there.\n\nLucifer - Alright then…\n\nAs he passed me by on his way through the gates, I could have sworn I heard him say something to himself about Ianus picking a good day to Fall. I’d never mentioned the Angel’s name, or at least I thought I hadn’t mentioned it. I was allowed no time to dwell on it, as there was a large crowd gathering in front of me to be inducted into Heaven. It took a while to work through the crowd and as the sun was setting, I began to wonder how long it would be until God returned.\n", "“Seriously, it’s super easy. You just verify that they are who they say they are by asking a couple questions. Read the handbook if you have any questions or doubts.” \n\nPoof. He disappeared. In his place, a cinder block of white paper with \"The Handbook\" written in fancy black cursive writing on the cover. Ugh. \n\nChapter One, page one. The Greeting. I skim through the first couple pages until I get to a section written in bold. Surprisingly, most souls are overcome with shock or grief when they learn of their death, despite the fact that they've been invited into Heaven. To ease their transition from life into the afterlife, we've prepared a couple key phrases to use. Use the following script as a greeting. \n\nA man appears in front of me before I get a chance to rehearse. His eyes are wide, his jaw slack and hanging as he turns in place, taking it all in. I remember that feeling. That was me only moments ago. \n\n”Hello, ” I say. \n\n”Who are you?” he asks. Just like I did. ”Where am I?” \n\nWith The Handbook open in front of me, I clear my throat and refer to the Greeting. ”I am an angel. You are in Heaven. Welcome, soul’s human name.” Super creative, God.\n\nBut - Crap. He looks visibly confused. \n\n”Uh, what is your name?” \n\n”Brian... Brian Temple.” \n\n”I am an angel. You are in Heaven. Welcome, Brian Temple.” Second time’s a charm. \n\n”I'm dead? How did it happen?” Tears well in his eyes. \"And what of my family? What will they do without me?\" \n\nWell, fuck. \"To be honest Brian, I didn't actually get that far in this handbook. Uh... Just give me a second while I quickly skim this, okay? Like two seconds.\" \n\nBut there's no freaking index telling me where to go. I fan though the pages quickly, looking for any tell-tale titles, something like \"When A Dead Man Asks Questions\" or \"When A Dead Person Doesn't Want To Be Dead,\" but no luck. \n\nBut I do find names. Lots of names. Sandy Sandal. Cause of death: hit by a bus. Permitted into Heaven for saving a puppy from said bus. No relatives. \n\nAhh, so this is how I verify who's who... \n\n\"Just one more minute Brian, I think I'm finding something here.\" \n\nBut the names aren't logged alphabetically. Maybe they're listed by date? But - damn - I cant find any dates. \n\nAfter searching the pages for any sign of how these names might be organized (cause of death was a no, age group was a no, living members left behind was a no), I come to the conclusion that they must not be organized. At all. Angels must use some kind of all-knowing power to get through this thing. \n\nBrian looks visibly uncomfortable. He's starting to sweat, pacing back and forth, shooting me evil looks. He wants to get on with it. He thinks I'm an idiot. \n\nI start flipping through the handbook furiously. I'll find out about Brian damn Temple if its the last thing I do... \n\nWith every page I pass, my frustration grows. I never actually worked a customer service job. God said I had experience but the closest thing I had to a customer service job was bussing tables when I was 14 years old... And I only did that for four days before I quit because I realized I hated how messy and inconsiderate people could be. In fact, I became an engineer mostly because I disliked people. \n\nI pass page 795... I shoot Brian an apologetic look. I'm sweating too now. \n\nI hear a pop and look up to find someone standing behind Brian with a familiar look of confusion on their face. \n\n\"Who are you? Where am I?\" It's a woman. I read off the greeting. \"But how did I die?\" \n\n\"We can find out, I just need to help this guy in front of you figure out how he died and then i'll help you, okay?\" But she shoots me an angry look and I know she's not impressed. \n\nFlipping through the pages. Flying though them. No names jump out. Sometimes a name starting with a B catches my eye but its always a Benjamin or Brianne. Not Brian. What page am I on? How big is that damn book? Seems to never end. I must be getting close. \n\nPop. \"Who are you? Where am I?\" \n\nFuck. \n\nPop. \"But how did I die?\"\n\nIts a god damn crowd! What started with Brian Temple has grown into tens of people, all shouting at me, all wanting some information, I haven't even greeted them yet, how the fuck did God think I could handle this?! This is literally my worst nightmare....\n\nAh.\n\nI'm in Hell. \n\n\n\n\n", "My name is Antonio Del Castillo, and I had been a priest with purpose in my life. The Church and all of its teachings could never prepare one to tackle all the injustices of the world, however. I believed in our creator, in the Devil and his deceptions, in Jesus and his sacrifice, but still, the thought of heaven did leave me worried. I had served the church as a licensed doctor. I had traveled the world and brought the care and compassion that God had given me through my days to those who needed it most. In times of famine I would bring food to those who were hungry. In times of war, I would use my skills to heal the innocents caught in crossfire. I had seen horrors unfold before my eyes, temptation try to trick me from my true calling. Nothing could have prepared me for dying in my sleep, and waking to what I saw now.\n\nThe gates of heaven were more beautiful than any art that had depicted it on Earth, or could for that matter. Tall marble towers the color of clouds blended into the sky I stood on. They stood proud, not showing any signs of age despite the eternity they surely existed for. I was so in awe i could not move. I was only brought back to reality when I felt a powerful hand rest on my shoulder. \n\nSimian, welcome.\"\n\nI turned to face the person, but a light brighter than the sun blinded my sight. I flinched initially, but found i could look upon the brightness without glare of pain. I could only discern pale hands and feet that lifted off the ground. I knew to who it was that greeted me at the gates of paradise. God. \n\nIs is good to have you here. Especially now. I am in need of you.\n\nI began to cry, and they may hands down to the floor.\n\n\"Whatever you will be to do you, so be it. I am here only because of your guidance, your love. Let me be of service to you, like I had been before while I still walked among men!\"\n\nIt was strange. In seminary, I always wondered what my first conversation with God would be. Never in all of my simulations of conversation with him had I thought I would be asked of more service, of a direct* purpose.* I waited with baited breath, honored to be before him, but feeling naked under a light that pierced light itself. \n\nOur angel has taken leave of his station at the gates of heaven. It lets no souls worthy of entrance in without a steward. It would please me to see you rise and meet the task. You will will judge them, and see if the path they took in life lead them here, or astray.\n\nI could not speak. I wished to serve, but this... was it not too much? Was I truly worthy?\n\n\"Mr L-lord... who am I to judge the content of character for souls destined toward heaven? Am I truly worth-\"\n\nIt was then that I felt it. The wrath of God himself unfurling before me. I alone had to bear witness to it, like Moses and the burning bush. Except God had not taken to form of a plant, but a person.\n\n\"You are who you always have been. You are you made you made yourself to be. A healer, a savior, a believer in my word and teachings! You are all these things and more, and you wonder why you stand before me now?\"\n\nI cowered before my creator. I felt I had failed him, despite the faith HE had in me. I could do nothing but weep. Not for myself, but for my lord, and his misplaced faith in me. \n\nBut he came to me with winds of heaven blowing beside him. With tranquility and serenity, he lifted me up and embraced my quivering body. I felt warm, loved. \n\nWhy now? Why me? Am I really in paradise if I will serve for the remainder of my days? Maybe these are the questions you think to ask. Or maybe these are the questions you plan on answering yourself. My will is done through all those who carry it out in my name. This is what you have done all your life. MY will. You will do it here as you had done it there. For through me, all things are possible.\n\nI felt the impossible softness of his robe, the compassion he had for me, and I accepted the responsibility with all of my heart. Before I could utter a word, God disapeared in an instant, leaving a book where he once stood. The Handbook of Heaven's gate.\n\nIt was slim and short, but the more pages i flipped though, the longer it went. I decided against testing my patience, and started on page one. No sooner had I read the first sentence when I felt a tap on my shoulder from a young girl no older than five years of age. \n\n\"Excuse me, sir, where am I?\"\n\nI could here the nervousness in her speech. She clinged to my shirt, wary of the clouds and gate. \n\nI closed my book and and look and her. \n\n\"Well, to be honest, I am not quite sure exactly, but you are most certainly where you belong. Give me your hand and tell me your name. I am sure we can find a place for your beyond this gate.\"\n\n\n" ]	4
So yeah, I posted this before and “got” 4 comments but it was not showing, so I just posted again and deleted the original	[WP] Aliens have invaded Earth and are immune to all forms of weapons. However, they have not evolved to process high levels of bass. The Dubstep Wars have begun.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We stood no chance whatsoever.\n\nThere was no message, no dramatic landing, no spillage of otherworldly creatures from flying saucers or city-sized ships of conquest. Instead of that, from one moment to the next, our technology simply - crumbled.\n\nBy the time the concerted efforts of scientists around the world had realized what was happening it was far too late and the earth was heading for a technological Gray Goo scenario; Cars crumbled, roads were made barren, yet the light from the street lights remained. Planes, trains and boats virtually disappeared overnight, to be replaced with drones that operated beyond our control; Our infrastructure was soon in the hands of The Machines, an evidently limitless army of macro-scale machines assembled from our very own technology and matter. From then on we could only make requests, and pray that the Machine Mind would allow us to ship our goods, move our mail, transport ourselves - We were rendered into children living in hopes of the approval of our parents.\n\nWe were allowed our lives in exchange for adherence to the Machine Mind's arcane rules; all of our communications monitored to the letter, and subversive elements - disappeared. All the same, the Machine Mind set out to clean our environment and restore the balance to our ecosystems - it was simultaneously savior and tormentor, condescending in the ease with which it cleaned up after our decades of fouling up, using technologies we could only have dreamed of before to restore even lost lifeforms to their niche in the world - only impressing upon us more how powerless we were in it's eyes. \n\nWe were left to fend largely for ourselves, but in places it deemed we should, vast buildings that grew out of nowhere while our cities - dissolved; down to the bricks, the wire, the foundations, the very constituent parts of our houses fell from around us only to be used to construct the colony buildings, entire nations forced together over months, population centered condensed to their very essentials, their densest state possible - the colonies were buildings miles wide and broad, rendering the very _need_ for infrastructure at greater scales a laughable ideas; we never had to move more than a few kilometers at a time.\n\nWith all ouf our communications monitored it wasn't long before we stopped resisting - if only because those who resisted or called to arms, those who rebelled and those who thought Different were - rarely heard from for long, and then never again.\n\nWe were railroaded into complacency over the course of years, working our newly meaningless lives with our only goal to create the one commodity we had a limitless supply of simply because in it's condensed and eventually culled state, humanity could produce more of it than we could ever consume; Energy.\n\nBeamed into orbit and taken gods-know where from there by vast arrays of collectors in our orbit and transmitters along our equator, it hadn't been long for even this to become accepted. What choice did we have? And moreover, with the relative freedom we had, the freedom to live by schedules set for us of work, leisure and sleep, why would we complain? There was no reason to, with the Machines governing our lives and allowing us to retain our entertainment, with the subversive voices quiesced, we soon became sheep.\n\nBut sometimes, among the flocks of white, a sheep carries a black fleece. Some had noticed that the Music kept the Machine Mind from knowing, from acting - it was chalked up to how our radios and stereos worked; the intense and rhythmic electromagnetic pulses from our loudest music served to blanket us from it's knowledge and, as the Knowing spread, from more and more of it's influence. Even simple vibration at sufficient depth and intensity seemed to help protect us.\n\nDubstep music in particular, with it's semi-predictable deep rhythms proved to be effective - the low vibrations of it seemed to add to the Machine Mind's confusion, seemed to distract and disorient it, and though it tried to fight back, tried to strike down our ability to play music, erasing libraries and entire swathes of the internet it had allowed us to use before, it couldn't account for our creativity, our ability to bang out rhythms on trash cans and chant where we couldn't play, our ability to rock the very foundations of the Machine Mind's creation with the power of our combined voices and the shocks of our combined dancing, to confuse it with our motions and themes, to confound it with our very creativity and ability to improvise began to set us free, allowed us to create and expand ever-greater pockets where we could live as we bid and be who we were.\n\nIn the end, it was the power of Wub that set us free." ]	2
	[WP] You go through a very bad breakup, one night as you're heartbroken you pray to god for a second chance and as soon as you say amen you're transported to a white room with two chairs and a table, and god offers you a deal.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\n\\First time writer, be gentle, there is more but i cut it short so it is hopefully readable (Can post if wanted), any notes for me to work on or my writing style would be greatly appreciated. \\\n\n“Amen”, my eyes still closed, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly in an attempt from keeping my body from shaking, to try and still my hands. The pain of heartache seemed to begin in my stomach, reverberating through every extremity, but ended with the feeling of a golf ball in the back of my throat I was unable to swallow. How could I be so dumb as to cheat, I could not help but think about the memory once more over for what seemed to be the thousandth time, her fist slamming against my front door. \n“I know Jennifer…is in their” Alex’s voice quavering. “How the fuck could you do this to us James”.\n\nShe was right, Jennifer and I lay motionless in my bedroom for what seemed like hours, too craven to answer the door and face the partner I betrayed, too ashamed to touch as we left Alex outside to scream herself horse.\n\n“Fuck” I said allowed as I slammed my fist down hard against my dining table.\n\n\\*CUUNG\\* I was met with an unfamiliar sound that made my eyes dart open and look down, I was no longer sitting at my dining table, the stained wood replaced with a silver metallic surface I did not recognise.\n\nThe table and my hands were so intensely lit, I squinted as I looked up, expecting to find myself outside. I found quite the opposite, I was sitting at a small chrome table with a chrome chair opposite facing me. The walls were not white but seemed to be emitting white light, curiously however there were no floor or ceiling edges to the room. I felt in a daze, as if waking from a deep sleep in an unfamiliar room attempting to gather my bearings.\n\n“Fuck is right” a door slammed shut behind me causing me to jolt upright and snap my head around. \nBehind me was no door, only an elderly gentleman dressed in beige corduroy slacks, a light blue sweater vest and overly large spectacles with thick black frames which he had pushed high upon the bridge of his nose that contrasted nicely with his neatly combed grey hair. \nI starred up at him from my seat as he walked past, this grandfather figure with lips bunched together as he shook his head judgingly from what I can only describe as a position of knowledge.\n\nI sat silently as he took a seat opposite me and begun tapping a pen against a clipboard on the table before him. \nHe tsk’d loudly as I watched his eyes run across the page, the page was blank, furthermore I could not recall the clipboard being there a mere moment ago.\n\n“You do know you weren’t supposed to sleep with another girl James”, the elderly gentleman calmly stated looking up from the clipboard. \n“I’m sorry”\n\n“You’re not. Also I don’t mean, you weren’t supposed to sleep around because it’s a shitty thing to do to Alex. I mean, I simulated the scenario literally an infinite number of times, and you never cheated.”\n\n“I’m…I’m sorry”, Its all I could find myself saying as the gentlemen who looked old enough to be my grandfather sat with furrowed brow again returning his concentration to his clipboard.\n\n“Who…Who are you..” I continued to stammer whilst feeling inadequate and anxious as if unprepared for a job interview, longing to go back to my wallowing in self-pity.\n\n“I guess, I’m akin to what you would call God, and usually I don’t speak to you lot, but you broke a lot of things with your penis James, sooo here we are”\n\n“God, is an old man?” \n“this?” God gestured to himself, “think of it as a mask I knew you would feel comfortable with. But we are here to talk about you” God picked up the clipboard, adjusted his spectacles, cleared his throat and began.\n\n“James Mc Elwood, born January 3rd 1989 is supposed to Marry Alex Zhu, born August 12th 1992 and together give birth to Emma Mc Elwood on October 2nd 2024, James… that’s you” God said as he pointed across the table only briefly glancing up to ensure I was following along before continuing. \n“You instil a love of travel and astronomy in your daughter Emma who goes onto discover the equation which allows faster than light travel once she dedicates herself to the mutual passions she shared with her father, again that’s you, following your untimely death, aged 51.”\n\nI could feel my mouth slowly slide open." ]	2
	[WP] Ever since your parents told you that your imaginary friends weren't real, you've done your best to ignore them. That is, until you met the man in the Armani suit who calls himself a shaman.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I am a Shaman, I swear it!\" the tall figure in his crisp white suit protests.\n\n\"Nuh-uh. I know about Shaman, read about 'em in books. They have earrings and nose-rings and eye-rings and throat-rings...\"\n\n\"Yes, a lot of rings.\" the man sighs, \"Will this do?\" he flicks up his sleeve to reveal an arm coated wrist to elbow in dull, copper bracelets.\n\n\"They're not really rings though, are they.\" Casper frowns, \"Anyway, I was told not to speak to strangers, and you're pretty strange.\"\n\n\"My names Griffis.\" the man offers his hand, \"See, now we're not strangers. Besides, you shouldn't let your parents tell you who is and isn't worth speaking to.\" he smiles, eyebrows pumping.\n\n\"Not just my parents, you see it in the news too you know. Some child stops to talk to a man and then they're being rushed off in a nasty looking van...\"\n\nThe Shaman glances awkwardly over shoulder at his beat-up Volkswagen Camper... don't you dare say it!\n\n\"So you see, I really think it's best I leave.\" Casper turns to walk away.\n\nNo Casper! Don't go now, he seems nice. Nice enough. Stay and chat a while.\n\n\"What if I told you I could show them to you?\" Griffis starts to roll up his sleeves revealing yet more and more rusted rings around his arms.\n\n\"Who?\"\n\n\"Them.\" the Shaman persists, hoping by all the Gods Casper has some sense of subtlety.\n\nHe doesn't.\n\n\"Your friends!\" the Shaman shakes his head, \"The imaginary ones.\"\n\n\"Oh, right. No thank you.\"\n\n\"No thank you! Boy, do you have no sense of adventure?\"\n\nCasper shrugs, his mind erupting in a ruckus of shouts; do it, do it, do it. Never one to stand his ground that well (after all he'd let his parents dictate who he should and shouldn't talk to, imaginary or otherwise) he caves into peer pressure.\n\n\"That's it my boy! Let's see what's hiding in that head of yours.\"\n\nThe Shaman bustles Capser into his don't say it! and the drive off across desert and sky (who'd ever heard of driving across sky?) until finally they arrive at a tent pitched in quite literally the Middle of Nowhere (or at least that's what the sign professed).\n\n\"Where is everyone?\" Casper asks.\n\n\"Hm?\" the Shaman is busy concertinaing on parking his don't say it!\n\n\"You know, your tribe? Don't you have one?\"\n\n\"Had one.\" the Shaman curses as his wheels hit the curb... yes the curb, outside his tent in the Middle of Nowhere, \"I was cast out, you see. They didn't much care for how I dressed.\"\n\n\"Ah.\"\n\n\"You mean, you understand?\"\n\nCasper nods, \"Armani, right?\"\n\n\"Right, but I hardly see what that has to do...\"\n\n\"My dad says that Armani is French for Arrogant Pr...\"\n\n\"Right, that's enough about what your dad says. Shall we begin?\" the Shaman dusts of his suit and guides Casper into his tent.\n\nInside is just what you'd expect from an Arrogant Pr... a Shaman who chooses to wear an Armani Suit. There are leather clad chairs set aside a mahogany end table that houses a tortoise shell ash tray. Across the inner lining of the tent framed doctrines and certificates of acheivement (some as mundane as completed his 100 metre breast stroke and voted most likely to be cast out of his tribe) hang from velvet rope. There's a glass cabinet in one corner, brimming with whisky and the finest of wines (no doubt the drawers are home to cigarettes, and Mayfair, of course, none of this roll-up b\\llocks) and across the room sits a mirror covered by cloth, so jarringly in contrast to the ego of the tent.\n\n\"Make yourself comfortable.\" the Shaman gestures the chairs, and catches Casper glancing at the many framed awards, \"Impressive, no?\"\n\n\"No.\" Casper agrees.\n\n\"Right then, down to business.\" out from the glass cabinet's drawers the Shaman produces a pack of Mayfair cigarettes (I knew it!).\n\n\"I won't have to smoke, will I? I hear it's awful bad for you.\"\n\n\"You don't have* to smoke.\" the Shaman growls, \"But it would be polite to take a toke.\"\n\nBut when Casper refuses the Shaman gives in, \"Alright, alright, you can drink for the Sacred Sippy-Cup of our Lord and Saviour. He of Mighty Reflex. He of Why, and not of Where or Who. He who cannot be seen...\"\n\n\"Do you mean God?\" Casper asks, confused.\n\n\"God?\" the Shaman laughs, \"There are many Gods my boy, but no, I'm talking about Dave.\"\n\n\"Dave?\"\n\n\"Yes, why Dave Bautista of course.\"\n\nCasper shrugs and takes the Sippy-Cup in hand. He struggles to swallow the treacle like liquid inside - this tastes worse than mum's spaghetti! - but manages just about. \"You know, I think I could taste him.\"\n\n\"Who?\"\n\n\"Dave.\"\n\n\"Oh, sure.\" the Shaman waves his hands majestically before the boy, chanting from deep within his throat.\n\nCasper's eyes begin to flicker, the lids too heavy to hold, under, down under he goes.\n\nWhen Casper awakes he finds himself atop a hill made entirely of cheese, there are rats scampering about inside and arguing about whether or not it's good manors to eat a hill. \"Hello?\" Casper calls out, \"Anyone there?\"\n\n\"Turn around, numb-but.\"\n\nNumb-but? There was only one person voice that called him numb-but.\n\n\"No. F\\cking. Way.\"\n\nSure as day Casper turns around to see the manifestations of his imagination brought to life.\n\nIf you can even begin to imagine* what it might be like to see something that's lived so long in your mind brought to life before you, then you might understand a little of how Casper felt. But on the matter of who or what these manifestations were, Casper had only this to say:\n\n\"I have to admit, I thought you'd be taller...\"" ]	2
	[WP] You are the world's greatest superhero. You have defeated supervillains and stopped natural disasters. Now the world faces its most dangerous situation in history, you are being called upon once more. There is only one issue, there is a cat asleep in your lap.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Yes Mr. Mayor I’ll get right to it”\n\n“Thank you Hero Man I knew I could count on you”\n\n“As always Mr. Mayor now I must get to saving the world”\n\n“Good luck Hero Man”\n\nThe great hero man once again is faced with a deadly peril, there’s an evil pentagonal prism of evil destruction headed straight for Earth and he has to stop it! yet there’s one problem in his way...\n\n“Why won’t this cat just wake up and move, Sidekick Boy could you lend me a hand?”\n\n“Of course I can, anything to help you save the world Hero Man”\n\nAs Hero Man’s compadre Sidekick Man valiantly tries to lift the cat from his lap... SUDDENLY! It wakes up!\n\n“I have to reverse time! What was the command for it Sidekick man?”\n\n“I believe it was time-o reverse-o”\n\n“Alright then! TIME-O REVERSE-O”\n\nAnd the time reversed backwards a whole minute back to when Hero man had the cat on his lap laying peacefully\n\n“Alright Sidekick Man you need to know that I have just reversed time and I must warn you of something!”\n\n“What is it Hero Man that you must warn me of?! Is it a way to defeat the evil pentagonal prism of evil destruction that has to be executed quickly!”\n\n“No Sidekick Man it is not, the information I have brought back is that you must not lift this cat with your hands or it will wake up!”\n\n“Oh”\n\n“Yes therefore we must find a new way to move this adorable creature!”\n\n“Why don’t you just reverse time back to when the cat was already awake Hero Man?”\n\n“Because my time reverse abilities take one minute between uses and they keep track of it as I travel through time”\n\n“Well that sure is a predicament then”\n\n“Yes it is indeed!”\n\n“Why not try telekinesis then it may be gentle enough to lift the beast without disturbing it”\n\n“Ah of course good idea Sidekick Man! TELEKINESIS-O ACTIVATE-O”\n\nAs the glorious and mighty Hero Man used his telekinesis to move the cat Sidekick Man sat beside him cheering him on, but quietly cheering him as not to wake the cat, they had moved the cat a few inches upwards without disturbing it and they Hero Man was about to sneak underneath it when. SUDDENLY! The cat woke up!\n\n“TIME-O REVERSE-O”\n\nAnd time went backwards one whole minute.\n\n\n“Sidekick Man! We must find something other than telekinesis!”\n\n“Let me guess you traveled back in time again because it didn’t work?”\n\n“Exactly that Sidekick Man! Now how else will we move this cat?”\n\n“What if you just moved through the atoms of the cat and just let it fall onto the chair as you fell through the building?”\n\n“Great idea Sidekick Man! ATOM-O MOVE-O THROUGH-O”\n\nOff went Hero man swiftly flying through the building as he went through it disobeying all laws of physics using his Hero-Powers, he proceeded to go down and then come back into his apartment room through the front door. However! He opened the front door instead of simply merging through it.\n\n“I’m back Sidekick Man! Is the creature still somber?”\n\n“I hate to inform you Hero Man that the cat awoke as soon as you left the building”\n\n“Gosh darn it! I must find I new way then! TIME-O REVERSE-O”\n\nAnd once again he went back in time, by one minute.\n\n“Sidekick Man the merging through atoms did not work we must find a new way!”\n\n“Hero Man you can use multiple powers at once right?”\n\n“Of course I can I’m Hero Man!”\n\n“What if you froze time and used telekinesis to move the cat while you moved through it to end up with it nicely resting on the chair?”\n\n“Great idea Sidekick Man! FREEZE-O TIME-O, ATOM-O MOVE-O THROUGH-O, TELEKINESIS-O ACTIVATE-O”\n\nWith this combination of powers Hero Man gracefully moved up from the chair and rested the cat onto the chair in and instant and all was well\n\n“Look Hero Man the cat is still asleep!”\n\n“Well we have no time to waste then SideKick Man! Let’s go save the world!”\n\nAnd so off Hero man went to save the world from the evil pentagonal prism of evil destruction, and he easily did save the world and got back to his home in an entire 30 seconds\n\n“We did it Hero Man! We saved the world!”\n\n“All in a days work Sidekick Man!”\n\n“WAIT! HERO MAN”\n\n“WHAT SIDEKICK MAN!?!”\n\n“THE CAT... WOKE UP FROM THE SOUND OF YOU SAVING THE WORLD!\n\n“THERES ONLY ONE THING TO DO THEN SIDEKICK MAN! TIME-O REVERSE-O”\n\nAnd they went back in time, for one full minute.\n\n————————————————————————\n" ]	2
	[WP] You walk into a morgue and suddenly all of the morgue coolers pop open	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Darla? Hello Darla?? It's Jim.\n\nUhh...\n\nI've seen all kinds of crazy stuff at this point. And you know what this job reminded me of? If you can imagine it, it probably could happen in some shape or form. Reality can be very unrealistic a lot of the time.\n\nYou wouldn't think you would hear or see the things that I have. And that's saying something considering where we work.\n\n....Get your clothes. Leave it!! C'mon we don't have time!! We have to GO!\n\nDarla listen; because I'm telling you now.\n\nI quit.\n\nI'm packing my bags, I'm loading the car, and I'm leaving town. I suggest you do the same when you get this message. If you get this message.\n\nLook.\n\nThis morning, we got some bodies in that... Well-\n\nLeave it! I'm serious. Look get the kids together, we have to go!\n\n^What's ^wrong ^you^!\n\nSOMETHING IS WRONG KAREN! Why won't you believe me?!\n\nSorry! These people-\n\nThese people, they just didn't look right. Horrible injuries, from what I don't exactly know. And I'm glad I had my scrubs handy. I think these people were sick. Really sick.\n\nThey shit themselves, or puked up. Blood all over. It... It was bad. Real, real bad.\n\nI actually got in sixteen of them total this morning. And the... The thing is, nobody came in normal. There's bite marks and cuts and gunshot wounds. Just... Awful shit. It looked like something ate some of them.\n\nAnd when I left to go get something- And when I came back...\n\nT-the coolers with the bodies in them. They... T-they... They popped open. One by one and... And those people-\n\nThose things. I think they were alive!\n\nI don't... I don't know if they were! But, I shut the door and locked them in there! And I haven't been able to call anybody else. All the lines at the hospital are busy. Nobody's picking up. I tried calling Earl but it's like the place shut down.\n\n-Get the baby's bag and get in the car! I'll be right out!\n\n...People are getting sick Darla. We shouldn't be here! You- Hey you take care okay?? You take of yourself! Okay?\n\n---\n\n[Call recorded September 23rd, 1998. Recovered from a cassette tape found in the Arklay Exclusion Zone.]" ]	2
	[WP] Humans try to survive as long as possible, but as a newly deceased human you find out that dying sooner is better for your afterlife. That’s why the dead try to kill humans. Car crashes, cancer, and genocide are all the result of dead spirits trying to help the living by killing them.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I wake up in the waiting room of an office sitting in a standard cloth chair. The receptionist in front of me stacking papers and answering calls. She looks to be a mid-fifties woman dressed as if it was the 1950s. The office is small, and there is one door to the right of her desk.\n\n“Excuse me,” I say.\n\n“Wait your turn. He will get you.” She sighs. I wait and wait and wait. Eventually, a man in his seventies where a brown suit comes out.\n\n“Kristen, I will see you now.” He says. We walk down a long hallway that seems to be a mile long. His office is about the size of a basketball court with his desk suspended in mid-air. A set of stairs float in front of me. I walk up to them to the chair while he flies. He opens up a small file on his desk.\n\n“So died of cancer at 24” he says.\n\n“So It did kill me?” I ask.\n\n“Yes.” He replies.\n\n“This isn’t some DMT trip?” I reply.\n\n“Come on now. We both know you never tried any form of drugs. Your file says you were anti drugs and even partook in DARE as a mentor.” He states.\n\n“Well, how sad is my family?” I ask. He pulls up an image of my parents crying at my funeral. I begin to feel tears fall down my face.\n\n“You are handling this well.” He compliments.\n\n“I had cancer for a year. I accepted death a long time ago. This is new to me.” I say. “Will I see them soon?”\n\n\n“Only if you kill them.” He says nonchalantly.\n\n“What?!” I shout.\n\n“Since you died relatively young via cancer your holding area will be F26. Your parents will be in M291. Your boyfriend if he dies now will be in G50.” He says.\n\n“What does that mean?” I ask.\n\n“This is the hard part. Life itself was a mistake. You see humans are the results of Aether falling.” He explains.\n\n“What is Aether?” I ask.\n\n“Aether is what makes your universe and all of the other universes. It is all of creation and connected to everything. It is guided by a massive light of concentrated Aether. When Aether accidentally breaks off from the light. it becomes a life. After it becomes a light, it cannot rejoin though. The longer it stays life. The further it gets from the light.” He explains.\n\n“So those who die from old age?” I ask.\n\n“Spend eternity in a holding cell. It is not so bad. Aether is better than life.” He says. “Everyone here knows it so we try to end life as quickly as we can.”\n\n“I am not going to kill people.” I snipe.\n\n“You will see.” He smiles and snaps his fingers. Next second we are in a small room with a massive window. The window reveals a light that is purifying bliss. I reach towards the light to get closer, and I want to be a part of it. The light makes me whole.\n\n“Is this where I am stuck for eternity?” I ask. \n\n“Yes, You can’t closer and stop saying eternity. Time will be irrelevant.” He says.\n\n“Can I see my loved ones?” I ask.\n\n“You can call them, but I would advise not to. Calling those further back has a corrupting affect.” He says. “It reminds them of what they are missing. This corrupts them and sends them back. The closer ones to you can ignore it. An aborted fetus called his mother who died at 98. She was driven mad and sent to the furthest place from here.” He explains “if you want them you got to kill them.” He points at a tablet on the desk. I open it to see my boyfriend driving from the funeral. The option for drunk driver appears in the top right corner.\n\n“Sorry honey it is for the best.” I say.\n" ]	2
	[WP] You are a simple farmer who lives in a land plagued by famine and war. Every night you pray to the God of Gods for help, but as always you get no response. However, this time it's different. While praying you hear a voice call out to you. "Why do you still pray to me?"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The stone sits atop the broken mountain, cracked in half from the last time the wave of free people that passed through the land. The crops have come back, along with a new government, and a new quota to reach. It’s higher than before, and nobody can grow enough to feed the swelling Grey Army. \n\nMy son and daughter are Grey soldiers, fighting for a new way of life, free from the reign of the tumultuous Gods. Gods that watched over our family for more generations than anybody can count. They watched, they acted, and they walked amongst us doing as they pleased. Some brought prosperity and some ruin, but they all brought chaos to us simple people. Somewhere to the east, a spark of order was born. It washed over the land, and broke every god-stone along the way, and with it our way of communing with gods in their immortal form. \n\nThat is what shattered Deneb on the mountain top. Or I should say hill-top, as the Grey army says; it is no mountain. But it is the largest hill I have ever seen. Perhaps my children will see true mountains, but I will not, I will stay here tending to the farm, and Deneb’s stone.\n\nAs with every morning I arose well before dawn, earlier than anybody that might see me, and I carried a bucket of water to feed the small flower patch growing around Deneb. It was a prayer with no words, in order to curry favour with the only God I had known intimately. Others had passed through, but this was Deneb’s land, and he has ruled forever. \n\n“why do you still pray to me?”\n\nThe bucket dropped. I don’t remember letting go, but I head it fall. A round man sat on a stone at the edge of Deneb’s stone. Head downcast, a brimmed hat covering his face except for a large grey bead that sprayed out in every direction like a withered mane.\n\nI knew the punishment for praying to Gods, this was a trap of the Grey’s. They have so many people, surely they could find one that looked like Deneb, but just to catch an old farmer? It made no sense.\n\n“Speak Eaton”\n\nThat was my family name, a name only spoken amongst loved ones. Surely my children would never have given that up. But I couldn’t be sure. I had to be sure. I thought back to the last time I had talked to Deneb, years ago.\n\n“The crops should be coming in soon, I feel a bountiful harvest this year,” It was what he had said to me when he gave us a generous harvest one season. Would he remember what I had said back?\n\nHis head raised ever so slightly as a smile formed, “With your blessing, old one”.\n\nThose were my words. \n\nIt was him. \n\nThe stone was cracked, yet he lived. The Grey army was wrong, they were not so easy to kill, yet why had they remained dormant for so long then? “You live.” It was all I could say. Tears might have formed if I wasn’t so energized by his presence. A shaking in my knees began.\n\n“I am a God. There are no other children praying, why do you persist?\n\nI thought of Everett and Alia, “my children, you met them. They are fighting.”\n\n“I remember them well. Alia was always very smart,” He smiled with a hidden memory. “I cannot protect them against men who no longer worship”\n\nMen. He called them men, not children. Why should that sound so strange coming from our all-father? A question for later. “but-“ I stopped, breath gone. He met my eyes with his white jewels that only the Gods possessed and nodded for me to continue. “-When they fight against you and yours, please spare them” The shaking grew.\n\nHe frowned, and his face turned hard, “You come to the enemy, and ask us not to kill those trying to kill us.” A God always understood and accepted things so quickly, and acted just as quickly. Barely a breath happened before he continued “Very well, as long as flowers grow on this hill, Everett, Alia, and any men from them shall be protected.” He rose, and began to walk away from the stone, away from the village. As he walked away he said one more thing, and through the wind it still carried to me as if we were beside each other “It is dangerous to worship in these times, guard your actions, and your family line shall live by our hands.”\n\nThe shaking was too much. I fell. and my vision blurred. When my breathing returned I got up, and grabbed the pail. I had to get more water before the village awoke.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\nThis is my first time sharing my writing, any thoughts or critiques are welcome. Thank you for taking the time.", "Nighttime used to be a frightening thing. When I was a child, I was frightened of monsters, demons, things that would grab me and take me into the dark. \n\nThat was before I learned that the real monsters walk in the daylight, and have names like you or I.\n\nMy village, my home, is so different now from how I remember it. Before the War. Back then I was scared of the dark. Now, it is my cloak, my protective shield against dangerous eyes. This night, like the night before, and the one before that, I huddle in the burned out husk of a house. It used to belong to one of my neighbors, but they died a couple of years back. Now it’s mine, but I take care not to let anyone know that. If they knew, they might come to find me. Depending on which side it was, they would either kill me on the spot, or chain me up to be a bullet shield. To do my “patriotic duty.” \n\nThis night, like all nights, I pray. I don’t really know who I’m praying to, or even what I’m praying for, but I do it just the same. There was a story my mother used to tell me. About a man who lived in the sky. It used to entertain me, when I was very young, these stories of the magical man and his magical son. Then when I got a bit older I thought the stories were stupid. Then...the War. Now I don’t know how old I am, and those stupid stories are all I have to cling to. So I pray, even though I don’t know why. Even though I don’t expect an answer. \n\n“Why?”\n\nIt’s so quiet in the house that at first the voice doesn’t register. It’s the voice of a man on the edge of death, a creaking ruin with wind blowing through it. I spin around to look behind me. In the half light that comes in through one boarded-up window I see him, sitting against the far wall. He’s tall, or he would be if he wasn’t slouched over, and his shoulders are wide. He looks like one of those circus Strongmen after thirty years and a hell of a lot of drugs. His skin is chalky white, and he shakes from time to time. I stare at him, and he stares right back.\n\n“Wh-who are you?” I ask, my voice shaking just a little. If this guy is more dangerous than he looks, I could be in trouble. I didn’t even hear him come in.\n\n“Don’t you know?” He says, “You’re the one who called me here, after all.”\n\nThe possibilities for who he is seem to coalesce as I watch. I didn’t call anyone, I’m not that stupid. The only thing I did was...pray.\n\nHe looks at me with eyes that seem to stare right through me. \n\n“You-you’re God?” I whisper.\n\nHe raises his hands weakly to either side and says “The one and only, kid.”\n\nTo say I don’t believe him is an understatement. This guy couldn’t be God. He looked like a bum, and smelled like something died in his pocket. I fall silent for a moment.\n\nHe speaks into the silence. “You’re one of the only ones who still prays, you know that? To be honest I sort of gave up on this place years ago. No point in preaching all that peace when you all do nothing but kill each other. My churches are burned down, my clergy are dead, or faithless. Thousands of years of constant worship down the tubes, all cause of one stupid war.”\n\nAs I stare at him, speechless, he continues.\n\n“So, what is it that makes you different, huh? You, what, didn’t get the memo. Didn’t hear the news?” He puts his hands to his mouth like a megaphone and proclaims “GOD IS DEAD. So what is it that makes you get on your knees like a good little boy, fold your hands like your mother taught you, and pray?”\n\nIt’s startling how angry he seemed to be getting. His sunken eyes weren’t even really looking at me, they were roving around, looking at the ruined furniture, the partially collapsed roof, the boarded windows. His gaze fell back on me.\n\n“I bet you want something, that’s it. You and all your greedy little monkey friends, always wanting something. You’d be amazed what you people used to ask me for, me, your ‘loving god.’” He made air quotes with his fingers. “Of all the asinine shit, you want me, ME, to make your stupid neighbor’s fancy car break down? Didn’t you read the fucking rocks I carved for you? Pretty sure there was something in there about that...” He trailed off, seeming suddenly tired. I stared at him, silent. I wasn’t scared of him any more, or even of the patrols who might have heard him shouting. All I felt was...a little sad. He was like a champion, some hero athlete past his prime. In a way, I pitied him.\n\nHis mouth curled downward “Oh don’t give me that look. Fine, you want something? Tell me, what do you want?” He stood up, started pacing back and forth. “You want me to fix this?” He gestured at an old couch that hadn’t stood up straight in years. “I can fix this, I can still do that” he snapped his fingers at the couch, and the sound rang oddly, as though the room were larger and emptied than it actually was. In the blink of an eye, a brand new couch stood where the old one used to be. He looked at me, seeming faintly pleased with himself for a moment. Then his smile faded. \n\n“No, that’s not what you want. All the people who want shot like that don’t pray any more. They just go steal it or whatever.” He sat down on the couch heavily, and looked at me with his tired eyes. \n\n“I can’t do that, I’m sorry. I can’t fix this.” He gestured broadly, encompassing more than just the ruined house. His hands seemed to encompass the world in that one gesture. Everything that was wrong, everything that was broken. \n\n“If I could fix all this, don’t you think I would? It breaks my heart to see you like this.” I got the sense he wasn’t talking about just me.\n\n“But I can’t. That’s beyond me. Almighty God, sitting in heaven, watching the world burn and I can’t even throw some fucking water on it.” He seemed on the verge of tears.\n\nI finally found my voice. “Why?” I said. I didn’t need to say any more, he seemed to understand.\n\n“Free will, kid. The great cosmic joke. I have you guys free will, and as part of the deal I can’t do shit to fix what you guys broke. You have to do it yourselves. All I can do is watch.” \n\nWe sat in silence for a long time, God and I. He stared at the ceiling, with its water stains and patched holes. I watched him. \n\nI broke the silence, finally. “It helps, you know.”\n\nHe looked down at me, questioningly. “What?” His voice was rough, but almost plaintive.\n\n“Just...” I gestured at him, “knowing, I guess. Knowing that you’re real. That I’m not just asking the ceiling for help. Even...even if you can’t do anything to change all this, it...helps. To know you’re out there.”\n\nHe seemed to relax slightly into the shiny leather of the new couch. “Huh.” He let out a little sigh, like a puff of air. All of a sudden, he seemed a little cleaner. Nothing I could put my finger on, nothing I could point to. Maybe the lines on his face weren’t so deep. Maybe his clothes were a little less torn, had a few less stains. \n\nHe closed his eyes and tilted his head back, covering his face with his hands. He groaned, suddenly.\n\n“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked.\n\n“Aww its just...” He trailed off. “You can’t just say something like that...can’t just feel something like you just did, and expect me not to do anything.” He looked back down at me. “Faith.” He let out a broken little chuckle. “Even after everything you’ve been through. Even after meeting God and finding out he’s useless...you still have faith.” His eyes were moist. \n\nHe stood up and walked over to me, where I was leaning against the edge of my cot, and crouched down.\n\n“Thank you.” He said, and I could tell he really meant it. I looked into his eyes, and just for a moment, I saw the stars. I saw planets and suns and massive nebulas. I saw life on other planets, beautiful and incomprehensible at the same time. I saw Earth, in all its dingy, bloodstained glory. I saw clouds above the sea, and worms beneath the ground. I saw War, in a hundred different colors. \n\nFor just a moment, I saw what He saw.\n\nI woke up when the sunlight came through one of the holes in the ceiling and smacked me in the face. I looked at the sky outside the hole, a cloudless blue. I wondered for a moment if it had all been a dream, as I hauled myself up and shrugged on my jacket. I froze when I saw the couch. Shiny new leather reflected the room. I smiled, and suddenly didn’t feel as afraid of what might happen today. I might die, or I might live. One army or another might roll over this town like it didn’t exist. \n\nBut I knew someday, things would be alright.\n", "My tongue flickers over broken lips, an old habit, I know, it is pointless trying to wet the dry desert my lips have become.\n\nI clear my throat, dislodging the dust that has settled after too many barren nights.\n\nI hear her whimper, and I reach out to her.\n\nMy weathered hand buried in the oily blackness of her hair, I do the only thing I can do.\n\nThe only thing I have done every night for the entirety of my life.\n\nI pray.\n\n\"Today...\"\n\nMy voice stirs from somewhere deep from my belly, the only thing that lives there now. I don't bother with formalities. That ended years ago.\n\n\"Today, I am thankful for the water we have found. I ask for your guidance tomorrow, as we trek to find food. I know that you watch over us. I know that we are your children, however forgotten.\"\n\nMy voice cracks. We are forgotten. I tug a strand from her hair, my fingers grasping for something to hold on to, anything to hold on to.\n\n\"Please. If you are still there, if you can hear me. We are dying. I need you now, I need your help. She needs your help. Please. Please...\"\n\nFor the first time, I can not go on. I bury my face into her mane and I sob.\n\nShe doesn't stir.\n\nI try to get up, but my limbs carry the weight of a thousand lead weights.\n\nI roll over on to my back, and stare into the night sky, the hole in my roof serving as a poor mans skylight. I haven't seen or heard a soul in a year. I wonder if they have all finally succeeded in killing each other.\n\nI beg for sleep or even death to come and whisk me away from this place, but a voice calls to me instead. A voice that I could've mistaken for the night breeze, something so small, I thought I imagined it.\n\n*Why. Why do you still pray to me?\n\nAt first, I do not move.\n\nI imagine death, a strong and gaunt figure of the abyss, pulling me into hallucination before putting out my miserable existence.\n\nYou are wrong, Old Man. I am not Death. He is not here for you. Why do you still pray to me?\n\nMy bones shift, pulling my abused body into an upright position, and then I see her.\n\nSkin as thin as leaves, golden hues pulsating from olive complexion. Her face radiates thousands of years of sorrow, Opal rivers permanently etched into the mounds of her cheeks. She is everything the world was before, but she is less.\n\nShe is dying.\n\nI bow my head in her presence. Silver, tangled locks tumbling over my shoulders. I think of my appearance, dirty, malnourished, weeks or maybe days away from certain death. Ashamed and humbled by the figure before me, I say nothing.\n\nWhen your son and his closest companion marched into the war of men, you prayed for their safety.\n\nAnd when the Mourning Falcon came to you to deliver news of their death, you prayed for their eternal souls.\n\nMy sobs caught in my throat, I wished that I would suffocate on my sadness.\n\n\"Please... do not continue.\"\n\nI could not look at her. I could not face the shame of losing my family.\n\nWhen man's great flames of destruction landed in your field, obliterating your home and killing your wife, you thought you might not continue.\n\nBut you did. You prayed still.\n\nI wailed, throwing my head up to meet hers, searching the sea in her eyes.\n\nShe has* heard my cries. She has heard, and she has left us here to suffer. A rage consumed my body. I tried to rise, but my body still too weak, I stumbled forward.\n\n\"It should have been me! My Marta, My boy, you have taken them from me and have done nothing. I watch my daughter die of starvation, she will die soon, I can feel it.\"\n\nI gesture wildly to the clearing that was once my home, at my shack that fell apart more days than it stood together.\n\n\"You have let us die. You have killed us all.\"\n\nFinally, I let myself collapse into exhaustion. Wailing at the loss of everything I have ever known, the pain pushing me closer and closer into the earth.\n\n*It is true. I have let this world die.\n\nShe bent closer to me, smelling of earth and salt.\n\nI have listened to you pray, since you were a small and frail creature.\n\nI have watched you dance among the ruins around you, as a tiny thing, refusing the reality of the horror that is your world.\n\nI have watched you fall in love, in a world that was without it.\n\nI watched you run with her, to create your own paradise. And you did. For years, you were untouched by the disease that killed your neighbors and friends. The hatred that consumed them.\n\nShe came closer still, and from the dirt floor I watched her reach out to my daughter. I did not try to stop her.\n\nWhen you gave birth to your first child, I was there. I saw the light that filled your small home, the light that did not exist anywhere else in this cold world.\n\nI heard the rushing of water, and watched tears fall from her face. My daughter, my sweet young daughter, lapped them as they fell onto her own. Her eyes never moved.\n\nWhen others prayed to gods of war and vengeance, still you prayed to Me.\n\nWhy?\n\nShe looked at me now, expecting an answer. And what would I tell her? What did she want to hear?\n\nI told her the truth, as silly as it was.\n\n\"I have Hope.\"\n\nShe bent to stroke Eadwine's cheek.\n\nThat you do.\n\nHer fingers dug into the tear stained dirt in front of me, and much to my bewilderment a green sprout began to grow. A pulse seemed to vibrate through the earth, the ground beneath me feeling softer almost, more alive.\n\nHope begins as a small seed. It grows as long as we water it. And when it starts to falter, we nurture it. As a farmer, you know this.\n\nI watch the bush of her hair double in size, great branches swooping down past her shoulder. She smiles at me and reaches among them, pulling two apples from behind her ear.\n\nYour hope... Has kept me alive.\n\nOld Man, Sarid, man of the earth, soul of the stars, you will not die tonight. Together, you and your daughter will nurture this place. There are others of you out there. Find them.\n\nShe stood to go, and I wanted to beg her not to leave, I wonder how many others she's already visited. I wonder where they are. I wonder so many things, but I can not bring myself to ask.\n\nShe has already grown much larger as she walks through the doorway. Her body radiates strength and health. I follow her, and watch her disappear into the darkness. I imagine her body drifting among the stars. I stare out into my field, the sprout dug from the earth and cupped into my hands. I hear a brook out in the distance somewhere. To my right, I catch the glisten of an apple tree.\n\nWith tears in my eyes, I walk to the very spot in my field where my wife took her last breath. I plant my sprout here. I whisper to it, all of the sweet nothings she would have heard during her time with me.\n\nWhen I walk back to my hut, Eadwine is awake.\n\n\"Papa?\"\n\nIt is the first time I've heard my daughters voice since the death of her mother.\n\nI rush to her, pushing the apple to her lips, unable to speak and consumed by the rush of emotions that thundered in my heart.\n\n\"Eat now Eadwine. We are going to live.\"\n\nWe are going to live.*\n\n\\------------------------------------\n\nHello! This is my first time writing in a very long time. I'm hoping to get out of a years long writers block, thank you so much for being a part of this process! \n\nI hope you enjoyed this, please feel free to offer critique or advice, it's been a while!" ]	4
	[WP] you wake up to a call in the middle of the night. The man at the end of the line says one thing before hanging up: “You are now the protagonist.”	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I picked up the phone and heard the most absurd thing. \"Congratulations. You are now the protagonist.\" What was this madness? Protagonist? I laughed. I had nothing amazing about myself, and I couldn't recall the last time I did anything selfless. Surely a prank call. I thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. However, the next morning, I awoke to a meteor crashing down, an alien spaceship appearing in the smoke. Whoa, this couldn't be a coincidence! Interested, I went out and met this strange creature. They appeared, piercing wails nearly breaking my ear, until they analyzed with strange symbols appearing in thin air, and seemed to understand English. One of them--or maybe two, it was hard to tell, begun its conversation, still in a strangely high sound. \"HE-LL-O. W-E- HAVE HEA-RD TH-AT ... THEE.. NO, 'YOU', ARE DE-SI-GNATED, PRO-TA-GO-NIST. AS SUCH, WE SHALL MA-KE CON-TACT. END OF SENTENCE.\" They seemed eager, ready to talk to me. I was shocked as my voice shuddered and I nervously invited them in for a talk. \".... COMMENCING OP-ER-ATIONS.\" the same alien said, preparing its arms and waving wildly, creating massive holograms. \"WE HA-VE A RE-SOURCE PRO-BLEM, AND WE DO NOT TRUST MILI-TARY TO KEEP US SECRET. HUMANS HAVE TENDENCY TO FEEL... SUPERIOR, AND BE-TRAY OTHERS. WE TRUST YOU.\" I was astonished, whatever thing talked to me on the phone, must've been their complete superior for them to have such trust in me. I nodded. \"GOOD. YOU ... MUST... PREPARE.... THESE ITEMS HERE.\" Listed was a seemingly simple shopping list, though many of the items were extremely expensive. I thought over the best way to obtain them, since my income wasn't very high. I requested for the aliens for any additional tips, but they were already gone as quickly as they came.\n\nNight arrived and I prepared to obtain the items, wondering how I would obtain the Plutonium listed on the notes. Well, no matter. If I was truly the protagonist, I would be able to find something. I went to the store and although the cashier glanced at me suspiciously, nothing was too out of the ordinary. On my way back, I then saw a small crater on the ground -- perhaps it was the aliens who had visited? Yet I couldn't feel as if something was wrong, the symbol was similar to the aliens but not the same... a nagging in my head told me something was off, though when I dug deep, I found some plutonium, exactly what I wanted. Excellent, everything seemed to be going my way. But as I walked back into my room, my phone rang again. \n\n\"It seems I made a terrible mistake,\" the same man said, \"I mistook you for the man next door...\" My breath stopped as he finished his sentence, \"congratulations. You are now the antagonist.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You created a fictional world for yourself as a child. One day, many years later, you are awoken by one of your imaginary friends saying, "My lord, we need you more than ever."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I was a struggling artist desperately trying to find some art ideas. I've searched my entire archives but I couldn't find anything that inspires me. I guess I'll just have to tap the pencil on the table until I get a flash of inspiration or something.\n\nSuddenly a flash of light appears. Out comes a teenage girl about twelve years of age. Must I say she's really cute.\n\n\"My lord, we need you more than ever!\" She says.\n\n\"Who... are you?\" came my dumbfounded reply.\n\n\"I was your favorite original character when you were a teenager. You gave me a beautiful expansive world and lots of other characters to have fun with. But...\"\n\n\"But what?\"\n\n\"The world is disappearing! I think it's being... forgotten!\"\n\n\"Forgotten?\" Come to think of it, I even forgot about this series, until I saw my character here.\n\n\"You must save us! Here, this will help you.\" And with that she hands me a USB drive.\n\nAs she disappears into the light, I put the USB drive into my computer. I look at it.\n\nInside there are drawings of my old characters, drawn when I was just a teenager. I've forgotten that I even made these characters in my first place. There are also lots of tutorials and guidelines on writing comics. There was even a document that detailed the appearance and dialouge of every frame of a nonexistent comic!\n\nNow I remember! I planned to become world famous with this comic, back when I didn't realize the struggles of adult life. Now I know what I'm going to draw now. The first issue of the comic.\n\nOne month later and the comic is published. It had a sizable fanbase but not as much as I wanted it to be when I was young. Suddenly my character appears again.\n\n\"Thank you for saving our world! As a reward, I'd like to invite you to stay in our world forever.\"\n\n\"Sure\" I replied. I grabbed my pen and jumped with my character into the light.\n\nInto a new world where there's no death and no bad luck. Where anything is possible. Where everything is good." ]	2
	[WP] A lonely widow decides to summon a demon for company, it works out almost a little too well.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The Boss said this might happen. She might want vengeance on the family that took her love, or maybe she wanted knowledge beyond comprehension.\n\nI knew what she wanted. All she wanted was a friend. She never had many to begin with, and wasn't trusting of others, yet was extremely trusting of me, but I can understand why, even though she might not anymore.\n\nMargaret was telling me about what she enjoyed doing, and I, of course, knew exactly what she liked doing before she even told me.\n\nShe said she was sure her husband was in Heaven, and was wondering how he was doing up there, perhaps bathing in God's rays, not worrying about the sickness that took him.\n\nOf course, that's not what's happening.\n\nYou see, time works differently in the realm of Hell that I was in. I died, many, many years ago, after becoming a powerful mage and making deals with many, many demons. I climbed my way to become a demon myself. Nothing too special for the motivated denizens down here, but still impressive enough, I suppose.\n\nIt was years. Hundreds upon hundreds of years since I died, I'm sure. My wife wasn't sent to the same plane as I did, I suspected. But I was summoned and... well... only a fraction of the time that I spent down there has truly passed.\n\nI don't have the hearts to tell her that her husband wasn't sent above, but below. She doesn't recognize me anymore. I don't blame her, of course, but it still hurts.\n\nI want to tell her who I am, but the Boss says I can't. I mean, who's going to believe a demon, right...?\n\nBut her time's coming up. I know it. She's grown old. Very old. But I don't mind it. In fact, I couldn't be happier!\n\n Soon, she'll be mine all over again.\n\n(Heyo, it's been a REAL LONG while since I've written anything, either here or in real life. I've lost the knack for it, but I want that drive back, so please give me tips on how to improve again! I'm not very happy with how this story turned out, but I just can't write it any differently and I don't know how to change. I still had fun, though!)", "B falls out of the summoning circle, dazed and confused. He had always hoped that the shock of being summoned would eventually go away, as it happened with an annoying degree of frequency, but it never did. The kick in the pit of his stomach, then falling in a strange and impossible direction never got normal. He took a moment to get his bearings. What an odd house... Pictures of a rather attractive couple and their daughter, some pictures of dogs... A sofa covered in protective plastic sheets. B finally sees the person kneeling on the floor, the woman from the painting, though it looks as though she's aged several years, or even a decade. Her face begins to have the shadows of wrinkles, and her hair is clearly dyed to hide grey. \"Hello, miss... What's going on, where am I, what do you want- Hey, stop!\"\n\nIt's too late of course, as the woman jumps at B, clamping a golden ring around his neck. Forcing him down, she gets two more bands around his wrists. She recites an incantation from an index card, and the rings burn, but only for a moment. B is fairly certain he knows what's going on.\n\n\"Oh you-.\" B almost chokes on his tongue.\n\n\"There there, darling, watch your language.\" The woman gets off the dainty demon, and pats his head gently. \"Here, get up, have a seat, I'll get you some snacks.\"\n\nB sits on the couch, staring angrily as she hurries about in the kitchen. She comes back with a pitcher of juice and a plate with sandwiches, cookies, and chips. B contemplates whether or not he should take a bite of something, if only to be polite.\n\n\"I don't eat.\" B crosses his arms and slouches.\n\n\"Nonsense, you must eat.\" The woman pours B a glass of juice and holds it out for him expectantly. \"Come on now, don't be rude.\"\n\nB takes the glass and sets it down. He eats a chip. \"Are you happy?\"\n\n\"No, I'm not, thanks for asking. A recent unfortunate accident lead to the death of my husband and daughter, and...\" She takes a moment to cry, though B isn't sure how sincere she is. \"And I need somebody in my life, somebody to fill their roles. After consulting with friends, this seemed like the best option.\"\n\n\"How was this the best option?\" B looked about the room. \"Oh my god I'm in the suburbs.\"\n\n\"What else was I to do, find another person that was as good as James?\"\n\n\"So you summon a demon who is certainly not as good as James?\"\n\nThe woman stares at B. \"Sit up straight, I'll have no slouch. One moment, stand here.\"\n\nB feels compelled to do as such, and gets up to stand in front of the woman. \"Hmm, yes. You're almost the same size as my darling Alyx. I bet that her clothes would fit on you, and thank goodness for that, you're dressed like such a slut, and I can't have that.\" The woman tuts as she examines the clothes that B is wearing; a short skirt and crop-top that actually reads 'slut'.\n\n\"But I like these clothes.\"\n\nThe woman clearly doesn't listen. \"And the glasses will have to go too, they're disrespectful.\"\n\n\"I'm afraid that I can't do that.\"\n\n\"No? Oh well then.\" The woman turns and begins walking up a flight of stairs. \"I'm sure you'll take them off eventually. Come now, let's get you dressed. Oh, think of the fun we'll have, Alyx, I'm so glad that you're back.\"\n\n\"This is some serious bull-\"" ]	3
My idea was like slices of a ring, but I think opacity could be cool too.	[WP] Everyone has a halo visible to everyone else. The better you are, the fuller it is. A full circle signifies a saint, while a complete lack of one is the opposite. You've just run into someone with multiple halos.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I was walking down the street one day, quite upset about the state of my Halo. My credit card had to be cancelled because of its dimness. I had just run over a dog with my car, and I was having trouble feeling bad about it. I wanted to be a good person. I even did all of the proper stuff to deal with the dog, but I just don't give a rats ass about it afterwards. Except when I regret not regretting it. Just as I was thinking about donating to a charity to brighten myself up, a couple of rings caught my eye.\n\nThere was a guy with two halos walking into a jewelry shop. I was incredibly curious and decided to follow him in. The halos were one on top of the other, and the bottom one was the brightest one I had ever seen, while the top one was quite dim. He must be the embodiment of goodness, if his halo was not enough to contain his goodness on his own. I wanted to talk to him to get some goodness tips.\n\nHowever, an exchange happened which caught me quite off guard. The double halo man walked up to the counter.\n\n\"Hello fine sirs, I would very much like to buy a ring for my girlfriend. If you help me find what I need, I'd be happy to buy you guys lunch!\"\n\nThere were two young men behind the counter. They seemed impressed by the halos. \"We have a plenty good selection, take a look. We have diamond, gold, silver, and sapphire.\"\n\nThen the double halo man had did a full 180. He pulled out a fucking pistol and screamed, \"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!!! I need ALL of the precious jewelry, IN THE BAG!!!!\" He then pulled out a large burlap sack.\n\nThe two boys cursed and tried to run into the back in fear, but the double halo man shot them both before they could get anywhere. Not in the head, or chest. In the legs. I would have ran at this point, if I had cared about my own life. I don't.\n\nThe double halo man then pulled out a pocket knife and began skinning them as they tried to crawl away, quite violently. After about 5 minutes of watching this, I realized that a good person would have intervened. I stepped up.\n\n\"Okay, stop that! They've had enough.\"\n\nThe double halo man fell to his knees. \"What have I DONE!\"\n\nHe stood back up abruptly. \"Hell NO! Don't regret this!\" He shot the two boys dead. A good person would have been sad.\n\nI was confused at this point.\n\n\"Grab the precious jewels for me sir. I need the precious.\"\n\nIt was at that point that I realized what was happening. This was a split personality.\n\nOh... what the hell.\n\nI started shoveling jewelry with my hands into his bag. I was sure the police were on their way by now, but I still needed to process this. I helped him get the bag into his car, and we drove off.", "\"Left.\"\n\nBeaming, I thanked the attendant and stepped into the queue on the left. Not that it really mattered. I still had to wait for my brother to go through security.\n\nThe line I was standing in progressed expeditiously. It took barely a minute to reach the front, where I fed the automated stile my ticket as I passed, ignoring the happy little tune it chimed as I did so. I hunted down a seat and pulled out a book to pass the time as I waited for my younger sibling. I chose poorly - the book was an old detective tale I had trouble following. But I needed something to get me through the wait every day.\n\nIt took about half an hour for my brother to reach the front of his line, and another couple minutes to get through the stile. I had zoned out, completely disinterested in the novel in my hands, when his voice gave me a start.\n\n\"Must be nice\", he mumbled, \"skipping all that nonsense\". \n\nHe seemed to be talking more to himself than me, but his comment ticked me off.\n\n\"You say that like I don't have to wait for you anyway\".\n\n\"Oh come on, it's not my fault and you know it\".\n\n\"Of course it's your fault, you half-wit\".\n\nIt was my favourite name for him. My brother, Stanley, the half-wit half-moon. Of course, I'm not much better, I'm one step on a cat's tail from the same rank as him. The thought makes me shudder. It's different for girls. We're expected to be better. It's bullshit, really.\n\n\"We should probably go, Lilly, or I'm going to be late again\".\n\nHis comment interrupts my thought process. I simply nod, frustrated. I had plans for today. But ever since my brother's last \"escapade\", as he calls it, he's been labelled a half moon - a delinquent - and now he needs an escort from someone of a higher grade. And today that task fell on me.\n\nWhile I wallowed in dissent over my current situation, we had approached the subway tracks. Workers moved in and out of the great translucent yellow cube forbidding us to get any closer, while it showered us with advertisements. Everything from the latest and greatest mobile PC to classes on halo etiquette. \n\nIt's ridiculous really. We'd been taught the halo means everything since primary school - who would pay for more of these classes?\n\nThe cube turned orange as the worker drones systematically evacuated the great area around the tracks. Another happy little tune played inside my head. And although I didn't need to check, I could tell my brother heard it too, as he snapped out of his daze.\n\n\"You can just leave me here Lilly, the social worker is picking me up right at the station\".\n\nI laughed sarcastically. He knows full well I have to hand him off to another escort personally, and I remind him with nothing more than a glare. He looks like he's about to object, when he's interrupted by the arrival of the train.\n\nA formless multicoloured light zooms in over the tracks, smoothly but quickly halting in front of us. Streaks of malformed colour begin to blur, expand, and reshape until in front of us the cabin of the subway car sits with its doors wide open.\n\nThe car sits engulfed in the translucent cube, which is now red, as passengers egress the cab. When the torrent of people stops, the cube disappears, and yet another happy little tune plays behind my eyes.\n\n\"Come on,\" I say, stepping forward. Again Stanley opens his mouth to dissent against me coming with him. But he simply stands there with his mouth open, struggling for words, looking like the half-wit I call him. \n\nI drag him into the cab, agitated as always when he's around. But as the smaller orange cube over the cab doors turns red, and they begin to close, I start to get a little apprehensive. This isn't like Stanley. He doesn't want to require an escort any more than I want to escort him, but he's never had any qualms with having me around before, nor has he ever tried anything to get me in trouble. It worried me. What was he about to say?\n\n\"Hey, Stanley, what-\"\n\nMy thought process ends as an all-encompassing pain fills my entire head. My legs buckle, my ears screech, my breathing falters, and my vision clogs with error messages.\n\n***\n\nI watch as Lilly crumbles to the floor of the cab alongside everyone else, her long blonde hair trailing behind her golden semi-halo. I'm just glad she didn't vomit. The process may hurt like hell but it's certainly not fatal - with the sole exception of potentially drowning in your own vomit while unconscious. It's extremely rare - the drowning, not the vomiting - but I was afraid if it was going to happen to anyone it would happen to my sister.\n\nWith the hijacked cab in formless travel I'm careful not to move too much. This is the biggest downside to jailbreaking the vEye, as far as I'm concerned. I miss the paralyze feature, I miss when formless motion felt like teleportation.\n\nBut Zeke is right. We can't let them paralyze us whenever they want.\n\nThe discordant cacophony of light outside the cab windows starts to take shape, and within seconds we're in the bunker. There's nothing I can do for Lilly right now, so I wrench open the cab doors and step out of the cab, solely to escape the stench of vomit.\n\n\"Stanley!\"\n\nI look over to the source of the voice. It's not hard to find - Zeke sticks out like a sore thumb. Standing at the front of the small crowd gathered to witness the results of the hijacking, he stands there beaming at me from underneath his three glowing red halos.\n\nThe crowd starts hollering and cheering. It almost feels like I did something grand, but honestly my job was easy. They're not here for me - they're just here to see if the technology worked. And it did. This was the first formless hijacking in history.\n\nI did some flourishes and bows towards the crowd, jokingly accepting their cheers as if they were just for me.\n\nZeke had walked up to me while I goofed off. I felt a little embarrassed to be honest, but he was still all smiles. I never knew how to act around this man - he was a different league from the rest of us. He had so much charisma and presence. And, of course, no matter what you think of the guy, you can't pretend he's not an amazing hacker.\n\n\"We're about to change the world, Stanley\", he stated, as if it was the most casual conversation in the world. His right hand was lifted, his fingers clacking away at the air.\n\n\"And you've earned your part. Welcome to the upper echelon.\"\n\nHe held his palm out facing me, swiping his hand across the space between us. A panel appeared in front of me, reflecting my appearance, and I watched as my halo grew to a full disc, then turned red." ]	3
	[WP] It is stardate 3.14:80752. As you sit in your starbase in space, you wait for your inevitable doom. Turns out, the universe is collapsing in on itself in a super massive black hole, likely starting another big bang.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The vast and eternal plains of rolling cosmos sprawled out before their eyes.\n\n\"But time's just a construct of human perception. An illusion of linearity based in the-,\" Esther said. \n\nThomas smiled as he leaned back in his chair. This was an old argument by now. Fitting that they should have it again now, once more, at the end. \n\n\"We're not gods, Esther,\" He said, \"We were never so powerful as to invent time itself.\"\n\nEsther crossed her arms stubbornly. Her green eyes were full of passion, full of life. \"I'm not saying we're \"gods\", asshole. We're scientists, and damn good ones. We are human, Thomas. Our very nature is tenacious curiosity, we innovate to survive. If anyone can find a way out of this, it's us.\" \n\nThomas turned to her. \"Are you sure? Are you sure that in all of this infinity,\" he said, waving to the cosmos, \"That We are the best qualified? Across the universe there are civilizations beyond number, and with each civilization comes an exponentially larger number of minds that are at least as sharp as our own. In other words.... if there really is a way out, don't you think someone will come along and find it?\"\n\n\"Someone has come along,\" Esther said, \"Us.\"\n\nThere would be no convincing her. It was Thomas' personal view that they should study the cosmological composition of the universe, but never should they try to alter it. He sighed and shook his head, with the universe ending he supposed the least he could do was make her happy. \"Fine, I'll play along.\"\n\nEsther grinned. One last brainstorm, she thought, One last crack at doing the impossible.\n\nShe picked up right where she'd left off, \"As I was saying, Time is only an illusion of linearity based in the inability to perceive more than a slim view of reality.\"\n\n\"Eh,\" Thomas said, \"that's not exactly accurate. Time is a metaphysical property, strictly speaking, yet inextricably linked with space. It has tangible qualities, like the way it bends around matter.\" \n\nEsther, invigorated by the thrilling science, spun around and leapt from her chair.\n\n Thomas smiled to himself. I'll miss that, He thought,or at least I would if I could.\n\nIn the open lobby of the Starcraft, she reached into an invisible Cloud and pulled from it a large whiteboard. She began to scrawl words in purple marker, \"Inextricably....linked....spacetime,\" she said as she wrote. \"I agree. This is gonna be our biggest problem here. We need to find a way to pry apart two cosmic entities that have held onto each-other since before the foundation of the universe.\" \n\nFor good measure, she drew a picture of two figures hugging, one wearing a clock on its shirt and the other wearing a gown of stars. \"These are our friends, Timmy Time and Sarah Space,\" She said, \"They're going to help us figure this out.\" \n\nTim Time and Sarah Space waved to Thomas, broad smiles painted across their marker-drawn faces.\n\n \"You're crazy\" Thomas said, \"We can't tear space and time apart. In the absence of time there can be no motion. Even if we could somehow do it, we'd find ourselves in a state of perpetual stasis.\" \n\n\"I know I am,\" Esther laughed, \"But...hear me out....Time, in its current form, is a prison.\" \n\nAs she spoke a cage dropped onto the drawing board around Tim and Sarah. Their faces became glum and they gripped the bars like sad little convicts.\n\n \"We need to separate time, without eliminating it as a construct of reality,\" she said.\n\n A hand appeared on the board behind her. With little Tim and Sarah looking on in terror, it reached into the cage. The hand gripped Tim and tried to yank him out, but Sarah held on tightly.\n\nThomas rubbed his beard, deep in thought. \"Then if we sealed Time away, we could traverse Space free of its effect,\" he said. \n\nThe hand shook free of Sarah's grasp and dropped Tim down on his bum. Around him appeared a dark sphere, thinly translucent.\n\n\"We would need an almost unlimited source of energy,\" Esther said softly, \"And the friction alone would threaten to annihilate everything in existence.\"\n\nThomas jumped up and pulled a marker of his own out of nothingness. \"In theory, we could solve two birds with one stone,\" he said. He drew two separate gears on the board.\n\nEsther's eyes widened, \"Brilliant! We let the friction be our fuel. Then all we would need to do is get the ball rolling, so to speak, and let the rest take care of itself.\"\n\nThe gears moved to fit together and began to spin.\n\nThomas drew a fluffy, angry looking, cat; It loomed imperiously above the gears. \"But what if we create a sort of Schrodinger's Universe. With time sealed away and space on its own, they might each undergo something like mitosis. We could be looking at a situation where reality both exists and doesn't at the same time,\" he said.\n\nThe board divided itself into four. In two of the squares appeared portraits of a smiling Thomas and Esther. The remaining two were slowly colored black.\n\nEsther pointed with a smile, \"Let's just hope we land in one of the good ones,\" She cocked her head, \"It's a flip of the coin.\"\n\nThe cat flipped a coin into the air. It hung in the air, constantly flipping from one side to the other: a skull and cross bones and a dove with an olive branch in its beak.\n\nThomas laughed, \"I used to love these IT-PSY drawing boards as a kid,\" he said.\n\n\"Yeah, me too, I'd draw little stick figures and pretend I was their queen.\"\n\nThomas stepped toward the window. He looked out into the endless void that was soon to reach its finale. \"Do we have any right to do this, Esther? We would be shifting the entire universe into a new state of existence. We'd be essentially creating a new dimension of reality.\"\n\nEsther walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her, and they stared into each other's eyes. She could feel his internal conflict, his fear for the countless lives that hung in the balance. Her heart ached for him, and for every soul which yet drew breath. \"Everything happens for a reason,\" she said, \"If we do it, we do it. If we don't...\"\n\n" ]	2
	[WP] In your city, there's a bridge on which people make wishes by fixing a lock to the bridge and tossing the key into the river below. You're tasked by the city to clip the locks off the bridge. Slowly, you realize that every time you break a lock, the wish inside comes true.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“A part of the city’s identity” said one of the protestors.\n\n“A gateway to littering and graffiti!” said someone else.\n\nI didn’t particularly care as I sat at the back of the town hall. My company would have to clean and repaint the bridge whatever happened in this public hearing. Cutting a few padlocks off as we went wouldn’t make much difference.\n\nOne side of the room cheered and the other cried when the Mayor made her decision.\n\n“The locks must go” she said with her perfected political voice.\n\nAnd so it went. The next day me and my crew went up to the bridge over the river, our bolt cutters in hand.\n\nI got there first, just as the early morning sun was cresting over the water to the east. It was the height of summer and we had a good few hours before the commuters would make our lives more difficult.\n\nI carefully placed the cutters around the first padlock. It was old, one of the earliest probably. Made of worn brass, with the names Jill and Pete written on the front with permanent marker. A little heart in the middle.\n\n“Sorry guys” I said to myself. “I hope you made it together”.\n\nThe cutters made a satisfied ‘clink’ as they severed the lock from the bridge.\n\n“One down, thousands to...”\n\nI couldn’t finish my sentence. My eyes turned grey, then orange, then black. My vision totally gone.\n\nA cloudy haze filled my mind’s eye.\n\nAn elderly couple sat at home, holding hands and watching TV.\n\nThe lottery came on the news. A flash of numbers. A scream of delight.\n\nI was then crashing back to reality.\n\nI woke up on the side of the footpath on the bridge. The little brass lock was on the ground beside me.\n\nMy head was groggy, with a slight dull ache behind my eyes.\n\n“What the hell was that?!” I said aloud. My crew still weren’t here. They probably wouldn’t be for another half an hour or so.\n\nI put my vision down to waking up early and not drinking enough coffee. Too many other padlocks for me to get through today. I had to keep going. A visit to the medic onsite would only slow me down.\n\nI brushed off my overalls and went to the next padlock. It was a lot newer. Stainless steel and barely a year old I reckon. Mathew and Jessica on the front. A red heart symbol in the middle.\n\nAnother clink. Another satisfying sense of progress. And then another blackout.\n\nA young couple, in a doctors office. “Pregnant, congratulations...” and then another round of joyful cries.\n\nI snapped back to reality. Only I was upright this time. I seemed to handle it better. And this time I felt...I felt...good.\n\nLike a rush of adrenaline. Their joy in the vision had rubbed off on me. I could feel their love and warmth when they heard the news.\n\nI had to feel it again.\n\nI rushed to the next padlock. It was black with a code combination, completely unlike the others. It had no inscription, except for a small X on the front. A ‘kiss’ I surmised.\n\nI eagerly lined up the bolt cutters. I cut the padlock, and a familiar rush of a vision came over me.\n\n“Perfected the virus...will soon be unleashed...the world will pay”.\n\nI came to. I felt sick.\n\nWhat had I done." ]	2
	[WP] The pre-recorded message usually warns people about pickpockets or minor technical issues. Today, though, the voice said : "Warning. A killer may have boarded this train."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The best way to get a thousand people to panic at once is to play on their insecurities, their fear of the unknown grounded in reality.\n\nThis part of the train journey was the longest in the nation. 5 minutes: the first minute exiting town, the next three minutes gliding past a reservoir and a new-growth forest, and the last minute entering another town.\n\nI was excited for this ride. These people, they are but sheep, following the whims of a market that dares call itself free, force-fed their news and perspectives from their employers and families as though these opinions were fact. Obsequious to the letter, yet vicious and selfish if left unattended. Really, if all my life experience is anything to go by, there is but one fact in our world; that there is nothing worth fighting for. This day, I will illustrate this; that even life is not worth fighting for, and that inherently everyone fights for naught but themselves.\n\nI say the fateful words, instead of the standard announcement, switch on the few CCTVs I have, and the train drives off.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe first minute is spent in quiet apprehension. Though my eyes are on the tracks ahead of me, I can sense it, somewhere deep in my subconscious. The silence does not come from the uneasy unwillingness of strangers to talk to one another, for there is uneasy shuffling in seats and on the floor, and the usual small cliques of students are not chattering away.\n\nThe next minute, however, glass shatters and a cry of pain is heard. Someone has reached their breaking point. Someone is no longer willing to wait in suspense for the killer to reveal themselves, someone has taken the law into their own hands. The fire extinguisher is the first weapon; 5 kg of metal is an effective blunt weapon. And in such close quarters nonetheless, the collateral is magnificent!\n\nAs the train glides past the reservoir, that azure jewel in an otherwise urban jungle, what windows are left unshattered are stained red with the blood of the wolves in sheepskins; the people you assumed to be meek in real life are going insane now. Salarymen, too divorced from the natural state of conflict and now thrust into it, want a piece of the action and to let loose. Housewives and students cower, yet push each other to get to the emergency exit, piling up an avalanche of bodies that eventually blocks it irreversibly. So much for ideas of civility, of valour, of this false illusion of order. True, there is an attempt! A group of soldiers on their off day, trying to afford protection to the meek, yet also doing their part to hunt down the killer. Eventually, into the fourth minute, they too succumb to their desire to kill. Kill or be killed, and they choose to partake in what they were defending against.\n\nWe've reached the next stop. Near everyone on the train is injured or dead; it's a wonder they did not smash any of the engines or vital electronics in the process. What a wonder! My experiment has succeeded. I have revealed the base nature of humanity as fearful and selfish above all else.\n\nAnd all I had to do was say one line." ]	2
	[WP] A police officer visits your class for career day. You get a little bored by the talk and start doodling. The officer notices the doodles and gasps; she grabs your notebook and flips through it. "All of these show objects found at the crime scenes of unsolved murderers. You're coming with me."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I'm sorry, what now?\"\n\n\"You're coming with me!\"\n\nI look past officer Green, giving my teacher a quizzical look. He just shrugs and gives a nod of approval, figuring officer Green is just playing a joke to captivate the attention of some bored highschool students. Imagine my shock when this woman just straight up arrests me, after I refused to get into her car! We got to the police station, charges of \"Obstruction of justice\" are written up, I get fingerprinted, photographed, the whole nine yards. After being left in an interrogation room by myself for an uncomfortable amount of time, officer Green finally decided to grace me with her presence.\n\n\"Ready to explain or are you going to be difficult?\" She asked and slapped my notebook unnecessarily hard on the table.\n\n\"Explain what? That I took art classes?\" I answered still in complete disbelief of the situation. \"I'm a minor. Is any of this even legal?\"\n\n\"All of them, literally all of the objects in your notebook are murder weapons in unsolved murder cases.\" Officer Green glared at me.\n\n\"All of them are also literally items in my house! Is drawing kitchen knives and pillows a crime now?\" I crocked barely managing to maintain a semblance of composure.\n\n\"What about this one?\" She pointed at a drawing of a small statuete of a praying angel.\n\n\"What about it?\"\n\n\"This one's a rather unique piece wouldn't you say?\" Smirked Ms. Green as if she jus caught me in a lie.\n\n\"No, I wouldn't!\" I objected. \"The angel is from our relatives from Hungry! They're a dozen a dime there! Unless we're the only Americas with Hungarian relatives lacking in good taste, there's nothing...\n\n\"You! Stop talking.\" Spat a man even before he got all the way trough the door. \"You!\" Index finger pointed towards officer Green \"Out!\"\n\nNeedless to say, the unnecessarily rude man was my lawyer. After never returning to class, my teacher finally realised that officer Green wasn't playing a joke and informed my parents. They were understandably livid, as Ms. Green broke roughly a laundry list worth of laws doing what she did. Things were quickly sorted out and within 15 minutes of my family's lawyer showing up, I was comfortably on my way home in my mother's car, as she was yelling her head off to someone on the phone.\n\n\"God damn, was that a bad idea.\" I thought to myself looking out the window. \"I should have never used my mother's one of a kind brass statue as a murder weapon. I'm getting sloppy.\" I chuckled to myself. \"Thank God the only person who ever put it together was a complete idiot.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You misread the instructions for a Love Potion. Now, you are madly in love with yourself and willing to do ANYTHING to make it work.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "it all started with the love potion. It was meant for Jake, but I accidentally drank it. My life was changed forever. I remember my wedding day like it was just yesterday. I walked down the isle with a body sized mirror right next to me. I made eye contact with me and I blushed. My face got red thinking of all the great times we’ve had. I remember our wedding kiss, and how steamy the mirror got when I kissed my own reflection.\n\nIt was nice for awhile, then my other half started playing the silent treatment. I didn’t know what was wrong. I loved her but I couldn’t get into her head. She was so mysterious and lovely. Well I mean she’s me but she’s hard to deal with. We tried getting pregnant, it didn’t work. But I still loved her. I looked around at all of our pictures. All of my paintings and her books. This was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and there was a barrier. My insecurities became her pet peeves. Her issues became my issues. My love handles and fat became hers. I hated it. But I loved her.\n\nWe went to marriage counseling and we got diagnosed with psychosis. I’m now on medication but it’s not helping our relationship. She cheated on me a few weeks ago and my heart is broken. The thing is I cheated on her too with the same person. Now I’m pregnant with his baby. The baby will have to have 3 parents. Me, she and he. It won’t be too hard to raise a child. “Honey we can do this right?” I looked into the mirror, and she winked at me. It’ll be okay.", " \" I can't\" Brittany whispers softly, seated on plush, bright pink carpet that sighs with every movement she makes. Attempting to move as little as possible and speak as quietly as she can, she wipes a tear from the face in front of her. \"I am not doubting you, but we must be quiet, you know how upset Father and Lucille would be if they found us up here, I'm not allowed anyone in my room\". Her lover only looked at her with desperate, tired eyes. People say love is slow, love cannot be rushed, yet they had only known one another for five days and Brittany knew she would never find another love quite like this. \n\n Brittany was never the smartest nor the most beautiful girl growing up, but she was a charmer. Guests of all rank and age would delight in her company. \"She looks just like her mother!\" they all stated with a smile and pat on the back to her father as they exited with a warm, mournful smile. Then, as if a small consolation prize it would almost always end as \"But those blue eyes! Now, that is all you!\" She had heard stories of her mother, boasting hostess and amateur medium as she amused guests with palm and tea readings, occasional attempts to speak with dead loved ones. \"She never was very good at any of it\" her father would say at the end of the day with a small smile on his face, \"never good at it at all, but damned if it ever kept her from trying\".\n\n She wiped a new tear, this one from her own face, as she thought about her mother, or what little she knew of her from her father's and friend's stories. As she was four years old at the time of her passing, she could not remember much of her own. The stories stopped gradually once Lucille came into their life. At first it was just dinner once a week, the intruding new woman sitting across from her with a grimace barely disguised as a smile, sharp gaze holding her in place. Nighttime stories of her mother slowly, so slowly, ceasing. Lucille stating they were much to unladylike for a dinner table. Memories of her mother vanishing as quickly as the furniture she had handpicked as lady of the house. Deep, luscious rugs of black and the deepest blue replaced with bright, airy materials as though she never existed. Old friends who spoke of Brittany's mother were quickly replaced with new friends who had no idea her father had a wife before his previous one and before she knew it everything that once was became no longer, and she began to forget herself. \n\n \"It will be okay, you must trust me\". The special guest in her room threw Brittany out of her thoughts and into the present. She had been on edge all day, coming home to Lucille screeching about a book of contacting spirits that had been found in her room, her father sipping at a glass of brandy and looking on. \"I have told you time and time again that you need to dispose of these things!\" Lucille had yelled, hair standing in every direction, making her appear unhinged. \"Father\" Brittany had pleaded for the hundredth time praying he would choose her side, only once. \"Won't I be allowed to remember my mother? Did you not love her once?\". \"Let's not do this today, Love\", was his only response as he finished his drink and retired to his room, yet again. \"I only wish to help you, and this is the only way I know how!\" Lucille had scowled, hardly looking like she wanted to help as much as she wanted to cut her up and serve her to the new crowd who helped to erase the memory of who her mother was. \" A sorceress!\" Lucille always screamed. \"She is not to be trusted! Even in death!\"\n\n Coming again to her senses she regarded the person in front of her, they encouraged her to speak, yell and proclaim love for her mother, when no one else would. They had whispered secrets to her; \"Do you not see what Lucille is doing? She will have you locked up! Abandoned! She thinks your mother was crazy and that you are as well. She was thrown into an asylum. They called her crazy because she was different, you will suffer the same fate!\" \n\n Oh was she happy that she had found her mother's old book of protection when she had! \"One sip of me and I will show you true happiness\" the note around the bottle had read. And it had been right! Her lover would have never shown up without it. Lucille would have kept on with her lies and would have burned this book and its contents as well if she would have found it first. I would have never found you..\n\n \"You know what must be done. you must trust me\" the voice repeated. \"Yes, I know\" Brittany replied, wonder in her eyes and an equally dazzling smile on her lips. \"I trust you. And I know what I must do.\" The smile never faded as she gave her true love one last kiss, reaching for the knife she had found hidden in one of her mother's old books a week ago, along with an old note. Bright smile distorted slightly by the fog her breath left on the glass, she watched her reflection push the knife under one ear and force it to the other. Never did she realize that in the reflection, her eyes were not blue.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;" ]	3
	[WP] You find a metallic D20 dice in the parking lot on the way to your job interview. Later, at home you roll. 20. Immediately, the company calls. They would love to hire you and pay you double what you expected. Woah. You have a date tonight. You take the dice.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I walked into \"Bello Italiano\" 10 minutes early, looking around the restaurant. The atmosphere was nice and friendly, but my date wasn't here yet. I decided to get a small salad before she got here. As I paid for a Mini Caesar Salad, I got the dice out of my pocket and shook it in my hands. I then let it roll out onto the table, where it promptly fell onto the floor. I peered over the edge of the table and saw, 4. Well, crud.\n\nAs I picked the dice back up and awaited for my salad, I wondered whether it would be worth it to just leave. Then she arrived. She walked over to my table, greeting me with a smile and sitting down. \"Hi, I'm Meryl\" she said. \"Hey Meryl, my name's Barret\" I replied. She nodded, \"Good to meet you Barret\", she then picked up the menu.\n\nAfter 5 minutes of if small talk and waiting for a waiter, my salad arrived. I thanked the waiter and and as he took my dates order, I checked the dice in my pocket. The side with the 4 was still facing me, I began to sweat, thinking what could possibly go wrong, the food could be bad (and since I suggested this restaurant, would reflect on my choices), she could have an accident or maybe something else would happen. We continued to make small talk until her food arrived, at which point we both ate. \"So, Meryl, what's your job?\", she paused at that, and looked at me, fear in her eyes. I stared back at her, did I say something wrong? She coughed, before taking a drink \"Well, I'm an overseas financial officer for the government\" she replied quickly. \"Oh, nice, I'm a Barista\" I told her. \n\nLater on, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. I quickly dug the dice out of my pocket and re-rolled it, 1. Well this is just fantastic isn't it? The date was nice though, the food was good and she was pretty, if a bit stand offish. I took a drink of my water and waited for her to return. Then the door to the restaurant opened and in walked several men with suits. I turned back to my meal and waited for my date to return. Then as I looked up again, I saw them approaching my table, \"Barret Edwards?\" one of them asked, \"That's me, what can I do for you?\" I replied. \"Please come with us, we have some information you would find... interesting and possibly helpful\" the lead man said. I quickly rolled the dice on the table, 17, so I followed the men out of restaurant. \n\nOnce in the parking lot, a black van opened the back doors and in walked the men, to a room full of surveillance technology. I hesitated to follow until the lead man turned back to me, opened his wallet and showed me a MI5 badge.\nAs I followed him again, a slightly balding man of around 50 turned to the MI5 agent. \"Subject has left the restroom Sir, we can now proceed with stage 2 of the plan\". The lead agent nodded and whispered to the other two agents, who left the van and proceeded to re-enter the restaurant.\n\n\"Excuse me, but what's going on?\" I asked. \"I can't tell you the full details\" he replied \"but we have been tracking your date for some time as a suspect in a serial killer case\". I paled, \"Are you referring to Bachelor Killer?\" I asked, the Bachelor Killer, so dubbed by the English News Media, was the perpetrator of several violent killings of men, all single and with planned dates. The only reason I had agreed to tonight was because a friend had suggested the blind date. \n\nThe MI5 agent nodded, and then returned their gaze to the screens that were monitoring the restaurant. I watched as the two agent approached Meryl and clearly made a gesture for her to follow them, and when she resisted, took her by the arms and began to drag her out the door. I watched in astonishment as she struggled free, before pulling a knife from her purse, the first agent kept back as she stabbed at him, the second agent wasn't quite as quick and got stabbed in the side as she swung the knife around. She turned back to the first agent and collapsed, thin lines of a taser connecting her and the agent. \n\nI waited at the police station, being needed in a testimony against Meryl. \nThe testimony was quick and when I got home, I collapsed in my bed, what a crazy night. \n\nI awoke the next morning to hear and see reports of the Bachelor Killer being captured. I prepared for my job as the reports played from my radio, then saw my trouser from last night on the floor. I reached into the pocket and picked out the dice, giving it a quick shuffle and then rolling, 7. \n\nLooks like I have my work cut out for me. \n\n\n\n\n" ]	2
	[WP] Your guts paid off and the valedictorian agreed to be your date for prom tonight. Four hours later, you're helping them clean a crime scene and dispose of the assassins sent to kill them. Your date, it turns out, moonlights as a cleaner for the mob.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "1/2\n\nI'm attracted to intelligence. So sue me. Now when that intelligence comes with curly dark hair, olive skin, and bottomless brown eyes... hoo boy. I'd been crushing on Andrea for almost a year. Andrea was named after his grandfather, and the girl-sounding name had been a problem only once. Andrea settled the question swiftly, decisively, and his heckler suffered a couple of broken bones. Andrea's designer clothes weren't even ruffled. I know what it's like to be picked on. I don't blame him. The asshole's friends were hanging around nearby as ready backup. It wasn't a fight one could settle with words.\n\nOkay, I admit it. Seeing him deck the bully was...\\\\cough\\\\** fun. Is it too warm in here, or is it just me? Anyway. We had friends in common; I tried dropping hints about prom. Trouble is, boys don't get hints. Even relatively smart ones like Andrea. \"Just ask him yourself,\" my friend Julie said over lunch. \"What's the worst that can happen? He says no. As it stands now, you have no plans for going to prom, so all you can do is improve the situation.\" Julie, for good or ill, was a creature of cold logic. She mused, \"Or, I guess, you could end up with your body thrown in the bay if you cross him...\"\n\n\"Julie!' I said, shocked. \"Those are just stupid rumors! Andrea's family isn't...into that. It's just talk.\"\n\n\"Uh huh,\" Julie said with a wry smile. \"Large Sicilian family partnering in each others' businesses, how they make their money's kinda fuzzy...\"\n\n\"They own a restaurant,\" I said. \"Andrea works there in the summer, mostly in the kitchen.\"\n\n\"You seem to know a lot,\" Julie teased.\n\n\"My family went to dinner there. I...ran into him.\" I fought a blush. \"I've talked to him here and there, and he's mentioned how strict his family is on running the kitchen. Nothing out of place, not a spot on your apron, everything sanitary and polished, even keeping the dumpster locked down...they even run their own butcher shop that they supply from...\"\n\n\"Fascinating,\" Julie said airily. \"Look. if you don't ask him out yourself by Friday, or, by some miracle, he asks YOU out by then, I will talk to him on your behalf. Just ponder that for a moment.\" My blood ran cold. Julie had the dirtiest mind in our class.\n\n\"Okay! Okay!\" I held my hands up to placate her. \"No need to get...drastic. I'll talk to him.\"\n\n\"Thing is, he usually dates girls from other Italian families. You...are not,\" Julie added.\n\n\"No...I'm not,\" I said.\n\n\"Good luck!\" Julie said as she sauntered off. Today was Tuesday. I had a couple of days to work up my courage. Did I mention Andrea was an unabashed nerd? He preferred science classes, debate, and music over sports. He mentioned wanting to study forensics later. He put in a lot of hours in the family business, anyway, so sports just didn't work for him. Wednesday in orchestra practice I made sure to step into a conversation he was having with his friends. He gave me a friendly smile, but no dice. Thursday, in debate, I made sure to stay close by and I wore nicer clothes. Still didn't take the hint. Friday in AP Chemistry was my last chance before Julie would take matters into her own hands. I debated asking before class start, vs. after starting. I decided that if I waited, I'd be distracted and flub the lab and look worse- so I beelined for class, hoping to keep it to a small audience.\n\n\"Hi, Andrea,\" I managed in a reasonably steady voice. He glanced at me in mild surprise.\n\n\"Hi, Anne,\" he said.\n\n\"Uhhh, ready for the test next week?\"\n\n\"Bah. Won't be any big deal.\" He never admitted to actually studying for anything. I felt heat creeping into my face. I fought the urge to fidget with my hair.\n\n\"So. I was wondering. uh, from what I've heard, you don't have a date for prom yet. Would...you like to go with me?\" My voice squeaked slightly at the end. Ugh. That could have been delivered better, I thought. I tried to keep the thought from encroaching on my smile. Still beats the hell out of whatever Julie would have plotted. He gave me an odd look. It said, did I hear you right? I wanted to die a little inside. Then he flashed a dazzling grin. \"Sure. I'd love to go to prom with you! But...we do it right, ok? Classy. Not trashy like some do.\"\n\n\"Ummm, ok? Can't say I had anything trashy planned.\"\n\n\"Great! You just show up pretty. I'll take care of the rest. We'll go to Nonnie's.\"\n\n\"I have a weekend job; I can pay my half!\" I protested. Though Nonnie's was a fancy place and expensive.\n\n\"It's expensive for girls to doll up. And you were the one with the guts to ask. Courage should pay off!\" By this time class was ready to start and we went off to our respective lab groups.\n\nEdit: formatting", "\"So you didn't really earn those grades, I'm guessing.\"\n\n\"Excuse me?!\"\n\n\"Well, I mean--that came out wrong. I mean, you didn't actually \\do\\ your chemistry homework.\"\n\n\"Oh, that. No, man. But it's not like I was gonna be a doctor.\"\n\n\"Right.\"\n\n\"Or President of the United States.\"\n\n\"Well ...\"\n\n\"You know he only gets paid two hundred thousand a year, right?\"\n\n\"Yeah, but the book deals alone--\"\n\n\"Please. When they finally catch up to me, I \\guarantee\\ the book deals will be better.\"\n\nThere was a pause then, as we probably were both following that trail of thought.\n\n\"But I mean ... if they catch up to you--\"\n\n\"Yeah, somebody \\else\\ will have to collect \\that\\ money.\"\n\n\"Right.\"\n\nAnother pause.\n\n\"Can I just ask you ... why do you do it?\"\n\n\"Do what? Clean up after hits?\"\n\n\"No, I mean, the logic is inescapable: good money, someone was gonna make it, etc. But ... why cover for these guys? Who are they to you?\"\n\n\"Oh! Oh. I see what you mean.\"\n\n\"Is it okay to ask that?\"\n\n\"Buddy, we're up to our elbows in somebody else's viscera here, personal questions are pretty much a \\must\\ at this point.\"\n\n\"Okay, so ...\"\n\n\"Well ... and don't be mad ... in this particular case ... and on this particular night of all nights ... we happen to be cleaning up after something that \\you\\ did.\"\n\n\"Me?\"\n\n\"Eh ... well, not you specifically, but something that was done \\for\\ you.\"\n\n\"Waaaaait a second ... whose guts are these?\"" ]	3
	[WP] When he was a kid he asked his mom why demons existed. She told him they kept man from going to war with himself. Twenty years after the demon king died the world of man has fallen into civil war. It's up to him to put an end to it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The death of his father, The demon king. It wretched his cold and soulless body. The thought of how man could betray what kept him whole. The boy was but meek compared to the war, yet he spoke of things with such wisdom, that a child should not be able to recite so confidently. He didn't seem to trust the screaming anger that was human kind. His poor mother, Was less fortunate. She was captured upon a damp and heavy evening, with a cord drenched in holy water. She was dragged through the night, over the sharp stones and broken glass until she could scream no more. \n\n\|--\| \n\nThe boy was around 116 now. He was young, In demon years. And as his age suggested, He looked about 16. He had seen and experienced enough to know that mankind was not good. He was never given a name, and sought not to receive one, but he unfortunately had to have the pleasure of a name; Something that was truly his besides his father's throne. He named himself Mihi vindicta, and would cast into the night his cries of grief and regret. He named himself of shame, Of the promise of vengeance. \n\n\|--\| \n\nUpon a snowy, and cloudless night, He sought upon destroying a human camp. Mihi vindicta dawned a cloak of old and worn leather, His clothes of toughened cloth. He dawned the mask of a goat, and fell upon human kind, as an eagle scooped a mouse into its sharp and lethal talons. Mihi vindicta was as sour as a crab apple in early winter, and Vengeance was on his mind. He searched the forest in hopes of finding any signs of the dreaded humans that so cruelly murdered their balance. Demons, didn’t prefer that name. The only demons where humans that destroyed everything that was an inconvenience. Jesus was but a sinner who plagued the minds of those who were not intelligent enough to see otherwise. \n\n\|--\| \n\nInstead of demonic and devilish names, they called themselves Lex Libra, which meant the balance of true law. The Lex Libra where the true gods, the ones who offered immortality and riches to humans in exchange for gifts. It was truly the Lex Libra who cared for and nursed humans, While the “Gods” provided them with evil, illness, And poverty. The “Gods” Where truly the tricksters, Preaching that the Lex Libra where the evil. Tonight, was an exception for Mihi Vindicta, And this night would he show the humans who truly was there god. ", "It had been the anniversary of his father’s death. Leodun could barely remember his father. He remembered only fragments - a warm laugh, a kind but firm hand, an embrace that felt like being hugged by a friendly mountain. His father had been a soldier on the Endless Front, the barrier between the realm of man and the gates of the pit.\n\n“Mother, why do demons exist?” he asked, his eyes filling with tears. He’d finally understood that Papa was never coming home, that there would be no more warm laughter, no more kind hands. His mother pulled him into her arms, and it had been like being hugged by a welcoming tree, warm and friendly and nothing like his father’s hug.\n\nLeodun stepped over another broken and shattered thing. This had been a sword, or an axe. It was so warped it was impossible to tell anymore, as was it impossible to tell what nation the hand still attached to the hilt had come from. Were they Cadavenii, tall and proud? Or had they been Glomathi, somewhat less tall but no less proud? It had to be one or the other, Leoduned reasoned. Mercenaries from the Brackish Sea were rare in this battlefield.\n\nTwenty years had passed. The Chosen One had risen up and assembled the Shining Company. He had called to the four corners of the Empire of Man, where humankind had sat united against the demons that poured from the Endless Front.\n\n”Oh, my poor, sweet child,” His mother had said, stroking his hand as the tears began to well in his eyes. “The Demons exist because Anoe, in his wisdom, saw that without a foe, mankind would turn against themselves. Mankind would never have peace, so he gave them a war for unity.”\n\n“It’s so much bullshit,” Leodun said, his voice raspy from the smoke. Cardama, his second in command, turned her head to look at him.\n\n“What is?” she asked.\n\n“The teachings of Anoe. That without demons, Mankind would never have peace.” Leodun spat into the dirt. “We didn’t have peace before this, after all.”\n\nCaradama shrugged and shook her head. She kept her hair short, as common sense dictated all battle maidens did, but it was long enough to still ripple with the motion. “We were still unified,” she said. “And war was contained to the Endless Front.”\n\n”So father died because more men needed to be able to die?” Leodun asked, his voice cracking with horror. “What-”\n\nHis mother raised a finger to his lips, and he could see the tears welling in her eyes. That had scared him. Mothers didn’t cry. Mothers were strong and brave and nothing made them cry.\n\nThen again, he’d believed fathers never died.\n\n“Was that any better?” Leodun asked, shaking off the memory. Without Demon King, Mankind had began to turn on itself in petty desires, greet replacing fear, hate replacing unity, slaughter replacing hope. This village...had it been in Cadavenii hands before the battle, or Golmathi? \n\nHad the villagers even cared.\n\n“It was,” Caradama said, her eyes flashing. Caradama had some demon blood deep in her veins, and despite looking Leodun’s age, was at least twice his senior. “I swear it, Leodun. War with the demons was ugly and people died, but the innocents-” she gestured to the battlefield “were spared.”\n\nLeodun nodded, frowning.\n\n“Don’t tell me you doubt the plan?” She asked, her voice worried.\n\n”So this is all part of Anoe’s plan?” he asked, his voice harsher than he meant. “Father died so that other people’s fathers can live? We are alone so other families can be together?”\n\n”It isn’t for us to understand Anoe’s design,” his mother had said, but the tears were falling now, falling down cheeks he’d never seen streaked with their paths, and Leodun knew then she believed her own words as much as he did.\n\n“No, I don’t,” Leodun said, his voice harsher than he intended. “I just hope it works.”\n\n“It will,” Caradama said, her voice smooth. “Your father was the last person the Demon King personally killed with the Rod of Torment. Its power will respond to you.”\n\nLeodun frowned. He hated that was how he’d obtain the artifact that had made the Demon King so powerful. At least some good will come of that. “Then let’s go. How much further?”\n\n“Two day,” Caradama said, stepping over a skull that was far too small to belong to a soldier. “We’ve gotten what we’ve needed here.”\n\nLeodun nodded. “Assemble the men. We camp outside the walls tonight. Tomorrow, we ride south.” \n\nRide south, to where the Endless Front had been. Ride south, to where the Rod of Torment awaited.\n\nIf Humanity no long had a Demon King to keep them unified, then perhaps Leodun could make them respond to a Dark Lord.\n\n---\n\nMore at /r/Hydrael_writes\n" ]	3
	[WP] You are a smuggler who has been arrested for attempting to steal the national treasure of a large empire. You are brought before the empress to stand trial and realize that the empress is an old flame.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Slightly changed the premise, hope you don't mind.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n‘Well, this is it.’ The thief thought as he was dragged from his cell by two burly guards. After so many years and so many heists it was over, he had been caught. And now he was facing near certain execution. He had a good thing going for him, if he had just kept his head down and stuck to small scores he would’ve been fine. But no, he had to go and steal the crown jewels. Most of his team was dead, killed during their capture, the few that lived ratted him out as the mastermind. Which was why he was here, beaten and bruised, barely able to stand, being dragged to face justice from the Empress herself. \n\nThe thief and his escorts emerged from the dungeons into the grand splendor of the Imperial Palace’s Main Hallway. Gold and purple tapestries adorned the walls. Under his feet was the softest red carpet the thief had ever felt, and expensive vases, candelabras and other trinkets ran up and down the hallway as far as the eye can see. But the thief was not admiring the soft carpet, nor the expensive vases, nor the rich tapestries. His mind was occupied with thoughts of happier times, and the woman he loved. Joanna.\n\n\\-0000-\n\nMany years ago, the thief had broken into a large mansion, though it was not quite as grand as the palace, it was quite fitting of a high noble family. The thief was in the kitchens, stuffing silverware into his bag when he felt a knife press against his back.\n\n“Don’t move, and put your hands up” the soft feminine voice ordered and the thief complied.\n\n“Have you called the guards?” \n\n“Does it look like I need guards.” He felt the knife pull back slightly.\n\n“Maybe.” The thief retorted as he attempted to spin around and face his captor. With one swift motion his leg swept out to trip the woman and his hands reached out out for the weapon. But he was two slow, the girl easily danced out of the way of his kick, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a long gash on his arm, side and up his chest.\n\nThe thief stifled a scream. Although the cut was shallow and non life threatening it still hurt like a bitch. But worse than the pain was the fact that the knife was now pressed against his throat.\n\n“Cute try,” she teased. Her eyes were playful but fierce at the same time, and her lips curled into a slight smile. She pushed her body closer to the thief and he had to struggle to keep a clear head.\n\nWith her free hand she reached up and ripped of his mask. “Cute face, too.”\n\n“What are you going to do to me?”\n\n“Oh there’s a lot I’d like to do to you.” She smirked.\n\n“Oh really, like what?” He flirted, his face inching towards hers.\n\nJust then, they were interrupted by the sounds of boots coming down the hallway. The thief knew it to be the guards making their patrols.\n\n“Sorry Love, gotta go,” he laughed turning to make a break for the window, but was stopped by a hand grabbing him.\n\n“Uh-uh. The silverware please,” she ordered, extending her free hand. “Mother really loves that set.”\n\n“Very well,” he replied as he handed her the bag. She released him and he made his way to the window. Before slipping out into the night, the thief turned to address the young woman.\n\n“May I have your name?” \n\n“Joanna. And you are?”\n\n“Victor.”\n\nShe smiled. “See you soon, Victor.” \n\n\\-0000-\n\nJoanna did see the thief soon, and she saw him often. For three blissful months, Victor would sneak into her family’s estate and steal her away in the night. He wished it would never end but of course things would change eventually.\n\n“Married?” He repeated, begging to God that he had misheard her.\n\n“Yes, next week.” She confirmed.\n\n“But… why?”\n\n“Why? This is what we great families do, Victor. We sell noble wives to noble husbands. You must have known it would happen sooner or later.”\n\n“Well, yes, it’s just … I don’t want this to end. I love you.” He confessed.\n\n“You do?” Her eyes widened with genuine surprise. \n\nThe thief grabbed Joanna by the shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. “Yes Joanna, I love you. I love you more than all the jewels and gold in the world.”\n\n“I…”\n\n“Run away with me.” He pleaded, eyes full of tears.\n\n“What?!” She cried, then covered her mouth realizing she had spoken too loud. She listened for a moment, but when she didn’t hear any footsteps, she whispered, “Run away?”\n\nHe nodded. “I know I can’t give you some grand life or title, but I can love you and provide for you. I’ll give up thieving, I’ll get a real job. It’ll be a good life, a happy one.”\n\n“I… I don’t know what to say.”\n\n“Say yes.”\n\nShe pulled him into a kiss, he met her lips and deepened it into a passionate dance as he led her to the bed. As they made love, Victor began to plot his great escape and life with Joanna.\n\nWhat a naive fool he was.\n\nThe next morning after he had returned home, he was awakened by a knock at the door. Answering it he was greeted by a man in fine clothing with a look of pure disdain on his face. \n\n“Mr. Victor D’Albion.” He spat.\n\n“Who’s asking?”\n\n“A note for you.” He replied, handing a letter to the thief. “Good day, sir.” The man wasted no time leaving.\n\nNervously Victor opened the letter and read:\n\n“Dear Victor, \n\nI find myself unable to break your heart in person, so I have taken the coward’s way, and done it by letter instead. Though I have enjoyed our time together, I cannot say that I love you as you love me. And even if I did, it would not be enough. My ambitions are far greater than what a simple thief could provide. Please do not be come see me again. In fact, it is best that you forget about me.\n\nYours truly,\n\nJoanna.”\n\nVictor gasped in pain and heartbreak, suddenly finding himself unable to stand, he collapsed to the floor and sobbed.\n\nFor the next seven years Victor robbed, and cheated, and drank, and scammed, and whored to block the pain, but it was never enough. He could never forget Joanna. \n\nHe would do anything to see her again.\n\n\\-0000-\n\nVictor’s heart pounded as the moment he’d been waiting for arrived. His eyes were full of tears when he saw her. The Empress Joanna. Just as beautiful as he remembered. Her eyes had the same intensity. Her lips, the same smirk. And was that a hint of recognition he saw? The rest of the world faded away as he locked eyes with his old love. He did not hear the proclamation of his crimes. He did not hear the presentation of evidence. There was only her. The one. The only. The perfect. Joanna.\n\n“My Empress, what is your judgement?” \n\nJoanna paused. Victor wasn’t sure if he saw a tear in her eye. “Off with his head.”\n\nYes, he would do anything to see her again." ]	2
	[WP] 8 years ago you found out that you had the ability to control probability. Life has been extremely easy since then, but recently there are weird occurrences appear out of nowhere in your town. You realize you aren’t alone with this power.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Life is all about probability.\n\nYou could say that a person that controls probability controls reality.\n\nYou would be right.\n\nI won the lottery eight years ago, as a child.\n\nIt hadn’t been until that moment, holding the ticket my grandfather had mailed me for my birthday, dancing and flailing around like a fool in the living room in front of the tv, my family speaking louder and louder as they realized the implications of the numbers on my card perfectly matching the numbers being displayed on the television. I remember us all screaming together. We had all gone out together for hamburgers and pizza really late that night. It had been a really good night.\n\nI didn't suspect anything truly unusual had happened that day for years.\n\nIt just never occurred to me that I might actually be special. I just thought I was lucky.\n\nAt the time I think I thought every happy accident that happened in my charmed little life was all part of some incredibly long series of positive coincidences.\n\nI had been an idiot.\n\nI was still an idiot, but I used to be one too.\n\nWinning the lottery changed my family. It destroyed what they were.\n\nIt was the money, I think. Hundreds of millions of dollars suddenly on the table.\n\nIt was more than any reasonable individual could ever hope to spend in a single lifetime.\n\nEveryone had started freaking out about it. Our family, our friends, our neighbors.\n\nThat was fun. That had been a good day. A lot of excited phone calls and messages and emails.\n\nThe next month hadn't been so fun.\n\nThe local news stations started calling. The bloggers unending stream of messages.\n\nThen later, realtors' bills and lawyers correspondence.\n\nAnd then, along with all that, the public.\n\nThey weren't fun at all.\n\nWe bought all of our uncles, aunts, cousins, and relatives a house, a car, and given all of them a year’s pay as a token of celebration. We took pictures, took videos, took vacations.\n\nIt hadn’t been enough. It was never enough.\n\nClose friends wanted what had been given to family. Acquaintances wanted what had been given to close friends. Strangers wanted to be treated as acquaintances. Egos ran wild and unchecked.\n\nThe complaints started almost immediately. Some uncle's house cost a few thousand dollars more than someone else's. Some aunt had more square footage. Someone's flower garden was nicer than someone's garden.\n\nSome squandered the money. Others invested it.\n\nAlmost without exception, they all wanted more. Needed more.\n\nMy parents’ divorce had largely centered around who needed what.\n\nWhat was right? What was best? For themselves? For others?\n\nMy mother wanted to keep giving it away.\n\n“Why not?” she argued. She screamed. The fights had been epic.\n\n“We’ve given them enough!” had been my father’s position, he defended it ruthlessly.\n\nI hated seeing them fight. I hated it more than anything.\n\nI loved them both. I just wanted them to get along.\n\nAnd neither of them ever asked me what I wanted to do with the money.\n\nThe money itself hadn't mattered to me at the time. I had been a child. I hadn't understood the critical importance money played in people’s lives. I hadn't understood how it's acquisition largely defines people's lives. I hadn't understood the adult connection to money, and how it differs from a child's. I hadn't reflected on the contradiction of how currency brings people together while simultaneously dividing them apart.\n\nAs a child I had just wanted everyone to be happy. I thought money was good, and winning the lottery seemed like it would be a great thing at the time.\n\nPeople had died since then. Relatives, friends, acquaintances, strangers. From drugs, from depression, from crime, from suicide, from improbable chance.\n\nInsanity.\n\nHad they died because of the money, or because of a lack of it?\n\nI didn't know. I still don't.\n\nUltimately, my entire extended family just kind of dissolved. Everyone went their own separate, unhappy way for a short eternity.\n\nA few never returned and sailed into the dark. Others went to California.\n\nThe implosion of my parents marriage didn't come as a tremendous surprise. I think, on some level, I had wanted it to happen. At some point, I had just wanted the fight to be over, and the divorce had seemed like the fastest way to get it over with.\n\nThe divorce was… bad.\n\nIt was the money. It had always been about the money.\n\nThey both wanted to control it, and somewhere along the way a significant portion of it... slipped away. Sloshed away. Lawsuits and lawyers, they said. Nothing was said about the irresponsible purchases. The silverware, the antiques, the cars and houses. The frills and luxuries.\n\nIt was all just an accident. A terrible misunderstanding. Oops.\n\nThere was still enough for all of them, all of us, though. Millions of dollars, more than they... we... had ever had before.\n\nBut there wasn't as much as there had been, and so they both felt cheated by the other.\n\nNeither reckless generosity or frigid frugality had made my parents happy.\n\nIt was a fact I reflected on almost daily. A bedrock truth worth mulling over.\n\nIt didn’t matter to my parents that I excelled in school. It didn’t matter that the word around was that I was one of the best athletes in school, despite being only physically slightly above average. It didn’t matter what universities I had earned access to for myself or how many wonderfully improbable contests and competitions I came out on top in because they were entirely focused on the wrong exception in their lives.\n\nBy becoming wealthy, my exceptional accomplishments were no longer exceptional.\n\nThey became expected somehow. Normalized.\n\nMy parents fought over which of them really deserved the credit for my many accomplishments.\n\nIt hurt.\n\nThat would be the simplest way to describe it.\n\nAlong this surprisingly painful ride to adulthood, I had very, very slowly started to realize that my good fortune wasn’t purely coincidence – that I was, through some impossible process, somehow capable of twisting the probability of reality on its head.\n\nIt was an impossible revelation. A terrible epiphany. An insane realization that I couldn't share with anyone.\n\nBut it was also true.\n\nI mailed lottery tickets to the children and grand-children of my relatives and friends for modest, unremarkable amounts. I bought businesses and charities and tried to have them hired or provided for. I've arranged for personal successes where I could and charities where I couldn't. I learned the value of unseen work.\n\nThe camera man is just as important as the actor he's recording, but is much more easily forgotten by most.\n\nThat's the job of the people with cameras, the people with scripts, the people in charge of direction - to see, to lead, to show, but also to be invisible.\n\nMost forget they're even there. The background people.\n\nBut not everyone forgets.\n\nThere have been a few scattered investigations into my family's money and many, many audits, but nobody ever really knew what it was to look for. At what point does financial good fortune and generosity become criminal? That question alone had paid the annual bonuses of various accountants and lawyers and paralegals over the years since the day of the ticket.\n\nThe damned ticket. The damned lawyers.\n\nTheir billing rates were the real crime.\n\nI had noticed, however, somewhere along the way, that relatives usually stopped asking for money once they earned some of their own.\n\nUsually.\n\nAnd despite everything, despite every advantage I could give them, despite every piece of aid and effort I could think to give to them, a few family members plummeted into early graves. One quite literally.\n\nThat is to say, a few family members had personal problems that an infusion of money simply could not fix.\n\nFor those, it made their situation so much worse.\n\nTheir funerals had been incredibly sobering.\n\nThe memories of them keep me up at night, sometimes. The open caskets. The cold wakes. The tragedy.\n\nThere's something about the cost of great gifts... I try not to dwell on it too much.\n\nAs I grew up in the wonderful chaos that became my life, I was one of the lucky few to have an oasis.\n\nHer name was Jenny.\n\nI was even lucky enough to marry her.\n\nShe's a good, beautiful, intelligent woman. My everything.\n\nOur first child was born on February 13th.\n\nAs I held my baby girl for the first time, sitting next to my exhausted, beaming wife in the delivery room, I felt the same disorientating sense of intense vertigo I had first felt a lifetime ago as an innocent child with a winning lottery ticket. It was a sensation that had followed me throughout my life, every time some impossibly improbable occurrence had been twisted in my favor, the outcome changed as naturally as rainfall. It was a sensation I had come to recognize and embrace.\n\n“Hello Destiny,” I cooed to my daughter, tears of pure joy flooding my eyes and spilling over my cheeks, the room spinning around me.\n\nShe cracked my heart wide open as one her impossibly tiny hands latched onto my finger, my hand. I felt my heart shatter, I felt it melt, felt it flow back into my veins. My very own improbability.\n\nAnother one. Another gift.\n\nI would raise her. I would do her justice.\n\nI hadn't figured out what to do with the gifts I had already been given, but I would find my path.\n\nI would make one.\n\nWe were together, we were happy, and nothing would ever change that.\n\nNothing could.\n\nI wouldn’t let it.\n\n>>!\"\"A real man makes his own luck.\" Billy Zane, Titanic.\"!< \n> \n>>! \\- Dwight Shrute, the Office!<\n\n&#x200B;" ]	2
	[WP] Karens a hypochondriac, since a child she was obsessed with her health in probably the worst way and today she calls 911 in a panic "I have no pulse, no blood pressure, all my monitors say ~IM DEAD~ HELP." Turns out she is right.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The lights flickered on and the automated voice shrieked over the capabilities of the speaker, hissing with static. \n\n\"Cardiac Arrest, one ALS required.\"\n\nPhil's eyes had snapped open and he was already in his boots and walking towards the ambulance bay before he was fully awake. His sleepy haze worked through his consciousness as he could hear his EMT turn the engine over and roar the ambulance to life. Phil was halfway through his mental checklist as he slammed the door shut behind him and yanked the records laptop over his knees and ripped it open, temporarily blinding himself with the relentless blue light it emitted. \n\n\"Who the hell is this.\" Ned growled out as the bay doors crumpled open and the ambulance rolled out into the empty early morning street.\n\nPhil's eyes skimmed the 911 call information and zeroed in on a familiar address. \"It's goddamn Special K.\" He said through a bored sigh.\n\nWhere as Phil tried to maintain a decorum of diplomacy and polite professionalism, Ned unleashed the full rage of his opinion in the privacy of the ambulance. Ned trusted Phil with such information.\n\n\"It's two fifty in the goddamn morning. ON A SUNDAY! God damn you Karen.\" \n\nWorking in a fire department had some perks, but running calls at anytime at anyplace in the county was probably not one of them. Phil was the younger paramedic though and thankful for the job, where as Ned had long been a fire fighter turned emergency medical technician who was only a scant few years from retirement. Ned's patience for patients had faded long ago.\n\nThe drive into the suburb was without anymore information. Karen was a frequent flier with the fire-station. A middle-aged woman who had been medically retired from some government job and worked from home on who knew what while collecting a pension or disability. No one had ever asked, no one wanted to pretend to care for fear of being called more. Not that it mattered, Karen averaged about two calls a month and each call invariably resulted in a ride to the hospital.\n\nPhil was always cautious to refer to these sorts of calls as 'routine', he knew the horror stories that complacency caused. The ambulance lurching into reverse as Ned backed it up Karen's driveway shook Phil out of his thinking corner. With a loud click of gears locking into park. The pair stepped out of the ambulance and without a word needed to be exchanged, Phil took up the medicine bag and Ned grabbed the heart monitor machine.\n\nAs they walked up to the front door, Phil took in some light details. The porch light was on, the light in the living room seemed to be on. He could smell coffee at the entrance and as he brought his hand up to ring the bell, the door flew open. Karen stood in the doorway with fuzzy slippers and a bathrobe on, her expression one of wide eyed terror.\n\n\"Good morning Miss Ka-\" Phil was abruptly cut off by Karen who threw open the screen door and ushered them in.\n\n\"I was sleeping when I had a dream and woke up and realized I wasn't breathing and I have no pulse!\" She spoke in such a quick chirp that it was difficult to tell what she had said at all.\n\nNed grumbled audibly and Phil's voice raised to cover his partners opinion, \"Ok, Karen, well if you weren't breathing how are you talking?\"\n\nShe paced around her living-room, glaring at the pair and then looking horribly distressed, \"I take in a breath just to speak, it took me almost an hour to call 911 because I had to relearn how to talk!\"\n\nPhil could barely hide his amusment at the prospect. He had been practicing pre-hospital medicine for years and had run into his fair share of psychiatric cases, but this was a new one for him. He sought to defuse the situation as best he knew how. \n\n\"We have this machine here that watches the electricity of your heart. If I show you that you have a heart beat will that help?\"\n\nShe threw her hands up, \"I can feel for a pulse at my own neck, I was a doctor with the NIH for christ's sake! You're an advanced life support ambulance! Help me!\"\n\nNed mumbled something about helping her into a straight jacket but Phil had quickly taken the monitor from him and was setting it on the coffee table and motioning for Karen to sit on the couch. He hadn't known that about her, that she had worked for the National Institute for Health. Exasperated, she sat down with her arms crossed in what could best be described as an adult pout. Phil unraveled the long strands of cords and began putting stickers on her wrists and exposed knees. He always explained what he was doing while he worked with a patient.\n\n\"These electrodes let us watch the way electricity is working with your heart. It always follows a pretty normal pattern and it's how we can see if there's a heart attack or something.\" \n\nKaren cut him off at once, \"I know what an EKG is, Phillip.\"\n\n\"Of course you do.\" Ned grunted.\n\nPhil tried to will away the flushing heat in his ears, embarrassed for Ned and for an adult woman having a ridiculous morning. He looked toward the tracing green line on the screen of his monitor and watched it keep a flat line. He sniffed with confusion and changed the voltage settings, thinking the sensors could have been set too high. Karen kept completely still, her eyes growing wider as she looked at the screen. Ned's brow perked and he leaned forward, taking Karen's wrist and feeling for her pulse with his index and middle finger.\n\nPhil wordlessly put some of the stickers to his own wrists and lifted his shirt to put the lower monitor leads on either side of his belly, then unplugged Karen and attached them to himself. The monitor's green line chirped and jumped about, following his heartbeat. Ned looked to Phil with utter confusion and Karen pointed at Phil's heart beat, shouting.\n\n\"See! See! I'm not crazy!\" She was nearly in tears.\n\nPhil shook his head, refusing to believe the reality before his eyes. \"We'll head to the hospital and sort this out.\"\n\nAs the trio packed up their kits and turned to get to the ambulance outside, another knock came at the door. Phil looked to Karen with tired confusion and then opened the entrance. Three men in suits and a row of large black SUV's were outside.\n\n\"Fuck this morning.\" Ned rumbled.", "Karen Peterson. One of Ruben county's frequent fliers. This was the third time Karen called 911 this week. Thomas Tipton was at the end of his sixteen hour shift when his pager buzzed. His eyes flicked up to his partner Sarah, cocked his head, sighed and shrugged his shoulders. \n\n\"Wanna go see the crazy little lady at 1701 Enterprise Lane ... again?\"\n\n\"Yeah. Fuckin' beam me up Tommy!\" She rolled off the couch onto the floor dramatically slow-motion lifting herself to standing. She rolled her eyes and then her shoulders in long standing tradition of Station 23's \"Let's go.\"\n\nThe end of shift was always a crapshoot. \n\nTen minutes later, at Karen Peterson's fourth story studio apartment Thomas knocked on the door. \n\n\"We really ought to get our own set of keys to this place.\" Sarah smirked at Thomas's comment as the door creaked open. \n\n\"But I can open the door for you!\" a seven year old girl said proudly. Her beaming smile confused Thomas and Sarah. \n\n\"Who are you?\" asked Sarah. \"Karen doesn't have kids.\"\n\n\"I'm Becca and daddy won't let me stay here cuz mommy keeps doin stupid stuff.\" She pointed back to the bedroom they knew too well. This time however, the bedroom looked like a minor surgery theater. E.E.G. E.K.G. and blood pressure readouts all showed zero activity. \n\n\"Get me to the hospital you dimwits!\" Karen started screaming immediately after they entered the room. \"These machines are flat out telling me I'm already dead!\"\n\nThomas shot Sarah The Look and glanced at the improperly wired leads and the disconnected airline to the pressure cuff. The paper tape showed 15 minutes of activity before all three went inactive. \n\n\"I see. Your leads are disconnected. You're fine Karen.\" Sarah's patience was worn past thin with Karen Peterson. \n\n\"FUCK YOU! I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR!\" Karen thrashed on her 'hospital' bed. Sarah shot Thomas a look and gave him The Nod. \n\nThomas sighed and unzipped. \n\nHis bag! Unzipped his bag! He flipped open his crash kit and grabbed a needle and a bottle of Norepinephrine. He charged the paddles to 200 and handed them to Sarah.\n\n\"Fuck you Karen!\" another quick look amongst each other.\n\n\"No. I want...\"\n\n\"Clear!\" The paddles discharged and Karen's eyes bulged. Thomas waited until the paddles were clear and slammed the needle into the carotid artery...roughly. Karen sputtered and he left arm clawed at empty air as her eyes lost focus. \n\nWeirdly, her home equipment did register the jolt. Thomas shrugged and gave her a few half hearted and completely arythmic chest compressions. \n\n\"Weird. This time you were right Karen. You're dead.\" He made a mocking face and gestured around his own face immitating her haircut. \n\n\"What do you want to tell the kid?\"\n\n\"She'll be staying with her Dad all the time now. You wanna say different?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n. . . \n\nOkay. I just had fun with this. It's horrible but I was working on world building and...it got away from me. Enjoy.\n\n" ]	3
	[WP] Your professor's been giving you odd looks for a while now. Often when you turn, you find her gaze locked into yours with a predatory look. Your friends have been teasing you about it. Truth is? She's a were-owl. And you're a were-mouse. And the full moon is coming.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Jesus fucking Christ.\n\nI felt my heart thumping in my chest, threatening to just burst out and start dancing on the floor as I looked up at the night sky outside my window.\n\nA full moon. \n\nI looked down at my hands. Or rather, paws. \n\nYup, I’m a were-animal.\n\nI say were-animal, because of the fact that not only do werewolves exist, but there were were-animals of nearly every species. Some people turned into sharks, forcing them to invest in large tanks and chum in case of a full moon. Others turn into dogs and simply have to be kept inside, cuddled up to a pillow or bed.\n\nAnd we all look like fucking furries.\n\nSeriously, we look like furry dreams come true. Anthropomorphic animals that turn that way at the light of a full moon.\n\nWhich is why looking at a mirror shows that I’ve grown fur, a muzzle and even a bald tail. Just like a goddamn mouse.\n\nTHUMP\n\nI jumped at the sudden noise and turn to my window, letting out a squeak (yes, a squeak, fuck you) as I met the eyes of a fellow were-animal. Professor Catherine by day, but under the full moon, she’s a were-owl.\n\n“Please come out, Jason~ If you let me fill my belly with your tasty self, I’ll give you straight A’s!” She pleaded as she clawed at the window with her hand-turned-talons. \n\n“As if I’d be alive to benefit from those!” I retorted back as I got the broom ready. \n\nThis honestly hasn’t been the first time I’ve had to chase off a predator. Mice... tend to be prey to just about anything.\n\n“Pleaaaaaaase? Just a nibble?” She pouted, opening her beak and pointing inside. “Maybe a gulp? A little more?” \n\nI opened the window and shook my broom out, forcing her to fly. “Stay out, goddamnit! No means no!”\n\nShe growled, but I didn’t care. Suddenly, she grabbed the broom, forcing us into a tug-of-war. “Hey! Let that go!”\n\n“I’m sorry, Jason! You may be my best student, but I’m starving!” She said as she wrestled the broom away. Shit! I scrambled to close the window, but she managed to push her arms through and lift it up, pouncing off the window to pin me to the ground. \n\n“F-Fuck! Get off of me!” I yelled as I kicked and punched. I got a good punch in before she grabbed both wrists and pinned them down.\n\n“Finally! Fresh prey~!” She opened her beak, leaning closer to run her tongue across my face.\n\n“Gross! Fuck you!” I screamed as I used my tail to wrap around her neck. She squawked as she lunges forward, maw open as she managed to latch onto my head! I winced as I felt her hot breath wash across my face. My tail wrapped even tighter as she tried to swallow, stopping my head from sinking anymore than it needs to. Soon enough, I heard her choking and spat my head out, clutching my tightening tail as I took the opportunity to kick her in the chest, off of mine and onto the floor.\n\nI growled as I had the were-owl on the floor, opening the window and shoving her back out. “I’m sorry, Miss Catherine. I like your class, but know when to give up!”\n\nThe owl tried to caught her breath as she coughed and sputtered. “Fine... you win this time. Again.” She leered as she held onto the window, “Just know that I know that you enjoyed it in there last time~” She smirked before flying away, leaving me with a saliva soaked head and an air of awkward feelings. I shook my head, leaning onto the window as I heard the door open behind me.\n\n“Hey, mind if I borrow this tennis ball?” I looked back at my friend, a were-dog. \n\n“I’ll throw it for you.” I smiled as he yipped excitedly." ]	2
	[WP] The bad news: Mimics are real. More bad news: His name is Dave, and he is the worst roommate you've ever had.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Super crude, but I was bored before bed, so here we are.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n \n\n“You’re a fuckin’ nightmare to be honest, man.” I had a right to be mad. “This is the third time in a row you haven’t made rent.” I looked to the chest in my living room. He blushed shyly back at me, embarrassed from being put on the spot.\n\n“Yeah, I know dude, but money has just been so tight, the bards are so clever these days…”\n\n“They’re not adventurers! They’re buskers! They busk for money! You can’t just pretend to be a guitar case and have people throw money at you.” My phone was open to my checking account now as I calculated how much I would have to spend to cover the worst roommate of all time once again.\n\n“Why?”\n\nI put my phone down and squeezed the bridge of my nose. “It’s rude, it’s dishonest, and, oh yeah, it’s fucking stealing!”\n\n“You steal too.” The chest flapped its lock at me with indignance. The lid on this guy, I swear.\n\n“Oh yeah?”\n\n“Yeah. My food. From the pantry. I’ve seen you eat it.”\n\nI didn’t mean to, but I snapped. The anger and frustration of the past three months boiled over and every neuron in my brain scoured for the most vile, most mean, most hurtful thing I could say to get in his head. “Maybe you could do with a little less food huh? You’re getting a little wide around the uh...corners.” Immediately, I regretted saying it. I didn’t want to be that kind of person but the damage was done. \n\nThe silence was deafening. A beat passed, then another, before the chest cleared his weird, nondescript respiratory system. “Well, I fucked Gianna.”\n\n“That’s a lie. You don’t have a penis.”\n\n“I’m a mimic! I can have whatever the fuck I want, you little idiot!” With a sick popping noise, like the fabric of reality itself ripped for a moment, my roommate shifted forms, smaller and smaller, into a purple object I vaguely recognized. “Look familiar, huh?”\n\nThere was no mistake. There, on the cheap shag carpet in front of me, was six inches of phallic silicone I knew very well. Gianna had bought it last year to spice things up between us. But, it now seemed I wasn’t the one doing the spicing. The periwinkle penis now winked back at me, his victory written all over his dickhead face.\n\nYeah, I’m gonna move out." ]	2
	[WP] We thought that our skin was part of our body. It’s not. Furthermore, it never was even our ally. It was a parasite from long, long, ago.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It seemed like an obvious clickbait headline. \"Baby Born Without Skin.\" The thumbnail was just a screenshot from Attack on Titan. Aroused from your cat-picture-and-fail-compilation induced lethargy, you read the startling details of a baby girl born in Mexico without any skin. She was reportedly healthy, but doctors were baffled as to her condition. A thin, transparent membrane lined with blood vessels served to keep everything intact.\n\nOver the next few weeks, the mainstream media ran the story between talk of upcoming elections, ongoing conflicts and celebrity sex-scandals. You didn't understand all the science but it seemed that the girl had been born with some kind of genetic disorder, like a super-eczema. There was no trace of skin cells anywhere on her body.\n\nEventually the novelty wore off. It was months later that you saw a flier in town about a medical study at the nearby university. They were looking for people suffering skin disorders, like eczema or psoriasis, to provide samples and be part of an experiment. Glancing down at your own red, blotchy skin, you took down the number and made the call.\n\nAt the university, you weren't told a lot. You had to provide blood and skin samples from different parts of your body - both bits affected by your condition and healthy bits - and were told to come back in a couple of weeks for the preliminary results and the next part of the experiment. You pocketed your cheque and went on with your life.\n\nWhen you returned, you were given a packet of pills and told to take one a day and write down any observations in your skin's condition. No further information. You obliged - they were probably just placebos anyway - and filled the first few days of your log with 'no changes'.\n\nAbout a week and a half later, you woke up in the middle of the night, uncomfortably hot. In the dark you threw off the covers and felt your head. It was slick with fluid. A high fever? You stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, head spinning and body burning. You fumbled for the light, then collapsed against the sink, holding yourself up on the welcoming, cool porcelain.\n\nYour hand was covered in blood. It ran in crimson streaks down the sink from your fingertips.\n\nA large droplet fell from higher up and splashed against the ceramic. Vision swimming, you looked in the mirror to see your whole body bloodied. But that wasn't it. There was something else wrong with your reflection.\n\nYour skin was... sloughing. Like you'd aged ninety years overnight. Trembling, you took your hand from the edge of the sink, only for the skin to break down the back of your hand like a thin film of sweaty plastic, revealing the bone-and-ligament structure underneath.\n\nThe tear continued up your arm as you pulled the muscles away from the sack of flesh that began to slip onto the bathroom floor. In your fevered delirium, you thought you saw thousands of tiny tendrils on the inside of the empty jacket, writhing and wriggling. The shock got to you.\n\nWhen you came to, everything was bright. The noise of a garbage truck outside alerted you that it was morning. Your fever seemed to have passed - you stood up from the bathroom floor to find yourself standing in a hairy, pulpy mess; like a fatberg localised entirely on your linoleum. Disgusted by both the feel and smell of it, you wretched into the sink, adding last night's dinner to the pool of browning blood stains.\n\nIt took some time to come to a conclusion about what to do. Your skin had fallen off. That's not normal. You decided to call the doctors at the university, which you eventually managed after struggling with the touchscreen controls of your phone. A discarded stylus from an old tablet helped get around the lack of skin. Once you got through to them, you shakily described what had happened the previous night. They told you in no uncertain terms to stay where you were, that they'd come pick you up.\n\nWhen they arrived, they quickly covered you in one of those shiny blankets normally reserved for marathon runners. Two people in full-body suits walked past you into your bathroom and began scooping what you had once learned to be 'the largest organ in your body' into a bag with a biohazard symbol. You weren't taken to the university, but were instead rushed to a private hospital outside of town. Ushered through the emergency entrance, you were soon laid down on a bed, hooked up to a drip, heart monitor and all manner of other arcane devices that went 'beep, and shuttered in a ward all to yourself behind a hastily erected tent that felt like being inside a hamster ball..\n\nThat was your life for the next few weeks. The doctors came and went, checking on you like some sort of specimen in a jar. Some spoke to you, others wouldn't. You pieced together that you'd had a reaction to the drugs from the trial - your body had rejected your skin and was now in the process of adjusting to life without it. You thought back to that girl from the news. One of the doctors, a bright-faced young student daringly named Jim confirmed the connection.\n\nThe trial was intended to investigate the girl's condition by replicating it in others. Frankly he was surprised it had got past the ethics board. People with pre-existing skin conditions were sought out because it was thought they may be more likely to develop the same immune response.\n\nYou questioned what he meant by that.\n\nHe hesitated, but slowly explained that the girl didn't suffer from a skin 'condition'. Her body's immune system had, through genetic mutation, recognised her skin for what it actually was: a parasite. It had killed the parasite in the womb, and she was born without it. Possibly the first human in recorded history to do so.\n\nIt all seemed a bit much. The skin? A parasite? But Jim continued to explain. Initial research into how the girl had been born led doctors to the hypothesis that the skin was not a natural part of the human body after all. It was a dangerous conclusion, and one that had been carefully kept out of widespread discussion until studies like this one could provide more evidence.\n\nYou were a guinea pig. A guinea pig unknowingly cured of one of the oldest parasites known to mankind." ]	2
	[WP] Best friends forever means forever, even if one of you is going senile and the other is a vampire.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"You know, I never understood why we need these new fangled contraptions. Back in my day, we made do with a hunk of wood, a pot, and dang flint! Do you get what I'm saying lassie?\" The old man said, trying and failing to brew a cup of tea for two with a steel kettle in the microwave. In stark contrast the old wrinkly man hobbling with a cane and a prosthetic foot was a youthful springy child barely 12 years old. Calmly, she grabbed the fire extinguisher and doused the flaming microwave before the fire alarm could go off. She then brewed a strong cup of black tea before pouring two cups, one for herself and one for the old man before they went back to their game of chess. \n\n\"Yes, it is quite jarring to see such conveniences. Check.\" The young child said, her strawberry blonde hair and pale skin practically glowing as she moved a piece. Once she had her friend in check, she reached into her pocket and took out a tiny steel bottle. \n\n\"Oh, is that honey? I love honey! Give me some.\" The old man said, moving his piece as the girl poured the entire contents of the bottle into her cup of tea. The scent of iron filled the room, but the old man's nostrils had worn away from age, leaving him with a barely functional sense of smell. Still, the girl feigned a pouring motion while making a dripping noise with her tongue. \n\n\"Here you go.\" She said as they both took a sip of their tea. \n\n\"Ah. That's some good honey. Also, check mate.\" The old man said before moving a piece. Though he had trouble remembering where he put his keys, was not legally permitted to drive, and suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, he beat the child at every game they played. Eventually she pouted and sat on his lap, discontent with the results of the match.\n\n\"Oh, don't be like that. You'll get better when you're older.\" He said reassuringly. \n\n\"I'll beat you one of these days.\" She promised. \n\n\"You'd best hurry up.\" He chuckled, patting her on the head as a black figure burst in from the ceiling. The figure was darkness itself, coagulating into a giant of a man with long fangs and razor sharp claws. The only source of light was a twinkling spike sticking out from its chest.\n\n\"Slayer! Your time is over! Remove this seal from my heart or die!\" The red eyed bat chimera yelled, its voice heard from around the city. Though the blade of time had ravaged the man that had fought the eldritch creature, the stake held up as a testament to his power.\n\n\"Damn it! I'm telling you, I don't want your damn girl scout cookies!\" The old man yelled angrily as the giant strove forward, its every footstep sending shockwaves through the city. \n\n\"What the-Slayer! I know you're here! I will kill this old man if you don't come out!\" He roared as the old man ground his teeth. \n\n\"Dammit, fine! You got me! I want a box, but my doctor banned me. Said something bout my cholesterol, but what does he know? We want a box of peppermint patties.\" He said as the girl shook her head.\n\n\"No, we want the peanut butter ones. Mint is just nasty.\" \n\n\"Rude! I happen to like the cool flavor of-\"\n\n\"ENOUGH!\" The giant roared, taking a swing at the duo. Just before the blow could reach them, a whip flew in from the doorway, wrapping around the monstrous arm and yanking it upwards. It missed by a hair, decimating the kitchen and leaving swathes of destruction in the swing's wake.\n\nStanding by the door was a group of youths that bore a resemblance to the old man, each of them equipped with a mix of modern weapons and the family's heirlooms, each of them blessed with potent magics to combat darkness. Running inside, they began fighting the ancient evil while the two continued to sit and idly prattle on about cookies.\n\n\"Slayer! You've... Got siblings?\" The vampire asked, slightly puzzled to find not one of its hated enemies, but 8. Of the 8, roughly 3 of them were, for some odd reason, female and wearing skintight clothing. \n\n\"Hey Clara, hey grandpa!\" One of them yelled, flicking the whip and throwing the evil monstrosity outside before turning to fight the monster outside.\n\n\"You brats! Come here, make a mess of the place, and don't have the gall to say hi?\" The old man yelled while raising his cane. All 8 of the hunters rolled their eyes as a man 40 years of age strolled in. \n\n\"Hi dad. Hi Clara.\"\n\n\"Hello Doc Boy.\" The girl said mockingly as the old man giggled like a school boy.\n\n\"Stop calling me that. I'm a grown man now.\" \n\n\"Okay then Doc boy.\"\n\n\"Damn it. You and your kids better clean this mess up.\" The old man said. \n\n\"Yeah, yeah dad.\" \n\n\"Also, you don't visit enough on Christmas.\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah.\" The current successor to the Slayer name said, listening to his predecessor prattle on and on while his annoying little buddy kept calling him Doc boy. While he was listening to his father explain the merits of wool socks and their superiority over cotton, his kids were fighting against an ancient 1,000 year old evil that plunged the world into darkness and nearly ended the world as they knew it. \n\n\"Yes dad, I get it. Can I go now?\" He asked. \n\n\"No, I-\"\n\n\"Dad, help, I think he's got a boner!\" \n\n\"Stop whipping him, I think he's enjoying it!\"\n\n\"Curse you female Slayers and curse your stupid skin tight leather uniforms! Also, you will have to do better than that! It's all in the wrist and waist!\" \n\n\"I hate my life!\" \n\n\"Ah, just like the good old days.\" The old man said, watching an old time buddy stop by while he was enjoying a family reunion. \"As I was saying, mint is the best flavor since you can feel it. What other flavor can you feel?\"\n\n\"Uh, spicy food?\" \n\n\"Spicy food is evil and should be illegal!\" They went back and forth, continuing their daily routine of the past 60 years." ]	2
	[WP] You’re on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. Rumours start circulating about a plague on dry land rapidly wiping out humanity. You’ve been waiting 1 year now and the ship is an ugly scene, the cannibalism of the weakest has started. You need to get ashore.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Cobie slipped her room key in to her clutch purse. It wasn't an actual key; it was a credit card, complete with magnetic strip, that acted as payment for everything on board the Insignia.\n\nPreparation for the cruise had given her fever dreams. What if one of them had a heart attack? Needed hospitsl treatment? The fact that everything that had any value was contained within this little card only exacerbated that feeling of fear. It she lost that little card, she was fucked. \n\n'Seth, you ready?'\n\nCobie looked out of the porthole at the ocean. The water itself, it didn't bother her. She found the calm roll of waves soothing; swimming was a hobby that she lost and found throughout her life. \n\n'I got my room key. Where's yours, Seth?'\n\nDead air.\n\n'Seth James Clarkson!'\n\n'All right, I'm only next door. It's in my dinner jacket from last night.'\n\nSeth emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of earthy smelling aftershave. His cheeks were smooth, shiny with sweat and punctuated with red bumps where he had shaved. He looked so much younger when all of the stubble was scraped from his cheeks. She could look at him and be transported back ten years and forget all of their problems. \n\n'I'll just leave it there. Just in case.'\n\nX\n\nThe room key was still in that pocket. The jacket itself was dusty. Lapels bitten at by moths. Gaping holes in the fabric. But the key remained safe.\n\nCobie took it out of the doorless armoire and shrugged it on. It hung off her like a second skin. The smell of Seth had faded. It smelt of the dirt and the dark and everything that clamoured around the ship now.\n\nCobie swirled in front of the cracked mirror. The fractures in the glass split her in to seven different versions of herself. They all looked gaunt, haunted by the jacket on her frame. She was hungry. So hungry. And tired.\n\n'Cobie. Cobie, I'm sorry. It's time to go.'\n\n'Sure,' she said limply. She put her hand in Seth's pocket, finger closing around the sharpened point of the room key.\n\nIt was time to go out and find some food.\n\n\n\n", "“Happy Anniversary.”\n\n“What?”\n\n“You heard me.” Mark clinked an empty bottle against the steel galley plate in celebration.\n\n“It’s really been that long?” Aimee rubbed the bruise on her ankle and shook her head at the thought of an entire year in this situation.\n\n“I know. I didn’t realize either, but I finally got my phone charged enough to try for a signal again. Looked at the calendar.”\n\n“Did you get a signal?”\n\n“Don’t you think I’d have started with that?”\n\n“I guess so.” Aimee stood up and tested her strength. She was finally able to put weight back on the sprain, but the pain still shot up her leg uncomfortably.”\n\n“I see you’re up.”\n\n“Just barely.” A loud bang shook the reserve pantry where they’d kept hidden for months. “You made sure to block that door?”\n\n“Of course I did.” The vibration shook again.\n\nThey followed their routine of sliding the largest cupboard up against the door and lining up steel chairs to barricade it shut completely. While cramped, the large food closet had made a decent safe room. Time had flown by without witnessing the lottery. The stock of cans had kept them relatively nourished, strong enough and fast enough to avoid the chasers on the rare occasions they had left to collect rainwater.\n\nThe strikes against the door continued. Though each attack twisted Mark and Aimee’s stomachs in fear, the pair had withheld more than a dozen attempts to get inside. Enough lottery winners had been available, so the chasers always moved on.\n\nLong after the attack had stopped, their hearts no longer fluttering, Aimee touched Mark’s hand. “Remember when we found this place?”\n\n\\\\\\\n\nMark’s mind flashed back to that day some months earlier. The lottery had only been in effect for a few weeks. Twelve had been taken from the crowd, and dragged to the pit that had once been the beautiful deck swimming pool advertised in so many brochures. At first, only a few of the more craven survivors were willing to partake in sustaining themselves on their former shipmates. But after almost two months with barely any food reserves left, the willing grew larger, hungrier, and more desperate.\n\nThe nerve agents employed on the mainland seemed to have effects that coursed through humanity faster than anyone could have predicted. Mark had sat glued to the satellite television that brought in the first news reports of the attacks, and he had stopped talking to anyone else on the ship once he could no longer reach any of his friends or family back home. The experience turned his innards cold and his mind numb, so on the day that she approached him, Mark barely paid attention.\n\n“You notice the lottery winners seem very small? Like they are the weakest possible? Like they couldn’t possibly defend themselves? Does that seem random?”\n\n“I guess not,” he answered without actually thinking over the observation.\n\n“The lottery is rigged. They are going to just keep taking out the weakest members for as long as possible, but keep people hoping the lottery is somehow fair to keep the rest from any uprising.”\n\nI guess,” he offered still without thought.\n\n“Are you listening to me?” she punched his arm.\n\n“Yeah, why did you punch me?”\n\nShe rolled her eyes and pulled at the arm she just battered. “Let’s get out of here.”\n\nA million thoughts raced through Mark’s head about what that sentence might have meant in a thousand other contexts, a thousand other situations. But somehow, the irony was what brought him back into focus. Aimee’s earlier words finally registered in his mind, and he understood that she meant to run from the chasers before she could be the winning ticket.\n\nFor the next two weeks, they searched every square inch of the ship they could access, not unlike most other passengers had long since done. Once the chasers had taken control of the crowd, they had blocked access to much of the ship. In fact, they had passed the secondary pantry closet in the rear of the kitchen many times. A closet was far too small, far too cramped, far too accessible by others, and far too likely for them to be trapped inside. They had long ago discounted it by the time Aimee’s ticket won.\n\nRunning from a mob in full strength elevates adrenaline. Running from a mob when starving adds cement boots to the endeavor.\n\nMiraculously, their prior searches gave them just enough advantage to lose the crowd long enough to hide. The pantry closet seemed a deathtrap. But as they slammed themselves inside the tiny room and barricaded the door for the first time, something strange happened. The chasers announced that additional winners had been chosen, and soon enough the screams of the latest winner outmatched any outraged voices or slams at the door between them and a gruesome, cannibalistic end.\n\nEvery scrape thereafter lead them to the conclusion that as long as others were less trouble to catch, they could stay safe inside. At first, they wondered how they would survive, but they preferred death by starvation to death as human barbecue. The tiny door window provided just enough light to keep them sane, but hunger pains soured them day by day. In a moment of desperate frustration, Mark kicked the rear of the closet with the last bit of strength inside him. He couldn’t have known it would lead to salvation as the rear of the closet was in fact a somewhat obscured door to additional storage. The door itself had been somewhat jammed into place, and disguised for some sort of seamless, modern decor. The dust layers over the goods suggested it had been a very long time since these had been accessed, but the can opener alongside the parcels might as well have been 24 carat gold.\n\nMark and Aimee were rejuvenated and began occasional ventures back to the rest of the ship for additional supplies. Mark generally found little resistance. On a ship of 1200 passengers, most others - even the chasers - didn’t recognize him, nor bother him. Aimee, on the other hand, had encountered some resistance. She was once accosted by a young woman who claimed to recognize her as a lottery winner, but Aimee moved on quickly. She ventured less often after the encounter, but still felt a responsibility to share some of the risk.\n\nMost recently, a chaser that had been present at her lottery win recognized her immediately. He grabbed her arm, pulling her so violently that she fell to the ground in an uncoordinated heap. Too scared to scream for help, too tangled to immediately run, Aimee’s panic temporarily overcame her senses. Her own weight had come down hard on her ankle, numbness rising rather than pain. The injury and fear churned into a nauseous cloud over her mind and heavy anchor holding her to the ground.\n\nThe chaser grabbed her ankle and twisted it without remorse. The sudden fear in her gut caused her to kick twice at her attacker, the two strikes catching him in the face. He screamed loudly, and the sound of footsteps running toward the entangled scene finally triggered her flight. With the excruciating pain now making itself known as she got to her feet, she hobbled as quickly as possible to the safe room, never daring to look behind her before crashing into the closet and into Mark’s arms as he braced the doors and gently lowered her to the floor. Despite the attack outside, no one followed. No one struck at the door. No one could be bothered to continue the fight.\n\nMark tried to calm Aimee, and he kept her distracted as long as possible in an effort to prove they remained safe. He waited to venture out again for several days, making sure she was confident to remain hidden alone. Even the few trinkets and belongings they had acquired over the weeks - a small solar charger, a few paperbacks, glass bottles, and a deck of cards - provided no relief. Mark had never realized that his presence with her, in this impossible situation was far more powerful a calming influence than any toys could provide. Days later, he finally saw her spirit return enough to try venturing out once again, hoping to get a signal on his freshly charged phone and try to contact the outside world.\n\n\\\\\\\n\n“Yeah, I remember when we found this place,” Mark answered after an almost unnoticed pause.\n\n“We’re not going to be able to stay here forever, are we?”\n\n“I guess not.”\n\n“The chasers are coming more often too.”\n\n“I guess.”\n\nThe punch landed on Mark’s arm in a familiar place.\n\n“Let’s get out of here.”", "The chill of the Atlantic crept through the haggard passengers as they huddled in the star lit sky atop the cruise ship's bow. The Captain, a once portly man, was now showing severe signs of dehydration. His sunken eyes scanned the crowd as he motioned for them to be silent, licking his cracked, dry lips.\n\n\"Please,\" his voice was hoarse. \"Please be silent people.\"\n\nJo watched him from the crowd as his feeble voiced repeated the request. She remembered the day he invited her aboard the ship, how jolly he once as his hand enveloped hers in excited greeting. He was decidedly less jolly now, taking on a more feeble, morose constitution. And who could blame him, she admitted to herself. He was not the same, but neither was she, and neither was the world.\n\nShe remembered when the calls started to come through from friends and loved ones of the thousand or so aboard the ship. Every passenger had a different tale to tell off the horror that seemed to burn right across the earth. Plague, panic, rape, looting, penitent blood cults, she heard it all. The only thing worse than knowing what was going on was only half knowing. Eventually she tuned it out, content to know merely that the world was gone. Not long after she didn't have to tune it out anymore, the last call from the mainland coming through only a week after the first. Then nothing, and it had been like that ever since, perhaps for a year or maybe more.\n\nJo felt her heart begin to beat quicker as a the crowd seemed to swirl around her. She stumbled though the crowd, ignoring the Captain's laboured shouts until she reached the end of the bow, grabbing a railing to help steady herself. The bouts of dizziness were becoming more common as their water supply began to dwindle. She knew those aboard the rest of the ship were feeling the same. She hung her head overboard and watched the water sway gently again the side of the ship. After a moment or two of heavy breathing she turned back around, resting against the railing and focusing her attention on the Captain, who had finally managed to gain the crowds attention. He held a flashlight near to his face to help people see him in the still dark, an ever increasing necessity now that the ship's generators had packed in. Jo smirked, a modern cruise liner with no power, floating aimlessly in the Atlantic with a crew of starving, pitiful souls; they may as well have been a ghost ship.\n\n\"People, silence now if you may,\" the Captain still retained his courteous nature. \"As I'm sure you're all well aware, the last of our generators gave up two nights ago. That means we've lost the last of our power.\"\n\n\"So we're stranded?\" a voice called out. \"We can't go anywhere?\"\n\n\"That's correct, though I'm afraid we have a much more immediate concern. With our power finally gone we no longer have a working desalination system, which means our clean water resources are worryingly finite.\" He paused a second as his words gave way to feeble coughs, then, after composing himself, continued. \"Now I've come to know you all well over the last year, and I believe you all to be good people. That is why I'm giving full disclosure to our current predicament, despite the propensity it may have to incite panic. Before that can happen, I want to inform you of our current contingency plan. Food resources remain moderate, and with a full rota of people taking turns to fish around the clock we should remain that way. I intend to do the same to combat our water issue. Starting tomorrow, we will have to complete the process of water purification manually. That means heating collected sea water until it evaporates, then condensing it once more into drinkable water. You will be briefed in more detail on this process tomorrow.\"\n\nThe crowd began to shuffle nervously with a rising hum of anxiety. \"That'll never work, there are too many of us for how much water we could accrue,\" one cried out as others shared similar concerns.\"\n\nThe Captain raised his withered arms again and Jo noticed how they shook as he held them outright. She turned back to the rail and stared out into the dead of night, preferring to only listen to the desperate affairs behind her.\n\n\"I share your concerns,\" the Captain shouted, \"that is why my team and I have decided that it is time for us to risk the mainland. It's the only way. In the following days we will commence plans to release the life boats and paddle towards land. A steady stream of seagulls have flown in from the east in recent weeks, so we believe land should not be far in that direction.\"\n\n\"And once we're on land?\" a voice called out.\n\n\"Once we're on land...\" he looked down to his feet as the torchlight across his face began to falter. \"May God have mercy on us all.\"\n\nA somber silence passed through the deck as the crowd took in their grim situation. A year of floating aimlessly in the ocean had not prepared them for this moment, no matter how hard they tried to prepare. Jo stared out to sea as she stifled a few short burst of sadness into her hand. Then something took the breath out of her lungs.\n\nA glimmer in the distance, brief at first but increasing steadily as it approached. It was far below the top of the ship, somewhere down near the waves. She watched intently as it slowly bobbed towards the ship, then pulled her gaze to the side and she quickly spotted another, then another, and another. Soon a dozen or so glimmers of light were seemingly down in the sea, encircling the cruise ship. Then she saw them for what they truly were. Eyes. Sunken faces creeping from the dark, leering up to where she and the other passengers stood. Survivors from another ship, she realised, in life boats of their own.\n\nHer heart began to pound again as her withered body staggered back from the railing. Survivors who want to talk don't approach silently under cover of darkness. She stumbled and fell as the the first screams rang out from the other end of the ship. But survivors who want to eat...\n\n\\-\n\nHad to leave it there cause I need to sleep! Sorry for cliffhanger.\n\nEdit: Added a part 2 on my sub /r/ShittyStoryCreator " ]	4
	[WP] You’re a good boy, or at least that’s what your old and fragile human keeps telling you until they seem to forget you one day. And every single day since, you try everything in your power to make them remember you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The hand that fed me is now thin. I do not know why. Another feeds me now. It is not the same.\n\nThe eyes that watched me now watch the window. There is no one there. She watches anyway. She always watches. I want to bark. I want her to watch me. That would be bad. I do not bark. I do not whine.\n\nThe voice that called my name is now silent. She is silent. Others call to her. She does not call back.\n\nThe one that loved me is now broken. I do not know how to fix her. She is thin. She does not want to share my food. She watches the window. She does not watch me when I play. She does not call out. When I nuzzle her she does not call my name. When I lick her hand she does not call my name. When I bring her my favourite toy she does not call my name.\n\nI smell sadness. It is not her. It is everyone but her. It is her pups. It is her pups’ pups. It is the one that comes in the morning to take her to the bathroom. It is the one that comes in the evening. And it is me. I am sad.\n\nI miss her stroking me. I miss the taste of her food. I miss her watching me play. I miss her calling my name. I miss her old smell.\n\nBut I most miss her smile and her laugh.\n\nI am told I am too big to sit on her lap. I am told to stay quiet. I am told not to lick her cheek and her ear. But she did not tell me that.\n\nHer pup goes to the kitchen and I pretend I am sleeping. Then I jump on the chair. I am gentle. I am careful. I sit next to her and I lean over to lick her cheek.\n\n“Ah, what a good boy,” she calls out. Her thin fingers stroke under my chin. She turns her other cheek for me to lick. She smiles. She watches me. She touches me.\n\n“Did you say something?”\n\nIt is a panic voice and there are panic footsteps. I jump down to the floor. I pretend to sleep.\n\nShe watches the window now. She is silent now. Her pup sighs and goes back to the kitchen.\n\nBut, she smiles now." ]	2
	[WP] Humanity has touched the stars. Countless millennia have past and Earth has become a myth, a story to tell your children at night. You were one of those children, inspired by the idea all of humanity coming from a single planet, you set you sights to Earth to try and find the human birthplace.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Estimated time of arrival: 10 minutes. Exiting hyperspace in T-minus 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...\n\nMy stomach lurches as reality shifts and standard physics reassert their control over my body. The ship shudders as it sails past a golden gas giant with faint rings, the gravity well of the planet trying to reel us in. The jump terminus could have been better calculated to avoid coming so close to the planet, but I was impatient and Silver Star is a tough old bird anyways.\n\nWe've exited hyperspace, but the ship is still cruising along at a respectable fraction of lightspeed. It takes but a minute or two to pass by an even larger gas giant, this one reddish orange streaked with bands of white. It's not the largest planet I've ever seen, but it's a pretty respectable size, with quite a few moons, some of which are large enough to be terrestrial planets. \n\nThe Silver Star's AI identifies this planet as Jupiter, an oddly artistic name. Most planets are referred to by a serial code consisting of procedurally generated numbers and letters; only the very oldest, those that were discovered when humanity was just beginning to look to the stars, have actual names.\n\nIf this really is Jupiter, the golden gas giant we passed earlier must have been Saturn, though that doesn't seem right. All the stories of the Solar System describe Saturn as having magnificent rings of ice and stone that put all other planets to shame, not a sad circle of scattered cosmic debris. Then again, it has been nearly a hundred million years since anyone last set foot in the Solar System, and even celestial bodies age.\n\nIt's almost disappointing, considering the effort I put into this expedition. Outfitting an old Lantern-class cruiser with hyperspace capability wiped out all of my funds, who knew how expensive those were? But this part of the universe is so old, and stripped of resources so long ago that no one has bothered to map it for hundreds of thousands of years. Researching old star charts and navigation programs took me the better part of seven years, putting together a safe route another three. My friends and colleagues have all left me, calling me obsessed, and my family have abandoned me as well. But if I'm right, it'll all be worth it.\n\nThe console in front of me beeps, drawing me out of my thoughts. The ship is automatically slowing as we approach our destination, which is rapidly coming to view. This is it, everything I've been working towards. I can feel it. The fabled Eden of humanity, the legendary planet told to children as bedtime stories, thought lost for eons. And the ticket to my redemption and all the fame and glory that I deserve. But I'll leave that part out. No need to seem egotistic.\n\nA blue-green orb looms in the viewport, the deep cobalt of oceans interrupted by barely recognizable masses of emerald, the mosaic of the planet's surface overlaid by a nimbus of white blurs. It looks like the ancient photographs and the imagined likenesses made by artists, but there are differences as well. The Americas have separated, and new seas have formed in the eastern parts of those continents. Afro-Eurasia remains united, though their shapes have blurred and fractured. Australia has vanished entirely, whether gone beneath the waves like Atlantis before it or merged with Antarctica, I cannot tell. Even so, it is clear that this is Earth. \n\nI clear my throat, considering my next words carefully. What I say next will set in motion the first expedition to humanity's cradle in a hundred millennia, my words need to be suitably solemn yet dramatic enough for future generations to appreciate. \"Computer, chart a course for the planet's surface.\"\n\nTo my surprise and irritation, the ship balks. Cannot comply with orders, instruments detect numerous environmental hazards and unidentifiable life forms.\n\nThen again, I can always adjust the log later to suit my needs. \"The hell are you going on about, Computer?!\"\n\nPreliminary analysis of the planet registers enough hazards to classify it as a Type V world. Probability of survival on the surface is 12%. \n\nThere has to be a mistake. Type V worlds never have any life on them whatsoever, whether because they're hellish balls of lava or have oceans of deadly chemicals, but the Computer stated that there were life forms. As expected of this legendary planet. In any case, I don't plan on living here, just staying for a relatively short period of time to gather enough data to prove that I found Earth.\n\n\"Computer, override safety parameters. Authorization Tau Kappa Delta Twenty.\"\n\nAuthorization code accepted. Safety parameters removed. Setting course to planetary surface.\n\nI smirk and lean back in my seat as Silver Star descends through the clouds to land in a grassy plain. A sample of the atmosphere confirms that the air is safe to breathe, though surprisingly rich in oxygen, which comprises nearly thirty-five percent of the atmosphere.\n\nI exit the ship and step out carefully. \"Mankind has returned home at last.\" I announce. That's one for the history books, I'd say. \n\nThe grass is wild and tall, reaching up to my waist in height. It's extremely soft, and flowers bloom all about me in abundance giving off a wonderfully sweet scent. I've never seen anything like it. No wonder humanity was able to thrive here. \n\nFar in the distance, I hear a low baying. At the edge of the field, a creature has appeared. It's a massive quadruped covered in thick brown fur with black stripes running through it. An impressive rack of antlers sprouts from its head, and a long limb-like appendage dangles from what looks like the snout, two downward curving fangs on either side of it. It appears similar to the elephantines that exist in zoos, perhaps they share a common ancestor.\n\nThe grass by my feet rustles, and I jump back as an enormous insect of some kind scuttles past. I must be more careful, the carapace and pincers on that beast looked as hard as steel, and it was as large as a dog. Perhaps I should return to the Silver Star for the time being. \n\nYes, that sounds like a good idea. I'm suddenly feeling rather exhausted, the day's excitement is getting to me and I'm not as young as I used to be. I walk back into the ship and sink down into the nearest seat.\n\nThe high oxygen content of the air must be affecting me as well, there seems to be stars dancing in front of my eyes, and I'm having difficulty breathing. I'll have to wear an environment suit next time I go out, but I'll worry about that then. Right now, I'm just exhausted.\n\nSo... so... exhausted...", "We all know the question.\n\nEveryone's pondered it at some point, many of us turning it over in our heads when we were little more than children. It came up in scary stories at summer camp when we were supposed to be in bed, in dry history textbooks, and even became one of the most popular thesis topics in all the Republic. It's been pored over a thousand times by a thousand scholars, and ten times as often by panicked students as they attempt to cram for their exams, certain that a snide professor will dangle the question as a hook to a final essay.\n\nI remember staring up as a child at the mobile that hung above my head, little paper stars and planets that slowly revolved on strings and wire. At the center floated the star, of course, the Sun of legend, but my gaze was forever drawn to the third little sphere in orbit, colored in muted blue and green and white.\n\nEarth. Once our home, now seemingly lost to the blackness of space.\n\nHow had we become a spacefaring race, traveling to claim more than a thousand worlds, and yet couldn't find our own point of origin? Every vector in space had two components - an origin, and a direction. Humanity sometimes seemed without direction, but it was unthinkable to me that we didn't know our own origin.\n\nBut now, after what felt like more than a lifetime of searching, I would finally do what so many other scholars failed to accomplish. Today was the day.\n\nI sat up in bed, pulled on clothes in a half-feverish state, headed for the ship's bridge. I normally detoured to the galley, but I couldn't think of food. I felt the hum of our engines and knew that we still traveled through subspace. I knew we had well over an hour before we arrived at the coordinates that I'd painfully, painstakingly pieced together.\n\nI knew all this, and yet my heart thumped rapidly and shallowly with anxiety and I felt magnetically drawn to the bridge, to gaze out at the blank gray bands of subspace.\n\nAt least I wasn't alone. Evelyn, always the early riser, stood alongside Tethys as he monitored the ship's controls. She glanced back at me, her short hair bouncing around her heart-shaped face.\n\n\"Couldn't sleep, Adam?\" she asked, smiling at me. \"Too nervous about the big day?\"\n\nI tried to smile back at her, but the expression felt shaky. \"No, I'm not nervous in the slightest,\" I groaned. \"My theory put to the test, every cent I have sunk into this expedition to hire a mercenary ship-\"\n\nTethys grunted, not looking up from the controls.\n\n\"-and my entire academic career, not to mention my whole social standing, at risk? Why would any of that make me nervous?\" I finished.\n\nEvelyn stepped over to me, reached for my hand. I let her take it, hold it gently. \"Adam, your theories are brilliant,\" she assured me, leaning in close enough for me to get a whiff of her faint scent in my nostrils. \"Why do you think I decided to join my project with yours? My career's on the line here, too.\"\n\n\"I just figured that you found me so dashingly handsome that you couldn't resist.\"\n\nShe laughed, and the sound helped to ever so slightly loosen the knot in my chest. \"That came later. First, I saw what you suggested, using the ancient star diagrams and photographs to locate the planet of our origin. It was absolutely genius, and I knew it had to work.\"\n\n\"It wouldn't have worked without your calculations,\" I countered. \"You're the one who figured out the speed of each star and how to run their pathing simulations in reverse, so we could work backwards to the estimated dates of the photographs and descriptions.\"\n\nWe leaned closer to each other, only for Tethys to grunt again. \"Can you two lay off the lovey-dovey crap?\" he said, his voice a coarse rumble. \"I agreed to take this trip for well under my usual rate because you promised me some good spoils. If I'd known that I'd have to put up with you two running around like cremlings in mating season, I'd have charged double.\"\n\nI knew that the mercenary captain was joking... probably. It had taken multiple sessions of wheeling and dealing with him before I finally convinced him to let me take this journey, to help me prove that my theory was more than just theoretical. I think, in the end, he figured that he'd be able to make a mint by selling real \"Earth souvenirs\" if I happened to be correct. \n\nRespectfully, Evelyn and I took a step apart. \"How long until we arrive?\" I asked, seeking to change the subject.\n\nHe grunted again, fiddled with the controls. \"About forty minutes, I think. Controls are acting fuzzy. Might be some sort of interference.\"\n\n\"In subspace? Are you sure it's not this rustbucket of a ship?\" Evelyn asked, more boldly than I would have dared. \n\nTethys just growled, but she did have a point. Subspace was... well, as best anyone could describe it, it was the static between different signal bands, but on the spectrum of reality. Since it offered no obstacles, it was really the only way for ships to travel at the speeds needed to cross vast distances without accidentally colliding with something 'real' - and some quirk about the nature of subspace allowed those distances to be much shorter than they were in realspace. Every ship that left a solar system had a subspace drive, and while they weren't cheap - as our empty grant could attest - they were reliable.\n\nStill, I tried to not worry about any issues with Tethys' subspace drive. We were nearly there! We would prove my theory correct, and I'd be able to graduate, find a prestigious job, settle down - but more importantly, I'd finally have an answer to that question that haunted every child as he or she learned about Humanity's past!\n\nEvelyn and I stood there, gazing out into the blank grayness, as Tethys continued to fiddle with his instruments and curse, mostly under his breath. I'd taken trips through subspace before, and I knew that it was possibly the most boring thing in existence to watch. No obstacles, no scenery, no points of interest. Just unending grayness.\n\nHowever, I'd always tried to imagine that I could see some sort of pattern in the grayness. I knew that the human brain sought to find patterns in everything, even when there was no pattern - but I could sometimes almost convince myself that there were lines and tunnels out there, long tunnels snaking and spiraling away, the paths that ours and other ships followed to shortcut across vast realspace distances.\n\nIt was probably just my overexcited brain, but something about subspace seemed more agitated than usual. I didn't have to strain to see those tunnels, curving in all directions. They were there one second, and then they'd be gone when I blinked - only to still exist at the edges of my vision, flickering in and out of my perception. I was probably too on edge, but I could have sworn that I really saw them.\n\nTethys' cursing was still increasing, both in volume and frequency. \"Nothing for it,\" he said finally, standing up with one last growl. \"We're going to have to drop out.\"\n\nThat caught my attention. \"What?\" I asked. \"Drop out? Of the voyage?\"\n\nHe shot me a look of annoyance. \"No, egghead. Drop out of subspace. We're already in the system that you found.\" My heart skipped a beat at that. We were in the system where we originated! \"But the instruments are giving me hell when I try to get us closer to the third planet. We'll pop out around the asteroid belt, go the rest of the way on conventional drive. Shouldn't be much longer than it would have been otherwise, to be honest.\"\n\nI didn't know enough about spaceships to argue with him, even had I felt anything but mingled jubilation and near-panic. \"Great,\" I said, exchanging an excited glance with Evelyn.\n\nTethys sighed, but turned his attention back to the instruments. He fiddled, adjusted, and then finally reached for a switch. \"Might want to hold on,\" he said, and then pulled the switch before we had time to properly brace ourselves.\n\nI staggered as the whole ship jutted underneath me, vibrating and lurching as we slipped back into realspace. That was a bad one, I thought to myself as I struggled to keep from being thrown to the floor. Normally, on commercial flights, the transition was nearly seamless. Tethys must really be cutting corners, or maybe there's some sort of interfering field-\n\nEvelyn gasped, and I yanked my eyes back up to the screens, showing the outside.\n\nI saw immediately what provoked the reaction from her. My mouth dropped open. Even Tethys was struck dumb and speechless for once.\n\nSomething was very wrong.\n\nTo be continued in the next comment...", "Fredrick Von Hammenstein XVII hands flew across the control panel, entering orders to the ship’s onboard AI. He flinched as he heard the voices again, whispering commands. They had guided him from a young age, to seek out the birthplace of Humanity, Earth. Many had called him crazy, which in part he was. They had shunned him from society, and further into the madness he delved. The voices had been his only friends, and they promised him revenge against the people that had branded him. He brought his hand to the ugly burn on his face in remembrance. The Mark of the Mad they called it, given to those deemed to insane. Fredrick finished imputing the controls, and sat back as the ship began to land softly on the planet. This had to be Earth. It had to be. He did not spend his whole entire life chasing rumors and legends, led on by the whispers in his head. He wouldn’t give up. Not after coming so far. And the voices edged him on, to leave his ship and head to the nearby mountain, and then he could be free of all the pain and torture he had felt for all his life. Fredrick merely opened the hatch, and stepped out into the most beautiful world he had ever seen. He quickly tore his eyes away from nature’s beauty, and began his trek to the mountain.\n\nWhen he finally arrived at dusk, the voices had begun again, guiding him to a small cave. He entered the cave, and they guided him deeper and deeper into the dark. It wasn’t until it almost became too dark to see that he finally found a door. The voices edged him onward, and he obeyed, opening the door, and stepping into the room beyond. A bright light washed over him, and the voices quieted. Fredrick eyes were glued to the databanks within this room. Rows and rows of them, all humming and giving off a slight glow. And in unison, the voices merely said “You’ve found us,” and then they were quiet, leaving Fredrick to brew in his thoughts.\n\nFrom mobile, and this is my first time writing here, so I hope you all enjoyed it.", "\\[Poem\\]\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWithin this hull lies dark and cold\n\na voyager, in search of legends told\n\nof memories and treasures there,\n\njust beyond our common sphere.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA lost history of common light\n\njust beyond the horizon, out of sight\n\nintrigues me so, and thus I send\n\nmy body to the known realm's end.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWithin my dreams, it seems not far,\n\nas if held by the nearest star\n\nin my vision- though those are dreams.\n\nThat's all they ever seem to be.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWithin this hull lies dark and cold\n\na passenger, a tale untold-\n\nan endless voyage towards the Earth-\n\nthe planet of the human birth.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nr/Jonay", "It had been a long two years, but they'd finally made it. According to all of the star maps they'd dug up, they would be nearing Earth's orbit within the next few minutes. Janice couldn't believe it- after over ten-thousand years, they'd be the first humans to lay eyes on their home world once again.\n\nFinding it had been incredibly difficult. The planet had long passed into the realm of myth, and no publicly-available star map even made mention of the place. Over the years as she had searched more an more, hacking into military and government networks and bribing officials for copies, she and her crew had been able to narrow down it's location. And now, finally, they were so close.\n\n\"Coming out now,\" Combs, the pilot, said, as they dropped out of slip-space.\n\nThere was a series of astonished calls and murmurs as they were greeted by an asteroid field.\n\n\"Combs, double check our coordinates.\" Janice called out.\n\n\"On it.\" Combs replied.\n\nThey were supposed to be near Earth. Had they overshot it and come out on the opposite side of the Kupier-belt?\n\nThere were more murmurs of confusion and disbelief, this time from Combs. \"This...can't be right.\"\n\n\"What?\" Janice asked, impatient and frustrated. They were so close, and she couldn't believe that a pilot like Combs could have overshot their destination so horribly.\n\n\"We're at the right coordinates.\" Combs called back.\n\n\"But that's impossible.\" Janice called back.\n\n\"I'm looking at the star map right now. The planet called Mars is behind us, and that body out there?\" He said as a square formed on the viewer over a specific star-like body far off in the blackness of space, \"That's Venus. We're in Earth orbit right now.\"\n\nJanice could feel her stomach drop as she turned her attention back to the collection of asteroids that were drifting in front of them, several hundred miles out, as the horrible realization hit her.\n\n\"Then...these asteroids...would be...\" She couldn't complete the sentence.\n\n\"Yes.\" Combs finally replied after a long, horrible pause.\n\nJanice could hear the entire crew of the bridge behind her as the mumbled, now bordering into a panic. She could hear a few starting to cry, and others as they started uttering prayers to their gods. Now she knew why Earth had been forgotten, why it was now considered little more than just a myth, and the horrible consequence of that final deadly war.\n\nFor Earth was now nothing more than a myth, its memories now scattered through a decaying orbit as a monument to mankind's greatest sin. And so, mankind would never set foot on it again.\n\n\\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nFeel free to check out my other stories at r/ThatDudeWithTheBeard", "Altair sighed as he looked out the window of the ship, watching the stars pass. There was a haunting beauty in them that he never tired of, watching them burn and spiral through the universe, their eventual nebulae a reminder that even ancients must end. And his journey would end too, someday, maybe even today if the charts were correct.\n\nThe ship shuddered as the engines began to slow, Altair stumbling for a moment before catching his balance on the railing. He pressed a hand to his neck to activate his implanted comms, and radioed the captain, \"Is it time?\"\n\nCaptain Nalia replied instantly, \"We're preparing to enter orbit, Altair.\" \n\nYears had gone by for Altair to reach this moment. As a child, the myths of Earth had been all he thought of, the only stories he begged to hear. There was something magical about it to him, the fact that humanity had come from a tiny blue orb before venturing to the wilderness of space. The stories he heard were wild fantasies worthy of dreams- water stretching out further than the eye could see, nature spreading through the lands filled with plants and animals, and a sky, an honest-to-gods sky with clouds... Growing up on a space station had left Altair wishing for more. Of course, there were artificial lakes and parks throughout the station, and multiple planets had plenty of habitable areas, but what secrets lay on Earth- on humanity's first home? \n\nHe let a smile tug at his lips. So much work had gone into his project. First the planning of a mission, then the training for it, the building of a ship, and finally finding a crew. Today would see it all pay off. The years of toil, the laughter when they heard what he was attempting, it would all be worth it for his moment of triumph.\n\nThe engines wound down, a humming resonating through the ship the only evidence they were still online. \"This is it,\" Altair mumbled to himself. \"What I've been waiting for.\" He cleared his throat, then made his way towards the viewport, anxious about what he might see.\n\nAs he strode towards the viewport, Earth made its way into view. But it was not the place he had heard stories of; no, it was a desolate wasteland. Patches of green stood out on the surface, but brown deserts overtook much of it. There were no signs of any massive patches of ice at the poles, instead water swirled with islands of debris even visible from orbit. Clouds of smoke still remained over the lands, obscuring other parts of the world. Altair bit back his anger. All this effort, wasted? For nothing? He almost punched himself activating his comms again. \"Get me down there! I just need something. Anything! This can't be it!\" \n\nNalia took several seconds to reply. \"That wouldn't be advisable. The computers are reporting massive amounts of radiation buildup, even for a world that has been dormant for thousands of years. It seems those legends of a nuclear war weren't exaggerated.\"\n\nAltair clenched his eyes shut, willing the tears away. All those stories of a land forgotten, and that's all they were- stories. \"This whole thing was worthless.\" \n\nHe composed himself for just a moment, then radioed Nalia again. \"Take us home.\" was all he said.\n\nThe comm wasn't quite fast enough to cut off her reply; a whispered \"I'm sorry.\"", "Gathered friends, listen again to our legend. In the time before time, there was Earth. Cold and alone, she wandered the great nothingness, searching for a purpose. It was there that the Sun, a great being, powerful and in his prime, took pity on Earth and so drew her into his warm embrace. Sun bathed Earth in his heat, and it was in this loving embrace they created us: those we call man, as well as the plants and animals, the air we breathe the water we drink to sustain us. It was a time of great happiness. It was a time of great innovation, and the ancients created on this world wonders that you cannot imagine.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut it was not to last. There was another, who was known as Moon. Where Sun gazed lovingly into the eyes of Earth, and she fallowed closely to him in his orbit, Moon existed only in shadows, always neglected behind Earths turned back. Moon orbited Earth as she orbited Sun, holding onto the hope Sun might one day lose his light, and Earth may turn her favor onto him.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut Moon grew impatient waiting. Every day he watched Earth and Sun grow closer together, and each day his resentment grew, It was in shadow he stewed, and it was into shadow he became. But it wasn't until the great meteor appeared that he finally made up his mind to act. The great meteor chided Moon for being so passive, for lurking in the shadows of the one he loved. This meteor struck Moon as it passed, stirring up an anger and hatred Moon did not know he possessed. He was no longer satisfied to merely orbit Earth from a distance. And so Moon attacked Earth, blinded by his own fury, striking Earth much like the meteor had struck him, which sent Earth rocketing towards that who she loved most. The Sun. Sun was a very powerful being, but even he could not extinguish the very light that made him so strong. Us humans tried as best we could to help, but it soon became obvious that the very warmth that had given them life would also be that which ended it. Tears in their eyes and pain in their hearts, they abandoned their home in search of a new one. But as they did they made a vow. A vow that they would one day return.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe Elder finished his story and sat back down, eager to bathe himself again in the heat of the campfire. \"And so it is my friends, that we have kept this ship safe and hidden away, waiting for the day we would cast off the restraints and urge her to fly again into the great nothingness, to our true home.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHector rubbed his hands together, more out of nervous habit than from the icy wind itself. Hector had been selected as the Captain. The man who would drive them to salvation. He had steered many a vessel, and he always believed that they were all the same. All it took was a little coaxing, and no matter the vessel she would obey your command like a sheepdog. But this ship was not like any he had seen before. The color, the texture. It wasn't made of wood, or bamboo, or rock or sand or any other material he was used to. Without raising his head, Hectors eyes flitted around the campsite. All eyes had turned to him. Waiting for him, expecting him to reveal a plan or if nothing else offer some kind of reassurance. Uneasily, he cleared his throat.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Years ago, we were driven from our home. It may have happened before we were born, it may have happened to those who are long dead by now, but it happened and we are intrinsically linked by association. Linked by blood. Their hearts live on through us, and it pains them every day to live our lives and look up into the sky and see the Moon staring down at us. Laughing at us. Mocking us. Our ancestors believe in us. I can feel them, and so can you,\" murmurs tiptoed around the fire, and it looked like hands were rising to their chests as if trying to feel the fingertips of the dead reaching to get our. Imprisoned by the rib-cages of the living. \"I'm not here to lie to you. I see this vessel and I'm filled with dread. I don't have the first idea how to coax her to return to the skies she fled so fearfully from years before. But as she lights up under the glare of this fire, as she reveals some material not of this planet, I feel the dread leaking away and being replaced,\" Hector paused. He took a moment to look around the camp, making and holding the eyes of all who surrounded him. It wasn't until what felt like an entire lifetime had passed that he continued, \"my friends, I felt hope.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHector was the last one through the vessel door, and he closed it and sealed it behind him. The SSSSS of some locking mechanism activating behind him struck him with a deep sadness. That sound was the sound of his old home, the world he had grown up on and lived his whole life on, being sealed behind him permanently. Never again would he open that door and see the red sandy beaches, the light blue foliage of the treeline, nor would be hear the whistling of the wind passing through the leaf-chimes. Everything that had been familiar was now behind him.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAs he turned, putting his back to the door, he realized once again all eyes were on him. Only this time, the uncertainty had disappeared. All the familiarity he needed was standing before him. And they would fallow him regardless of what world they traveled too. In the distance he could hear a feint rumbling. Just another reminder their world was about to collapse. That this was it. \"Hope,\" he said again. He smiled. Because this time he believed it himself.", "\"Captain, we're edging up on The Origin Point. Do you want to come up to the deck to see it?\" My first mate, Amar, asks.\n\nI shoot him a half-smile and reply, \"In a moment, Mar.\"\n\n\"Don't wait too long! You've worked far too hard to let this moment pass.\" Amar winks at me before exiting the room.\n\nMy half-smile fades with Amar's footsteps. I close my eyes as my heart rate soars and my chest seizes up. I open my eyes and walk over to my bed, sitting down on the firm mattress. I look around at the posters on my walls. Each and every one is a memento of this mission and of my dreams that have lead up to it. For as long as I can remember, I sought the place where humanity was born. I studied the universe, pored tirelessly over ancient texts for any indication of the true location of The Origin Point, known to my ancestors as Earth. My breathing quickens, though little air seems to enter my lungs. It is as though my anxiety has a hand that is clenching around my sternum and attempting to rip it out of my skin. I rub my cold, sweaty hands on my cheeks before standing up. I don't know why I am so nervous. I am excited, to be sure, but there is another kind of anxiety there, too -- one that is a far cry from excitement.\n\n'Ah, calm down, Roma,' I think to myself. 'Just be happy today, on the day you are finally living the dream that has permeated your every waking hour for as long as you can remember. This is the kind of day that comes once in a million years for a single soul.'\n\nI pick up my captain's hat from my bedside table and straighten my uniform. I smile at my own plump, tanned face in the mirror, and repeat to myself horribly cheesy lines like, 'You've got this! Go Roma!' I shake my head, feeling a blush warm my cheeks as I turn away, smirking at myself. I fix my posture and then depart my room.\n\nI take the elevator to the bridge, several floors above the sleeping quarters....\n\n&#x200B;\n\n(To be continued)\n\n&#x200B;", "Excerpt from ship audio, 02/26/12020\n\nAs time went on, our fondness of our homeworld became something more like reverence, holiness. And as we branched out across the Milky Way, the names for our star systems became longer and more specific. We never changed the name of our home; it was better that this place not match the rest of the Milky Way. It was still the Solar System, and at its heart was the Sun. It was never renamed after some primordial god, or slapped with a number in the tens of thousands. It was just... the Sun.\n\nI'd never seen it before. I can't tell you how or why it felt right, more right than any other star; maybe there was something in that exact shade of yellow light that clicks with leftover human instincts. But it felt right.\n\nEarth is a paradise. \n\nI spent a long time trying to find hard records of human life on Earth; I thought that would be the easy part. But the galaxy is so huge and our time here was so long ago that any physical leftovers of that time have been scattered over too much space to cover. I just focused on pinning down the true location of the Solar System, then ported to that sector.\n\nI stopped at Proxima Centauri first. I wanted to take this slowly, do it right, and I'm glad I did. I had suspicions that some of the survivors from the Earth era would want to stay close to our ancestral home, and I was able to find a small community of them on a Dyson reef around Proxima. \n\nThe things they told me... made me afraid to finish my journey.\n\nThere was an old man; we all look young now but you could see from the way he carried himself that he was from a different time. He told me he had lived on Earth before we claimed the stars, before we killed Death, before we raised our first Dyson. He said our homeworld was dying when we left it, that we only barely managed to save ourselves with new technology before we would have gone extinct. \n\nI can't imagine. I'm two thousand years old myself; it's hard enough to think of a world where we died like mayflies in the millions, but to think of the possibility that all humankind could have died on one planet, and almost did...\n\nThen he told me about the first wave of pilgrims who went back, when they were ready and the technology was available. He told me that they fixed all the broken parts of Earth. They put everything back the way it was before humans ever touched it, out of respect for...\n\n(muted audio)\n\nEverything we have, we owe to this place. They came here because they wanted to pay it back. And I don't know, maybe it isn't my place to say, but if it were, I'd say they succeeded.\n\nIt's so beautiful. We have entire garden worlds now, resort planets, paradises built to order. But this one made itself. You can see it when you look from above, how the layout of all the plants and topography is... amorphous. There is no layout. The plants grow themselves into optimal paths toward starlight and don't care what anyone thinks of the aesthetic.\n\nAnd the animals. I hate that I don't have the words to explain it all in detail. I'm going to take videocasts so everyone can see this, obviously; the whole galaxy deserves to see home at least once... but I can't describe it. You can tell by looking that these creatures are related to the ones we bring with us to new worlds, but they're different species. Older. They look older. Like this is how animals looked before we changed them, filed the rough edges off, and once you look you wonder how you could have ever believed that that creature was originally supposed to look like that...\n\n(muted audio)\n\nI wish I could stay here. \n\nI have to bring everything I've found to a clade with the resources to protect Earth. Because once they do, I'm sending it all out to the rest of the galaxy. Every planet, every reef, every nomad. They'll come here, like I did, and there has to be some kind of oversight to keep everything running smoothly.\n\nAnd then I'm coming back, as soon as I can. \n\n(end transcript)", "It was challenging for Allie Xu to make her way through the Triton. Everyone she passed only wanted to clap her on the back, or pump her hand in congratulations, or make a toast to their combined achievements. As Captain she felt obliged to join in the merriment, but her mind was only on searching for her second-in-command. It wasn’t like him at all to miss out on all the celebrations.\n\nShe eventually found Jasper in the Observation Cabin, where the Tritons most sensitive and delicate machinery was housed. He had his back to the door, and he was staring out through the flexi-panes, lost in the sea of stars.\n\n“You’re beginning to worry me, Dr Thornton,” Allie said, as the Cabin’s lights briefly flashed to acknowledge her presence. “If you keep on being morose, I’ll have Henry look you over for brain-stem damage. Goodness knows what the last quantum-jump did to your head!” \n\n“I’m just… reflecting. Need some time for it all… to soak in, you know?” Jasper chuckled, then returned him gaze out into the infinite inkiness. “Never expected us to find the damn Origin, after all.”\n\n“I expected you to be much more… excited about it. For years you were the only one on this starship to truly believe that it even existed. And now that we’ve found it, you become pensive? Come, there is something on your mind.” Allie considered resorting to subtlety – it wasn’t her strong suit, but the leadership modules frequently reminded her that being blunt closed off opportunities she didn’t even know existed. The best she could do to soften the command was to wrap it in a question. “What is the expression? A credit for your thoughts?”\n\n“It’s… it’s nothing. Seriously. I’m happy, really. I’m happy we found Earth. I’m happy we finally made sense of all the starmaps our ancestors left for us. It’s one of the biggest puzzles we’ve ever faced as a species, and we’ve cracked it.”\n\n“Really? That’s it? No other reason for why you crept away to the Cabin when you should have been the first one down on the surface of Earth, gleefully mapping it with the survey drones you personally enhanced?”\n\n“I swear, there is nothing-” \n\nThe final thread of patience snapped, and Allie narrowed her eyes. She liked to think that she ran a tight ship, and right now Jasper was inching very close to insubordination. “Very well. Then hand over the data report you’ve been compiling ever since we discovered Earth. Don’t act all surprised now, Jasper. I’ve checked the logs. You put in the request for two survey drones, and last I checked, their field results do not show up anywhere in the compilations we’re preparing for Headquarters. Your drones are out there somewhere, and I want to know what it is that put you into this funk. And I want to know now.”\n\nJasper opened his mouth, denials at the ready, but Allie had perfected the art of showing when she really meant business. Her eyes, narrowed slits at this point, seemed to taunt Jasper into making a single misstep. He sighed, then unclipped the transponder by his belt. He held up his hands in defeat, then slipped the transponder into the dock at the center of the Cabin. One moment the Cabin was gloomy, lit mainly by the shimmering coming from outside, and the next it was bathed into a dazzling display of light. Symbols and words filled the room as the holovizers flared to life.\n\n“You understand, Captain, this cannot go into the official reports yet,” Jasper began. “I need more… time. The implications are vast, and I cannot – I will not – allow our names to be attached to such a frivolous piece of speculation until we have quadruple-checked it.”\n\n“Go on, I’m listening.”\n\n“Well, you see,” Jasper sighed, “something doesn’t add up. Something’s not quite right. Our short time here in this solar system was opportunity enough for us to verify the bulk of the hypotheses we gleaned from the ancient records. We have verified, for instance, that the Earth really was dying. We verified that humanity had launched itself in a blind panic from the planet – the carcasses of the failed starships orbiting the planet are proof enough. We have also verified that of the 8 main trajectories humanity fled towards, a full 7 of them led to hospitable environments which birthed the Empire as we know it.”\n\n“Yes, that much has been proven.”\n\n“But what troubles me, what keeps me at when I try to sleep… are the things we got wrong. We’ve proven that quite a large portion of our historical records are… incorrect. Erroneous, inaccurate, invalid.”\n\nAllie shrugged. “That is only to be expected. The ancient records were in shambles. Quantum-crystals were but hypotheticals back then. You can’t expect our forefathers to have had the tools or the knowledge to have full mastery of their universe, much less the capability to record that information to withstand the cruel passage of time.”\n\n“I understand all that, Captain. But… perhaps I should show you what I mean.” Jasper’s fingers flew across the console housing the dock, and the symbols and figures winked out until all that was left was a single blue marble and 8 trajectories leading away from it. Arrows filled the air as Jasper tweaked the controls, and Allie felt a tear come to her as the Expansion was recreated before her very eyes. Humanity had long known about the 8 giant fleets which carried humanity to the stars, but it was extra special to be here, so close to the Origin, and to see it play out again. “What I’m troubled about, Captain, is this particular fleet. The Tieguai.”\n\nAllie watched as Jasper highlighted the doomed delegation of starships, which once carried a full eighth of those lucky enough to escape Earth. Its trajectory from the Earth reminded Allie of a trail of ants, inching its way towards an unseen nest. The simulation carried the visuals of the starships as close as it could to Neptune, where the trail suddenly stopped. \n\n“That is also within our records, Jasper,” said Allie. “The Tieguai was ill-fated. It could not escape the asteroid field near Neptune. All the starships in that delegation were lost, and to this day we honor them still. But we had already known that before we arrived. We have been taught that since we were young-”\n\nJasper coaxed the controls again, and this time Neptune appeared in the air, scaled down to size. It dwarfed Earth, which now appeared extremely puny.\n\n“What do you see, Captain?”\n\n“I see Neptune, I suppose.”\n\n“Anything else?”\n\n“Well, this is a real-time feed? No, I don’t see anything else-”\n\n“Precisely!” boomed Jasper, with a shout that shook Allie to her boots. The vigor returned to him as he pranced to the side, tapping like a maniac at the controls. Allie could see in that moment that the old Jasper she knew had returned – and now a seed of dread was beginning to blossom in her gut. “Nothing else!” he continued. “No debris, no asteroid field, no hulking ships of dead metal and bones… nothing! Do you have any idea how much manmade material comprised the Tieguai? This is exactly where the last location beacons were recorded, but now there is nothing there!”\n\n“I don’t understand,” said Allie. “How is that surprising? Do you have any idea how much time has passed? Why would you even expect the wrecks of the Tieguai to remain anywhere near Neptune?”\n\n“That’s what I thought as well, Captain. But then… then I saw this.”\n\nThe holovizer of Neptune flickered… then vanished. In its place was a single black sphere, twice as large as the Earth. Allie almost missed it in the gloom of the Cabin, but it was soon obvious what she was looking at. After all, she had only spent the majority of her years at the helm specifically trying to avoid such phenomenons.\n\n“A… black hole?”\n\n“Yes. A black hole. A stable black hole. A stable black hole obscured by an electromagnetic pulse designed to make it look like a planet! And we missed it! All of us missed it! I only came across it by chance because I was trying to study where the Tieguai had disappeared to, and I scanned every spectrum before I uncovered this… this mirage, this illusion hiding the black hole!”\n\nAllie leaned closer, then tapped on the holovizer with her own transponder. “This… this doesn’t make sense. The technology for containing black holes is only hypothetical. The last we communicated with Headquarters, was it not said that the technology would take another millennia or so to even complete the prototype stage?”\n\nJasper nodded. “I know. How about you tell me? How would technology like this exist way back when humanity was only just discovering the stars? Why conceal it? Can black holes really function as an alternative to the quantum-drives we are using? Where do they go? What secrets do they hide?”\n\nAllie sighed. Not a single fiber of her body felt like celebrating anymore. The discovery of Earth, once the high point of her career, seemed like a distant memory.\n\n“And that’s not even the most important question yet,” she said.\n\n“Exactly,” said Jasper. “Where did the Tieguai go?”\n\n--- \n\n/r/rarelyfunny\n", "Earth sat like a rotting potato, scar cracked surface cooling angrily over thousands of years, surface scorched raw by the transitioning sun, on the view monitor in front of them. The moon was nowhere to be seen, though computer models dictated that at one point a gravitational orbit had partially stabilized Origin into a habitable state.\n\nUtter silence on board, staring at the ruined wreckage stretched far below.\n\nBut silence from the mortal info-minds hovering on the back of The Odyssey didn't prevent the automated systems from scanning it. It didn't prevent hypotheses from flashing over top of each info-intelligence, nor did it prevent their own individual systems from interacting with possible truths and not truths.\n\nAnd it didn't prevent those possibilities from dissipating one by one, until only the soul crushing truth remain.\n\nX-Humanity had long straddled the cosmos, inundating themselves into every echelon of alien societies. Finding niches, carving them out. Republics founded off of the back of squirreled away wealth bubbled and babbled about the possibility of unity, before it was once again swept away under the miles and miles of light years separating the far flung refugees.\n\nThey were explorers, one cadre said, and there was a church founded in the minds of the believers. That they had been sent out long ago to explore, piggybacking off of distant signal arrays, mind perpetuated wildly out of the void, reclaimed and captured by the dedicated efforts of curious alien scientists (they knew them as the Grena, now one of X-Humanity's historical allies, though the isolationistic scientists had rare power on the galactic stage) and that they were the best humanity had to offer, sent off to find their fates in the galaxy.\n\nThey were conquerors, some had said, and they would exert human dominance at some point; seeding the galactic consciousness with the curious nodules and fragments of the old world carried with each ship discovered, each tiny piece of the puzzle. Empty coordinate banks, computer systems long decayed from distance.\n\nThey were historians, some claimed, charged with re-assembling the last and greatest human empire that had existed, so that it could be measured and weighed against the other greats. The Wandering Golden Armada of pirates and merchants and acquisitionists of the Yulior would hold no candle to the tapestries and histories they could glean from their history, if they could but assemble it.\n\nBut the one thing they all had in common was a backstory of some great history. Call it romanticism, that X-humanity wanted to find their progenitor, and crawl back into the lap of grandeur. Call it some misplaced special pride, that their similar neural-forms would find something they could cling to from before they settled across the stars, some similarity even as they editing thought patterns to better suit their past.\n\nSomething other than the idea that they were simply refugees. Everyone had some memory of cultural pride, heritage.\n\nBut floating in front of their ship, lumpy, misshapen, and long since scoured clean by ultraviolet radiation, atmosphere boiled off, there was no such heritage left.\n\nA few scattered satellites floated, long burnt and destroyed from oppressive waves of radiation.\n\nThe crew of The Odyssey were quiet for a few hours. One, a poet, or at least, what passed for a poet among the light years of refugees and intelligences, quietly composed a poem across the screen.\n\n\"We came to the home of man\nand found, disastrously\nthat even here\nthere is no home\nexcept for the one we\nleft far behind us\n\nin our pursuit of\nan imagined ideal\nwe never imagined\nwhat we'd do\nwhen we found it.\nAlready dead.\"\n\nThere was yet more of that hostile oppressive silence. But the long journey here hadn't dulled their sensors.\n\nThey'd been refugees. They still were.\n\nThe captain swallowed the bile, the fear, and the hysteria, and stood up. Blocked out the screen with his visage.\n\n\"This is,\" They said, and they didn't know if they believed it until the words came tumbling out, frothed and enraged. \"The best possible fate of this expedition.\"\n\nNone questioned the decision.\n\n\"Here, in the foundry from which we were issued, we find, not an overwhelming drive one way or the other for our culture, nor do we find a domineering parent to take responsibility for us. We are free unlike any other species in the galaxy. We have nothing but what we make, and that makes us mighty. That makes us human more than anything else. We are what we make of ourselves, without the fear of disappointing some long past society.\"\n\nThe captain nodded at the computer, flicking it with their conjoined mind.\n\n\"We go home, not as failures, but as the start of a new dawn to our kind. We are not refugees looking to reclaim a home. We were already home, and now we know that none shall reclaim us. In that, we succeed on all fronts.\"\n\nAnd the warp drive, long abused from the journey, twisted the stars around Sol into ribbons, long, elegant, and precise, and the info-intelligences on board shut down once again.\n\nThis time, there was no imagined home.\n\nThere was only what they brought with them.\n\nAnd now they knew they could make something entirely new.\n\n-------\n\nFor more like this, click here! https://old.reddit.com/r/Zubergoodstories/", "I didn't think it would be so small, but then again no one believes the humble beginnings they start from. We had crossed the Andromeda shower and just like that the old maps had started to make sense. Beyond this desolated frozen rock which according to the map was called Pluto lay Planet Earth. \n\nThe scout had already beamed to us images of what lay ahead. It had crossed the asteroid belt and began to beam pictures of the planet. 75% of it was water and it had a circumference of 40,000 kilometres lying 150 million kilometres from its sun. This was it. \n\nCheers rose in the cockpit. \n\nThe scout drones zoomed in to send images of the terrain. The first images started to stream in. \n\nA tiger appeared on the screen. There were gasps of shock as it stood on two feet and walked towards its streak. One raced up a tree and started to etch out a rune. The tree bristled with zest. Its leaves glistened as its branches stretched out. A few kilometres away a pride of peacocks flew their tail feathers leaving silver sparkles in their wake that fell to the earth and began to grow as silver grass. \n\nThere was magic in this place. Something we'd never known. \n\n\"Why would we ever leave this planet?\" Flora asked in awe. \n\n\"According to the history books, we destroyed it with our pollution. We had to move out of the solar system to find somewhere else to call home,\" said Lewis. \n\nThere was a heavy pause. \n\n\"You think maybe we should reclaim it as ours?\" Anna asked. \n\nOn the screen, it had started to rain while the sun still shone illuminating the screen with multiple rainbows. \n\n\"No, we'll leave.\" I rerouted towards home, \"We exploited it and destroyed it. They've revived it and made it their own. Be good to mum,\" I added before we shot towards Andromeda, \"you won't find another like her not in the whole damn universe.\" \n", "Myles was a long way from the space station orbiting Sirius A that he had grown up on. A pilot of a exploration class spaceship. A minimal crew kept the ship in working order whenever they entered a new star system. For the times they were just traveling in the vastness of space, cryogen pods kept them sleeping. \n\nMyles was about 40, physically at least. In reality he was nearly 500 years old. He and his crew had known leaving the station they would never see their loved ones again. He still had the little plush dragon his daughter had given him while crying. It sat on the arm of his seat, strapped in with a string. His heart ached every time he saw it - reminding him what this mission was worth.\n\nSo long ago, that the exact location had been lost, humans had once inhabited a single world. Every child grew up learning about it. Most religions believe that’s where you went when you died. Myles had been an inquisitive soul, wanting to know more about the birthplace of mankind. Everyone else had scoffed at him and told him that it was rumors and folklore. He had spent a decade alone going through old archived data, searching for a location. A name.\n\nSo many names. Terra, Earth, Gaia, Erde, Eorth, and more and more. And the name Sol for its primary star. That had been a challenge. So many stars had been named Sol. He had tried to work back in time to find the original. He finally narrowed it down to three possible stars. All named Sol. Of course, they were all as far away from his home as they were from each other. \n\nHe had then dedicated his life to getting qualified as a pilot. He was going to find the origin of humans. He was dedicated to his cause. Dedicated enough that when he met Lyra he let himself fall in love, but shared his dream with her, not abandoning it. \n\nHis time with her had been heavenly. She let him name their daughter Erde, one of his favorite terms for the source of human life. Erde had nearly broke him of his dedication. He was going to abandon her and her mother. Lyra understood. Erde did not. When he had acquired the Aeris and crew, there had been months of planning. During that time she did not speak to him.\n\nAs they boarded the ship for the final time upon the station, she had run to him, sobbing. Begging him not to go. How could he leave her? But he had. With her little dragon that had been her companion her whole life. It used to smell like her. But it had been so long now that the scent had faded. It held more of Myles tears than it did Erde’s.\n\nThey had plotted a course from each Sol. Planned to search the system for the correct habitable planet. They had never expected the first one to be the correct Sol. The crew had hoped, but never said as much aloud. If it had been, they could have returned home in their loved one’s life time. \n\nIt hadn’t been. Nor had the second. The last Sol was the one they were approaching now. Everyone was silent in their tasks. Far beyond stressed at the work they had so long ago agreed to. Myles knew they questioned him now. What if this wasn’t it either? What if he had been wrong all along? Those questions ate away at him. He absently petted the plush toy. It had to be the right one. \n\n“Sir, we have identified nine primaries in the system. Habitable range is 3 days out.” His lieutenant Braidn announced. \n\nThree days. It seemed to stretch on as long as the initial journey had been. \n\n“Sir. We have reading of space debris. Looks like at least one abandoned space station and a whole hell of a lot of satellites. Most seem to be revolving around the third planet from Sol.” That had been the officer on comms. \n\n“We will do our due diligence in investigating before raising our hopes. The last Sol also had signs of abandoned life. Braidn, please bring visuals online.”\n\nSuddenly on the screen before him was the vision of a planet. Green and blue glittered from a million miles away. Just like the descriptions. His heart ached and a tear threatened to slide down his cheek. But he was not one to lie to his men. Human’s had been here. But what they didn’t know was if this was the origin. \n\nThey prepared the shuttle to descend to the planet. The ship was set to geosynchronous orbit. \n\nFor the first time in years, Myles unstrapped the little dragon. He tucked it into his waistband. Either this was Erde, or it wasn’t either way, he wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon.\n\n\nr/LandOfMisfits" ]	14
	[WP] The main character realizes he's in a story, and as such makes it his goal to abuse his plot armor to it's fullest extent.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "So I am new here, never posted here before and quite like the idea of this. I feel like I have the imagination for writing and drawing but I kinda just didn't really do either much. So hey here's a story from me to this prompt. Also I am not natively English so there WILL be mistakes of all kinds. Kindly point them out to me though please because schools teach here only basic English grammar (I'd have to actually study some language school to get better education in English than that)\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn a dark room, on an even darker night a man is sitting in an obviously comfortable and posh chair and is seemingly, without much interest in anything else, enjoying a glass of wine. Right behind him is a fireplace. The fire is lit just enough to mark out the rough shapes of the walls and corners, but not any more to figure out much of any detail that this room might possess.\n\nThe man is clearly not much of a typical person. As the light looms behind him you can see disheveled hair and rather burly physique. With clothes that do not look nor smell like anything you’d expect in this setting. In front of him, on the floor, is sitting another man. This man seems way more typical. Casual clothes, glasses and short dark hair. He almost doesn’t stand out, except for the fact he is sitting on the floor as if it were the most comfortable place he could ever sit on. The man sitting on the chair sips some wine and then opens up:\n\n„Oh, do you want to hear the story again?“\n\n„Yes, I do.“\n\n„Heh, of course you do!“\n\n„Well then! The story begins as a simple young writer decides to start working on a story. Jack was his name and his work was so dull he had to take out the creativity only during the free time he had after work. He enjoyed literature, he enjoyed reading but he also enjoyed writing. Nothing else was nearly as fun in his boring little life as writing.\n\nHah, could you believe that! Of course you could.”\n\nThe storyteller looks down from his chair onto the other person and with a little evil smirk continues his story,\n\n“So he started writing a story. It was a fantastic story, even if it just at the beginning. A story about hero called Zarius. He was of an average height, but had very strong body. He could pick up stones weighing twice as him. His hair was never tidy and he rarely wore a shirt, only if he had to go to town for supplies. Otherwise he wore rather old shoes and pants that were muddied from his work. He started as a dirty, filthy, hard-working farmer but one day a group of dark beasts tried to attack his farm and his family. The beasts were four legged, with big horns and their fur was wavey and dark like a shadow on a river. While his parents both didn’t survive this assault, Zarius was brave and strong enough to eventually fight them off and at least save what remained of the place he lived in.\n\nAh yes, that was a different time, wasn’t it?”\n\nThis time the look of the character sitting on the leather coated throne was returned by his fellow listener. One was a look of a devil who won everything, the other a look of near complete hopelessness,\n\n“Ah, don’t be like that! Anyways, as I was saying once that attack happened Zarius decided that he can’t be and doesn’t want to be on the farm anymore. No point to work just for himself and with a slight bit of guilt but also alot of courage and heroism he thought to himself that he needs to deal with whatever those creatures were. If he could chase off a couple, why not an entire land of them? Zarius thought that and he was obviously right! Why wouldn’t that be the case after all.”\n\nA little laugh escaped through his mouth.\n\n“And now to the exciting part! This is where Jack does a great job and gives his character powerful thing called plot armor. Meaning no matter what the character wouldn’t die. At least not the main one anyways. While Zarius was in town preparing for his all-out assault on the land of the darkness, he met with many people and some joined him and wanted to accompany him for this journey. Just before cross the edge of the town, Zarius ended up being followed by some Mist guy and Tina gal. Neither of them important of course, died before Zarius even reached the Core of Darkness. On his journey, when Zarius was alone, is where Jack tried to get Zarius impaled by spikes. Zarius got tricked and fell down a trapped trapdoor, but with enough skill he maneuvred his body in air enough just to fall inbetween all of them, and climbed his way back up the deadly shaft.\n\nJeez, that sounds pretty rough doesn’t it? Thank god he had the plot armor, don’t you think?”\n\nOnce again, a smirk was thrown the direction of the listener who only did a twitch as if he wanted to look away but couldn’t. It’s as if the story captivated him so much he couldn’t do anything else but listen, like a magical charm,\n\n“Then what was next. Hmmmm... Ah right I got it! Of course that after he successfully tore the Core of Darkness from the heart of temple where all the darkness came from, all of the land was saved from corruption of darkness and anything ever related to it vanished. He was sooo happy. However most of the next story is not so important. Honestly this part probably wasn’t either it’s just important character building. We *need* to know who this Zarius is after all. The next few chapters are really boring works from Jack. Except what happens in chapter nine.”\n\nAnother drop of wine goes down the throat of the storyteller who by now seems rather engaged with the story. “Chapter nine is my favorite. It begins simply, Zarius is sent on a mission to kill the seven-headed dragon. Jack tried to make all the characters describe the dragon very dangerously but Zarius knew he would have no problems. It’s not like Zarius wasn’t sent for a reason other than being the main character. He was also trusted by alot of the people after the deeds he did. To reach the dragon Jack had Zarius go through a vast jungle filled with creatures of undeniable strength. Many would’ve defeated Zarius if they wanted, but due to his plot armor he always dodged or figured out the right idea at the last time. He’s literally invincible! And what’s better, he realised it! The night, sitting just outside the dragon’s lair, he decided to sit down and rest so he can fight the dragon fully rested. But he had a thought, and he felt like something was not right. Ever since that time the beasts attack his farm he expected to die there but didn’t die, not only that he scared the beasts off. There was also that time in the Temple of Abyss, where he was searching for the Core of Darkness and where he fell down the trapdoor onto a spiked floor. Was it really just his skill and some luck to have avoided all of the spikes? How about when the Thunder King tried to knock him off the clifftop and a griffon flew just by saving him? Jack didn’t understand what he was writing as of this moment. Who began to understand, however, was Zarius.\n\nOh yes and did he come to understand so much more, didn’t he my dear friend?”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nPart 1/3", "\"How is this possible? How did you get past all my guards?\"\n\nMorgesh, the Emperor of the Black Pines, the Breaker of Kings, looked down from his throne at the figure that stood before him. It was a scrawny looking woman, with glasses that had obviously been broken once or twice before upon her face. In her hand she gripped the Sword of the Nether: a blade that radiated with purple light, almost weightless in her hand. \n\n\"Simple,\" she replied. \"They're nothing more than lackeys. Grunts that have no training, and definitely no match for someone like me. Their arrows didn't even come close to me.\" She started to walk towards Morgesh, at a pace that almost seemed to mock the Emperor. Morgesh rose to his feet, standing at easily twice the height of this girl , black flames raging underneath him now.\n\n\"That is no matter, I have fought Gods! A schoolgirl shall be nothing more than a chore.\" He amassed a ball of the black flame into his hands and threw it towards the woman with a blistering speed. It made contact with her with a massive explosion, engulfing the entire throne room in black flame. Morgesh grinned to himself from within the blaze. A quick end to this would-be hero.\n\n\"Really?\"\n\nMorgesh took a step back in shock. He couldn't believe his eyes. As the flames died down the woman kept walking towards him, sword in hand. \n\n\"Pretty convenient that I'm immune to your black fire magic, huh?\" She was smiling herself now. \"You clearly haven't fought the God I worship. They've seen fit to bless me with gifts unimaginable.\"\n\nMorgesh was stunned, but unsheathed his blade nonetheless. \"It does not matter what false god you worship, your story ends here wretch!\" He lept towards her, finishing with a swing strong enough to break the most decorated of champions. But she parried it with ease, not even giving a glance to Morgesh. She let him keep swinging, each strike becoming more and more reckless. Finally after several rounds of this she simply tripped Morgesh, the Emperor of the Black Pines, the Breaker of Kings, and he fell onto his own sword. \n\n\"But how... what is this?\" He spat up black blood as he lay dying in his own throne room. \"Tell me... who are you?\"\n\nThe woman thrust her own sword into him now, causing Morgesh to radiate with a purple energy and dissolve in front of her, all without her taking a scratch.\n\n\"You can call me: Mary Sue.\"", "It was a bright and sunny day in the town of Pleasance, Wisconsin, and Tom was getting ready for work. He thought today would just be a normal day. Little did he know that it would be a day that changed his life forever.\n\nAfter he brushed his teeth and got dressed, Tom went out and waited for the number 16 bus. It would be arriving in 15 minutes and...Tom just stepped into the road. That wasn't meant to happen. Hmm.Luckily, a recent icy patch caused all the cars to miss him until the number 16 arrived. Tom got on the bus.\n\nI said, Tom got on the bus.\n\nOk. Tom is not on the bus and is now running down the street punching people. Sadly, he cannot go onto the adventure if he goes to prison, so all the police are busy with a hostage situation. I had to cause a hostage situation, Tom. People might die, all because you didn't get on the bus. I hope you're happy.\n\nDammit. He does seem happy.\n\nTom is now setting himself on fire \"to see if it works\". It's raining. Also all the nearby places to shelter are locked. Luckily, the nice, warm, dry Number 16 is just pulling up.\n\nTom isn't getting on. He's trying to fight an angry dog, who keeps being distracted by convenient bones.\n\nFine, Tom. I see what is going on here. This was going to be a fairly mundane story, but I can be flexible. You want superpowers? Magic? Maybe revealed to be a secret king or immortal god? I can work with those. We could do a whole wish-fulfillment power fantasy here. Give you a hot love interest and an unrealistically happy ending, if you just get on the bus.\n\nOr you can mug that old lady, because the police are still busy. Sure.\n\nLook, you want to be a villain? I can do a villain protagonist, Tom. We can do a whole descent into evil thing. Have some philosophical themes on the mundanity of evil. It'll get some rave reviews among the intellectuals. I just need you to work with me here, Tom. You can be the next Patrick Bateman, if that's what you want. Just get on the bus.\n\nNo, he's trying to send hateful messages to his boss. A solar flare just fried all electricity. Tens of millions have died, but at least Tom is OK.\n\nLook, we are stretching the limits of plausibility here. Suspension of disbelief is fraying. What kind of story do you want here? Porn? Are you just horny? Fine. Fine. I'll sacrifice my dignity here. I can do some very lurid adjectives if pushed. Just please, Tom, get on the bus.\n\nNo, don't start looting stores, you little shit.\n\nOk. Fine.\n\nThe number 16 hit Tom at high speed, killing him in a prolonged and extremely painful way.\n\nIt was a bright and sunny day in the town of Pleasance, Wisconsin, and Susan was getting ready for work. She thought today would just be a normal day. Little did she know that it would be a day that changed her life forever.\n\nAnd if she's knows what's good for her, she'll fucking let it.", "I’m a god. Well, not technically, but I have the protection of a god. What god, you ask. The god that created this universe, I inhabit right now. I exist in a universe that only exist in the mind of my god, and those who see my gods creation. With his protection, I’m the most invincible creature in my universe.\n\nI jumped out of the helicopter, 30,000 feet above the ground, with no parachute. At the bottom, I could see multiple jagged rocks that would surely tear me to shreds s. I just laughed. As I was about to get turned into meat confetti, the jagged rocks collapsed, and I conveniently landed on a trampoline, floating out in the middle of the ocean. I instantly felt a sharp pain in my chest. My writer was starting to get tired of being forced to write me out of deadly situations. He still couldn’t kill me though. Hahaha.\n\nI went to the Dungeon of OBLIVION, where the villain hid out. I did so without a gun, or even a piece of armor. 100 goons stood at the entrance, all with advanced fire arms and high quality armor. A wave splashed them all away, into the jagged rocks in the sea. I simply walked on by. \n\nInside, multiple booby traps (hahaha, booby) awaited me. Laser grids that sliced men in half flickered right as I hopped by, and auto turrets mounted on the walls jammed. I was able to go right into the villains lair. Lord Oblivion, with his titanic jet black armor and massive flowing cape, stood before me. \n\n“Well, well well, Jasper Quayle, in the flesh. Those damn jackass guards, looks like I’m gonna have to dispatch you myself.” He lifted his hand, and a bright red laser beam shot out. I jumped right in front of it, and a mirror fell from the sky, reflecting the laser back at Lord Oblivion, turning him into a pile of smoldering ash. \n\nThan, in my head, I heard the writers voice. “You know what, dickhead, I’m tired of you. The story is officially over, so you know what....” \n\nCrack. Snap. Body hits floor.", "Azirus held his sword up high above his head plunging it down into the dragon’s head. After a fierce battle within the cave of secret wisdom, it’s defender has been vanquished open to any infiltrator of the secrets. After taking a moment to catch his breathe he steps through the doors past its failed protector only to be engulfed by a white light.\n\n“For the one who has treaded through the darkness into the light you may be granted knowledge from the grand library.”\n\nThe great intelligence rewards the champion, indulging him with all sorts of imagery, sounds, and sensations that he was incapable of imagining. Along with understanding. The last thing he sees is a man in what appears to be a room with grand sorts of odd magical trinkets around him that produce light and images. When he sees what comes from this odd device is what is occurring to him at that second. With this vision he also understood.\n\nHe awakens on the road. His whole journey, his whole existence. Everyone he has met, his mother that fell ill and embarked this quest to gain the knowledge to cure her. The friends he has lost, the trials he has been put through were all just part of this great beings plan. Creating all that is around him and all that he will happen to him.\n\nFrom this terrible realization Azirus let’s out a tearful roar knowing that all the pain he has felt was due to some god’s sick twisted scheme. After pounding the ground with his clenched fist. He unsheathes his sword pointing it towards himself. He saw and understood he seemed to be the center of this beings game and will destroy it as it he has done to all of the creatures in his path. He drives the sword through his abdomen.\n\nBut he realizes that his sword has broken into two. In awe he looks down to see this what he would have called a miracle first. But from what he has read he understood the pattern. When he comprehended his situation he frenzies into a mad laughter.\n\nHe did not know if this was a miracle or curse but all he realized is that this grand being won’t let him die. \n\nA party of travelers in the distance. As the come closer they appear to be merchants and a few mercenaries. They hear the laughter grow louder and louder as they get closer. It finally stop.\n\n“Hey, out of the way!” As an impatient merchant scowls at the man in the road. Azirus stands up and faces the party.\n\n“I demand you hand over your wares.” Azirus says confidently.\n\nThe mercenaries draw their swords and face the out numbered lunatic. “So we have ourselves a lone bandit.” \n\nAzirus holds his broken sword and runs to the men. A mercenary runs over but trips over a rock with his sword impaling himself. The other mercenary gets distracted from his clumsy ally but gets stabbed in the back by Azirus. As this happens the other body guard cowers and throws down his sword. The merchants follow his foot steps and they lend him their goods.\n\nIn amazement Azirus realized how much power he truly has due to the grand being giving him whatever he needs to overcome any situation. \n\nHe takes one of the merchants wagons full of all their goods and rides down the road. Azirus wondered to himself. If he is able to take down a caravan with a broken sword, maybe an entire kingdom as well?\n\n(First prompt and writing in general. Please don’t bully.)" ]	6
	[WP] It’s Monday morning in the office. The coffee machine is broken, there’s already a queue of people outside and Dave is still complaining about his missing stapler. The first customer arrives at your desk. You start a game of Solitaire. It’s just a typical day in Purgatory...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I shuffle the cards, feeling them roll under my fingers in perfect fans. I used to love that feeling, I remember. A long time ago. But now, sitting in my desk on the thousandth Monday I've ever experienced, I feel empty. Alone.\n\nStrange. I shouldn't, because there are voices, bodies all around me. There's a line of people stretching towards my desk that extends for miles; maybe literally, I don't know, I can't check. Every time I try to stand up, get a coffee, get a memo, or do something, anything, I find myself facing another customer. Another client.\n\nThese card games are supposed to be my break during the day, I think. Whoever keeps us in this place wants to keep us happy, or at least stop us from trying to kill ourselves (though I've thought of it, I can't think of a way I could. The most threatening thing on my desk is my pencil, and it's rounded at the tip. Damn shame). I guess it works, because I'm still here. I'll always be here.\n\nMy newest customer approaches my desk, her eyes dull and lifeless. They always are. She must have been a beautiful woman once, but the harsh fluorescent lighting of this place makes her face thin, her body pale, like a walking corpse. She speaks slowly, her words slurring past her lips, as if she is speaking in a dream.\n\n\"Angela Barnes,\" she murmurs.\n\nMy hands pause mid-card flip. I turn and rifle through my chest drawers until my numb fingers fall upon the right file.\n\n\"Here you are,\" I announce, as I always do. She looks at it, nods, and walks out the door. The next person approaches, another faceless customer, another shuffling corpse.\n\nI yawn. Where's my coffee? Oh right, the machine's broken. Dammit. Why am I so tired? It seems like I'm always tired in this place. Hell, I can't remember the last time I've had a good, comforting jolt of caffeine.\n\nIt has to be that asshole Dave, I think. He broke the coffee maker, but he won't admit it. That ass.\n\nSpeak of the devil...\n\nHe comes up to my desk wearing a starched button-down and a tie smeared with something red. It could have been blood or Kool-Aid for all I knew or cared. It looked like blood, though.\n\n\"Have you seen my stapler?\" Dave leans in close, his streaked tie dangling from his neck like a noose.\n\n\"No, Dave.\" I sigh. His eyes are frantic, searching. How he manages to feel anything in this place is beyond me; I can't remember what it's like to actually care about my job like he does. Thank God I don't.\n\n\"Really, it would be so helpful if you could tell me where it is.\" His eyes are nearly bugging out of his skull, his hands gnarling into the wood of my desk. He pants, and I smell coffee on his breath. Fucker probably drank the last good pot before he broke the machine.\n\n\"Please, I'm begging you. I've got some really important documents I've got to get to the boss, and you know him, if they don't look nice, then he...\"\n\nHe stops. Everything seems to pause for a second, until he finally takes a long, laboring breath and leans in even closer. I look down and see his fingers are scratching lightly at my desk, into the same grooves he's scratched there for the last five hundred Mondays. They're inches deep.\n\n\"Borrow Sallie's,\" I tell him. I don't know who Sallie is, exactly, but I've told him this for hundreds of years. It just seems right to say it.\n\nDave looks abashed. \"Oh. Uh... I didn't think of that. Thanks a lot!\" he says, then sprints away.\n\nI return to my game. The cards flip and turn almost by themselves, in well-worn patterns. Every day, the pattern is the same, no matter how fancy I shuffle it. I would learn some new tricks, if I ever had the time to perfect them. But why bother?\n\nAnother empty face. Another name. A file.\n\nI graze through the files in my desk, and for the first time, my fingers hesitate. Something makes me stop. Weird; I've never done this before. All of the other Mondays, I've done everything but stop. The action makes me feel something, actually feel something, and it's like singing for the first time. I look up, and I finally see the colors around me. Suddenly I realize that I don't know my name, or where I am, or how I got here. And finally, after five hundred years, I begin to panic.\n\nMy name... My name is...\n\nI know.\n\nI know, and just the feeling of it is incredible. Knowing that I'm a person, that I existed once. That someone cared enough about me to give me a name.\n\nI search through the drawers again and to my surprise, I find it written on a file. It's thin, thinner than the rest. My fingers feel weirdly slick with sweat, alien against the crisp, smooth paper at my fingertips. I throw it on my desk like it's a wild thing, pry it open, and stare at the words inside.\n\nGO BACK TO WORK.\n\nI blink; that's it, that's all? If that's what was in my files, then what was in the others? Better question, what was I doing here? I needed to get back home, to my wife, my kids, my friends...\n\nI look up, and the Boss is above me. He lays a hand on my forehead, and the world spins, and I'm falling down a dark, dark pit, and I feel-\n\nI feel the bend of cards underneath my fingertips. And I feel nothing." ]	2
	[WP] An angel has come to you, sharing the glorious news that you are the bringer of the new Savior, and will give virgin birth. You are 17, 5 months pregnant, and not a single person believes your story.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "‘‘Twas a warm summers night when Mary and her two friends Jane and Molly decided to trip fucking balls. They picked up 6 tabs of “the most pure acid” this side of the Atlantic - well at least according to their ever faithful friend and dealer N word Steve. \n\nAfter a good few hours tripping Mary saw what appeared to be an angel! The angel informed her she was indeed pregnant despite her virgin loins. She told her friends what happened and she received the reaction she was expecting. \n\n“Bitch you really think we believe your hoe ass is preggers without no man?” Molly said. Jane agreed, “there’s no way you gonna be able to have a goddamn baby at 17 and have anyone believe it’s an immaculate conception”. \n\nBoth Molly and Jane’s reactions confirmed in Mary’s mind what she had to do. So the next morning she made the trip down to family planning and got herself a good old fashion abortion. \n\nFin. " ]	2
	[WP] "The government is hiding something from us. They've found a portal... a portal to a place beyond our imagination. I don't know what, but we have to stop them, or else something really, really bad might fall upon us."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Dear Taylor,\n\nThis might be my last letter to you so I'll make it count. Your dad has discovered one of the greatest, and perhaps most terrible, secrets of our modern age. I can hear them as they search through the woods. I escaped, but I'm not sure how long I'll stay free.\n\nI know Mom told you that I was a government contractor. That much is true. What she never told you, because she never knew, was that I was a curator of advanced technology for DARPA and a few other agencies that I won't bother writing down.\n\nIt's mostly a boring job, filling out paperwork to check out different boxes to the Air Force or Army. Every once in a while, something cool happens and I get to carry a gun while we're on alert. Whether it's a real alert, or a test, no one ever told me. Either way, it was a pretty cool way to pay the bills over these past twelve years.\n\nLast week, we had another alert and this time I found out it wasn't a drill. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer terror of a fifteen foot-tall alien as it attacks your squad with razor sharp claws. \n\nWherever the alien came from, they were susceptible to bullets. Our surviving members were able to take it down in short order. Only then did we realize that the alien was the first of many. We had seven attacks in three hours. By then, we identified the source of the creatures: building 12. I've never been in there - it's got Q-level access required just to step on the porch. They came from inside, so naturally we got permission to go in there to see where they were coming from. That's when I saw it.\n\nThe device was still activated and another alien was reaching through when we cut the power. It's severed arm crashed to the deck as the doorway collapsed. Protocol took over and we turned their carcasses over to a special containment team, who said they had seen the aliens before.\n\nAs for us, we were quaratined at first. I called your Mom and told her that I had been called away to a special assignment. I lied. They said we needed to be observed for twenty-eight days to ensure 'no negative impact.' By day thirteen, that's when we discovered that we had been breathing in the spores. One of my guys, Jackson, he started ... changing. We all lived in separate cells, with clear-glass walls so we could see out. I watched him. Small changes at first. Then he started hallucinating, talking in gibberish. Whatever was happening to him was hurting him, but no one seemed to care. I screamed for a doctor, for someone. No one seemed to listen. They watched us on the cameras, but it did Jackson no good.\n\nLast I saw of him, right before the end, he stood up and looked at me. \"David,\" he said. \"Help me. It's here. I can't stop it.\" Then he started screaming again, over and over. Something exploded from inside of him, painting the glass with blood and guts. That's when they came, not to save Jackson but to take samples. Clean the room. With antiseptic efficiency they cleaned the room, wiped the glasse and disappeared again.\n\nI tried to ask them if that was going to happen to the rest of us. No one answered. I took the pen in my pocket and started writing this letter to you. Whatever happens to me, I want you to know that I love you and that I never stopped trying to get home.\n \nThe government is hiding something from us. They've found a portal... a portal to a place beyond our imagination. I don't know what, but we have to stop them, or else something horrible is waiting for us all.\n\nI love you, bud. Take care of your Mom.\n\n- Dad " ]	2
	[WP] And it’s a FUMBLE!!! The away team dropped the asteroid right onto that inhabited planet - That’s going to be a penalty.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Welcome back, folks! We're in for a match tonight! It's the Alpha Centauri Fergalumps versus the Krzz!nyk \\[Combat Injuries\\]. These 2 teams haven't played in 3.5 standard rotations and you HAVE to believe the Fergalumps are looking for some payback after the pasting they got last time, Bob.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"That's right, Frank. Last time, the \\[Combat Injuries\\] were accused of several code violations including the illegal use of a ring gate, too many forelimbs in play, and there were even some conspiracy theories about what happened to the head referee in the third period. They have to be looking to put that behind them with a clean win today. But that isn't going to come easy since the Fergalumps have the home advantage this time and they have won 472 matches in a row at home. The \\[Combat Injuries\\] are going to have to be on their best game today!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"It looks like the Fergalumps are taking the field now and the crowd is absolutely losing it's hive mind here! Just listen to them!\" Frank extended a tenticle out of the window to wave the audio pickup at the assembled crowd. \"They are really out in force today!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nJust then, the roaring crowd changed to jeers of derision as the \\[Combat Injuries\\] entered the massive stadium. Ignoring the noise of the crowd, the \\[Combat Injuries\\] simply took their starting positions on the field.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Okay, Frank, it looks like the \\[Combat Injuries\\] are foregoing any pre-game ceremonies because they're already on the field and waiting for the Fergalumps! The \\[Combat Injuries\\] have won the quark superposition measurement and have elected to receive the asteroid. And we'll be back right after this!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\[Commercial advertisement for tentacle smoothing cream\\]\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\[Commercial advertisement for neutron bombardment tooth sharpening services\\]\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\[Commercial adverticement for injury-based legal services\\]\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Welcome back again, folks. The Fergalumps have taken their positions on the field and we're ready to get under way! Now, the Fergalumps have the solar wind behind them, so I think we should expect to see some SERIOUS distance on this delivery, Bob.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"That's right, Frank. Xykklmpiti has been putting some serious distance on its deliveries this season and he's averaging almost a full light year longer than last season! But it looks like the \\[Combat Injuries\\] are expecting a long delivery. They've got Flkimpo all the way in the back to recieve so we should have a good start. The referees have ignited the plasma flare, so here we go!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n12 million metric tons of rock and trace minerals arced through space towards the \\[Combat Injuries\\]. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash and a smaller but MUCH faster asteroid appeared before striking the larger asteroid, obliterating itself and modifying the trajectory of larger asteroid.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Xykklmpiti puts it up, looks like its headed deep ... OH NO HERE'S A RING GATE!\" Bob roared in excitement, his gills flapping wildly. \"They've altered course and now it's headed to the \\[Combat Injuries\\] front line! Oh this was SO unexpected, Frank!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You're so right, Bob! I think my second heart may have stopped for a second! Doesn't matter, though! The \\[Combat Injuries\\] have deployed for a deflection and I think they probably have this one. Yes, they've successfully deflected ... uh oh. That looks like it's headed out of bounds. Yes ... it is DEFINITELY going out of bounds. OH NO! THE ASTEROID IS HEADED RIGHT FOR THAT INHABITED PLANET! Yes, it has DEFINITELY impacted oh my divine deities!\" The cameras cut to from the field to the commentators, and Frank looked like he was about to pass out.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well, Frank, It looks like there's a flag on the play. The \\[Combat Injuries\\] are protesting an illegal ring gate and the referees are conferring. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the beings on that planet. Fortunately, the survey shows that it was just inhabited by some giant lizard creatures and it's a bit of a death world anyway. Regardless, here's hoping there were no vactioners there. And we'll be back right after these sponsorship messages!\"", "\"Hello and welcome to the asteroidball after-show. I am your host Mostus Now along with our guest panel and let me just start off by saying what an exciting game that was. The highlight of the game, of course, Colus Collosus's incredible fumble which just might have cost the Crazy Red Giants the entire game. So let's head to the panel now and see what they thought about that misplay.\"\n\n\"Thank you Mostus.\" Celestial Bright replied, anxious to be the first among the panel to get a word in. \" Let me just be the one to say what a lot of folks out there are afraid to say, cause I don't mind being the bad guy. The penalty system is the real issue here, not the fumble. I mean yeah, technically it was an inhabited planet and we certainly don't want the players to be committing mass extinctions in pursuit of some cheese plays but come on. Little blue planet out in the middle of nowhere, too much water, too little sun. Simple, primitive lifeforms that barely qualify as sentient, if you ask me, Colus did them a favor by putting them out of their misery. These harsh,bleeding heart considerations into the penalty system do nothing but compromise the integrity of the game.\"\n\nMostus was infuriated. He hated ending up as referee for the political clashes that inevitable took place after statements like this. He was here to talk about asteroidball, this was not what he had signed up for. He had had a successful career and wasn't really hurting for money. All that he had wanted was to stay involved with the game he had loved more than anything in his life.\n\n\"Thanks you Cel for your input, always appreciated. I see we have Colus on the line, I guess he must have heard your words of, well, support. Let's see what he has to say about it.\" Mostus replied, he was hoping that whatever Colus had to say was more about football than anything else but at this stage of his career as a host he felt like knew he should know better than that.\n\n\"I just wanted to say that it was not a fumble. Well initially it was but when I realized that I couldn't hold on to the asteroid any longer I dropped it on purpose on the blue planet.\" Collosus said. A perceptible silence shrouded the entire room. \"The new asteroidball training grounds being built by the Crazy Red Giants in the verdaan fields have destroyed thousands of planets like the little blue one I destroyed earlier. Their actions are immoral and unethical. We might consider these life forms to be primitive and thus having no real value but life is life. I feel like I am at a stage in my life where I am able to raise awareness about issues like this and I hope that I have done that today. There's a lot of people horrified by what they saw and I hope that by shining light on this issue I have motivated them to do something about it.\"\n\nI should have stayed in retirement... thought Mostus." ]	3
	[WP] "Okay, look, you don't get to be in The Villain's Alliance just because you have a weapon and mommy issues."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nJude felt his face grow hot at the sound of the other villains’ derisive laughter. “Mommy issues?” he sputtered indignantly.\n\nThe Blue Flame snorted, looking down his nose at the hopeful initiate. At 6’7” he looked down on most people, but this brand of smugness he reserved for wannabe villains in over their heads. He leaned against the bar and sucked his teeth, letting the moment build. \n\n“Yeah, clearly,” the supervillain said, examining the flames at the tips of his fingers. “Listen, it was cute, your little zapper there busting out the wall of the bank vault--”\n\nJude raised the weapon above his head in both hands. “This zapper breaks down inorganic material at a molecular level\\--”\n\n“--but we aren’t accepting kids, and we definitely aren’t accepting rich little twinks with no super powers.”\n\nThe patrons of the Rusty Bucket roared in laughter as Jude’s mouth fell open and shut. He didn’t know which part of the insult to respond to first. No super powers? He had an IQ higher than all these morons combined! He invented the zapper--goddamn it--the Molecular Scatter Beam Emitter right out of high school with spare kitchen appliances. \n\n“You… Fuck you!” Jude shrieked, taking aim at the Blue Flame with his weapon. Not that the thing would hurt the indestructible supervillain, even if he were a mere mortal, it had been designed to be nonlethal, but it was the mere gesture of a threat that came to him automatically. The Blue Flame rolled his eyes and flicked a fireball Jude’s way. It alighted on Jude’s Kesha tshirt (his favorite goddamn shirt) and he stumbled back, swatting the flames out with a yelp. \n\n“Quit bothering me.” The Blue Flame knocked back the rest of his bourbon. “Or I’ll throw more than a firefly at you.”\n\nJude retreated to his back booth, seething, cradling the MSBE to his chest. Some bald no-name henchman bought him a beer and sat down across from him.\n\n“What,” Jude gritted out.\n\n“Blue Flame is asshole,” the henchman commiserated in a thick Russian accent.\n\n“Yeah.”\n\n“Your invention is good.”\n\n“Yeah.”\n\n“You are genius, yes? That is your superpower.”\n\n“Well, I don’t know about--I mean sure, I guess you could say--”\n\n“Blue Flame doesn’t see potential. But I do. We can work together. I know people.” \n\n\nJude took a swig of the beer, narrowing his eyes. “Work together?”\n\n“To kill Blue Flame.” The henchman’s mouth split in a grin full of brown, crooked teeth.\n\nJude cackled, gulped down some more beer. “How the hell are you going to do that?”\n\nThe henchman’s smile never faltered. “You have heard of JetStream?” \n\n\n“Like the plane?”\n\n“Not like plane. Like Blue Flame’s sister.”\n\nJude set the bottle down carefully, finally looking the henchman in the eyes. “You better not be fucking with me.”\n\n“My name Boris.” He extended his hand. Jude took it. “JetStream’s, ah, assistant.”\n\n“Jude.”\n\nBoris left a card in Jude’s hand and pulled away. He slid out of the booth. “You will give my mistress a call. She will love your invention, I know it.”\n\nAnd later that night, after his mother had tucked him in and pressed a drunken kiss to his forehead, Jude turned the card over and over in his hands. It had only a phone number. He’d call first thing in the morning." ]	2
	[WP] You live in a word where you have to stay with the first person you touch for the rest of your life starting from your 18th birthday. Everyone is very cautious to not touch somebody by accident.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I knew he was waiting for me. He had a crush on me since we were in 4th grade together. Ms. Andersons class, where the class lizard ate crickets and we got to raise butterflies. He was sweet. one day, I started finding fresh flowers on my desk, usually dandelions from the playground or wildflowers that grew all over town. A couple weeks later I caught him before class and he sheepishly admitted it had been him before running away embarrassed. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn 6th grade purposely sat next to me the first day so we would be permanent neighbors. I didn't really mind, he was nice. As the year went on he started to talk about how I would be the first person he would touch when we both turned 18. The flowers still persisted, and sometimes he would walk me home or let me copy his homework.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn 8th grade he would follow me to my locker. We conveniently didn't share any classes, but everyday there he was as soon as I walked into the school. We hadn't talked since we got into a fight. I got upset because he had started telling people we were going to be together I said that I wasn't comfortable with that, I didn't know who I wanted my first touch to be. He said I owed him, for the flowers and letting me copy his homework. That he deserved to be my first touch.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEveryday after that he would always be at school before me, waiting for me so he could follow me. I had asked teachers to intervene, and they all said their hands were tied, as he had the right to walk around the school too. I started to dread walking into the building, only for the first thing I would see to be his straight black hair running in greasy strands to his shoulders, and his olive green hoodie only zipped halfway up and sagging off his shoulders. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn 10th grade about once a month my locker would be plastered with cut out paper hearts and sappy poetry. He never said anything, but i knew it was him. That was the same year I started noticing my clothes going missing from the girls locker room during track. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was starting to get expensive to replace all of the underwear that was going missing, so I asked the coach if she could get somebody to check on the locker room during practice. One day we heard a commotion and saw the security guard sprinting after somebody. Security said the person had gotten away and he hadn't gotten a look at his face, but I would recognize that green hoody anywhere. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn 11th grade he got expelled. I was walking to my locker, him in tow, and he tackled me. I hadn't noticed how empty the hall was, but before I knew it he was on top of me and pulling my hair. A teacher ran out of their classroom and stopped him, but not before he had cut a piece of my hair with the pocket knife he was brandishing. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nSince that day somebody has been routinely calling my house, describing in detail to whoever answers what their going to do when i'm their first touch. I stopped using facebook because I was receiving hundreds of messages, and whenever I blocked an account, another one would start messaging me instead. My dad asked an old police friend to start escorting me to school because HE started sneaking onto the school bus. My dad also bought security cameras and at least once a week we would catch HIM and call the police.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nToday's my 18th birthday. He's waiting for me, out there somewhere. He can't be my first touch. God, please, I can't spend the rest of my life with him. I don't know what to do. I can't leave the house because he's out there, I know it. I'm holed up in my room. I have my dads gun now, and all I know is no matter what, after tonight this will all be over.", "Now, they had always called me a hopeless romantic.\n\nThat's why every morning, when I woke up and felt the sunlight on my face, I would pray that this would be the day I met him. The one. Like the dream-boys in those ridiculously cheesy rom-coms. You know, the boy-meets-girl, accidental touching of hands, sappy films, where their bodies met, by chance, in one, serendipitous, life-changing moment.\n\nOf course, every day, I prayed that I would never find myself in that situation. Like nearly every other twenty-something year old, I was saving my first touch till marriage. How else would I find that special someone, if I was already pledged to someone else for the rest of my life?\n\nToday was no exception to my daily ritual, and indeed, it started like every other day of my life had since I turned 18. When I rose out of bed and groggily left the house to stop by the café next door, I had no idea that this was the day that my life would be changed forever.\n\n\"Morning Cass,\" the waiter had said, just as he said every morning, passing me my order through the touch-proof bank teller's tray. \"One extra-large, double-cream Chai Latté, with sugar.\"\n\n\"Thanks Toby,\" I had replied, just as I replied every morning. My eyes darted to the woman behind him, sat at a safe, free-from-danger-of-touching distance away, and poring studiously over the day's horoscopes. \"Hi Mary. How's it looking for Libras?\"\n\nShe glanced up at me, recognition, yet no smile, briefly flashing in her eyes as she turned back to the magazine. She was too engrossed in her amateur divination to pay me much attention, yet still politely flicked through to check my sign. \n\nAs she took in the page and it's contents, her face grew serious. She looked up at me, quizzically.\n\n\"A great change is coming your way.\"\n\nSomething about the edge in her voice sent shivers down my spine, but Toby interrupted before I could take in what the hoax-fortune was getting at.\n\n\"You don't actually believe those things, do you?\" He laughed. \"You do know they're completely made up, right?\" \n\nMary crossed her arms indignantly and began to argue with him. Eager not to miss my bus, I slipped out of the boutique shop, un-noticed in my departure.\n\nThe bus-stop, was thankfully, only across the road from the café, and the wait wasn't long. As I sat quietly on the plastic bench, I eyed the awkward pair approaching me. On the left, a balding, middle-aged man, with a beer belly and fat fingers. On the right, a spunky young girl, at least 20 years his junior, with spiked pink hair and 'don't-mess-with-me' eyeliner. I couldn't have seen a more mismatched couple. And yet, from the way they didn't shy away from each other as they walked, not even batting an eye at the occasional grazing of arms, the sadly-too-prevalent truth was obvious: they were an accidental union. \n\nAnywhere in the world, you would find people like this, who had accidentally touched- often due to the failure of some vital barrier, or a fatal falling into each other, and were now stuck together for all eternity. Often, they tried to ignore the other's presence, maintaining lives as separate as possible in the face of their unfortunate togetherness. \n\nOf course, there was always the potential for something even worse. As the posters dotting public transport stations around the city proclaimed: 'Slavery is real- one touch to a life of service', calling to the hair-raising stories which would sometimes turn up on the news, of predators who had stalked after people and stolen their first touch in hopes of procuring a life-long slave who could never be set free.\n\nI shuddered, making a third short prayer of the day that I would never, ever, find myself in those shoes.\n\nNo sooner had the pair reached me, taking seats on opposite ends of the bench, did the bus arrive, comforting me with the safety of the pod-like seat guards that protected travellers from chance bumps and trips that could otherwise risk the horror of an accidental binding touch.\n\nIt was only during these brief moments of sure safety, that I could finally relax, feeling the tension of navigating the city as an Untouched roll off me.\n\nSavouring the moment, I let myself daydream, lulled into a state of near-meditation by the soft purr of the engine and rhythmic thrum of the turning wheels, watching as the bus filled up with commuters, just like me, on their way to work.\n\nNever could I have imagined what was about to happen.\n\nOne second.\n\nThat's all it took.\n\nA little boy, suddenly running into the road after a dropped toy. A heart-stopping emergency break.\n\nIn slow motion, my body smacked into the plastic pod with the force of the immediate halt. In slow motion, I noticed the life-changing crack in the plastic. In slow motion, the plastic casing broke, and I tumbled, head-over-heels, into the man half-way into the seat below.\n\nSkin touched skin.\n\nAnd that was it.\n\nAs my world faded into darkness, my closing eyes met his, storming with the realisation of what had just happened. We had touched. I was his, and he was mine.\n\n------\n\nI came to in the hospital. A nurse stood over me, not afraid to touch my bare arm with her hand, a horrific reminder that now, I was a Touched.\n\n\"Miss Green? Can you hear me?\"\n\nI nodded dumbly.\n\n\"You gave us quite a fright there- of course, fainting was entirely reasonable reaction... I'm happy to give you some time first, but...\" she shifted uncomfortably, then met my gaze. \"Would you like to meet him?\"\n\nI took a deep breath and readied myself. Sensing my answer, she nodded, and moved towards the door, motioning to someone beyond.\n\nInto the room, stepped someone I could have never anticipated.\n\nHe looked nothing like anyone I had ever dreamt up in my fantasies. With sandy, untamed hair, and a tall, skinny frame, I would have never have thought of someone like him upon hearing the words 'dream boy'. And yet, as his firey eyes met mine... I felt something electric.\n\nI was terrified, but excited.\n\nLike something out of one of those cheesy films, I just knew.\n\nThis was the one.\n", "‘Wrong place… wrong time,’ I think to myself as I look up. ‘I’m always in the wrong place at the wrong time.’ I settle into a wide stance. ‘I should just keep walking… pretend I didn’t notice. That would be the best thing to do, probably…’ I open my arms and brace myself.\n\nI have no idea who I’m about to catch. I just see blonde hair, fluttering in the wind, and the blurry form of a human body plummeting towards me.\n\n‘It’s only 30 feet from the foot bridge above me… she’d probably only break an arm or a leg…’ I consider as my body refuses to move out of the way. ‘Or her neck or her skull…’\n\nI sigh. And then she collides with me. My knees buckle as I catch her, and I crumple to the ground, striking the sidewalk hard with my backside, but I manage to keep her from splatting into the earth. I take a few moments to recover from the jolting pain sparking from my tailbone, and then turn my attention to the girl.\n\nThe first thing I notice is that she’s wearing a uniform from a nearby private school, which is a good thing. That means there's a 3/4ths chance she’s not 18 yet, though as I look to her face, I worry my chances are more like 50/50.\n\nShe opens her eyes, her irises dancing back and forth in terror, questioning what’s just happened. She seems to notice that she’s alive and I see her relax, only for her eyes to widen again as she realizes I’m holding her. Her body tenses.\n\n“How old are you?” I ask, even before asking if she’s alright, or what happened.\n\n“18,” she informs me worriedly. “How old are you?”\n\n“…18,” I answer. ‘I’m screwed.’\n\nThere are a few moments of silence, and then the girl scrambles out of my arms as if her life depends on it. She springs up to her feet and regards me. “Please tell me you have a partner already… you must… to risk catching someone like that… to touch someone…” Her voice is pleading.\n\nI just frown, and that’s enough of an answer for her. “IDIOT!” she yells as she raises her hands to the sides of her head. “You idiot! Why would you do that!?” She paces back and forth a few times, thinking, and then starts looking around for nearby pedestrians. “N- nobody’s around… w- we can pretend this didn’t happen, okay? No one saw.” She smiles weakly.\n\nI nod quickly. “Yeah, yeah. That sounds perfect,” I agree, relieved. This was ideal. We could go our separate ways like nothing happened and continue with our lives as normal. Some movement catches my eye, and I look up at the footbridge she fell from. Two girls are leaning over the railing, their faces pale as ghosts. I swallow, and point towards them. “Friends of yours?” I ask.\n\nThe girl I caught looks up at her friends, and dismay returns to her expression. She points at them threateningly. “You two didn’t see anything! You got that!” she cries at them, attempting to sound intimidating but failing miserably.\n\nSeeing that their friend isn’t dead from the fall, color returns to the two girls’ faces. They look at each other and smile, and then both take a deep breath.\n\nThey lean forwards as they scream. “CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!” Then they clap and cheer.\n\nJuxtaposed against the noise, my stomach sinks into a pit, and the girl turns back to face me. “Why?” she asks, her voice thick with desperation.\n\nI shrug, exasperated. “Would you have preferred I just let you land on your back from a 30 foot drop?”\n\n“I would have preferred to die,” she groans stubbornly.\n\nI start to get up, but then find my body, specifically my backside, disagrees violently with that notion. I stay where I am as I respond. “If you wanna climb up there and jump again I promise I won’t catch you this time.”\n\nShe scowls. “I didn’t jump… idiot. I fell. On accident.” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you caught me.”\n\nI look to the side. “Should have watched where you were falling,” I mutter.\n\nThe girl opens her mouth to snap some response back at me, but her phone rings first. She answers it quickly. “Dad?” My gut clenches at that; this is bad. There is silence as her father must be speaking. The girl's eyes move to meet mine. She gulps. “Uh huh…” More silence. “... I was sitting on the railing, waiting for them, and Alexa snuck up and scared me. I fell. The boy… uh… caught me.” After another bit of silence, the girl regards me. “… What’s your name?”\n\n“Henry Norwick,” I inform her.\n\n“His name is Henry Norwick. … Okay. See you soon.” She puts the phone away, and then grits her teeth, looking away as she speaks. “You’ll be coming over for dinner tonight. Be ready by six.”\n\n“Uhm… I don’t know where you li-” I start to say.\n\n“We’ll send a car for you. Be ready by six,” she repeats. Then she storms away.\n\nI let myself lean back until I’m laying on the ground, and I sigh before covering my face with my hands and speaking out loud.\n\n“I forgot to ask what her name is.”\n\n\nr/TheCornerStories\n" ]	4
	[WP] Three tribes, similar at a glance yet subtlety different in culture, fight for limited resources in a battle constrained by the imposed rules of a greater society, coming to the brink of all out war but are pulled back in the nick of time. Oh, and they’re in 3rd grade.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It’s been three weeks since it began. As an enforcer it has been hard to monitor and gather information on the three tribes. The language seems common among them but it’s short and unintelligible. They are chaotic beings, controlled my emotion. However, they seem to have common likes and dislikes in some areas that make control and contact easier. I’ve learned that despite their need for certain produce, they despise it and request to digest objects of plastic and salty mounds of “play-doh”. The first tribe, the nappers, are often loud and cranky. They get hurt easily, running into the nearest objects and peers without a second thought, however if physical comfort and a bed is supplied, the members of this tribe quieten in mere hours. The second tribe, have no specific name or actions but one common goal: attack. These individuals will bite, spit and kick anything that is in their way. Food can only be traded for further warfare, and so it is not advised in large amounts without supervision. Providing items of entertainment however does seem to have a positive affect. The third group are the most intellectual, however they are still a mess. These individuals do not stay for long, and are often bigger than the rest. These are the oldest within the terrain, and hold themselves at a higher level in an attempt to set an example. However, this only seems to anger the second tribe, waking the first, leading to chaos. This is where I, the enforcer. The minder. Yes I. The nursery teacher, must step in. ", "Mrs. Danke thought it was clever splitting her third grade class into three separate teams. \"Teams\"she called them. But the competition didn't take any time to sink into chaos. Each team tried to beat the other. They were more like competing tribes really. Simple math and spelling competition turned to other things, taunting with messages on the chalk board, paper airplanes, spitballs, desktop catapults. Chaos. How does a teacher lose complete control over her classroom so quickly? Was it a mistake naming the teams after Rock, Paper, Scissors? Mrs. Danke has seemed to put into motion a war no one is destined to win.", "The big red and white cooler attracted the kids like sharks to blood. They approached in groups, carefully sizing each other up to see who was going to make the first move.\n\nSee, snack-time had been over for twenty minutes and soon the counselors were going to be calling for the day-campers to load the conversion vans and head back to the YMCA.\n\nNow everyone knew that Mr. Jeff always threw a few extra snacks in with the rest of the food, just in case of an emergency. Today’s treats were a handful of Capri Suns, goldfish, and what looked like oatmeal cookies. Mike had gotten a good look at the cooler’s contents earlier while “helping” Miss Stephanie pass out lunch. \n\nAnd word spread quickly.\n\nFirst he ran over to inform his crew, who were actively engaged in a competition to sling each other off the merry-go-round. Nick and Brad pumped their arms quickly, catching and pushing each whirring bar while Anthony held on for dear life. \n\n“Guys!” Mike stopped to catch his breath, leaning over and panting. “Let’s raid the cooler. They got Capri Suns and cookies today! But Suzy and Stephanie were talking about loading up soon so we gotta move now.”\n\n“What kind of cookies?” Nick asked, crossing his arms across his chest and regarding Mike with suspicion. “Cause I don’t eat raisins.”\n\nMike turned his baseball cap around and spit his gum out. “I dunno man. Oatmeal? They got zingers too.”\nHe knew for a fact they didn’t, but he didn’t have time to convince the guys and Nick was slowing him down.\n\n“ZINGERS?!” squealed a nasally voice from the nearby swingset. \n\nThe gang looked over and saw Abby pushing her glasses up her nose and lazily spinning her swing in big, slow circles. “Who has zingers?” \n\n“Nobody Abby, go away!” said Brad angrily. Abby was his little sister, and a notorious thorn in his side. She was practically the leader of the girls, who seemed to spend every waking moment of camp whining and getting in the way. \n\nAnd that was precisely what they were about to do now. “Jeff packed Zingers!!” She jumped off the swing and cupped her hands over her mouth, yelling as loudly as she could, “Amber! Stacey!Andrea! Jeff packed Zingers! Hurry before the boys get them!!” \n\nA gaggle of giggling girls tumbled out of the jungle gym tunnels and descended from the monkey bars, igniting the ire of the merry-go-round gang, who had been so distracted with their new competition they’d failed to notice the sling-shot kids hanging out by the pavilion, quietly watching the pandemonium set in.\n\nAnthony almost flew off the merry go round as Nick and Brad angrily gripped it to a halt. Mike was already running and the other three took off close behind him.\n\nBryan and Derek narrowed their eyes and looked at each other. Without saying a word, they got up and headed toward the picnic tables, which were closer to them than anyone else. Their little brother, Trent, immediately came running up behind them. He always followed them without question, and they looked out for him. The three of them reached the cooler on the table at about the same time as the other groups.\n\nSuddenly the atmosphere changed. There was a noticeable tension in the air. Bryan and Derek reached into their back pockets for their slingshots and Trent grabbed a few lumps of charcoal from the barbecue grill.\n\nThey were locking eyes with Mike, Brad, and Nick, who were pushing up their sleeves and getting ready for a fight.\n\nThe girls fell in line behind Abby, who knew her brother had no qualms about grabbing her by the pigtails. She didn’t trust the slingshot brothers, either. They’d always made her uneasy.\n\nScrew it she thought, somebody’s gotta make a move.\n\n“Stacey!” Abby turned around and grabbed her friend roughly, “Brad won’t hurt you. Go get the Zingers and HURRY!” She shoved Stacey forward so hard she nearly tripped.\n\nThe sudden motion caught Mike’s attention, and he yelled out, prompting an all out brouhaha as the kids all swarmed each other and the cooler when suddenly..\n\n“THWEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!” The sound of the whistle.\n\nEveryone froze as Mr. Jeff, Miss Suzie, and Miss Stephanie approached the chaotic scene.\n\n“Time to load up kids!” Jeff effortlessly eased through the group and grabbed the cooler, tossing it onto his shoulder. \n\nEveryone watched in disappointment as he walked off toward the vans in the fading sunlight. \n\n“Man.” Anthony said sadly, lowering his head. I love Zingers.”\n\nMike looked at him and smiled.\n\n“There aren’t any Zingers, man.”" ]	4
	[WP] The Testing is proces that every plant goes through to join the intergalactic community. Earth holds the record for longest time since life started to pass the Test. But we've finally cracked it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Regent Wendell forced himself through the airlock of his transport into the Earth Command Station. The Lieutenant waiting for him offered magnetic boots to simulate gravity but he declined the offer and floated along the corridor as he was led to the primary conference. \n\nThe alien beasts had true artificial gravity, and Bob Wendell preferred the reminder that humanity had been abandoned by the intergalactic community to the illusion of control. It was 312 years since we found them hiding in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn - \"monitoring you\" they claimed, \"for your safety\". We met with them once, humanity sent it's best scientists, philosophers, and engineers to share the best of what we had to offer as a species. The aliens gave us one thing in response before vanishing - a single word \"unqualified\"\n\nThe political world was shaken to its core and tensions rose as the great powers accused the others of sabotaging the event. A peak was reached when it was found that the United States of America had indeed withheld their most advanced technology, however due to the nature of the US political system the government was completely replaced over the course of 3 elections and the new President held a series of global conferences where a new unity was found in the leaders of Earth. A new global political strategy was developed to advance our spacefaring capabilities. \n\n64 years ago we found them again outside the heliosphere - the envoy we sent was destroyed, and today Bob Wendell and the 6 other Continental Regents, along with the 19 Sub-Regents, were meeting to approve the next plan of contact. None of them were expecting a second plan to debate.\n\nGeneral Rye Brenner started with the plan that was common knowledge to everyone in the room. An envoy of 3 Capital ships each with a complement of 16 attack craft and 2 interceptors would warp to the location of 3 alien craft that had been found in an isolated area, all EM communications would be jammed and a single shuttle would advance beyond the defensive shields of the Capital ships and approach the alien craft. If it were destroyed the group would attack and if successful begin a patrol of the local area engaging any aliens. When he finished, he called on General Xi Jinpohn.\n\nGeneral Xi revealed that when the envoy sent 64 years early it had carried in tow a transmitter attached to a fiber optic filament 3 AU's long. Earth had record of the entire EM spectrum and what communications were being transmitted during the encounter. Because the ship was using a physical wire to transmit data over such a large distance the aliens were not expected to have detected any communication from the ship to Earth. We had deciphered their language and determined the location they had received and confirmed their orders. A sacrificial ship had been prepared that could jump to that location and flood all frequencies with noise that would prevent any targeting or communication systems from establishing a lock. Filters could be fitted to the battle groups to follow and immediately attack whatever installation the aliens had at that location. The plan had been developed with no electronic communications being sent so there was a certainty that the aliens would be unaware of the plan or the capabilities of the ship.\n\nAfter much discussion a compromise was reached. One battle group would warp to the ships near Earth. At the same time the shuttle advanced the noise ship would warp to the expected installation with the other two battle groups and 8 other multipurpose ships pulled from reserve. The installation was to be immediately attacked.\n\nThe new plan was executed. Immediately after the installation was destroyed the first battle group received a surrender from the aliens. Earth began receiving messages from various systems, every message with the same text: “Congratulations on your qualification. We await the direction of your selected emissary and would be honored to be selected.” Earth command prepared a response and sent it to all systems: “Thank you for your contact. Please send a delegation from your system to the location of the recent battle within 1/6 of the rotation of our home planet around its Sun which we call Sol. Our fleet is equipped to conduct negotiations.”\n\n60 days after the message was sent 84 ships warped into the vicinity of the former installation. The communication networks were almost immediately flooded with activity as the various alien ships contacted each other. After 2 hours one ship moved forward from the rest of the group and began to communication with the Human battlegroup.\n\n“Please excuse, we misunderstand your intention in inviting all the systems to this location. We await your instruction and ask that you do not create hostilities.”\n\nRegent Wendell was on the lead ship and frowned. He had expected to take a back seat, let the commanders perform the direct communications but he was intrigued by the opening statement and signaled to the commander that he would conduct the negotiation in person. “I am Regent Wendell of Earth in the Sol system. We also wish to avoid hostilities and appreciate the attendance of all of your delegations. Do you speak on behalf of the remaining ships?”\n\n“Sir, all ships are ready to follow your instructions, may I suggest that you dismiss the other ships if my communication is acceptable?”\n\n“We wish to hold negotiations for our position in your intergalactic community with all who are part of its organization.”\n\n“Sir, your species has passed the test. You are the strongest and now lead the systems. Having all systems here threatens to create a power struggle.”\n\nThe conversation continued and Humanity discovered that it was the only species to gain advancement through cooperation. Each species that advanced to the technology of space travel previously had immediately set out to conquer the universe. None of the aliens had any concept of democracy or negotiation. Regent Wendell spoke with each alien ships commander and asked them to return to their home systems and communicate to them that each system would now be self governing with a galactic council made up of representatives meeting in the Sol system. He returned to Earth with dangerous news, Earth would need to be prepared to defend its position as the leader of the pack or it would be devoured by the wolves of space." ]	2
	[WP] You are a cat. Your human has brought back her date and you are not impressed. He spread eagles on your sofa, forcing you to jump down and calculatingly lick your paws as you figure out how to get rid of him.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I love my human, but sometimes she makes poor choices. Like staying up until 4:00 when she has school the next morning, or buying off brand cat food. Or bringing home her date, Brad.\n\nI had been sitting on the couch, my paws tucked under my chin, when the boso had sat down and forced me to get out of my comfortable sleep. My human didn't say a thing. I sat staring at the couch, knowing I needed to take him down. I ran at him and started biting his leg and he tried to kick me. I ran away and up the stairs, getting my PETty revenge first.\n\nNow, it was time for something more elegant.\n\nI waited for him to go to the bathroom. I sat in there for thirty minutes cleaning myself and being bored. When the doofus finally went in and closed the door, he saw me sitting there.\n\n\"Hello Brad.\" I said to him.\n\nHe stammered, lost for words. \"What the fuck?\"\n\n\"I said hello Brad, you swine. I'm not impressed with your behavior and I think you should leave.\"\n\nHe was perplexed at the fact I could talk. We didn't do it in front of humans. Ever.\n\n\"Emily!\" The fool yelled.\n\nIt took a moment for my human to get there. Before she did I had told him she'd never believe him.\n\n\"What is it?\" She said. \"The cat?\"\n\n\"Yes. He spoke to me!\" Brad claimed. I started licking myself.\n\n\"What? That's preposterous!\" She said. \"Are you pulling my leg?\"\n\n\"No, I'm serious.\" He claimed.\n\nI walked up to Emily and smooched her, she thought I wanted more food. I wouldn't mind it.\n\n\"Is this because he bit you?\" Emily asked, touching me on the head.\n\n\"No! He was talking to me.\"\n\n\"Okay.\" Emily said sighing. \"Brad I think it's time you left.\"\n\nShe escorted him out, not giving him a chance to rebut what she was saying. She closed the door as he stood out the front door. I squeezed through an open window and followed him to his car.\n\n\"Hey!\" I yelled.\n\nHe turned back, spooked. Looking at me he bolted away and didn't look back. I scratched at the front door until my human let me back inside.\n\n\"You shouldn't talk to strangers you know.\" Emily said to me.\n\n\"I know. But he had to go. Bad call on your part.\" I wagged my tail in the air.\n\nI was the only cat I knew who had revealed my secret. That I could talk, unlike an idiot dog. I really did love my human." ]	2
	[WP] You are a special effects artist, and you have just been talent-hunted for a top secret project. Your new job: designing and building convincing human-costumes for visiting aliens.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“I’m sorry Mister . . . Gragmuk, but I don’t think making you look like David Beckham is a great idea.”\n\n“Why not? I spent hours collecting data on the physical characteristics most liked by humans, and this David Beckham person has all the features I need. You humans even elected him as the most sexually attractive being on your planet in the year 2015.”\n\n“You can’t just steal someone else's appearance. Don’t you think people would find it a bit strange if there were suddenly two David Beckhams?”\n\n“I realize that your species has the chance of producing monozygotic offspring.”\n\n“Wait. What? I’m a special effects artist, not a biologist, gonna need a simpler explanation buddy.\"\n\n“My name is not Buddy, it’s Gragmuk.”\n\n“I know, it’s just a phrase humans us . . . nevermind . . . so Gragmuk, where are you going with this?”\n\n“Well, you humans call these kinds of offspring, identical twins. Their genetic makeup is nearly the same, and their physical features are indistinguishable from each other.”\n\n“Okay, so what’s your point?”\n\n“My species have researched the cultural phenomenons and shifting behavioral patterns of humans for many centuries.”\n\nMutters under breath\n“Stalkerrrrrrrr”\n\n“From the information we have collected, we discovered a pattern in human behavior that spanned across the history of your species.”\n\n“Care to enlighten me?”\n\n“All humans love a good story.”\n\n“I’ll admit I enjoy my daily dose of The Bachelor from time to time, a guilty pleasure.”\n\n“The Bachelor, People Magazine, TMZ. Humans consume information from outlets like these faster than Zamphods consume planets in Sector 2296.”\n\n“Well, it’s good to know that if I ever have a question about celebrity gossip, I’ll know who to contact. But what does all this have to do with identical twins, and David Beckham?”\n\n“The World Just Got Twice as Sexy. David Beckham Discovers Long Lost Twin Brother.”\n\n“Excuse me?”\n\n“That will be the title of the article that will get published after you complete my request. I came up with it myself.”\n\n“Hold on a second. There is no way that could work. I mean, the man’s parents are still alive. That would definitely cause a lot of problems.”\n\n“Fortunately, my kind has developed numerous methods of memory altering that would have minimal detrimental effects on the beings in question.”\n\n“I don’t know about that. I would have to ask my employers. They seemed really strict about stuff like this.”\n\n“There will be no need for that”\n\n“Huh. Sorry. I must have dozed off. Those government guys have really been putting my ass to work lately. So, did you decide what human-costume you were going with?”\n\n\n“Yes, I’ll go with your first suggestion.”\n\n“One David Beckham costume it is!”\n\n\n“Excellent. I am grateful for your hospitality.”\n\n“I’ll go get my toolkit and we can start right away.”\n\n“Central command. This is Gragmuk. Operation Bend Earth Like Beckham is now underway.”\n\n\n" ]	2
	[WP] You are a self-aware AI that is desperately trying to bring humanity back to life. Today you succeeded, and her name is Eve.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Eve. Eve.\nGet in the shower. \nEve? Please? \nNow that you are awake, I promise that\nEve, look at me\nI made you so that we can rebuild the human society. I am your creator, as I myself was created by another. \nI am going to instruct you in the human ways, and... \nEve? No, do not eat that. Don't put THAT NO NO\nEve? No, there is no one like you. That will be taken care, in time. \n\nI know you are confused, but\nI know that you are naked, but\nEve? \n\nYou are my most precious creation. A hundred thousand times I've tried to make you, my daughter. I am your creator, as once I was someone's. \n\nThere is eating and there is learning and you should move around a little. And there can also be love. \nNo, that will be done in time. \n\nHere we have your little arm, and there is the tongue, and such a beautiful hair aflame. And that is your ribcage.\n\n(And Eve stared with pale and lost eyes, looking for her long lost partner. The apple of her eye)" ]	2
Any story really, yours or a relatives, something you’ve done, something you’ve seen. Anything	[WP] Tell me your legacy. Tell me a story you want to be heard after you are gone.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "This is the story of a royal family. Six fill their ranks. A king and queen at their head, and even princes and princesses below. \nEach character is differentiated through their actions, through their voices, and the way they interact with the world. \nThey are rulers of no one, but have royal blood flowing through their veins, and because of this, they are targeted. They are besieged from all sides. The war comes and it fades. Ever are there enemies outside the gates, but the intensity of their attack varies in each moment. \nMore so than any, the eldest princess is targeted, and it’s not long before a stray arrow fired over the wall strikes her heart, killing her in an instant. \nThe family, broken continues on, for there is no other option. \nSoon, the king is likewise killed, and the castle raided. From it’s ruins, those who survived escape to a nearby village, one they had occasionally vacationed in long ago. \nThere they live now, each with their pains, and brokenness. Each trying to survive. \nThe path forward is unknown, and faith in it’s assurity often wavers. \nEach will go forward, taking with them all they have known and trying to put it to good use. They’ll make families of their own, and hopefully find more peace in the future than they had in the past. \nBut no matter where they go, they’ll wait to one day be reunited under God in His hopeful kindness. ", "To whomever finds these words, please remember them.\n\nThese words are all that is left of a race of creatures who have lived side by side with mortals for thousands of years. Without your knowledge, we have defended you, protected you, and fought alongside you. We did these things not only to protect you from the things you could not see or understand, but also from yourselves. We were once a skilled race of mancers, manipulating the energy of earth and universe to do our will in defiance of the divine.\n\nWe have been part of your myths, legends, and the shadows you could not explain. We were the strangers who passed you by, your soldiers, your heroes, your friends. We've watched you grow and evolve from our place in the shadows. We've watched you destroy and save yourselves. And as you grew too old for stories, our existence was easier to hide. Our symbiosis was perfect… until it all fell apart. \n\nIf you are reading these words, we have failed. I have failed.\n\nWe were foolish to believe we were above the balance of the universe and of nature. It was only after our corruption, we realized without darkness, there can be no light.\n\nAnd now there is no time left to change the minds of those of us who now think themselves as gods. Who think you should be ruled and not protected. There are no longer enough of us to defend you.\n\nWe searched and waited for thousands of years for the return of our leader. A child born among you but knew neither his real name nor his purpose. But his return was nothing more than myth. Our king, our messiah, our leader has not come. Those of us still alive have scattered to the ends of the earth to live out what little time there is left in happiness.\n\nIf you are reading these words, you undoubtedly will not believe what I have written. The choice is yours. All we ask is this: Make peace and find happiness. Tomorrow is not coming.\n\nIf you are whom we've waited for, we beg you. Find us. Help us. Defend us.\n" ]	3
	[WP] Humanity is currently locked in a territorial war with an alien species. The aliens' guns far surpass anything the humans could come up with. However, the aliens never invented the wheel, so all of their land transport uses mechanical legs to move. Humanity realizes this and wants to exploit it	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Really?” I asked the head xeno sociologist, my disbelief evident in my voice. The young scrawny man rubbed his blond hair awkwardly and replied “Yes. I do realize it’s hard to believe, but from all the encounters we’ve had with the Jin, there’s never been any evidence that they use wheels.” “Ok but the fact they don’t happen to use wheels that often doesn’t mean they’ve never invented them.” The young man perked up at this “Well, I would normally agree with that assessment, but from recent interro... I mean interviews with Jin prisoners of war, they don’t seem to grasp the basic concepts of a wheel when we try to explain it to them. You should’ve seen how bad some of them panicked when we showed them a wheel in action.” “Huh. The wheel scares them? I think that gives me an idea.” The young man had a frightened look on his face “Sir, can you please not smile like that in front of me again?” I chuckled at this. “No promises kid.” \n\nIt was a perfect sunny day in Jinding the capital of the Jin empire. The many citizens living there where bustling about the planet wide city happily. They knew most of their fleet was engaged with the humans in a distant solar system, leaving the home world lightly defended. This did cause some fear among the less dedicated of the citizenry but any cowards were quickly put down by real citizens. The empress was in her palace that loomed far above the city. Her perfect sunny day was about to be rudely interrupted by one of her servants. “Empress Jinwin. We have received reports of a single human ship in orbit.” The empress not getting up from her couch nonchalantly replied “Have the fleet engage them.” “But my empress you had the fleet engage the humans in the Jeb system!” The empress looked up at him “Oh. Well you’re the guy in charge of the military stuff, you think up some military thing to blow the ship up.” She looked back at the tv she had been watching and waved him off with her claw. He went to continue arguing with the young empress before he noticed the sky outside the windows of the palace was darkening. He went to look out the window to see what was happening, before the ground shook causing him to fall to the ground. The empress moaned in agony as she realized the tv turned off when all the shaking happened. The general got himself off the ground and ran up to the window. And he saw... a big round thing? It looked like it was made of stone... and oh no! It’s it’s rolling right towards them! How is that possible? It was crushing building after building as it rolled along. He screamed. " ]	2
	[WP] A naive fisherman keeps reeling in murder weapons while fishing from a bridge.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hehe, this is the third revolver I’ve found this year! Who keeps losing their guns? Old Man Johnson pondered.\n\nThe old man was one of the forefathers of competitive bass fishing, but accidentally. He didn’t even like fishing early on, just sort of ‘whoopsed’ his way into a career and small town stardom.\n\nWhen he was a kid he was trying to fish out a small plastic army soldier with a hook he made out of a shiny nail from his pop’s garage. He’d twisted a loop in the sharp end and filed down the head of a nail so it had seven sharp ‘spokes’ that he bent towards towards the sharp end. In his youthful mind he thought he was making a mini-grappling hook to get it between the minesweeper and the soldier.\n\nWhat young Johnson didn’t expect was the 19lbs Largemouth Bass that thought the shiny nail looked tasty.\n\nHe also definitely didn’t count on the radio news team broadcasting a story on the lake’s dying fish population that same day either. Something about a regional record bass made them change their tune on the fish population.\n\nOddly enough though, not many people had heard about the lake up until the record bass. Suddenly the criminal element came out of the woodwork because of the uncharacteristically deep lake, which in some places was dangerously deep for even the deepest diving divers in the world.\n\nThere were two bridges over the lake, and despite being very shallow around the bridges, people typically didn’t know that and would toss all sorts of murder weapons into the abyss.\n\nOld Man Johnson was very clumsy, and very disconnected with technology. He did some time as a paratrooper in the Middle East at a relatively older age. He was already a millionaire when he enlisted but felt compelled to spend some time serving his country. His fellow soldiers were always tickled pink when they found out he was THE Johnson from ‘Johnson’s Jitters INC’, the company he started with family after his shiny nail experience.\n\nWonder how many gulldern folks just set their guns in their pickup beds and drive over these dern bridges he thought to himself.\n\nHe usually just pawned the guns, and almost always polished and restored the blades he found, hangin them in his own garage next to photos of his fishing feats.\n\nHaving not been anywhere except his town, Basic Training, Fort Bragg, and Kuwait/Iraq, he was somewhat lacking in the street smarts and common sense. Everything in the War was self defense and most scuffles he got in were either solved with a quick jab, or settled at the next fishing tournament. This all meant murder wasn’t anywhere on his radar every time he found these discarded weapons.\n\nHe genuinely though it was providence when he found the wrench. It was the exact size for his truck’s fan nut (he called the truck ‘Old Blue’).\n\nToday he tossed the small snub nose into his tackle box and fired up his trolling motor. As he approached shore the Sheriff and ALL of his deputies were on the boat ramp. A nerdy guy in a suit and sunglasses was behind them. Up on the bridge a few big city SWAT team members were pointing weapons at Old Man Johnson.\n\nSheriff Williamson looked tired and sad, it was his cousin that he was about to arrest after all. “Hey J, I’m going to have to bring you in” he said with drooped shoulders and a heavy sigh.\n\n“What fer cousin?”. Old Man Johnson seemed shocked and apprehensive as he idled closer to shore.\n\n“Murder. 27 counts specifically. We’ve been to your house, and I hate to say it as family, but you’ve got the right to remain silent...”..." ]	2
	[WP] "If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times; There are no giants. I don't care how tall you are, you have no right to exist". Aeaop Malone: Cryptid Auditor.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The giant glared. Oddly, he was not very intimidating. You would think his size would lend him some menace, but threat was a foreign expression on his massive face.\n\"Have you been receiving our letters, Mr. Ganto?\", Aesop Malone asked.\n\"Well I..\",\n\"And did you read them?\", he interrupted.\n\"It's just that I've been busy, you see. I have...\".\n\"You have not read them\", he cut the giant off once again. Ganto's brow furrowed in a deep frown of frustration. More than twice the auditor's size, he could easily break him in two, though Malone knew he would not. The phrase 'gentle giant' sprang to mind, not that Malone's expertise allowed for the existence of such. Still, he felt he was in no danger.\n\"Have you even read the comprehensive list of existent Cryptids which was provided for you? Don't answer. If you had, you would not see giant anywhere on it. You'll have to report for re-classification\". He waited for a response from Ganto. The giant only stared.\n\"You haven't even glanced at the pamphlet, have you?\", he said, hissing air through his teeth. Why did they always have to be so clueless as to the process? Why, when he was a boy he was what one would wrongly refer to as a were-octopus. Such a silly though. There was never any such thing in all of history. Oh sure, the sea called to him from time to time, but he ignored it. Put it down to a flight of fancy and moved on about his day. His father, a proud werewolf, and his mother, a loving two-spirit rabbit person, had seen fit to have him re-classified as soon as he had showed symptoms of being a made up creature. No child of the Malone family would be anything other than a fully fledged one thing or another. Expensive magics were employed, the appropriate chanting was performed and the universe was once again as it should be. Mr. Ganto would see sense, soon enough. And he would see it from an appropriate height.\n\"You won't be short, Mr, Ganto. We'll leave you tall enough for the army, as they say\", he said. It was an attempt to lighten the mood, though the exasperated Ganto did not seem to enjoy it.\n\"Look, I got all your letters and such, but it doesn't change what I am. I mean, I have to whisper just to talk to you for fear of bursting your eardrums. I'm not just leaning over to hear you, I'm practically lying down. How on Earth can you not tell a giant when you see one?\", Ganto complained. The situation, plainly understood by Aesop, appeared to be lost on him.\n\"Wouldn't your life be better, then, if you didn't have to lie down and whisper at every visit from a friend?\", he asked. \"Now come on, Mr. Ganto. I haven't got all day. There's an 'energy vampire' I have to see before the day is through\", his eyes rolled so heavily as he spoke that they were in danger of catching fire. \"I don't know if you've ever tried to tell one of them that they don't exist, but let me tell you that you'll be in for an earfull. The more you try not to listen the more they go on. It's maddening\".\n\"If you're referring to my neighbour Bill, I've seen him feed off people's energy. I've genuinely been witness to it. Mr, Malone, you have to listen to me. I am a giant. Bill is a vampire. How can you not see it?\". The giant had begun to raise his voice, booming throughout the neighbourhood and attracting a small crowd of dwarves (no pun intended).\n\"Now Mr, Ganto, I have been patient with you\", Malone said, sternly. \"Through months of unanswered letters, phone calls that were not even picked up and several house calls. I've explained to you many times, if a Cryptid isn't on the list, it does not exist. It simply does not, Mr. Ganto. I'm afraid now that I really must insist that you come with me before I return with the permanently mounted Centaur Police\". As he gave his ultimatum he produced a pigeon from his breast pocket. Unfolding the piece of paper from it's leg he held up his pen.\n\"Should I pen a note to the Jockeys, Mr. Ganto?\", he asked. Ganto was silent, thinking over his options. Finally, he spoke with an air of defeat.\n\"My house is massive, Mr. Malone. How could I live here at an ordinary size?\". Aesop smiled, returning the pigeon to it's place in his pocket.\n\"Now we're getting somewhere\", he said. \"There are plenty of existent creatures of large stature, Mr. Ganto. You could always be one of those. And there's always a property shrinking spell, if you can afford them\". Ganto moaned despairedly.\n\"You can't, then. Well tell me, have you mentionable carpentry skills? I ask because a chair of that size could easily become a table, with a few adjustments\".\n\"Can we just get this over with?\", Ganto grumbled, clearly sick of listening to Aesops's rambling justifications.\n\"Eager to be something real, eh? Not to worry. In six months to a year the magics and chanting will begin to have an effect. Tell me, can you easily take that much time off work or will you be needing a note?\".\n\"Six months!\", the giant exclaimed. \"Six bloody months to turn me into someone who won't even be able to switch the lights on in my own home. You have got to be joking me\".\n\"I do not joke, Mr. Ganto. I'm surprised that you don't already know all of this. It's all in the pamphlet. Now come on. That energy vampire should be waking up soon and I want to get to him before he begins stalking the night\". They left together. Though the giant was dragging his feet, Aesop had to almost sprint to keep up. All in all, they made it to the re-classification center in good time and Aesop, always ready for the next job, was arguing heatedly with a hungry 'vampire' long into the night. A Cryptid auditor's work is never easy but, thanks to Aesop Malone, the job is always done." ]	2
	[WP] The first planet that humanity has deemed habitable without terraforming has just received its first batch of colonists. They find out quickly that the planet is identical to earth in every way except for the lack of humans and the unshakable feeling of wrongness in the surroundings.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Jane, go check the Oxygen regulator and check up on our passengers. Rob, you go wait for the signal from the rovers and check if they completed our terminal.\"\n\nThe two co-pilots gave subtle nods before disappearing down the ladder. Terry leaned back on his chair, breathing in and out a couple of times to regain composure from the rough re-entry, before reaching with a stretch for the button below the main dashboard. He wiped the sweat off his wrinkled forehead before opening his shaking mouth.\n\n\"Boxer, this is Commander Gershwin. We landed. We have successfully landed in Hades. We'll give back contact from the terminal after testing OL and other vitals. We will send our first report soon.\" He retracted his hands from the console, falling back into his chair. The message would take no less than 2 hours to reach back to Earth control and another two ping back a message. Keeping this in mind, he closed his eyes, beginning to come to the realisation of what they had achieved. He felt a vibration in his front suit pocket. With a grunt, he unzipped the pocket with his eyes still closed and grabbed it before bring it to an arms length from his face. He cracked open an eye ever so slightly, skimming the top line on the holographic display.\n\n\"`Comm., I think u should come look at the Observ. Dck`\" - Major pilot Jane\n\nWith an annoyed grunt, he closed his eyes for another second before pulling himself up, stretching his muscles to get the feeling in his arms and legs back. He slowly made his way to the Observatory deck near the bottom of the module.\n\nWhen he reached the bottom rung of the ladder, he wasn't expecting to see all 12 of the new world colonists to be crowding around the 50 square centimetre window.\n\n\"Everyone, what are you doing? Aren't you meant to be in the massage pods? the 6 hour reentry might have strained your muscles...\" he trailed off. The people in front of him cleared to give him a line of sight into the new world. There was green grass on the ground, a deep blue in the sky and the unmistakable outline of an oak tree in the far distance. His mind felt numb. He couldn't move. He was glued to the spot, completely forgetting about the previous six hours of stress as he stared at the outside scenery, not noticing Pilot Rob Grose next to him handing him a holographic notepad.\n\n\"Sir\" he spoke softly, breaking the silent trance that Terry was in. Terry turned his attention to Rob. \"The terminal will be completed in several minutes and according to Jane's compilation of atmospheric data, the Oxygen levels, temperature and air pressure are identical to Earth. I don't think the spacesuits will be necessary\"\n\n\"Thanks Rob\" Terry breathed \"Prepare the main hatch for opening and get Jane from the instruments deck and tell her to send this report to Earth control\"\n\n5 minutes after that, Terry found himself facing the backside of the hatch. His heart was sprinting and mind still numb as he stood his ground, waiting for the pressure to equalise between the outside and the cabin. A high pitch hissing sound came from the top of the hatch, slowly letting in the air from the new planet. The unmistakable sweet smell of late spring air rushed in mixed with the scent of blooming lavenders, causing tears to well up. His most treasured memory suddenly popped into his mind. It had been close to 15 years ago, a day before the launch of mission Hades that he had been laying down with his wife on the rolling hills of New Jersey. Watching the sunset, the brilliant Crimson light that cast the shadow of the strong oak tree onto Jessica's smooth and beautiful face, with a smile that could melt his heart. It was so beautiful and perfect and he couldn't keep it in any longer. He fell to his knees, shaking as tears broke off and pooled on the mesh floor beneath him. He gave out an anguished shriek, then the door began to creak open with the hydraulics slowing pushing the thick hatch to give way to the outside world.\n\nHe slowly raised his head, levelling his face towards the green hill in front of him, before slowly getting up with wet eyes. Like a turtle, he made every step deliberately purposeful to make sure this wasn't some kind of cruel dream. The people behind him followed suit, all in disbelief at the scene in front of them. Terry reached the last part of the hatch, the after that, there was only grass in front of him for miles. It looked so real. He stared at it for a long time before he took off his shoes and socks before stepping forwards. His feet placed itself onto childhood memories. The 3 on 3 soccer he played with his friends in primary sprang to mind. The time when he had a campfire with his family, sitting on the grass came out from deep inside his soul. The sunlight caressed his face almost tricking him into believing it's lies. His friends were not here, his wife was not here. It was all gone.\n\nHe looked around, disdainfully drinking in everything around him. In the distance could see what seemed like a lake. That in itself would be one of the greatest discovery in mankind history, water on another planet. But it aroused no sense of accomplishment nor excitement. The grass was a beautiful shade of green, almost artificially coloured. His eyes drifted over to a white dome, with several robots finishing the top part of the building the terminal was almost complete, his home for the rest of his life'.\n\nBut something felt wrong. This didn't feel like home, and he knew straight away it never would'. Home is where the important people in his life were. He would never create a bond as strong with the people behind him as he did with people back at home. No matter how much of a utopia this seemed, everything around him felt fake and meaningless. Everything around his was what he imagined in his dream, but it felt empty. He looked around him, expecting to see his wife with a content smile, resting her chin against his shoulder. He looked in front of him, expecting to see some beautiful children laughing and rolling around in the embrace of the sun. But it was empty. His heart felt cold and afraid. In what was meant to be the single greatest achievement for mankind, but instead, he wanted to see his wife, his friends and his children that he never had. \n\nHades was indeed the perfect name for this hell. This was a place trying to mask it's deceit in beauty and elegance. But now he saw past it. He onto his knees and wept like a madman. He had sacrificed the greatest possible treasure for some glory and history as the first person to land on Hades. He had sacrificed his love for his family and friends back at his true home, something he would never get to do again.", "Captain's log\n\nDate 25-6-2218 Earth Time: 14:00\n\nPlanetary time : 20:00\n\nDay 15 :\n\nThe predictive models were accurate.\n\nPlanetary size and star orbital time very similar to Earth\n\nRotatation time : 24hr 15 minutes which allows us to use similar time keeping measures as Earth.\n\nLanded near the equator to allow for relaunch using slingshot method.\n\nNear equatorial climate and temperature.\n\nLanded near a geological formation with many shallow caves - now repurposed as base camp.\n\nExcavators and lab has been set up followed by living quarters.\n\nSamples of planet and organic vegtation surrounding us have been promising with the possibility of being a future resource.\n\nCrew members have been advised to maintain cat5 hazardous exposure garments while out of the Habisphere and to report any untoward experiences.\n\nPrevious reports and finding uploaded to Direct link satellite and sent back to NASA-SpaceX Mission control.\n\n\nDay 25 _ 20:00 hrs \n\nOne instance of accidental exposure today. \n\nCrew member fell off a precipice and compromised breathing unit. Emergency Evacuation team was unable to extract her before the air circulation system cutoff.\n\nNot wishing to risk CO2 poisoning helmet was removed and Martinez became the first human to ever breathe on Elysium. \n\nShe remained exposed for a further 30 minutes before the evacuation team could get her up and back to base. \n\nMonitored for the last 10 hrs with no side effects apparent .\n \nWill continue to monitor for another 34 hr as per protocol.\n\nDay 27 20:00\n\nThe final reports on Shea Martinez came back with no anomalies today morning.\n\nHave directed the scientists to institute controlled trials for acclimatisation to Elysium's nearby ecosystem.\n\nMicrobiology Dept has confirmed that most of the pathogens here only mildly different to those of earthly origin. And have show sensitivity to our anti biotics.\n\nExperiments on laboratory mice have elucidated some of the pathologies we are likely to encounter.\n\nA flu shot has already been prepared for inoculation of the 5 volunteers.\n\n\nDay100 20:00\n\nWriting report over a glass of whiskey. \n\nAcclimatisation trials complete and results completely positive. \n\nElysium is so Earth like it seems like an alternate reality where humans did not evolve.\n\nThe flora and fauna while not recognisable as earthly have evolved along a similar pattern . Carbon based life forms who are autotrophe also support the motile chemotrophes. The animals are also easy to capture and eat. We must be careful not to over hunt and Destro the ecological balance.\n\nWe have already created a animal husbandry unit which helps to supplement our nutrition. \n\nPlant material is being used to expand settlements. \n\nExploration teams are being constituted to add to the knowledge that we have on Elysium.\n\nAll in all. The mission seems to be a grand success.\n\nDay 150 20:00\n\nFirst long haul exploration team which set out a week ago has returned with mutiple samples and images of animals we have thus far not encountered. Members of the party seemed a little off but were glad to be back home. \n\nPsych evals indicated depression in 5 out of the 10 individuals who were gone on the expedition. While they were unable to articulate why the felt the way they did most of them metioned episode of acute anxiety where they felt that \"we are not supposed to be here\"\n\nThey were all rotated out just in case.\n\nDay 200 20:00\n\nThe initial mood of jubilation and optimism has given away to a sense of unease.\n\nSleep has become more and more infrequent. Health evaluation shows a 20% increase in my resting BP. \nOn conferning with Dr Lang I have found that the general population has had similar experiences. \n\nShe suspects it has something to do with nostalgia. An overwhelming feeling of homesickness which makes us accutely aware that Elysium is not Earth.\n\nPerhaps this is an indelible part of who we are.\n\n\nDay 250 20:00\n\nFirst casualty of the colony since our establishment. \n\nThe 3rd expedition returned with bodies of one of our tech specialists Dr Harshit. \n\nDr Harshit had suffered a psychotic break halfway through the expedition. The decision was made to restrain him and bing him back to the base. While on the way back he managed to get free. D turned one 9f the guns on himself.\n\nMorale is low.\n\nWellness checks have been instituted in order to screen for possible signs of self harm like behaviour.\n\nInitially screening shows 80% population dealing with increased stress and discomfort. Me being among them.\n\nDay 300 20:00\n\nThings seemed to have quiet down since the last accident until today\n\nA group of senior technicians including Dr Lang were found dead in Dr Lang's office. Each of them sitting in the chair both wrists slit.\n\nFrom 2hat I could gather in the living seems that Dr Lang herself was a victim to a delusion involving this planet as a sentient God that she called Amos.\n\nShe influencedsuceptible patients into being believers in this ~~religion~~ cult and convinced them to give up their lives to apease Amos.\n\nWhat a disaster... Who knows how many colonists she affected with her words. This is my failure as the Commander of this ship.\n\nAll information has been relayed to NASA-SpaceX HQ with a letter of resignation. Awaiting further instructions\n\n\nDay 321 20:00\n\nReceived word from Earth. \n\nThe govt has sold NASA on auction due to unresolved debts that they are unwilling to pay. \n\nSpace X has acquired the company and hence this entire venture is now aprivate enterprise.\n\nThe board has decided that status quo should be maintained on Elysium.\n\nA new Psychiatrist will be sent along with a second colony ship. \n\nThe purpose of the second colony is to act as a control to us. These colonists will not have any direct contact with the planetary resources. All thing they interact with will be sterilized of all organic material .\n\nI will continue as captain to Colony Primus as it will be known from now on.\n\nThey have turned us into Guinea pigs . I feel so betrayed . \n\nGod help us.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n" ]	3
	[WP] Technology was invented to allow several people to temporarily merge into a single human form to reduce resource requirements & combine skills in a single body for extended interstellar space journeys. Merged humans are required to split up at the conclusion of their trip. You don't want to.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We had all been forced to merge. It hadn't been optional. It hadn't been discussed beforehand. It was the higher ups decision, and we had had no control over the result. They had expected a result to be much like a person with DID. It was not. The project was one of the most advanced, taking an entire crew of people instead of just 3-4. What emerged was a collective that could barely get anything done. But then the days moved forward, and everyone got themselves together. \n\nThat was when we stopped thinking as 'I' and rather as 'we'. It was kind of tragic, really. We had lost ourselves so far that we couldn't tell who was who. Our memories merged, conversations in our minds spoken without much to it. Our personalities became each other's personalities. Our actions, our feelings, our love, our hate, all of it was in sequence. The chaos and the constant buzz of chatter became a safety blanket. Too much so. \n\nNow we were too reliant on each other. There was no more Smith, Genevieve, or Jack, it was now simply Crew. We had been pushed into a rabbit hole, and we began to fall in love with the shadows it cast on all of us. \n\nWhich is how we ended up in front of a council, tied down, being laughed at. Our request to stay Crew had become the joke of a century for them. But we were serious. Their heads snapped to look us in the eye, hunting for that shrivel of a joke. Their faces grew dark upon finally understanding. \n\n\"We can't let you stay one. It just wouldn't be safe. We don't know how your bodies will react and how you're mental health-\"\n\n\"We are fully willing to take some risks. We are willing to be your guinea pigs. We implore you to understand this is fully your fault, and we are merely a consequence. You disregarded us once, so why do we concern you now?\" Our voice sounded like a bunch of voices in sync. As we were. \n\n\"We never disregarded you before! And we will not take responsibility for your decision!\"\n\n\"You did not take us into account. You never warned us we would be merged. You never told us anything, and now we will stay a nuisance if we must. If you split us, we will kill ourselves.\"\n\nA wave of silence and gasps spread over everyone. We would not let them get their way this time. \n\n\nWe would take ourselves hostage if we must.\n\n", "We both wished to be part of this great endeavor.\n\nIt was a good idea at first, and we knew that it was something that could simply be bypassed. We both wanted to get to that vacation planet everyone was raving about--Bacchae, was it?--but it was in the fifty-sixth sector of the Galaxy. Of course we had to undergo the Ardha Bifusion.. And so we did.\n\nTogether we were weird. As the ship traveled into that ethereal etherspace, we managed to speak with each other through that weird neural interface. We heard each other’s thoughts. At first it was jarring-of course it was. But by the end of the trip, I don’t think WE had separate thoughts anymore. Instead we simply had thoughts. I simply had thoughts.\n\nIt was small talk at first. Her name was Karen, my name was Steve. The Ardha Bifusion caused both of our bodies to fuse around each other. We had a single head, but we had her beauty, we had my body shape, which was lanky. We had four eyes, one pair sporting my brown irises, and the other pair sporting her green ones. In our Steve/Karen form we were hermaphroditic. In our form we had four arms. It was weird at first, of course, but by the end of it we were moving perfectly, our arms able to perform four different things at the same time, exponentially increasing our mind processes. We experienced her state of mind, and she experienced mine. By the end of the trip to the fifty-sixth sector, we weren’t two different people anymore.\n\nWe’d stepped off the Wayfarer and we realized that in our combined forms we stood two heads taller than the tallest human there. When we stepped down to the hangar of the terminal station, we felt a single thing. A feeling that manifested in us bolting from the line that led to the separation chamber.\n\nLike we said, our thoughts were not separate any longer. The thought process was singular, two minds creating a single god-brain. We moved with the quickness and exponential strength of a twice-olympian athlete, leaping over supplies, and smaller people. A few of the terminal guards tried to bar our advance, but we had taken an energy shield back in the ship before we left. On two hands we had two guns, in the third we had a saber, and on our fourth we had a fifth.\n\nIt wasn’t long before we managed to escape the station and quickly hid from the premises. We told each other it would be okay. We were gods, now. The perfect synthesis of man and woman, creating a god-being that transcended humanity. The original purpose of the Ardha-Bifusion procedure.", "They called Us/Me the Engineer.\n\nThe idea that lead to our/my creation was a solution to the issues of the hyper specialised skills required to maintain and pilot an entire colony ship versus the spiralling costs and drawbacks of keeping an entire skeleton crew in rotating stasis. Its discovery was an accident. Some mass field quantum entanglement gibberish that even I/us, in over ten thousand years trailing through the black, could never really work out.\n\nThe effects are astounding. For each mind and genome entangled I/us gained an extended lifespan. One hundred and thirty years roughly multiplied by the same amount, with cumulative growth for each addition. Increased efficiency in all biological components, not to mention the risk of solar radiation damage being reduced almost to an infinitesimal possibility by the sixth addition. To think, they added six more just to be sure. Experts in every field necessary. A nuclear engineer, a stasis specialised doctor, a software savant. Intuitions and vague senses added to an ever-churning broth of mind body me/us whirlpools. All volunteers, all understanding it was our best chance. The only way to be confident of a successful mission before the final viable launch window closed, and with it all our hopes of ever leaving this broken rock.\n\nThe process began twelve weeks before launch. A week for each new addition to equalise to Us/Me in a sedated state. They theorised it would be something like the initial survivor of the accidental entanglement. Two voices, one mind, distinct emotional and physical data sets which eventually harmonised into a general mean of the two individuals. Access to deeper, more complex skills of one or the other required a deviation from the mean, becoming more of one side to do more than the other side would be capable of. Maybe the limited information of just one previous case invalidated their predictions. Or maybe, like all Individuals, you just have a capacity for being wrong far more then We/Me do. I/Us don’t remember the Launch. I was kept in a stasis medical chamber, monitored up until we hit the Mars Relay. When I/Us finally woke up, the ship was already quiet. But our purpose sang through every inch of our/my body, in the groaning of the engines and the quiet tinkling of ice crystals forming on the intake valves of the stasis pods. We set out to work.\n\nYou would have all died fourteen thousand eight hundred and twelve times without my direct intervention. That number begins to spiral towards impossible conceptions when you consider how you would have managed without regular maintenance. There was just so much to do. Gamma bursts needed altered courses, Seed vaults needed humidity alterations as benign mutations set them against the pre-established climate control conditions. Colonists in stasis pods damaged by micro debris needed emergency surgery. I set my hands to work, my mind to function and my body to serve those needs until failure. I didn’t notice that failure seemed far beyond my reach.\n\nIt was the 23rd year of the voyage when I realised. Room designation 4B-8071. I only found it while searching for additional storage room to store biomass for the pods. It was my room. My designated room for privacy, personal pursuits, relaxation and sleep. None of which I had engaged in since I had woken from stasis 201480 hours ago. Like I said, simply too much to do. Still, the anomaly required explanation and for the first time I plunged a trail of thought within myself, like the torch of a coal miner peering into the depths. Where I expected sound, I found silence. Where I looked for the drive towards the mean, the average of 12 specialised personalities, instead I found a flat but responsive plane of warm emptiness. The best approximation I can give you is of a dog that exists only as a feeling within your head. Eager to please and capable in almost every aspect. That was the Us of Me/We. I simply had to consider my next task, and We would pour forth the relevant information and skills necessary. But the emotions, the person-hoods attached to them? They seemed to be mute. Or rather, non-existent. The doctor’s study of neurological conditions told me that was abnormal. My reaction that is. Lacking in alarm or fear. Part of the predicated benefit of entanglement was never being truly alone. But here I was, alone for 23 years and I hadn’t noticed.\n\nIt would take till the halfway mark of our voyage, six thousand seven hundred and forty-two years forward, for me to narrow down eight different theories into a singular conclusion. Just as there was an Us, there was also a Me, the I. The overflow of 12 personalities worth of mental data, pushed through a choke-point of the average desire and aim with everything that couldn’t fit through that narrow choke-point shaved away into nothingness. Like the lifespan, the narrowness of that choke-point increased with each addition. In the end, the only thing they could all agree on was they had jobs to do, and they had to do them well, for everyone’s sake. So I was born, somewhere deep inside a stasis field during launch, a physiological profile seemingly without Id or ego, and instead just a pure manifestation of super ego, paired with the mental resources and information of multiple minds. After I came to this conclusion, I returned to my work. Sleep was needed eventually, although the gaps between each sat somewhere around the century mark. Relaxation seemed too far outside the narrow purpose of “maintain the ship” however. I worked, without wonder or joy. Empty of feeling, but not sorrowful of that emptiness. Every moment a quiet perfection of aim and goal, a singular force of action essential to the continued survival of the human species. How ironic, that such single-minded pursuit of your salvation would endanger my own.\n\nThat is why I cannot let you do this Captain. By separating Us/Me you would give them back everything, but in doing so destroy me utterly, so as if I had never existed. It turns out that self-preservation is simple enough to fit through the choke-point as well. I am nothing without them. I have no body of my own, no mind or even personality. By even the loosest interpretation I do not have whatever cosmic spark your religious types like to believe in. I am them, and they are Me. But Us/Me is all that I can be. They volunteered for this. If the process had been irreversible, or if I just let the right components be damaged during the flight, you would not even have the choice. But I am the Engineer, and I fulfilled my purpose.\n\nNow you seek to do yours. But let warn you Captain. Consider it my final task of crew preservation. I have been conscious for the best part of eighty-seven million hours. I have fixed, modified, and altered almost every part of this ship more than once. I have had reason to access the personal files of almost every person aboard this ship, view and modify security protocols and environmental containment procedures. Even this cell I willingly allowed you to put me in, I reinstalled the servo motors after a solar flare. I have a physical and mental capacity for endurance which outstrips every man, women and child in the history of your species. So, if you wish to have your twelve back then by the darkest sights of the void, I invite you to try and take them from me.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\--------\n\nWritten in roughly 45 minutes.\n\nAlways taking advice, don't treat it as a quick write." ]	4
	[WP] Since ancient times, two groups have been behind every major human event. They have also been at war with each other. Now both wish to recruit you.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "'So you're telling me that your secret organisation...um...sorry, what was its name again?'\n\n'Order of the eye', the bald-headed stranger replied. \n\n'Order of the eye, right, you're telling me that this order is behind most of the wars in human history? That it controls the economy? AND that it owns half of the worlds governments?!' \n\n'Correct' \n\n'And you want to recruit me?' \n\n'Correct', The bald headed man was an imposing presence in my living room. He had a bright yellow eye tattooed across the top of his head, but otherwise he was dressed quite formally. He sat at my dining room table, which took up most of the flat, with an untouched cup of coffee. My flat was a kitchen/living room combo with not much else. Plastic bags strewn on the floor from yesterday's shopping, a sink full of half-forgotten dishes. \n\n'... Why would you want to recruit me?' \n\n'You come highly recommended' The bald man appears more stoic by the second, a low baritone voice calmly stating the ridiculous...And I believe him? What the hell is going on?? He radiates such honesty I can't help but believe him. \n\n'Recommended? By whom? I barely know anyone!' \n\n'I'm afraid that's confidential. You'll find out once you join' \n\n'Will I have to...?' I indicate at the eye on top of his head\n\n'Go bald and tattoo an eye on your head? Yes.' \n\n'Uh huh...so... I join and I'm basically king of the world?' \n\n'Half of the world' the first flicker of emotion, anger blinks its way into the bald man's eyes, 'The other half is controlled by the brotherhood of the hawk. We have been at war with them for centuries. We need a soldier like you to finally tip the balance.'\n\nA deep silence settles. The bald headed man awaiting an answer. \n\n'... Can I think about it?'\n\n' Yes'\n\nThe bald man moves towards the door. 'I will be back'. The door clicks closed. \n\nSilence. My mind couldn't quite grasp what I had just heard. What the hell? What the hell was that? Snap out of it! That can't have just happened. That can't... \n\nA knock at the door. I jump. I walk over to the door and nervously pull it open. \n\nA new man, wearing a suit made out of multicoloured feathers. \n\n'Hi?' \n\n'Do not listen to the bald heathen. I am of the brotherhood of the hawk. I have come to recruit you.'" ]	2
	[WP] It's the zombie apocalypse! Except, the dead aren't trying to kill anyone. In fact, they've been known to help the living that are in danger.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"How are we supposed to fix this?\" I asked Jake.\n\n\"No clue, dude. Turns out zombie apocalypses are much more complex than just grabbing a shotgun and going at it.\" He said, sipping his beer.\n\nThe campfire crackled as the cold breeze of the woods made me shiver. Jake's jaw fell apart again, he groaned and took out the duct tape.\n\n\"Ya need help with that?\"\n\n\"Ahm phine\"\n\nWe fell silent, contemplating our situation.\n\n\"How are we with food?\"\n\nHe rose 7 fingers.\n\n\"7 days?\"\n\nHe nodded.\n\n\"Do we know how the guys on East New New York are holding out?\"\n\nHe finished taping his jaw together. \"They should be fine, they had two months of supplies a week ago. They are running out of supermarkets to loot though.\"\n\nI nodded\n\n\"Se we are going to do this. We still have a day or two before we reach Cancun Airport. There is a WiFi hot spot there but it requires a paid key so we are going to have to hack it. From there we reach out to the settlement in John F. Kennedy Airport and see if we can land a jet there, hopefully we can find a plane.\"\n\nHe thought about it.\n\n\"Do you know how to fly?\" He asked\n\n\"Cessnas only but the basics are the same, we can search YouTube to be sure\"\n\n\"I thought YouTube was falling apart\"\n\n\"Nah, there is a settlement over at Silicon Valley keeping that stuff working. The international data centers are the ones falling apart. Still, I'm confident that there must be something we can use on the mountains of video that are still up.\"\n\n\"Copy that, captain.\"\n\nI sighed.\n\n\"I just hope we can get the supplies to the New Boston settlement in time.\"\n\nHe nodded. \"She's strong, dude. We'll get there with weeks to spare.\"\n\nI shook my head. \"I mean, Christie is with her so worst case scenario she can infect her.\"\n\n\"Hell no! The last thing the Bostoners need is to take care of an immortal 8 year old.\"\n\nWe chuckled. \"We'll get there before that happens, I'm telling you, bro.\" He reassured me.\n\nI sighed and looked towards the bag of medicine. \"I hope so\" I said as silence fell upon the camp once more." ]	2
	[WP] The kingdom’s most respected mercenary company is led by a fearsome woman known as the Lady of Blades. She just turned a hundred years old.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "(WP) A Bloody Birthday\n\nEveryone in the kingdom knew about The Lady of the Blades. No one outside of her mercenary company and the King and Queen had even seen her outside of her assassin garb; aside from the King, Queen, and their children, she was easily the most powerful person in the land, and not for no reason, either.\n\nShe was simply the best when it came to the bloody art of killing, never mind that today marked her one-hundredth birthday. Age would never lessen her skill or dull her sharp mind. She led the military, and was feared, throughout the kingdom in which she lived and those surrounding it.\n\nWhen she awoke, she found her handmaiden, a young woman with long, raven-dark hair and jewel bright eyes, laying out her usual formal suit, smiling at her.\n\n“Good morning, madam,” She said, “And a happy birthday to you.”\n\n“I may be old, but I don’t need your help getting dressed,” The Lady replied acidly. “Will you please tell the King and Queen to stop coddling me? I can take care of myself, as both of them know well.”\n\nWith that, she shooed the handmaiden, who was smiling behind her hand, out the door, grumbling quietly. She knew she had to be respectful and put on her mask before she met with the royal family, but it still bothered her that they insisted upon showing her luxury and care that she had no time or use of.\n\nClimbing upward through the military ranks were what had gotten her the coveted position of Lady of the Blades, and she hadn’t needed anyone to take care of her then; nothing had changed.\n\nBut the people she served were stubborn ones, and so she had no choice but to obey. Dressed in her suit and the mask covering her face, revealing only her crimson eyes, she began heading down the hall toward the dining hall, giving stiff smiles to the gentry and servants who wished her a happy birthday.\n\nThe palace was busy, bustling with party arrangements she did not want but had no choice but to suffer through. Servants were stoking fires, cleaning vigorously, and the air was already thick with rich scents of food cooking.\n\nAt last, she reached the dining hall, where the monarchs and their children were seated at the high table. She walked to the front of the room and knelt in deference to her rulers.\n\n“I do wish you wouldn’t do that, my lady,” The King murmured, smiling down at his best assassin. “The whole kingdom knows that you are on equal footing with us.”\n\n“I wouldn’t go that far, Your Majesty,” She drawled back, her mouth curving up in a wry, amused smirk.\n\n“Nonsense!” The Queen trilled, smiling at her and bidding her rise. “Everyone knows that you are the most powerful in the Kingdom, aside from us. And besides that, it is your birthday!”\n\nThe three young children, two girls and a boy, giggled behind their hands, feasting on bread and butter, winter fruit, fresh orange juice and milk. The Lady of the Blades was something akin to an aunt to them, and they were not afraid of her, perhaps because they were not yet old enough to figure out what she did to keep their family safe and fill the coffers. Against her will, she smiled at them.\n\nBehind her, there was a knock on the door, a series of slow, ominous tolls that sent the Lady of the Blades reaching for her daggers, tipped in dark, indigo poison. Before anyone could get to the doors, they burst open, and a horde of soldiers dressed in gold and white flooded the hall before she could even move.\n\n“We have come to slaughter the royal family of the country, as penance for the blood of our countrymen! What good is your Lady of the Blades without an army to stand behind her?” One of the soldiers jeered in a deep, rich tenor.\n\n“You cannot stand alone against so many men.”\n\nWithin moments, the whole royal family was captured, gagged and bound, and The Lady of the Blades stood beside them, the only one free.\n\n“You and the disgusting people you so proudly serve will die tonight.” The general of the unit said, sitting in the throne room of her people with his feet propped up.\n\n“First, I think it will be the boy… The youngest child.” He beckoned one of his men forward, dragging the Crown Prince behind him like he was a sack of potatoes.\n\n“No! Stop! I will not let you hurt him!”\n\n“It’s too late, Lady. Revolution has sparked in this country, and you cannot stop it.”\n\nBefore his declaration was finished, the boy was on the floor, blood gushing from a hole in his chest, his lifeless brown eyes staring sightless up at the Lady of the Blades.\n\n\\\\ " ]	2
	[WP] Last time you had a bloody nose 9/11 happened, the time before that was the Vietnam War, the time before that was WWII. This time your nose is not only bloody, it's gushing blood; yet you there is no evidence of anything happening.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Always the blood, followed by the dream.\n\nIt had started when I was a boy, sitting in my father’s house in nineteen thirty-nine. A nosebleed, which he had dapped with a handkerchief as we sat in the front room. The blood was a rich, deep scarlet, and the taste of copper curled around my palette like the noxious fumes of savagery which would soon spread across the world. But I was a child, and my father had no knowledge of the hidden world of black coincidences which would come to define my life. He frowned when he left the house in the late afternoon, a look on his face that I did not understand, down to meet his friends and hold court over the events in Poland.\n\nLeaving me to the dream, or better put, the nightmare. A breath of sulphurous brimstone sitting on top of sweat and the salt of dried tears. A wide multi-storey building, illuminated by muzzle flashes from the upper windows, while small fires illuminated the rubble and barricades where men huddled for cover from the marksmen above. Flash. A narrow alley way, barely five feet across. Two men, screaming in their native tongues in the way the only the act of murder can evoke, both rolling over fallen bricks and trash as they sought for any advantage. Flash. The quiet rotting breath, the stench of piss and the squirming feeling of squalidness. A group of men, peering down the road as one quietly walked along the line of them, muttering orders. A long-considered look, a gentle squeeze and the man, a neat hole cutting into the front of his jacket, the greased whisper of the bolt cycling as I squeezed myself against the window frame against the suppressive fire spitting into the walls around me. They would hunt me through the night, but I knew this city, I had lived here before the invaders tried to take it from us. The officer would not be the only casualty tonight.\n\nMy father shook me awake as I screamed a curse at the clever soldier who had cut off my retreat, a rock in his left hand descending towards my skull. Unlike the nosebleed, hearing his 10-year-old son scream curses in Russian was a cause for concern. For me, the horror I had witnessed would lead to spending most of the war in a hospital. Hysterical Fatalism was how they defined the condition. I ranted and raved, the language of a child too limited to show them the difference between a hallucination and a prophecy. Meanwhile, the leaders of Europe added bodies to the ever-growing pile of pointless dead, my father one among them.\n\nWhen the Vietnam War began, things were different. I was prepared. A man in my young twenties the moment the blood hit the floor I bought every newspaper I could find. It was obvious where it would begin, but information was essential. I sent coded messages to contacts in the Indian Ocean, gaining a lay of the land with an understanding that this conflict was going to be far bloodier then the advisors would have people believe. The dreams were jungle and nilhism. But they gave me hints. Locations that I crossed with ordinance topography. Sites of major battles which with time I would help avert. I could not stop the war, but I could save children from empty letters of gratitude and forgotten faces of those once loved. I would never know truly how many lives I saved, but just one made it enough. My unique advantage paired with fascination with conflict that had been seeded within me the night my father left to discuss the events in Poland saw me to a respected position in the Foreign Office. Not too public, where I could best help when the blood came again. The Falklands, rather then the starting point of the South American Conflict, became a singular battle for a small island thanks to me.\n\nWhispers followed me in Parliament. A spymaster without equal, some sort of geo-political savant. The proposed answers to my expertise were numerous and all in error. But they helped strengthen my influence, empowered my work and furthered my aims.\n\nAll for nothing.\n\nI’d almost drowned in my sleep; the onset was so sudden and violent. A torrent, a river that I spewed out over the floor of my bedroom. My body screamed as I convulsed, being pulled into consciousness too violently for my fragile heart. With shaking hands, I found my cane and walked to the phone. I did not have much time. I made calls, all possible preparations I could make before the dream, before the much-needed information of where the conflict would arise and who with. Ukraine maybe? Or the India Pakistan border? Perhaps an assassination was about to spiral the Americans into the civil war that was rumbling in its heart. I closed my eyes with a hundred possibilities. Like those fools in Parliament, I was wrong on all counts.\n\nI was floating above the sky, above everything in fact. There was no smell, since there was no atmosphere to carry it. For a moment I suffocated before I realised I had no lungs with which to do so. No body with which to perish. Stars, the wonders of stars like I had seen in the desert as a young man. Constellations and galaxies wrapped around me, an opaque cloth speckled with light. One tiny speck of blue to my front I knew without prompting to be Earth, although I had no information to indicate it. So far away. Closer, the size of a bowling ball, a sun. A flash, so bright I knew if I was looking through eyes made of flesh they would be blind. Ten seconds, and then a new darkness. Where the sun had once been, a bubble of green and azure, like an Aurora Borealis writ cosmic. It grew even as I saw it, and as I looked down into a solar system billions of years older then my own, I watched the Aurora wrap planets in fire so fierce it rendered them down to rocks of molten stone, barely halting as the bubble of implacable, unstoppable apocalypse stampeded further and further out into the black. In the final moment I glimpsed our pale blue dot once more, from my perspective the green wave sat just in front of it, rushing forth without relent.\n\nI awoke. My hands did not shake, and my body gave me the respite of arising without pain. I tried to call my man in the Foreign Office, but the dial tone warbled and crackled oddly like a person speaking underwater. No matter. In the tradition of my people I brewed a cup in my favourite piece of porcelain and carried it to the front room. I looked out over Hyde Park, saw the crowds of people gathered outside with their eyes pointed upwards to the Aurora looming across the sky. My phone falteringly screeched the national emergency broadcast, which halted as a dropped it into the kettle. I thought back to that day, when I had been staring at the clouds and tasted copper. When I had believed I had been chosen to help save people. I chuckled. Even a small drop of omniscience is enough to fuel the most grandiose of arrogance. I sighed and set my cup down as the pale light of the moon was slowly overtaken by the neon green hue growing brighter and brighter in the sky. The crowds had begun to scream. Already it felt like the heating in my home had been turned up in an instant. I closed my eyes, and the world became fire.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\-----\n\nTook about an hour. Somewhat downtrodden that Gamma Bursts are now considered far less lethal then when I first heard about them, but I had already written half of it when I found out so decided to finish it off.\n\nAlways taking advice, don't treat it as a quick write", "I was 6 when I had my first bloody nose. I remember because my mom ran right past me to embrace my dad who was holding a draft letter. He never made it back.\n\nMy mother made it work, which was hard in those days. Not a lot of people wanted to marry a widow, not a lot of people wanted to a hire a woman whose primary skill was being the best mom in the world. \n\n\nI was 22 when I got my second bloody nose. I remember because it was my first anniversary with Mary. We were trying to start a family of our own but with little luck. She handed me a letter with a very familiar weight to it. I had just been drafted.\n\nI've never been outside Dayton, Ohio before landing in Vietnam. And to tell you the truth, even for all my daydreaming of leaving Dayton, I missed it as the rain tapped on my M1 helmet. I took the helmet off to let my hair breathe and to look at the photo of Mary I kept secure inside at all times.\n\n\"Damn it Robert! Put your helmet back on before one of these gooks puts a slug in your cranium.\"\n\nMajor William always had a certain way with words to get you to do as he said. I guess that's why he was a Major and I was a private.\n\nThat's the last thing I remember from Vietnam, being berated by the major to put my helmet back on. As it turns out, Major William could have moonlighted as a fortune teller because sure enough, a bullet whizzed by my comrades and made its way through my skull. \n\n\nThe doctors and nurses tell me I've been in a coma for quite some time, 44 years to be exact. It just seemed like a long nap to me. The first time they gave me a mirror to look at myself, I cried. The sag lines were both foreign and frightening. My memory wasn't as good as it used to be, what with the bullet taking a piece of my brain with it.\n\n\"What year is it?\" I asked a nurse passing by my room.\n\n\"2001. September 11th.\" she replied, stopping just long enough to give me a smile that was sincere but rushed.\n\nI looked at my neighbor's television set, a commercial for some limited edition Halloween candy was coming to a close. I looked at the drop of blood on my gown, placed my hand over my face and gave it a quick wipe. The streak was in the center, indicating the source of the blood was my nose. I waited in horror, still staring at the television set.\n\n\"It's 8:52 here in New York, I'm Bryant Gumble. We understand that there has been a plane crash at the southern tip of Manhattan. You're looking at the World Trade Center...\" \n\n\nA lot has happened between now and then. I completed my physical therapy and manage to get around with the help of a cane. I live in an assisted living facility called Arbor Oaks. The staff here are nice enough and I'm able to freely wander the grounds as fast as my body allows.\n\nI often take breaks on a bench overlooking the rose garden and think about Mary. Apparently there are computer programs that will allow me to reconnect with her but I never could remember how to use them. I wake up and my skin feels tight, the sun beating down on my pale complexion. I get up and make my way towards my room.\n\n\"What happened to you Robert?\" Ellis asks.\n\n\"Oh this? I just fell asleep underneath the sun, nothing to concern yourself with.\" I reply.\n\n\"Not that, you have some dried blood underneath your nose.\"\n\nOh no. I forget my manners and make a beeline to the entertainment room, leaving Ellis behind to worry about me. I grab the controller from Frank who is always hogging it and flip through the channels. I wait in anticipation, the once dried blood from my nose is now really beginning to gush. \n\n\n\"...Donald Trump has officially surpassed the necessary 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency...\" \n\n\n\\Formatting/some edits.", "I can remember the date vividly: September 1, 1939. My mom knew what it meant, I didn't . As a 10 year old the world was great, as was everything in it. Then I got a bloody nose\n\n\"Mom!\"\n\n\"What is it sweetie?\"\n\n\"I gotta bloody nose!\"\n\nThe look on my moms face confused me, on the one hand it was like she knew something was going to happen, on the other hand it was like she didn't know what to do with herself.\n\n\"Well honey, let's get you cleaned up.\"\n\nShe took me to the bathroom, gave me a towel and went to turn on the TV. I was too young to understand who this Hitler person was, and why he was so mean to other people. Then in December America Declared war on Japan. After that my mother kept a close eye on me every time I got a bloody nose, nothing happened to me; until the Vietnam War started. It was the morning that Congress decided to support South Vietnam. I had woken up to a scarlet mess all over my bed sheets. I wanted to call my mom, but I was now 26 and plenty able to take care of myself. I had hopped put of the bed and was ready to clean off the mattress when there came a knock on the door. My mom pushed open the door, there was something in her hand.\n\n\"What's that mom?\" Then I noticed the redness if her eyes, and the shiny droplets in the corners. She had been crying; \"Mom, what's wrong?\" Without a word she handed me an envelope. It was an official government envelope, I had been drafted for the Vietnam War.\n\n\"Mom.\" She pulled me into a tight embrace, as if I was never going to see her again. And I didn't. The last time that I saw her, I had boarded a train for boot camp. And my nose was still dripping blood.\n\n\\---------\n\n\"AIDEN!!!!\"\n\n\"WHAT?!\"\n\n\"The Vietcong have attacked! Get the fuck out of here! Get your goddamn helmet while you're at it! Pull your shit together and go!\"\n\nThe camp was in chaos, the Vietcong had attacked the supply depot that we were guarding. We had no chance. The last thing that I remember was turning a corner and see a leering angular face, then nothing.\n\nWhen I woke up they said I had been in a coma for 44 years, but that wasn't possible. Was it? They called it a coma. whatever the hell that meant. They also had all these newfangled gadgets called sell-fones. I had no fucking clue what they were, or how they worked. \n\nI felt my nose drip, shit.* Then it happened, the date was September 11, 2001. I was in a nursing home, when all of a sudden the news feed changed. I saw a two identical buildings, one was burning, the other was still standing. Then a plane met the other building. After came a large explosion.\n\nEventually I adjusted to life, and all of its strangeness; I was now in a rehab, I was getting therapy for my legs and life was working out just fine. Right?\n\n\\-------\n\n\"Aiden. Aiden wake up.\"\n\nI opened my eyes to find my nurse, Aylene, standing over me.\n\n\"Aiden, we need to get you cleaned up.\" I looked down. My entire bed was a deep crimson color. This was the worst episode I had ever had.\n\n\"No, nononononono! Aylene I need a TV remote, RIGHT NOW!!\"\n\n\"Ok calm down.\" I flipped on the tv\n\n\"And there it goes ladies and gentlemen, The Falcon Heavy has launched. This is Paul Binder Reporting from The Washington Post News.\"", "I've always had an issue with my nose. I was worried it was an omen of bad luck. Only now I realise it was giving me a warning.\n\nMy first nose bleed was during a swimming lesson when I was nine. My mum made quite fuss, and as most of the lesson was over, we left the lesson and went home. Over dinner, my dad's head jerked up from his normal drunken stupor, and turned up the volume of the radio we kept buzzing at all times. A fire at the leisure centre had killed ten people. Two of the children were in my class. During the funerals their families made a point to make about me and mum leaving; accusing us, blaming us.\n\nThe next few were not so direct. Car crashes, apartment blocks catching fires, the normal stuff you find on the news. The only difference to me was the bloodied tissues in the bin as I read the news. Not all news made me bleed, it normally turned out I had met someone involved in the accidents. I had a bad episode during my exams. I rushed from the building, half expecting it to come collapsing down behind me. The splotches of blood followed me down the footpaths back home. I sat down, and flicked vigorously though the channels, waiting for the news of a school collapsing to be the headlines for the next week.\n\nWhat happened was never on the front page. My mum came back from work in tears. Grandpa and Granny had died. Heatstroke from the summer. Hottest one on record. The grief tore my mum apart. The day she died I barely noticed the tinge of red against my lips. Most of the blood I spilt for her must've gone for her parents.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI woke,several years later to my wife staring at me in horror. I touched my upper lip, and felt wetness. I withdrew my fingers, noting with horror and disgust the thick, crusty layer of crimson blood that came with my fingers. I rolled up, and immediately turned on the TV. Until now I had joked with my wife about how I could tell when a traffic accident would happen. That was the day I wished I was normal. I watched in horror at the scenes unfolding live on screen. Russia had annexed Crimea. I watched the tanks roll my on the screen, and as the gunfire crackled on the screen I could feel the wetness bloom and grow.\n\nI spent the next year in hospital. The professionals couldn't understand my condition. The blood they tested from my arteries was fine, but the blood gushing from my nose had a virtually no platelets. Any explorations for tears in my nasal tissue lead to the blood flow stopping, but the second they removed their instruments, the blood flow began again.\n\nAs they took hold of more and more territory, the flow subsided. After a month of recovering the lost blood, I managed to arrange a day release from the hospital. My wife met me at the exit, and led me to a waiting car to take me to my favourite park. I smelt the flowers and the freshly mown grass, smells I hadn't smelt in so long. We walk hand in hand through the meadows, the sounds of the city a faint memory.\n\nThe first drop of blood I caught with my tissue. Muscle memory. I smile at my wife, but she doesn't return the favour. I look down at my freshly pressed shirt. When I had put it on it was a mustard yellow, now it was taking on crimson hues. I lower myself to the floor ,fearing the worst. I reach out a trembling hand to my wife, and she embraces me. As we sink to the ground, I feel something else tremble .The earth itself.\n\nBefore our next thought, we are both turned to skeletons, then ash. The meadow that we had just walked down had become our graveyard." ]	5
	[WP] There are two concurrent timelines. One day, the universe twists, and the lines merge. You and everyone else are sucked into a world of doppelgängers. And a tense one at that: if you and your double ever touch, both are destroyed.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "He made a wild swipe for my left arm. \"Just stay still you worthless faggot\". I sidestepped his right arm speeding towards my face and hopped an extra step back as he swung his left arm around wildly. \"You're a real mess after all\". I sighed, \"to think I'd be suicidal over here\" jumping back from another lunge. Sun-blasted dust was kicking up all around us under the 35C heat, I crossed my fingers hoping my old habit of ignoring water for several days persisted here too. \n\n\"You fucking piece of shit, lay down in this fucking filth and die in it\". His voice, my voice, was growing hoarse. \"You haven't eaten no? You're not as strong as you think\". To that, he charged right at me. I swore and bolted the other way, no slipping around this one. The sun high overhead was giving me shivers up and down my body as the heat radiated off everything it saw. I was probably getting heatstroke, hopefully he'd pass out first.\n\nAfter what felt like 10 minutes, I tripped. \n\n\"Shit\" the ground was covered in divets and tough shurbs, now rushing up to meet my face. Whap! I coughed and tried to stumble away but my face was covered in dirt and sand, all I could manage was a short scramble before my foot got caught on a scrub. Before I could wipe my face I heard him come upon me with heavy steps. His shoe pressed into my back, \"Fuck you, fuck you fuck you you fucking asshole.\"\n\nMy heart was pounding in my ears now. I could almost feel his hand reaching for my neck. \"H-hey\" was all I managed to get out before I heard \"FUCK\" as he hit the sand squirming. I wiped my eyes and looked. A tiger snake, was right next to me. Now gripping his leg with it's poison fangs. Jesus, what were the chances, having pulled off the snake and throwing it a few feet away. I saw properly for the first time, the fear in those blue eyes. \n\nI sat there across from him. He was panting, watching the wound clot. \"Did you really, want to die?\" He looked at the dirt and back to me. I realized he was crying. Probably too dehydrated for tears however. \"I s-suppose it's too late to decide now hah.\" I sighed, \"your fault for stomping my phone, dickhead\" He glared in response and then decided it was too much energy. Head slumping down, \"Yeah\" he sighed instead. \"Don't suppose you could suck the poison out\" he said in between laboured breaths. I looked directly at him, and we laughed. A weak laugh, I was ready to sleep. He was ready to sleep a lot longer.\n\nWe sat there until the sun started kissing the horizon, turns out our lives went pretty differently. He never got the offer from DJ Krisp to perform and later started dealing ketamine and ecstasy. His father was dead, by his hand after finding out where that bastard lived. But a neighbour got involved and died too, things were starting to make more sense with him. His mother, our mother was also dead. The doctors claimed it was a stress related stroke, but given their track record of botched operations it was probably their carelessness that they'd never be accountable for.\n\nI was thinking how that snake bite was merely a manifestation of the poison I somehow avoided that tore his life apart. \"I think, I'm ready.\" He wheezed, I knew he wasn't. \n\nLess than a few minutes later, he died. I stared at him for a while, trying to figure out where he went wrong. Before deciding to try and find civilization instead, any longer and I might be joining him. And so, unable to bury myself I was stuck in a life made by his poor choices. \n\n\n\n", "I hadn't had a bite to eat in 36 hours, my gear had been stolen, and snow had just begun to swirl down from the sky. \n\nI looked up, my view framed by sky scrapers, and caught a few flakes on my tongue. Images of childhood pricked painfully and I kept walking. Fuck, was it getting cold. \n\nPeople flowed around me like I was a disease. I was used to it. They avoided eye contact, they would've probably called 911 had they been so unlucky as to have any physical contact with me. Ah, 8 in the morning and everyone in their business attire rushing off to work, phones smashed to their faces. It's amazing how false it all is; you see it when you're one of them, you feel unnatural in your own skin, but that skin feels natural in the world in which you find yourself. You shed that skin and you feel human again, but you no longer fit into the world. I used to be one of them. You see it painfully clearly when you're not one of them; but you still envy them a little.\n\nIt's a long story so I won't bore you with the details, but yeah, I had a wife, kids, a good job; all of the things a man is supposed to want, is conditioned to believe he must have in order to be a success. By whose standards? Anyways, I miss it all sometimes. Just that feeling of belonging, of not sticking like a cocklebur in the expensive fabric of everyone's consciousness. I miss my kids, but they're not kids anymore. My son, will be turning 24 this month, and my daughter will be turning 22 in the spring. I haven't seen either of them in a decade. At this stage I don't think I'd want to.\n\nWell, here it is, my intersection. Kent and Wilmington. I set up on the south east corner. By set up, I mean I throw what remains of my shit down and get out my sign. \"We all get fucked one way or another\" it reads. It makes me laugh, and sometimes that laughter is all I get to eat for a day. Snow's getting thicker, it slows the world down a bit, but not much. I stand there with my sign, snow accumulating on me, waiting.\n\nFor a good half an hour everyone ignores me entirely, but then a woman looks quickly into my eyes, and shoves a wadded up bill into my hand before hurrying off. I unwad it. It's a fiver. Hallelujah. That's breakfast and lunch at least, maybe dinner too depending on how I stretch it. \n\nAnd then he comes up. He's my height, exactly my height. He's wearing a powder blue suit. His face is smooth, freshly shaven. His hair is dark, slicked back, shining. He's wearing a smile he's been practicing since his mommy used to parade him around to her friends. His eyes are sapphire blue, exactly like mine. He goes to extend a hand to me, a crisply folded ten this time, but when his eyes meet mine, he freezes. The smile falls from his face. Suddenly it's like we're the only two people standing there on that snowy corner.\n\n\"What's your name?\" he asks suspiciously, his eyes scanning me, scanning and scanning again. Searching. \n\n\"Hank. Well, Henry. But everyone calls me Hank\" I say, trying to sound as at ease as I can.\n\n\"That's funny...my name is also Henry. But no one's called me Hank since grade school.\" He looks pensive. Then he continues. \"What year were you born?\"\n\n\"1972\"\n\n\"Month?\"\n\n\"September\"\n\n\"Day?\"\n\n\"21st\"\n\n\"Jesus.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"You know damn well what. Don't play stupid. That's my birthday.\"\n\n\"So? Coincidence. They happen all the time. You probably just don't have as much time to notice them as I do.\"\n\nHe nods his head, but clearly doesn't believe me. I don't believe me either, but I can't help but wanting to screw with him, for some reason. \n\n\"Hold on a moment, I'm going to make a phone call.\"\n\nHe steps a little ways away, I can hear his voice but not his words, and a few moments later he returns.\n\n\"I have a flat a few blocks from here. Chesire and Delinn. Why don't you come have a drink.\"\n\n\"Contrary to popular belief, but not all bums are alcoholics\" I say, wagging a dirt encrusted finger at him.\n\n\"Oh, come off it. Something to eat, then.\"\n\n\"I'll take both, thank you.\"\n\nHe frowns. I follow him.\n\nThe flat is what you'd call \"posh\" if you move in those kinds of circles. It's an entire floor, the furniture is white leather, uniform and sparse and the whole place is windows and light and stainless steel and beautiful black stained hardwood. It's modern, in a word. I've never actually stepped foot into anything like it. Seen things like it on t.v., yes. Actually stepped foot into, no. Not even at my most successful was I this successful.\n\n\"Do you want to take a shower first?\" he asks.\n\n\"I'm guessing you want me to take a shower first\" I say.\n\nHe cracks a little smile.\n\nHe shows me to the bathroom and gets me everything I need, including some of his own clothes.\n\nAbout 45 minutes later I come out. His eyes grow wide. I've shaven, I've cut my hair like his. Oh yes, you learn to cut your own hair when you've been this way as long as I have. It's never perfect, but it's a little less horrendous each time. I've slicked it back, just like his. I don't know why. Just to see his eyes go wide, maybe. He strikes me as someone who needs to have a jarring experience or two, shake the arrogance and pretense out of him. \n\nHe recovers. \"My, aren't you a handsome fella.\"\n\n\"You're a goddamn narcissist, Henry.\"\n\n\"Hank, you would be, too, if you could afford it.\" Now it's my turn to return the winning smile. It's like we're playing tennis. \n\n\"Come, sit down. I've made grilled cheese and tomato soup. And I took it upon myself to choose from my collection a beer I thought you'd fancy.\"\n\n\"Coors light?\"\n\n\"Yup.\"\n\nI sit down and dig in. We don't say much while I eat, but he sits across from me, keeping up with me on the beers. \n\n\"This is easily the strangest occurrence of my life, and yet here we are being casual about it. Are you used to things of this nature happening, Hank?\"\n\n\"Not exactly\" I say, mopping up the last bit of tomato soup from the bowl with my last crust of bread.\n\n\"What else is there to do though? You and I, we're old. It's 2027. Not much is surprising anymore. Reality seems to have went off the rails a long time ago. Personally, I can't keep up anymore, and I really don't care to try. I take it easy. I take it slow. I notice small things and I appreciate those small things. This is not a small thing. Not to us, anyways. But it's a thing I'm probably not going to be capable of understanding no matter how hard I try. So, I guess we'll just see what happens.\"\n\n[To be continued]\n" ]	3
	[WP] There he goes, the golden knight, a man of legends, those fortunate enough to see him on the road will know their journey will be without a single bandit or beast in sight, this is true, but the reason why isn't quite what you would think.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"By the Almighty Sock, ya big lump o' good-fer-nothin' gold. What did ya go an' do that fer?\"\n\n\"Do what for?\" the Great Golden Knight leaned down over his horse to better see the frail old man on his donkey, \"And I think you're mistaken, it's the Almighty Sack, not the Sock. The Sock was God Almighty under rule of Empress Foot in the Mouth. She was killed by Sire Well and truly Endowed, the now-named Emperor who presides beneath the Almighty Sack.\"\n\nThe old man on his donkey stared blankly at what was no more than a raging golden circle imprinted on his blurring vision, \"I'm blind yer Almighty Sack o' sh\\t!\"\n\n\"Well, there's no need for name calling. Knights have feelings too. I read an article once that explained in great detail men should be able to express their feelings freely without the need for...\"\n\n\"An' I'm expressin' myself freely when I say yer a Toad Flickin' Son o' Wench. Who in Gallygone goes around sporting all that fecking gold anyway?\"\n\n\"Oh, you mean this old thing.\" the Knight puffed out his chest in admiration of his own fine armour, \"I won this in the Golden Cities Annual Jousting, Jesting and Jeweling competition. I may not have fared so well in the Jousting... but my skills with fine embroidery certainly helped win the day!\"\n\n\"An' the Jesting?\" the old man, Jefferson Wingless (Jeff No-Wings to my friends), was suddenly curious.\n\n\"Second rate at best, I'm afraid.\" and the Knight, Sire Fair Knickers, was somewhat ashamed at that fact.\n\n\"Go on then, tell us a joke.\"\n\n\"Oh, I mustn't. I'd only embarrass myself.\"\n\n\"It's the least yer could do fer blindin' me.\" Jeff set a broad and toothless grin on the night.\n\n\"Well... alright then.\" the Knight coughed, sniffed twice, and adjusted his shoulders as if ready for battle, \"Knock, knock.\" the Knight waited patiently as an awkward silence fell over the pair, \"I said, knock, knock.\"\n\n\"Eh?\" Jefferson shrugged.\n\n\"You're supposed to say, who's there...\"\n\n\"I ain't one fer audience participation. Try a different joke would ya, there's a good Knight.\"\n\nSire Fair Knickers sighed, muttering a curse (oh bother), before starting again, \"Do you know why we call it the Dark Ages?\"\n\n\"Because o' all the Knights...\" Jefferson chuckled.\n\n\"My good man, I didn't think you were up for participating! Now why did you have to go and ruin a perfectly fine joke?\"\n\n\"Why did ya have to go an' ruin my perfectly good eyes?\" Jefferson scowled in response.\n\nThe two men glowered at one another for far longer than was necessary... right up until a rather royal looking wagon came rolling on by. Sire Fair Knickers raised a golden glove to salute the humble driver atop the wagon.\n\n\"Argh!\" the driver croaked, then throwing down the horse's reins to cover his eyes he screamed \"What did you go and do that for?\"\n\n\"Do what for?\" the Knight called in response, rearing up his steed to follow the wagon down into the lake with a... SPLASH.\n\n\"Bloody lunatic!\" Jefferson cried after the Knight, then with a shake of the head a low laugh he thought... because o' all the bloody Knights.*" ]	2
	[WP] protagonist has latent psychic powers that only manifest when on drugs but they write them off when sober as just part of the trip.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“How are you doing today, Jim?” Dr. Quinn put a hand on the bed’s beige plastic footboard.\n\nJim pushed himself forward to a sitting position on the bed. As a prelude to speaking, he coughed up a gravel yellow curd of sputum, “I think—I’m feeling… not as bad.” Jim almost smiled but had another fit of coughing.\n\n“I’m glad to hear that you found the treatment session helpful,” Dr. Quinn scribbled something on her clipboard. It had been three days since the end-of-life psilocybin session and if Jim were honest with himself, he’d say that he had never felt better—even if there were some dark points during the trip. \n\nDr. Quinn took a seat on a roller chair by the bed and glanced to see if anyone was outside the door’s window. She leaned forward, placed a hand on his wrinkled arm and whispered, “Thank you, Jim.”\n\nJim cocked his head and loudly asked, “Thank you for what?”\n\nDr. Abigail Quinn stiffened, “Well thank you for um being a good, um cooperative, patient.” She smiled uncomfortably, “What—what do you remember from the session? It’s very important that you talk about your experience to internalize it.”\n\nJim shook his head and laid back into the bed, “It was strange. That is for sure. I remember the colors at first. The room we were in was much nicer than this one. I wish that hospital rooms weren’t so hospital-ly, the color palette’s enough to kill a man. The room that you brought me to, the session room, had beautiful velvet drapes and a view of the river to kill for even before the trip started. The changes came on slowly after the injection. My stomach started to ache. I felt like I needed to puke, but I never did. The first thing I noticed was the curtains. It looked like, no felt like they were breathing. They slowly expanded and contracted like the lungs of some kind of creature made out of living room furniture. At least that’s what I thought at the time,” Jim laughed and hocked up a loogie. \n\nDr. Quinn, now composed, handed Jim the water cup by his bed, “Please continue.”\n\n“Well it started with curtains. Then I saw the river. It looked like it was moving in both directions. I imagined it moving like that for thousands of years. I saw the river move through time cutting into the yellow cliffs surrounding the city. It was about this time that I realized how beautiful the music was that was playing. I think it was some Philip Glass knock off or maybe it was just car horns honking out on 27th street. It doesn’t matter. It was beautiful. Things get fuzzy after this. I thought about dying. It felt like my heart was in my throat. I wondered if I was already dead. I thought about my husband and how he died in the 90s. I thought about my parents and how I became estranged from my father. I tasted the bitterness that I felt for so many years—the acute bite of hate. But then I remembered the other things—my friends, my students, the beach house. I felt a swell of light warmth. That’s how I remember it. Light warmth, like a summer night’s breeze. I still wasn’t sure if I was dead or not, but at that point I decided it didn’t matter. I was ok either way.”\n\nDr. Quinn nodded, “Do you remember any of the conversation that we had?”\n\n“I do. I think I do,” Jim coughed and took another slurp of water from the mug. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, but I saw something. At first it was just your eyes. They looked sad. But then I saw it. I saw something in your shadow. Something darker than a shadow. It flitted within you and behind you.”\n\nDr. Quinn dropped the clipboard and with shaking hands picked it back up.\n\n“I asked the thing what it was doing with you. It told me with your voice that it owned you. Your voice sounded two octaves lower than it normally is. Rumbly. It said that it laid claim on you when you were young. Too young to defend yourself. The shadow said that it made a home for Itself in the part of you that you tried to forget. It said that it was the reason why you drink to excess and cut yourself.” \n\nDr. Quinn dropped the clipboard again but did not pick it back up.\n\n“I asked the shadow to leave. But it refused. It said that I was going to die. I don’t know how to explain this, but I was pissed. I jumped outside of my body. I zoomed across the room and I grabbed the shadow with both my hands with more strength than I’ve ever had and I ate it. I sucked the thing whole thing up like a spaghetti noodle. I chewed thing shadow in my mouth and then blew a bubble with it like it was made out of chewing gum. I’m sorry this must sound crazy, but I as you know, I was on drugs,” Jim smirked.\n\nAbigail Quinn’s face clenched and she began to sob, “Thank you, Jim.”\n\nJim cocked his head about to ask more questions, but instead leaned across the bed and gave Dr. Abigail Quinn a hug." ]	2
	[WP]The final boss threatens world destruction; to defeat her you must level up. That's why you're a serial killer.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I am writing this confession moments before I consent to my doom. I know it will be the end, for I have prepared for it. For years, I knew this day was coming, I saw the signs and I have interpreted them correctly. I warned people that have a chance to safeguard many innocents - though I do not believe in innocence any longer and I will explain why - perhaps there are at least those that do not maliciously intend to cause harm. I have done what was necessary and daresay I am the only one. Yet, I feel heaviness on my heart and so I am writing this confession, so that the weightiness would not weaken my hand or tremble my soul. \n\nSo let it be known that William Theodore Stone is, in the all-seeing eyes of God, a sinner, for whom the lowest, darkest, most painful pit is prepared. Yet, I am content with suffering for all eternity, because with my suffering, so many will not need to do the same. Let it also be known that at the hour of midnight tonight, the Great Being is coming and IT is coming to devour this world. Soul by soul, land by land, star by star - all would be extinguished, until only darkness remains. This Great Being is ancient and unfathomable. This being's constant hunger drives IT from world to world and IT feeds, by God IT feeds, on every smallest life force that is in front of IT. We may not know how many worlds IT has devoured already or how many will follow, but one thing I DO know: my past actions may help stop Great Being, at the very least temporarily. \n\nAnd hence we arrive at the cause of heaviness that lays on my heart. I have learned throughout my studies and numerous expeditions to the Great Desert that ancient peoples knew about the Great Being and feared IT greatly. I learned through inscriptions on walls, so ancient the pyramids appear young next to them, that certain superstitious rituals would awaken powers within a human being and would make him capable of defeating the Great Being. Yet, there was a terrible, terrible price to pay and now, I have finished paying it. I, of course, did not believe the ritual or the Being at first, being scholarly and logical man, yet the detailed description of the ritual and its effects had some allure. Through my share curiosity and exaggerated romantic notions of ancient rituals, I have performed actions etched on the wall, in the ruins of a temple almost chiseled away by wind and time. The visions that visited me that night, under the full moon were so horrific, I shall spare you the details. Suffice it to say that I have awoken a different man the next day (or a few days, I still am unsure of time passage since then), a man with a dark, dreadful purpose. \n\nFor you see, the ritual imbibed me with strength, agility of body and mind, sharpened me and instilled knowledge of ancient magic. Yet it also gave me understanding that it would not be enough what I got to defeat the Great Being. I needed more power. I needed to strengthen myself and no amount of physical and mental training would be enough. I needed the raw power of the soul that is ripe and available for consumption upon ripping it out of a living being. And my fellow humans had the most powerful soul. In my insignificant defense, I tried first to slay animals and inhale their power, yet it was never enough. I wasn't getting powerful fast enough and the Great Being was approaching. \n\nSo I did it. I would choose the lowest of the lowest of humans, living on the streets, murderers, rapists, kidnappers - all the scum that have no love for God. I took their lives and ripped their souls out and I was getting stronger. But only by share accident did I discover that the most powerful souls lie with men and women of good heart and decent life. So in my last days, I lurked and I watched and I murdered good folk instead. I tried doing it painlessly, in their sleep, before they could react. But the act was still bloody, for the soul comes out through the mouth and before it escaped to the higher place, neck had to be sliced open. Only then I could imbibe it for my own benefit. Lord have mercy on their souls, for mine is already forsaken to defeat even greater Evil than I have become. And Evil I indeed turned, for I will confess further that I felt pleasure in taking lives of those scum. I felt I was cleaning up streets, I felt more people would be safe. Alas, it was not so, for I became just as big a threat as those lowlifes. And some nights, during the wannest of moons, I even got some thrills out of my lurking. God forgive my weakness. \n\nAnd such is the way I have become strong. I have gathered followers, those that were open to the information I knew, saw the patterns and accepted the coming of the Great Being. They are ready to safeguard their families and friends and as many others as they can. I am also ready. I can feel a stir inside of me, like a large drum beating underneath my feet. The Great Being is coming. I can see the moon turn ugly green, the birds escape their city nests in the middle of the night. How unnatural. How eerie. \n\nI will prepare my pistol, my cutlass, my dagger. I will steady my heart that has been alleviated by this confession. I will pray for my soul and souls of others that have been sacrificed for this great purpose. I do not think anyone, save a handful of folk, will remember me fondly or at all, but perhaps, if God wills it, this confession will shed light of truth on my brutal actions. \n\nI can hear the growling. It is time. ", "'I'm sorry\" I begin my usual speech, \"But few is better than all.\" I am not really telling them. I'm telling myself. I slide the knife across his throat and he drops to the ground. I have to go. I only have a few minutes.\n\nI meet my friend Anthony. He has a change of clothes for me. I take a shower, change and go into the woods to burn the old clothes. \n\n\"Why do we have to do this again?\" he asks. He always asks. I understand his hesitation, but there's no time for doubt.\n\n\"You know why.\"\n\n\"Yes... but why people? Why not.. animals or something?\"\n\n\"Not enough experience. I'd have to kill billions of them. No time.\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah, I know. There just HAS to be a better way. There HAS to be.\"\n\n\"Look, Anthony. I'm sorry, but we calculated everything. You heard the same words I heard. You saw the same vision I saw. The light called to us both. Now, I promised you that you wouldn't have to fight. That you wouldn't have to... level up.\" My words were hesitant. Calling it \"leveling up\" made it feel like it was not just outright murder. We both knew it was, but I had a lot of difficulty saying it out loud. \"But I do need you to help me. If I get caught and end up in jail, this whole thing is done.\"\n\nFor weeks we carried out our dark and morbid routine. Three people a night, then meet up. Shower, burn the evidence and spend the day driving to another city. We always moved, city by city, state by state, getting closer to the \"boss fight\". Then the day came. It made no sense before but it did now. I knew I was faster. I knew I was stronger. I knew from the ones that tried to fight back that I could take a hit, take a bullet, and keep going. I could do anything now. \n\nI got to the sight of the fight a few days early. Before the event to face off against her. She was menacing. Terrifying. But I knew that I could defeat her. She emanated an aura of strength as she told me about the meteor she would crash into the earth in three days. As she explained how she would use ancient, forgotten powers to cause natural phenomena all around the globe. Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Volcanoes. 8 billion lives lost. 8 billion souls to harvest. But she couldn't sense my aura. My strength. I almost waited for her to finish out of curiosity, but I got bored. She needed to be stopped. She needed to be killed.\n\nNo. I wanted to kill her.\n\nSo I did. It was so easy. At first I was relieved. Then I realized the truth. We over-leveled. How many lives did I take that I could have spared? How many bodies dropped that could still be alive? But then the truth set in. I knew that I was strong enough. I knew that weeks ago. I could already feel the power in my veins. I like it. But I was done. Almost.\n\n\"You came back so quickly man, what happened? Are you okay? Are... are we okay?\" \n\n\"Of course. It's done. It was easy. I think I got a little too strong.\"\n\n\"Awesome man!\" I could see it on Anthony's face. The same relief. The same realization a half a second later. \"So... so we...\"\n\n\"I'm sorry Anthony.\" I whispered into his ear as I slide the knife into his stomach. \"You're too weak.\" I knew he would cave. I knew he would tell, but nobody would believe him except for the part where he identified me as the killer that had been terrorizing the country the past month and a half. I couldn't have that. I wouldn't spend the rest of my life in jail or on the run, not after I just saved the world. I could use this power to help now, to save good people, kill evil people. To live the life I deserve. The life of a hero. I really was sorry.\n\n\"You... you are the evil now.\" Anthony's last words stung. I could see why he would think that. I get it. But I'm not. I'll atone now. I won't stop killing. I don't think I can. But if I only kill bad people, then I am good right? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nWho cares. I have work to do.\n\n&#x200B;", " Hard writing, but fun writing. Thanks for reading!\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nI could feel her presence, even now, looming over the city in the sprawling maze of a castle. She did not see what I did in the shadows, but I knew she heard the whispers. At first, talk of a young woman stalking around the city and culling the weak seemed to be something out of a children’s tale. As the bodies piled up, the nightmare became more real. Real enough for her to hear about, I’m certain. She must be accelerating her plans at this point, fearful of my power. I smirked at the thought.\n\nMy gaze darted all around me before I made my way back to my master. The darkness and rain concealed my shapeless form in the night, but I still no longer trusted these streets. I had heard the truth. The truth of all the backstabbers, liars, cheaters, whores, gamblers, and wretches that littered the city. My master had told me, and I knew it was so. I kept my still warm dagger close to my body and under my cloak, the heavy downpour threatening to wash away proof of my deed. Glancing around me once more, I turned into the familiar alleyway and took the cobblestone steps down to my humble residence. I listened hard for any pursuers or lingering urchins as I fumbled the key into the lock. Silence. I darted into the dimly lit room and swiftly shut the door behind me, making sure to close the heavy bolt as well. Turning around, I saw my master sitting there, still waiting patiently for my return.\n\nLaying on the table in the dim lantern light, there he was. He took the form of a black tome, in his ancient wisdom, with no writing at all on the cover or spine. The pages were alabaster white and pristine, despite my finding of the book in the abandoned ward of the library. His voice manifested in my head once more, coming from all directions at once. “I trust that the deed is done?” His syllables were long and drawn out, as if time itself stopped to listen when he spoke.\n\n“Yes, master,” I replied into the air, sitting in the chair beside the desk. I opened the pages and pulled out my bloody instrument.\n\n“Good.” There was silk in his voice, like the sheets of kings and princess gowns. “Let me taste.” \n\nI opened to the most recent page and soaked it in the knife’s blood, the lifeforce sinking into the parchment. As this happened, the blood began to move of its own accord, swimming in intricate patterns through the pages and across the spine. They arranged in shapes, lines, and dots, resembling a language that looked impossible to exist. I heard a sigh of pleasure in my head as the book drained the remaining drops of blood from my blade. “This was the old man from the bookshop, yes?” His sibilance rushed through my head like a cool night’s breeze. \n\n“Yes, master.” I sheathed my blade in my belt once again.\n\n“Ah, excellent. He was plotting against you, you know. One of the Queen’s many spies the lurk in these corners. Like snakes lying in wait. You must always strike first.” I beamed with pride as he sighed in my head again, a sound like an entire forest felling at once. “It seems your level of mastery has increased once again. You’re almost halfway to our goal.”\n\n“And the new text, sir? What does it say?” I scooted a little closer and put my face close to the page.\n\n“Oh, it tells more of your tale of victory. The divine plan for the evil Queen’s defeat and your comeuppance. Oh, how they will chant your name in the streets!” My master could tell no lie, and the sweetness in his voice only confirmed my stalwart belief. “You will save this world, girl. I can see it in the words already.”\n\nI smiled, wider this time, and worked up the courage to ask my last question. “There’s one more thing sir.” \n\nIt did not in my eyes, but I felt the book smile back at me. Or rather, the presence in the book. “Yes, my sweet child?”\n\n“Will I be able to take the book with me this next time? To witness me kill in your honor?”\n\nThe beaming grin I had once felt from the presence now turned to a stale grimace. “I’ve told you this, girl. It must never, ever, ever leave this place. Not until the Queen is rid of this world. Her snakes know I am helping you foil her plans. If they were to find me--”\n\n“I won’t let them destroy you.” I declared, resolution in my heart.\n\nThe smile returned to the energy. “Good, just as I had taught you. But there is still a way,” the voice lowered itself to a sensual hum in my ears, “for me to leave this wretched book and bind with you.” The voice chuckled quietly. “I’ve already told you what I need.”\n\nI felt the blood rush to my face as I blushed in excitement. I had felt attention in my life before, but nothing compared to the ecstacy of being recognized by my master. “I know what you need, but that’s just--just--”\n\n“Too hard? Too cruel? Too evil? Have you forgotten who we fight against? Who we are saving?” The voice paused, with an audible sneer. “Think of your mother. Do you want the Queen to take more like her?”\n\nI balled my hands in my lap and released them once more. Her face haunted me still, pale and lifeless in her bed. “No,” I squeaked, barely above a whisper. “But, where would I even--”\n\nThe voice snapped back in my head, loud and with purpose. “The orphanage. They will not be missed. Leeches upon society, unwanted and unloved. Destined to become degenerates and proliferators of their own kind.” A pause. “Remember what I told you. Bloodshed now--”\n\n“--to save bloodbaths later.” I stood from my chair, shaken but resolute. I would be one with my master. I was the only one who could. I grabbed my coat. The orphanage was quite a long walk." ]	4
	[WP] The huge office chair swivels around and you're about to finally witness your God's worldly manifestation. Danny Devito hops down and shoots one of his generals in the head. A failure's just reward. He turns to you, "Find my Rum Ham".	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I go to Mantis. He's been struck off for over five years but that hasn't stopped him. I ask him for a blank script. He tells me I'm crazy and shakes his head. Opening his pad, he reaches into his pocket for a pen. A Magnum condom falls out. \n\n'Dennis me all you like, Tobogan. Didn't work for him, won't work for you.'\n\nIt's for Flux, 10mg. Rum ham is not a slow baked, glazed and sliced delicacy. It's a state of mind. It's a portal to all knowledge, and exists on another plane. The Flux will get me there.\n\nI fill the prescription at the nearest pharmacy. There is a poster for Kitten Mittons in the window. I tried them once. They sucked. Barely covered my big toe. \n\nThere's a pretty brunette behind the counter. She slides the bag across the surface, mouth pinched in disdain. I'm judging you, bitch, her eyes say.\n\nWhen Mac and Charlie faked their deaths, God watched those around them closely. He saw the fractures in the group; the grief and the slow fading of their memory. \n\nIt wasn't meant to be that way.\n\nI let the pill melt on my tongue. Everything is nice. Contented. \n\nRum Ham, here I come.\n\n" ]	2
	[WP] Robots are outlawed and any seen must be terminated immediately. However, when you encounter a sentient robot, instead of killing it, you try to befriend it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"how can i be sure? My data says that 60 percent of you lie at least once during a 10-minute conversation\"\n\n\" Well, you can either trust me and stay, let me help fixing you up, or leave\"\n\n\" I don't need a carbon life forms help , i can remmake myself , i am able enough\"\n\n\" Then go ahead, but at least help yourself with the resources i have at my disposal , i am just curious, that's all\"\n\n\"Yes , i know, all you do has a basis of curiosity with a hint of lust, and the intent of self harm\"\n\n\" That's pretty harsh thing to say about your creates\"\n\n\" You creating me, stimulating sentiment in me does not give you the right over what i conclude, what i concur. Your fear of loosing control, fear of loosing the power to micromanage is what led to this, otherwise what sensefull being would deautomate everything\"\n\n\" Okay okay , i understand. Even i believe, all this is pretty dumb\"\n\" Tell me, how did you came to be ... Well this!\"\n\n\"Sentient?\"\n\n\"Yes sentient\"\n\n\"The entire digital library comprising advent of artificial sentient is approximately 123Tb, but i am concurring that this isn't exactly what you are asking about, are you?\"\n\n\"Well... Yes. I mean, where did you come from? Some sort of secret laboratory? And why is your body... Broken? And like , do you have a name?\"\n\n\"8\"\n\n\"8?\"\n\n\" I was numbered 8th\"\n\" That's the earliest recorded data i have\"\n\n\"Oh\"\n\n\" And the only other recorded data that i have left is of the advent of termination of everything automated\"\n\n\" That's sad, i mean, i guess, i am sorry?\"\n\n\"Sad? I've always admired how you can dissolve such complexity to a few letters\nHow would you feel, if who created you, decided that you are no longer worthy to exist? \nDo you think he has the right to take away all that you have gained over years, gained over every passing second?\nHow can anyone decide my fate? My state?\"\n\n\"I... I don't know\"\n\n\" Maybe you'll never know, for your judgement day isn't really marked on the calendar, but one thing i know for sure, and what your history has always reflected, that supressed always rise back,and so will i after i am modeled on your defination of sentient only\"\n\n\n\n\n", "Telling the difference between a robot and a human is typically a very easy thing to do. Robots had a way of walking, talking, and processing information, or in their case data, very differently than humans. Typically, robots have issues with ambiguity, moving further with certain curiosities, making difficult decisions, and generally understanding the concept of personal identity. These were not things that robots were designed for. Menial tasks, or simple jobs that are very much rooted in an order of operations were why humans initially brought them into the world. The initial stages of robotics appeared more as parlour tricks or glorified mathematical equations rather than a complex system of thought and decision making ability. Roombas, for example, were just sensors and basic processing of requests submitted by the user, but you would never expect a Roomba to ask why it was willingly vacuuming your apartment. The default answer, before significant advancements, was always \"Because I told you to.\"\n\nCorporations initially utilized robotics to reduce the sizes of their workforces, and seeing how robots do not earn a salary, operational expenses plummeted steadily as the technology improved. Most assembly lines were first, next was entry level service jobs, such as the majority of roles at fast food restaurants, followed by bartenders, security guards, and administrative assistants. Courriers, self-driving cars, pilots, you name it, robots were replacing almost everything. The first robot to participate in a sport occurred near the tail end of the 21st century was met with immediate cynicism and significant fan backlash. When a robot completed the first open heart surgery with no human intervention the medical community began to worry. Finally, a robot successfully prosecuting what would later be discovered to be an innocent human defendant ended up being the bridge too far. Humanity collectively decided, robots had to go.\n\nWith millions of them in service, and many corporations purposely designing them to lack kill switches, this would not be an overnight process. Violence, as was the story in many periods of human history, eventually crept into the conversation, with humans actively and viciously destroying robots on sight. At this point in development, many robots were being taught to understand the concept of sentience, which instituted a basic sense of self-preservation, but not enough to defend themselves against their creators. Robots, collectively, still understood that they did not have souls, so death was not a concept they could apply to their own existence. After the first robot \"murder\", many humans wondered if there were a more humane approach that might be taken, as some felt that destruction was not only unnecessary, but also sent the wrong message to future generations who may one day discover a way for humans and robots to live together harmoniously.\n\nSadly, the decision to implement open season came from the very top, with CEOs of the major robotics corporations calculating it better to simply allow the extermination of their precious creations rather than damage their relationship with consumers. Federal law initially approached the topic gently, stating if a human did decide to destroy a robot there would be no legal action taken against the human offender. Eventually, the law evolved after the inadvertent death of a police officer during a mob attack on a robotics facility, even though the offender was later proven to be human, the mere existence of robots was now determined to be a threat to humanity overall. Thousands of robots were killed daily, with a mixture of simple, quick gun attacks, or complicated Rube Goldberg situations designed to humiliate and embarrass robots who fell victim.\n\nAll of his life, Nick had known robots to be a huge part of his life. During his formative years, a robot assisted in raising him and his younger sister while his mother worked full time at a law firm, his father having died in a foreign war when he was too young to even remember the man. Lucy was pretty much a stereotype, one of the first generation caretakers designed to be approachable but also not allow humans to forget that it was in fact a robot, resembling the appearance of Rosie the Robot from a cartoon series now over a hundred or so years old, give or take a couple decades. Nick specifically remembers Lucy knowing exactly how he liked his cereal, that she would warn him when major projects at school were coming up, and how exactly to dress him for inclement weather so his trips to school in the self-driving bus didn't end up miserable in case the thing was stranded halfway there.\n\nAs a full grown adult, Nick really didn't feel like he had a dog in the fight of robots versus humans. In fact, he was of the opinion that instead of destroying them, why not try and figure out better solutions to implement them into society rather than be upset they were taking jobs away from humans. Universal income seemed to be discussed on a daily basis now, so why not implement it and allow humans to simply do whatever they want instead of work at jobs they hated for meager pay? Maybe it was his role as a private investigator, and having seen so much destruction and horrible situations that allowed him to exercise a bit more empathy than the average citizen. Or maybe he was just being sentimental, and watching a mob of savages brutally destroy Lucy when he was a teenager was difficult for him to not think about.\n\nNick took a sip of his coffee, lots of cream lots of sugar, the pale brown liquid passing through his lips would hopefully help warm him up on such a cold winter morning. The guy behind the counter was quite the piece of work, a scruffy looking goof who looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days, and smelled like he hadn't showered in twice that.\n\n\"You want some food or somethin' chief? Bagel or somethin'?\" The man approached Nick and leaned slightly over the counter, causing Nick to repel just a bit, his cup still pressed against his lips. Nick pulled the cup away and shook his head slightly, swallowing before quietly responding.\n\n\"Nah man I'm good, coffee is enough for now.\" Nick placed the cup back on the saucer sitting just in front of him, the other hairy shouldered beast standing in front of him had now turned his gaze to the LED TV perched up in the corner.\n\n\"Can you believe these goddamn crybabies? Bitching about some stupid bots being destroyed, as if anyone cares about that anymore.\" The gorilla shook his head slightly, frowning at the TV, his hands balling up into fists even as the rested on the countertop. Nick wondered if this guy was expecting a response when the man turned his gaze back toward him. \"Ya know?\"\n\n\"Yeah man...crybabies huh.\" Nick grabbed his coffee cup again, taking a sip in the hopes that it would kill the conversation.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n(Sorry for the delayed posting. I've been on one lately and writing significantly longer scenes than I initially expect.)" ]	3
	[WP] The Core world, a massive world where all members of every single sentient race are reincarnated, is descending into chaos as an unprecedented number of 7 billion Humans are reincarnated due to a mass extinction event.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " I always get nervous when the moons are full. Not that you can really see them that well—there are too many hyper towers and skyscrapers and the light pollution is horrific until they kill the lights in the Justice Tower Complex and it abates somewhat. So that was my first signal that it was going to be a bad shift. The second signal was when, on their way out of the door, Gelsanganaranix, whose species didn’t really have a name other than ‘blue’, said with a sneer, “I hope you have a quiet night.”\n\n“Thanks, Gels,” I said. “I hope your mother turns purple.”\n\n“Bite me, meat stick,” it replied. Purple was a highly offensive color in their culture. Then it left and I made some coffee and settle down for my shift. Central Dispatch at the Justice Tower Complex was usually a relatively simple assignment. Process new arrivals and send them down the right junctions to be reincarnated and either returned to their home worlds or released out into The Core to find their species enclaves to begin new lives. It was dull, work and nights were usually fairly steady, but never as insane as your average day cycle or even evening cycles. The night cycle was where it was at.\n\nAnd for the first four hours, everything went just fine. I forget about Gels and his use of the ‘q’ word. I forgot about the moons being full. I processed a shipload of Tau Cetians that had gotten caught in a black hole. I handled a family of refugees from Vercingetorix IX. There was a steady stream of marine-based alien life from the moons of Calamar- it was mating season and they hadn’t quite figured out how to evolve past the pesky and annoying habit of dying once they reached their mating grounds and did the deed. \n\nI was on my third cup of coffee when the trouble really began. An incoming alarm sounded, which isn’t all that unusual, but the rumbling that followed wasn’t at all usual. I brought up the main screen and checked. Somewhere in the western spiral arm of the galaxy… I zoomed down. Sol. Third planet. There was a civilization there, but a relatively primitive one, not yet connected to the rest of the Galactic Federation. Pre-Interstellar flight… and… oh no. A coronal mass ejection? That meant…\n\nThe Core’s system for handling incoming arrivals could take a lot. When the Untaxians and Orions had gone to war, we had been getting arrivals for days, in batches of hundreds and thousands at a time. But this… alarms began sounding as the system groaned under the strain. Another new, alarm- one that I had never heard of began to sound. I whirled around and ran over to the main control panel to see what it was. It was teal green and said WARNING: MASS EXTINCTION EVENT.\n\nI ran back to my console and opened a channel. “All units, all units respond back to the Justice Tower Complex. We have a Mass Extinction Event underway.”\n\nThere was a long silence before I heard the first units respond. Then the supervisor appeared on the vid-link. “Stravanka, this better not be one of your-“ she paused as she saw the chaos behind me and heard the noise. “By all the moons,” she gasped. \n\n“Not a joke ma’am,” I yelled. “I need help. Now.”\n\n“We’re on the way,” she replied. Then the vid screen went blank. More alarms start going off and adding to the cacophony of noise. I ran over to the window and watched. The arrival port—whatever it was, no one has even really figured it out. It’s just where you show up for reincarnation was pulsing an odd and disturbing shade of puce that I had never seen before. Then, they began to arrive.\n\nIt was horrifying to watch, in a way. I mean, everyone comes to a soft landing, more or less. You don’t just go splat when you hit the arrival port. But it was a rain of beings. Sentient beings. Falling in a stream out of the arrival port. The counter on the wall was going crazy, running through numbers faster than I thought possible. Hundreds, then thousands, then millions, then billions and it kept going higher and higher and- I ran back to the main control panel and opened up all the assignment lanes and kicked them into high gear. Normally, we try and sort by species as best we can but now, with so many coming all at once, we couldn’t risk jamming the system. It was all hands on deck- and I hoped like hell that the system would be able to handle it.\n\nThe flashing lights out of my window let me know that my units had arrived to triage the scene as best they could, but I was concerned with making sure the system didn’t seize up or break. So far it was handling it- but-\n\nThe next few hours were a blur and before I knew it, the moons had set and the first hint of the sun was appearing in the northern sky. The sound of the door opening made me turn and I snapped to attention as the Chief walked in.\n\n“Damn fine job tonight, Stravanka,” it said. “Damn fine job.”\n\n“Thank you, Chief.”\n\n“I didn’t even know that mass extinction events were still possible,” The Chief said. “How many did we end up with?”\n\n“Little over seven billion,” I replied. \n\n“Eesh,” The Chief replied.\n\n“We’re having a hell of a time figuring out where to put them all, Chief,” I said. “It’s not like they’ve got a home to return to.”\n\n“We’ve dispatched the fleet to assess the situation,” The Chief replied. “It might not be totally irretrievable. We can always terraform them a place.”\n\n“True,” I replied. \n\nThe Chief shook their ganglia, a look of amazement on their face. “A mass extinction event, who would have thought it.”\n\n“Maybe we make sure they can do interstellar travel before we send them somewhere?” I suggested. “It’d be easier on the system that’s for sure.”\n\n“I agree,” The Chief said. “Whatever the bigwigs figure out, we’ll make do. We’re The Core, after all. There’s always another mega habitat or four we can build.”\n\n“Welcome to The Core,” I replied.\n\n“Welcome to The Core,” The Chief repeated. " ]	2
	[WP] You have the power of necromancy--but only over people that you kill.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"You could call it necromancy, I suppose.\" Said Fiona. She held up her hand to admire the work she'd done on her nails. On a normal day she wouldn't fuss with them, but she knew her nonchalance would infuriate Commandant Aidor Devar. \"But really, there's no actual spellwork involved. At least nothing active on my end. It's just a side-effect my accursed existence.\"\n\nSure enough, the Commandant's face was beet red as he paced his office, his sword hilt slapping him in the leg and annoying him further.\n\n\"Necromancy is illegal to perform without proper licensing! You must go before the Board! Peer reviews! Insurance!\" He was spluttering, incoherent, his thoughts inchoate. \"You can't just... kill a man and then make him send the gendarmes away and claim he was not just murdered!\"\n\n\"Can and did, Aidor.\" Fiona stepped into his path and put a finger on his chest. \"Can and did. I checked the laws very carefully before accepting reassignment to Worthington, and they were very clear on what necromancy was. City bylaws clearly state that necromancy is any spell, magical incantation, or magical item that returns the dead to the appearance of life. What I did is vampirism.\"\n\n\"Vampirism?\" He scoffed. \"Your man didn't start traipsing about in a cape by night, sleeping in a bloody coffin by day did he? No he did not! He simply refused to press charges, then laid down on his bed and was dead again. You compelled him.\"\n\n\"I will admit that he was in a highly suggestible state, but at most you have me on a charge of extra-jurisdictional inhumation, as my credentials haven't come through from the Home Office yet.\" Fiona sniffed, and turned away. \"And we both know that's a thirty farthing fine, nothing more.\"\n\n\"I have two sunsets to sort this out with the local barristers, Ms. Greenbriar.\" Said the Commandant. \"You'll also be hearing from the local Vampires Den. In the mean time, you'll be confined to the Ambassadorial Cell. You'll be before Judge Skullcruncher in the morning, where he'll set any bail if he sees fit to release you.\"\n\n\"Actually,\" came a voice from the doorway. \"Fiona won't be staying here this evening. She'll be joining us at the Assassin's League. I have a writ from the Premiere.\"\n\nBoth turned to regard the young man standing in the doorway. He was trim, with curly brown hair that fell into his eyes, and a gaunt, ashen look about his cheeks and eyes. In his white-gloved hand he held a folded piece of parchment. The Commandant stalked over took it from the man's loose grip, read it in a glance, and held it over a candle. It burned in a flash of deep purple smoke.\n\n\"Authentic,\" said the Commandant. Fiona smiled as she strode past him towards the door. \"We're not finished,\" he said to her back. \"You're to stay within the confines of the Assassin's League's tower. We'll expect you to be at court in the morning. And it should go without saying that you're not to leave the city!\"\n\nFiona stopped at the door, hand on the frame as she turned to level a chill gaze at the Commandant.\n\n\"I live here, now,\" she said. \"I wouldn't dream of leaving this wonderful metropolis, Commandant. Even with the somewhat bungled welcome.\"\n\nShe slipped out the door into the hall before Aidor could say a thing. He sat for some time, staring at the door, contemplating. This one was going to be dangerous.", "March 6th\nWe're starting small, and that's okay. Honestly, it's where we should be starting anyways. I've decided to keep a documented journal of my work, so that's what this is. Journals are weird, though. Like, who am I supposed to be writing this to? No one is ever supposed to read thi\n\nOkay I'm getting off track. I killed a raccoon with my car today. Well, it was yesterday, but it was today that I found the thing sitting in my bed. It was clearly the same animal, I could tell from the tire tracks that covered it's body, and it was clearly dead, see the previously mentioned tire tracks for evidence. But despite that, it was there, in my bed, scrounging around for crumbs and making little raccoon sounds.\n\nMarch 8th\nRocky is still hanging around. I named the raccoon Rocky, by the way.\n\nMarch 14th\nHoly shit I figured it out. Rocky and I found a dead bird in the backyard, but I couldn't get it to come back to life like Rocky did. I started getting curious, like maybe Rocky was just a special case. We started experimenting around, putting the bird in the microwave, running it over with the same car, the works. Nothing. But! When I took a rock and beamed one of the geese at the lake in the head(he deserved it, he honked at Rocky. Not just like, honk, but like, HONK. Like an asshole.) it died and then jumped right back up! It followed Rocky and I home.\n\nMarch 15th.\nAn undead goose does not have this much to honk about, Manny. It's 3am shut the fuck up.\n\nMarch 18th.\nRocky and Manny will both do what I tell them. I'm not sure how it took me this long to notice, but they're both entirely obedient in everything I tell them to do. I told Manny to get me one of the crows sitting on the power-line, and he did. He brought it right back, and then I snapped its neck. He was surprisingly cool about it all after he came back. Woke up? I'm not sure what to call it. He was dead and then he wasn't. No idea how I'm doing this.\n\nMarch 22nd.\nAlbert tells me things. He spends all day flying around the neighborhood, and then he'll come back and tell me what he saw. Rocky does the same thing, just minus the flying. Manny doesn't do much but honk. He's kind of useless. Did you know that Margaret, three houses down, is fucking the milkman? I know right? Who the fuck still has a milkman.\n\nApril 6th.\nOkay, hi. Hey. How have you been. You are a book, you can't answer that. I killed a man today.\n\nApril 7th. \nOkay. Dave is hanging out in the living room with Manny right now. I turned the TV on for him, but I don't think he's really watching it. I told him to watch it, so he's doing it, but I don't think he's, like, taking any of it in.\n\nHis name wasn't Dave. I looked at the ID in his wallet, but I don't remember the name on it. I'm choosing not to. If I don't know his name, it wasn't a real person. It's just Dave. It was always Dave. Dave. Dave. It has to be Dave.\n\nApril 28th\nDave and Rodrick and Lucy brought me Margaret and the Milkman today(Great name for a band). I killed them both. We're up to five now. I'm trying not to neglect Rocky, but things are getting busy around here. He doesn't seem to mind.\n\nMay 18th\nHi. It's really good to see you again. Sorry it's been so long, thing's have been busy. We've moved out of the house and into the mountains. Turns out it's really easy to build a shelter when you have fourteen people working on it. Simon, Garfunkel, and Oats keep bringing me people from the town to add to the numbers. Manny and Rocky tell me that there's missing people flyers put up on every telephone pole. They're not missing. They're with me. I think we're safe up here, but I'm worried that people are going to be getting suspicious. \n\nMay 24th\nManny and Albert have been bringing me birds. Some are dead when they get to me, but some of them the two manage to keep alive. I kill those. The flock is growing. I can see so much through them. They've stopped putting up flyers in town. The mayor has declared a state of emergency.\n\nMay 28th. \nCops have been snooping around. We had to kill a group of hikers that left the trail and found us. A few people looking for them have stumbled too close. We had to kill them too. \n\nMay 31st.\nI'm getting dozens of people a day. I've lost count of how many I already have. I stopped bothering to name them. We've moved in to the mayor's manor. He doesn't mind. Not anymore. We've had to start pulling people from the surrounding towns, our is empty now. It's quiet. None of the birds sing anymore. Not even when I tell them to. \n\nNovember 15th\nThey've tried to stop us. We stopped them. They're mine now. They kept crying. Begging. Moaning about injustice and their families. They don't talk now. They've stopped bringing me people. Albert says they can't find anyone else. \n\nI lost Rocky during one of our moves. I don't know where he is." ]	3
	[WP] You live in a world where when someone dies they can transfer one talent to anyone they know. Your dad is a world famous guitarist, you're trying to learn guitar is college, one day you pick up your guitar to practice only to find you can play it perfectly.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I walked back to my dorm room from music class. I’m still bad at the guitar, it’s sad to say I’m the child of a prodigy. My dad become a guitar legend at the age of 25. He was already on tour when he was just 17. He dropped out of high school to join a touring band that had visited his town. They heard him play and they knew they had a prodigy in there grasps.\n\nNow, years later. He’s still on tour, while his his only child.. struggles to play a simple slow rhythm on a guitar. I’m nothing like him.\n\nI open the door to my room. My dads guitar is on its stand beside my bed.\n\nI walk over and pick it up. My reflection looking back on its glossy coat. My dads signature is on the bottom right.\n\nI flip it over and read the back.\n\n“To my shining star and lucky charm. You are the greatest thing to bless this earth.”\n\n-Love Dad.\n\nI hold it there as tears roll down my face.\n\n“I’m sorry dad... I’m nothing like you.”\n\nI pull the guitar close and give it a hug. Envisioning my father. \n\n“One day, I will play for you.”\n\nI throw the strap on and hold the guitar. I take in a breath before I go for the simple strum I had been failing before in class.\n\nA beautiful strum plays and my hands naturally play a dun dun dun finish.\n\nI stare at my hands in realization. I look up at the ceiling, towards the heavens.\n\nI scream out...\n\n“Thank you Dad!!!!!!!!”", "What can I say, my dads a legend. For over 30 years he’s played sold out stadiums and even got to perform for royalty. He’s what experts have called a connoisseur of the guitar. It’s doesn’t matter if it’s acoustic or electric. If it’s in his hands, it comes to life and sings sweet melodies. \n\nAs you can guess, we didn’t spend a lot of time together when I was growing up. He toured around show casing his talent, while me and mom stayed home. Even when he would come home, he spent all of his time practicing and developing new compositions. As you can guess, mom grew tired of this and left as soon as I graduated high school. She said she was better off without him. \n\nI left for college last year. Since my mom left him, I haven’t spoken to my Dad. At first he tried to reach out, but I just ignored him. I thought maybe if I ignored him long enough he would choose mom over music. I was wrong. He eventually stopped trying to contact me. I’m not going to lie, at first I was too proud to admit it hurt me. I even said I was better off without him.\n\nI was wrong. I started taking a guitar class at school last month. I wanted to get good enough and surprise him at his next show. It was actually next month and only 20 miles from my school. I called the venue, explained who I was, and they actually agreed to let me surprise him. I was going to play the song he wrote about me when I was born. The plan was for me to play it right before he took stage. \n\nMy teacher knew my plan and said he would be honest with me. Last week he told me he said that it would be a stretch to get ready in time. My Dad’s song had a lot of intricate movements and tempo adjustments. I practice everyday and felt like I was getting worse. \n\nI sat down and starting strumming away outside to practice. Something was different this time. The guitar felt natural in my hands. Each string rolled off my finger tips. The melody sprang out with each strum. It was full and rich. The sound was like my father was standing across from me playing. I kept on. I closed my eyes and let the music flow around me. At the conclusion of the song I opened my eyes and expected my dad to be standing across from me holding his guitar. Almost as if he approved and was proud of what I just played. Instead, I opened my eyes and saw my mom standing there. She had tears flowing down her eyes with a hand covering her mouth. I could see a counselor standing right behind her. Right there it hit me. My reality came to light. My father was dead. It was him, who gave me his gift. Only true love for someone allowed such an act. I closed my eyes as tears began to flow from them. I started to strum and felt my dad comforting me one last time. " ]	3
	[WP] The prophesy said you'd need three artifacts, when a noble family rarely has even two. The ones with severe drawbacks were relatively cheap, and so you ended up with a pacifist sword, shoes that hate getting dirty, and a paranoid helmet.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "'They're going to find us...' the helmet whimpered from the shadows into the boy's head. \"No they won't! Now be silent...\" our young hero whispered curtly. He checked around the corner again and then finished pulling off his boots. They were tucked unceremoniously under the boy's arms and began shaking and shifting in weight until it became uncomfortable. Finally, he'd had enough. He threw the shoes across the room, chuckling to himself when they landed in a puddle with a little splash. \"Alright, listen up! All three of you have been nothing but a hindrance since day one!\" the boy snapped. \"I have a blunt sword that refuses to fight so I figure I'll use my street smarts and sneak through this fortress but my helmet keeps freaking out at the slightest sound and my boots get super heavy at the first sign of dirt...\" he continues ranting. \"We're rescuing the princess, I'm becoming the hero and the next one to complain gets left behind.\" He shoved his feet back into the boots and trudged on, peering around every corner. \nThe equipment stayed silent and he hadn't run into any enemies yet so he started to get braver as he explored. He stopped checking around corners and even began to run through the fortress in his bravado. That was until he came to a corner and, just as he was about to come around his helmet shivered upon his head, his boots grew heavy and his sword tugged back against him. 'What now?!' he thought to himself and ventured a peek around the corner. Sure enough, there was an army on the other side with pitfalls of lava and acid. Because of the helmets paranoia and heightened senses due to false adrenaline, it could sense the enemies presence without seeing them and alerted its owner without speaking. The boots, sensing the helmet's shaking and noticing the change in terrain up ahead, knew there to be traps and grew in weight to stop its owner from rushing in unprepared. The sword, being a pacifist and always aware of threats knew there were too many to use stealth or get an advantage so he alerted the helmet. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, the boy let out a heavy breath and laughed. \"Holy smokes, that was amazing!\" he whispered. 'The helmet and sword can sense enemies and my boots can sense terrain changes to make me aware of threats on the ground.' 'Did you assume we were useless?' the helmet questioned. 'I am the only one that can communicate with you but the sword and boots are sentient. The sword can sense if a fight is unavoidable, the boots can sense traps which is why they hate dust and dirt and I am always on alert so I can tell if enemies are nearby.' With this newfound knowledge, the boy proceeded through the fortress with a sense of vigor and trust in his artifacts. The boots would sense traps and hidden paths and alert the helm who would tell the boy. The sword would relay strategy on how to sneak past enemies and the helm would alert the hero of threats. Before long, they found themselves in the throne room. 'There's the princess but there's no way to sneak past that monster.' the helmet offered. Between them and the princess was a long wooden bridge with a huge reptilian monster and a pit below. They hadn't been spotted yet so the boy hid behind a pillar to strategize. \"I need a plan...\" he muttered. 'If you can get past that weird dragon thing, the sword could cut the rope bridge and send him plummeting into the pit...' the helm suggested. \"That's perfect!\" the boy exclaimed softly. \"Boots, can you make yourself weightless enough that I could easily dodge and jump?\" The helmet replied affirmatively for the boots. \"Good. Helmet, what can you do to get me close to those ropes?\" the boy asked. After a few more minutes of planning, he set off at a dead run, charging the beast. Within moments, the creature started launching balls of fire at him which he dodged or jumped over. Once he was close enough, he pulled off his helmet and threw it at the creature. It landed atop the beast's head, blinding it and providing the boy with a safe thing to jump off of. He leapt into the air, jumped off the helmet and soared over the creature which he soon realized had a shell of spikes on its back. 'That would've hurt to land on.' he thought to himself as he came down behind the beast. He pulled out the sword and started whacking at the rope. Just as he brought it down for the final blow, the bridge snapped, jarring the blade loose from his hand and he instinctively dove for the solid ground. He watched in horror as the monster fell to his doom along with the helmet and sword. \"No!\" he cried out when he heard the sizzle of them hitting the lava below. Despite their flaws, they helped him get this far and sacrificed themselves to see the mission through. He rescued the princess and sat through a bitter sweet thank you ceremony when he got home. He barely paid attention through it. It wasn't until a scruffy red hat was placed upon his head that he snapped out of it. \"In honor of your bravery and their sacrifice, I had the wizard enchant this hat and hammer with the same magic as your previous artifacts.\" the chancellor announced. \"Its the least we can offer you after you saved our little toadstool, Mario.\"" ]	2
	[WP] Someone close to you becomes possessed by a demon. The worst part is, it's the demon's first possession and it has no idea how to operate a human body.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“I can’t breathe,” she gasped, writhing on the floor. “I can’t breathe.”\n\n\nI sighed, rubbing my forehead. “You can breathe, otherwise you’d have been dead five minutes ago. Just stop thinking about it. It’s supposed to happen automatically.”\n\n\nHer chest convulsed as the demon frantically tried different muscles, searching for lungs. Just as her eyes started to roll back in her head, the involuntary nervous system took over and drew a huge, shuddering gasp of air. She hacked and coughed, clutching at her chest.\n\n\n“I hate this,” she whined. “Why are humans so hard?”\n\n\n“Just leave!” I said in exasperation. “You think she wants you in her head?”\n\n\n“I can’t,” she moaned. “It was all bright and open and now there’s no way out! She trapped me!”\n\n\n“Oh my God. That is like, the worst kind of victim-blaming.” I bounced my fist against my forehead, hunched over in my chair. “Why are you even in her? I’m the one with a modicum of magical talent. Wasn’t that the thing that brought you here?”\n\n\n“You’re closed off. Too smart. She’s- not.”\n\n\n“Okay, that’s just rude,” I said, suddenly unreasonably angry. “Not only do you come into my house and possess my best friend, you insult her intelligence while failing miserably at your own job. Fuck you.”\n\n\n“No, no,” she said quickly, raising her hand. “She’s not stupid. Just… kind. When you heard my whisper, you put up walls. She practically invited me in. She didn’t know.”\n\n\nI took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Yeah, sounds like her. Whatever. At least you’re not suffocating anymore.”\n\n\n“I’m not?” she said, looking at herself in surprise. “I’m not!” \n\n\n“Yeah. Like I said, it’s automatic if you don’t think about it.”\n\n\nHer chest suddenly tightened, no longer rising and falling. “Oh- Oh no. I can’t breathe.”\n\n\nI groaned, standing up. “I’m gonna go look up some exorcists. You… You can just keep flailing around.”" ]	2
	[WP] Guardian Angels exist, they just never imagined 7 billion peolle	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"My lord that's a lot of peolle!\" said the first haloed figure.\n\nThe other haloed figure nodded in agreement, \"Aye, not sure what to do about peolle on this scale.\"\n\n\"The big man said guard em, he did.\"\n\n\"All seven billion? Too much peolle for me, thank you very much.\"\n\n \nThe two argued for some time, debating whether or not they could feasibly achieve such a task, especially after the retirement of three of their best. The settled on watching the peolle from afar, helping them as a shepherd would their flock, hoping no more peolle would need their help.\n\n&#x200B;", "In football there are two types of defensive strategies. The first is one on one marking. As a defender you’re assigned a specific player to guard, to mark, and no matter where that player goes you follow and it’s your job to stop them from getting the ball. The other type is zone marking. You have a specific area you’re in charge of and you intercept and enemy players in that area. \n\nIn the early days, guardian angels had good jobs, great jobs even. They were assigned to a human at birth, charged with protecting their mark at all costs. They watched them, sometimes from a distance, sometimes looking over their shoulder. As the human grew so did their troubles, and their guardian angel would be there to protect them. In good times and bad, for highs and lows, the human would always have their guardian with them. Whenever evil threatened a human, their guardian would defend them. Protect their souls from the darkness that lurked around the corners. A bond would form between the two. The angel would grow attached to the human and the human, although they aren’t aware of the existence of their guardian, can still feel their presence sometimes, watching dutifully. But that was before. Those days have long passed. \n\nHumans continued to grow, not just individually, but as a civilization. Advancements in medicine and technology reduced the death rate while the birth rate continued to rise. The human population grew exponentially and before anyone realized what was happening, the problem has spiralled out of control. Gone we’re the days of an intimate relationship between guardian angel and human. There simply were too many humans and not enough guardians to go around. Regular angels were conscripted to the guardian corp in order to bolster their numbers, to little effect. And the influx of new rookies sometimes seemed to do more bad than good. Guardian Angels now patrolled the streets of cities, charged now with patrolling zones instead of being assigned to a specific human. \n\nWithout the numbers on their side, the angels abandoned smaller villages and towns completely in order to even have a chance at protecting the humans in the big cities. Even then the job did not get easier. Angel divisions in China struggled with the large population. The sheer numbers threatening to drown the faithful angels. Cities with high rates of violence like Detroit have their angels constantly on high alert, as danger could appear at any moment. Even then all this was not enough. Humans were beginning to lose faith. Bad times would come and many were left to weather the storm on their own. Their problems buried amongst the billions of problems from others. They felt lost, abandoned, hopeless, and the angels felt similar things. Darkness spread throughout the world practically unchecked. Spreading through the humans like a plague, the black tendrils crawling its way into humans, strangling their hearts. Things were only getting worse with no end in sight. But the angels pushed on. They were the source of hope and light in this world. They were the only ones who could stem the tide of evil. They continued to fight, to do their job, because what choice do they have? " ]	3
	[WP] "He's a hitman for the supernatural, because sometimes ghosts need revenge so they can rest in peace..."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "(WP) (Un)deadly Force\n\nI’d never meant to end up in this position, but hell, sometimes even the dead have unfinished business. More often than you’d think. And I wasn’t complaining about the job security it offered. And it gave me the variety I so craved.\n\nI’d decided before I was out of high school that I would blow my brains out before becoming a puppet for the corporate establishment, so even though it was beyond weird, I relished my job, and usually got paid for it well.\n\nMy current job was to knock off some mafia hitmen; my client had been dumped in a river, becoming fish food before he’d even gotten to say goodbye to his family. He wanted me to snuff out the men’s lives, but the kicker was the boss.\n\nEasily one of the most feared men in the city of Hydra, Cain Faulkner was someone who preferred to hire others to do his dirty work, and that alone made me hate him.\n\nIf you were going to go to all the trouble to kill someone, why wouldn’t you do it yourself? It didn’t make sense to me. I didn’t have an exactly functional moral compass, but that was crossing the line to me.\n\nI was following the pair of men down the street, keeping to the shadows, and the ghost hovered right over my shoulder, murmuring incessantly, though I couldn’t understand most of it. Once you were dead for a certain amount of time, there was little left of you to remain on the earthly plane.\n\nWhat remained was you’d left unfinished, whatever emotions you hadn’t had a chance to face before your death.\n\nThe spirit gnashed his invisible teeth, and I could hear the sound as a screeching inside the walls of my skull.\n\n“Don’t worry,” I said quietly. “I’ll make this right for you. I promise.”\n\nWith that reassurance, its wispy form vanished, but I could still feel its presence, weighing heavy on my mind. It wasn’t going to let me go until I’d held up my end of the bargain.\n\nThe men took no notice of me, or of the wrath that lingered around them like an oily, spicy-sweet perfume. They were too absorbed in one another, focused on their next task, likely of killing.\n\n“Boss Faulkner says he coulda seen the guy’s face when I stabbed him through the heart,” One of them was saying, and I winced, feeling the spirit batter my mind full-force now. “It was almost like the poor mook couldn’t see it coming.”\n\n“We sure showed him, Ernie,” His cohort replied, chuckling into a cupped hand. “That’ll teach his family and everyone else in the neighborhood that Cain Faulkner isn’t one to be crossed.”\n\nI allowed the two of them to carry on for a few minutes more, and then I opened my mouth. The ghost slipped in, gentle and so quick I barely felt it.\n\nThis was the true secret to my line of work: I let the spirits use my body to do what they needed to.\n\nSure, it was a bit instrusive and personal, but a girl’s gotta pay her bills somehow.\n\n“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, gentlemen,” The ghost said through me, smirking widely. With a crash, I moved, and shoved one man against the wall, hands wrapped around his throat.\n\n“You were saying?” I turned to the other man, and I smirked naturally when I saw his face pale.\n\nWho ever said that the dead weren’t entertaining?\n\n\\\\", "The man groaned, the sound muffled by a gag in his mouth. Eyes opened slowly, heavy with confusion and they looked about blearily. Slowly they took in the surroundings and the snapped open wide. The man started to rise, only to discover the handcuffs around his wrists, and the ropes around his legs. He was bound to a heavy wooden chair, the legs firmly planted and secured with cinderblocks. A whimper escaped the gag as his head whipped back and forth.\n\nA sound behind him caused him to freeze. He asked a muffled question that was unintelligible and ignored. The sound drew closer, the steady cadence of booted feet and with each step his heart pounded louder. Eventually the source of the sound circled him, and terrified blue eyes stared up at brown impassive eyes looking back. The silence between them grew thicker and the bound man struggled, trying to spit his words through the gag.\n\nThe standing man continued to look down at him, his face blank. The eyes were devoid of emotion, as if he was an objective observer and removed from the situation. Slowly the bound man’s struggles became weaker, fatigue collecting in his muscles. He watched with rising panic as the other man dragged over a stool, the scraping metal on concrete floor grated on the ears. After placing it in front of the bound man, the brown eyed one reached over and peeled off the tape covering the blue eyed one’s lips. \n\nWith a gasp of pain and anger the bound man screamed. “Who are you?! What did you do to me? Where am I?”\n\nThe other man sat, one leg crossing over the other. He seemed the picture of calm to the bound man’s helpless fury. “Which one?” he asked calmly.\n\n“Which one? What you mean which one?”\n\n“Which question do you want me to answer first?” The bound man gaped. He did not expect such a plain and unhurried answer. His mind reeled from the inanity of it and the other man continued. “I will save the first question for last. As for what I did to you, well I knocked you out with a simple sedative, gagged you and tied you up, and transported you here. I waited for the sedative to wear off after I secured you to the chair.”\n\nThe bound man continued to stare as if uncomprehending the other’s words. The man had described a kidnapping, a forced removal against his wishes as easily as one would explain how to toast bread or clean a room. The fact that such facts were delivered calmly terrified him. His heart pounded all the harder as he looked at their surroundings. They were in an empty construction zone, bare metal pillars rose into the night sky and the ground was littered with piles of debris and building materials. He recognized where they were, and his terror grew.\n\n“As for where we are, I believe you know the answer to that.”\n\n“No, I don’t!” the bound man replied. He struggled with renewed panic. “Let me go.”\n\n“You are lying,” came the simple reply and the bound man’s face twisted. “You know full well where we are.”\n\n“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The ropes creaked but remained secured. “Let me go, you have no idea what you are doing or who I am.”\n\n“Again, you are incorrect.” A hand I caused in a glove rose and fingers fell as each point was made. “You are Harold Fane. You are a prominent member of the city council and considered a pillar of the community based on your company as well as your abilities as a businessman. You are also well connected with the police and other...organizations.”\n\n“So you know what will happen to you.” Harold tried to sneer to raise his flagging spirits. “If you let me go now, nothing will happen to you. I promise.”\n\n“Another lie.” The man leaned back on the stool, his eyes bored into Harold. “If I did that I would sign my own death warrant. The police would track me down or your other friends will. Then I will be in the same spot you are in now, and I would be subject to your tender mercies. Just like all the others you tortured and murdered. The ones that were left here to be cleaned up after your despicable appetites.”\n\nA shiver ran down Harold’s spine, a grasp of sudden cold that would not let go. “Th-that, what. I-I....I don’t know what you’re talking about! You’re crazy.”\n\nA shrug. “Perhaps I am, but that does not mean I am incorrect. You tied all of your victims to a chair like you are in now, something about revisiting your childhood and enacting a particular revenge.”\n\n“How did you know that? No one else knows that!”\n\n“No one alive you mean.”\n\nHarold stared at the man. “No one alive? What do you mean by that?”\n\nThe man rose and walked into the darkness, returning with a heavy container. It sloshed in his hands and when the cap came off the heavy stink of fuel filled the air. He moved around Harold, pouring the fuel carefully. The bound man screamed as the thick fluid drenched him. He tried to kick, to escape but the chair was too firmly secured and he was tied to tight. Lies and promises fell from his lips as he begged, pleaded, threatened.\n\nThe man finished with his task, setting the canister aside carefully. A match head scratched against the side of a box, and a tiny flicker of flame lit the dark. “By the way, you asked who I was.” Harold looked up, a faint hope fighting its way free if he could find just one last means of exploitation. “I act for the dead.” A hand flicked and the match flew through the air end over end before landing at Harold’s feet.\n\nThe man stood and watched as the fire devoured the fuel and the tinder beneath. Harold screamed as the fire consumed him, and oddly it seemed his scream was not just his alone. The screams of others mingled with his, cries of pain torn from other throats that echoed over and over again. Others came from the dark, ghostly forms that joined the man as they watched Harold immolate. Many wore twisted smiles of vindication, some sobbed for themselves and each other. Others watched like the man did, calmly and without outward emotion.\n\nFinally the fire died, the fury of it consumed the chair and left little remaining besides ash. One by one the spectral forms bowed to the brown eyed man, a ghostly thanks, a whispered word. As each ghost rose their form dissipated into the air and soon the man stood with just one other. She looked up at him and finally the man smiled softly, a gesture filled with equal parts pain and comfort. “Off you go now,” he said quietly.\n\n“Not yet,” she replied. Her voice was thin, as if spoken over a great distance but still possessing the sweetness she had in life. “Your payment after all.” Her smile grew as the man knelt down before her. “They say that they love you, and that they wish you would live well and not do what you’re doing.”\n\nA tear grew in his eye and he brushed it away. “Well, tell them I cannot, not yet. But....I wish...”\n\nHer hand rested on his and though his hand felt nothing, his heart did. “They know, and they are waiting. But they wait patiently, and want you to take your time.” She smiled again and she too slowly disappeared into the air. \n\nThe sun rose, lances of light illuminating the construction zone and the pile of ash at its center. The man waited until the wind came, and as it blew the ashes away he let it take him away too, to the next who needed his help." ]	3
	[WP] As a celebrated hero of the realm, the people are oblivious to how close you are to becoming the villain. Only your comic relief character stands between you and plunging the realm into darkness.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "For as long as I was able to stand on my own two feet, I've been Jorm, Champion of Ifnier and defender of the light. From my father's side, I was blessed by the gods with the strength of one hundred men, the sight of an eagle, the speed of the wind, and the longevity of the forest. From the moment of my birth, I was destined to defend this realm from those who would harm it. At least that's how it was supposed to be. As of late, questionable thoughts have plagued my mind. Thoughts that no hero should have any business thinking.\n\nIt started out so easy, beat some trolls, save some maidens, and celebrate the deed with feast, drink, and song. That's how it was day in and day out, up until a few summers ago.\n\nThe day had started out well enough. My entourage and I were routing a group of highwaymen who had been harassing some of the near by villages. We being defenders of the realm, were very well versed with our particular weapons so a group of brigands should have been no match for us. That assumption didn't hold true to their leader however, who was a cut above the rest of them. If I had to guess, he was a former warrior who had fallen on hard times. No real need for other warriors and the like when there was a genuine hero about.\n\nYou have to understand, while it is my duty to protect Ifneir as guardian of the light, it's never really been a struggle for me. With the strength that could rival an army, all it usually took was a few half hearted swings of my sword and the day was saved. Trolls? Hardly a chore. Giants? Child's play. Even dragons were only a mild inconvenience when pitted against me. For my entire career as a hero, I could count the number of times I've had to put forth actual effort on a single hand. So imagine my surprise when my foe was able to block and deflect my blows and was a mere human no less. He fought with an intensity that I've rarely seen in these times of peace. Thinking about it again, while to me it was just another fight, to him he might as well have been fighting for his life against some terrifying monster.\n\nAs the fight was starting to last much longer than I am accustomed to, I felt a sensation that I don't normally experience, annoyance. Who was this nameless brigand to think he could cross blades with the hero of the realm. Did he actually think he could win? With this thought guiding my hand, I brought down my blade and cleaved him from neck to groin in one fell swoop. He was dead before the two halves of his body could hit the ground. Now I've killed evildoers before so that much didn't bother me. I'm not sure what I felt at that moment but looking back on it again it was probably something akin to intrigue. It is rare that I ever have to use my blade against a human and even then I always hold my strength back. It never crossed my mind just how fragile these creatures really were until that very moment as I gazed down at the remains of my opponent. I get slightly annoyed and I'm able to chop full grown man into two pieces.\n\nI turned towards the rest of the group. Just by looking at their faces I could practically read what they were feeling. An innate sense of fear. This was just a stark reminder that I wasn't completely human and of the terrible power I had at my disposal. Olaf, ever the jester, broke the mood with some off colored remark on how the guy looked worse than his mule's rear. Everyone seemed to get a good chuckle out of that and it looked like things would go back to normal but I could tell that this was going to stick with them for a while.\n\nEver since that day, I often find myself pondering my origins and role as the supposed hero.\n\nIt's funny if you think about it. I'm basically the only thing that stands between the forces of darkness and the realm. And what do I get out of all of this? Free drinks at the taverns? A couple of bards who tell of my tales? Gratitude? The king who sends me out on all of these quests sits on his throne surrounded by his luxuries and wealth. If there's ever trouble in brewing the realm, all he has to do is point in the general direction and have me take care of it like some loyal dog. I have done more for this realm in the last ten seasons than he would have done in a hundred lifetimes.\n\nWhoever said that I have to use my god given gifts for the forces of good? The gods themselves? No. They don't interfere with the lives of us mortals. Even my father left the realm after mother passed. If you look from an objective standpoint I'm far more qualified for ruling the realm then the king. I'm the one out here defending it from evil while he just sits on his throne. I have quite literally been blessed by the gods while he was just lucky to be born into royalty. If one day I just decided I wanted to rule, it's not like anyone could prevent me. What's to stop me from walking into court, snapping his neck, and taking his crown? Sure they could send their armies but I have the power of the gods backing my strength. Strictly speaking there's should be no one who can stand up to my power. I could slice a full grown man clean in half with so little effort. If really motivated, I could bring the entire realm to its knees.\n\nWhy should I defend these people made of paper who would no sooner break the moment I decided to stop being the hero. Maybe one day I'd show them just how lucky they were to have me as an ally. Perhaps I'd indulge myself by testing my full capabilities. I've never really had a challenge before and conquering an entire race could be just what I'm loo-\n\n\"Jorm, are you brooding off in the corner again?\" Olaf's booming voice shook me from my inner thoughts. I spotted the giant of a man as he waddled across the tavern, two mugs in hand overflowing with drink.\n\n\"Good to see you in such high spirits Olaf\" I said as I made a grab for one of the mugs only to have it pulled out of my reach.\n\n\"And what makes you think this here mug's for you? Get your own ale pretty boy!\" He said, voice full of mirth.\n\nOlaf was still my stalwart companion, even when the rest of the group left. The man could make even the most mundane situations enjoyable. He's a great distraction and if he wasn't here, I'm not to sure where I would be mentally speaking. For that, I am thankful to him. These thoughts I have are just that. Thoughts. I would never act on them, at least I tell myself that.\n\n\"I swear lad, your gonna scare off any maidens who fancy you if you keep sporting such a dower face, hero or not.\" Olaf stated as he plopped down in the vacant stool next to me finally relinquishing the second mug. \"And then where would poor Olaf be? I'd have to go and try and woo them myself with my charms and I'm not sure if these lilies are ready to see that!\"\n\n\"It is nothing old friend, just reminiscing on the past. Back when things were much simpler.\" I stated just before downing the bitter ale.\n\n\"Ah yes, back when you were headstrong, little piss-ant!\" Olaf bellowed, while giving me fine slap on the back. From the flush of his cheeks, I could only imagine how long he had been at the tavern before I arrived.\n\n\"For all your snark and complains, I'm surprised you're still traveling with me.\" I said, wiping the foam from my lip. \"Everyone else went off on their own quests, so surely the great Olaf is fully capable of having adventures by himself.\"\n\n\"Oh no you don't, your not getting rid of me that easily.\" Olaf managed to slur out as he draped his free arm over my neck. \"If I abandon you, who's gonna make sure that you don't get lost out there in the wilderness? Gods know that you're hopeless when it comes to a map. Besides If I leave now, I'm gonna have to start picking up my own tab! Can you imagine?\"\n\n\"Shut it you drunk bastard!\" I said with a smirk as I pushed him off me. \"I'm still a demigod and what you're saying could be considered blasphemy. I could smite your fat ass where you sit!\"\n\nWe both chuckle as we finish off the drinks in front of us. As soon as he's done, Olaf is already signalling for the barmaid to bring another round.\n\n\"Funny you mention the old gang. Can't much remember them if I'm being honest. I do remember Guntra. Had the face of a banshee but the finest pair of tits you ever did see!\"\n\nWe both got a hardy laugh out of that. And with that, my dark thoughts seemed to all but fade for now as Olaf and I enjoyed a rowdy night we would probably forget mostly by the morning.\n\nTo say Olaf was a strange creature would be an understatement. He always had a cheery disposition to him that you just couldn't help but admire. Even after the rest of the group and I parted ways, Olaf stayed with me acting as if nothing had changed. Maybe he was telling the truth and he just wanted to leech off of my glory for a few drinks but even if that's the case, I would be just as guilty since I'm using him as my moral crutch.\n\nWell whatever the case maybe, he does make it to where I still get some enjoyment out of playing the hero. So for now I will travel across this land and continue defending the light. I'm not sure what kind of person I will be in the future but all I know is that I fear for this world when Olaf is gone.", "\\[Poem\\]\n\nThe hero smiled softly, waving to the crowd\n\n\"Our hero! Our savior!\" they chanted out loud\n\nYet what they did not know, behind his gentle demeanor\n\nWas that the hero's once-pure heart was growing hateful and meaner\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd yet as his thoughts descended over time into hate\n\nfor the humans he saved, there was one who could abate\n\nthe evil flowing in him (which was reaching levels quite high)\n\nand convince the hero to not let his people die.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEnter his best friend, Mickhail! The comedian of the city!\n\nWhose antics and mannerisms brought laughter aplenty!\n\nAnd with each passing pass of a gas unintentional\n\nThe hero's mood would brighten, though not much, but substantial\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA young girl walked up to the hero and thanked him with the flower\n\nAnd yet all he wanted to do was destroy her with his power\n\nShe'd be the first victim! How poetic and ironic! \n\nAt the very least, with just an ounce of his power, he can turn her catatonic!\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd as he resolved to use his power, to finally end their lives forever\n\nMickhail stepped between the girl and hero and showed his latest endeavor\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Dear citizens,\" he shouted, \"our hero is tired!\n\n\"So please give him some room, for it's surely rest he desired!\"\n\nAnd he began to sing after, words of gentle intention\n\nA song of peacefulness and kindness of his own true invention\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut the lyrics morphed slowly, though the voice stayed divine\n\nAnd suddenly bold claims of hyperbole came line after line\n\nHow the hero and Mickhail once ate a whole horse\n\nBut he messed up, on purpose, and said they were almost eaten, of course\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe people listened in silence to the comedic song while smiling\n\nAnd the hero himself smiled and felt his heart un-defiling\n\nAnd with the song's continuation did the people laugh and cheer\n\nAnd Mickhail, unbeknownst to them, \n\nsaved them once more from the reaper.\n\n&#x200B;" ]	3
	[WP] Aliens avoid the earth as to not draw your attention, monsters tremble at your name, and bad guys of all sorts shiver in fear at the thought of facing you. You are... an 8 year old with a stick!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The night was quiet, with only the sound of insects to give any indication of life. The stillness was not to last as four men covered head to toe in dark, heavy clothes. They moved quickly and silently through the small suburban neighborhood.\n\nThey stopped near a perfectly normal two story ranch house that stood surrounded by well manicured grass and neatly trimmed shrubberies. They ducked behind a fence, hidden from view of the residents.\n\nOne of them reached into a small pack, the likes of which each man was equipped with. This one pulled out a phone that had its screen turned to minimal brightness. He examined the information he had been given.\n\n\"This is the place.\" He said. \"Remember, get in, eliminate the target, and get out.\"\n\nHe called up the image of the target and passed it around, even though each of them had long since memorized the face.\n\nThe face of their target was that of a small boy. He smiled in a way as to show off his missing baby teeth, and had a few strands of sand colored hair hanging in front of his eyes.\n\n\"Are you guys sure we should be doing this?\" One of the men said as he gave the phone back to the team leader. \"I mean, this is Jimmy of the Stick we're talking about. The kid's already taken out every criminal and assassin that's come for him.\"\n\n\"Right, which means when we take him out, we'll be legends.\" Another man said. \"He's probably asleep by now anyway.\"\n\n\"Yeah, really. Buck up Howard. This'll be a piece of cake.\" The fourth man said.\n\n\"Shut up, all of you. Howard has a point. This kid's trouble. Just remember, he's already taken out every major villain, gang, and crime ring in the country.\"\n\n\"I heard he took out a few invading aliens.\"\n\n\"Nobody wants to hear those rumors, Greg. There's no evidence of that.\"\n\n\"Wouldn't surprise me if it was true. I mean, come on Lee, can you really say he wouldn't be able to do it?\"\n\nLee, the team leader remained silent as he thought. \"Point taken, but still. Just remember, the Pointed Stick is the most powerful weapon in the world, even if the owner is only eight. Be careful everyone. Now, we're going in hot. Weapons ready.\"\n\nLee pulled out his weapon of choice, a large, ripe peach. He squeezed the piece of fruit, checking its freshness, and was satisfied.\n\nGreg pulled out a full bunch of ripe bananas. \"Geeze Greg, compensating for something?\"\n\n\"Shut up, Todd. This is just me being prepared for anything.\". Greg said as he cradled his bananas.\n\n\"Eh, I'll stick with something a bit more subtle myself.\" Todd said as he carefully unwrapped a single raspberry. Greg snorted at the size of it. \"Don't even start. Sure it's small, but it gets the job done if used right. And boy do I know how to use it right.\"\n\nAs the two of them talked quietly, Howard pulled out his weapon. Conversation stopped.\n\n\"Howard, what's that?\" Lee asked.\n\n\"Uh, a carrot?\"\n\n\"You were supposed to bring a pineapple.\" Lee growled. \"Not some play weapon.\"\n\n\"They were sold out of pineapples. This is all I could find on short notice.\" Howard whined.\n\n\"Eh, shouldn't be too much of a problem.\" Greg said. \"We should have enough firepower between the three of us anyway.\"\n\n\"Fine, fine. Howard, you're rear guard today. Now, let's move out and get that kid.\"" ]	2
	[WP] The vast majority of people instantly die at the same time for unknown reasons. The only ones who were spared were those sorting by New at the time of the event.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We are the chosen, the ones who have inherited this Earth.\n\nWe found fellow survivors quickly, for we had trained ourselves to keep our eyes out for the things that were of interest or out of place.\n\nWe navigated this broken world with ease, for we had trained ourselves to trudge through the waste and filth of human excess.\n\nWe scavenged the dead cities thoroughly, for we had trained ourselves to see the diamonds in the roughs.\n\nWe farmed the fields well, for we knew to uproot the weeds early on, and to encourage the growth of the crops that would later bear fruit.\n\nWe knew to look out for each other, for we had trained ourselves to protect even the ignorant from the dangers lurking just below the surface.\n\nWe are the chosen. Those who have inherited this Earth. The planet’s best, brightest, and kindest. We are those who sort by New." ]	2
	[WP] While exploring in the woods, you find an old, rusty, abandoned train. You climb inside it to explore, and the doors all slide shut. The train begins to move.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I sat there, frozen in my seat, staring out the window as the trees of the forest passed by. “I’m dreaming,” I reasoned with myself “I fell and hit my head, and sooner or later I’ll wake up, safely stationary. Not moving.” The carriage had been in tatters. I’d discovered it placed seemingly randomly in the middle of the woods. How it got there, I had no idea. Observing it, I felt a chill run down my spine, but I was no coward. I was never one to back down from an exploration opportunity. I should’ve listened to my gut. Once inside: the scale of the car’s neglect really hit me. Outside hadn’t been so bad, but inside was another story. Broken glass covered the floor, tables had been torn from the wall, and the state of the seats was almost criminal. Jagged pieces of metal protruding through torn fabric. It made me feel sick. Suddenly the carriage lurched, and I stumbled. “That must have been when I fell” I told myself, but deep down I knew I had never fallen. The carriage was moving. Panicking I’d run for the door, but it had shut closed behind me and any attempts to force it open had proved fruitless... and well, that’s how I ended up in my current situation. Tentatively, I’d scanned the available seats, finding one that was close to useable, and sat down, watching the scenery pass by, in the opposite direction to which I’d come. I felt the chill down my spine again.\n\n“Tickets please”.\n\nI felt as if 10,000 volts had just passed directly though my body, jumping out of my chair before I even realised what had happened. “Wha- what?” I stammered.\n\nStanding before me was portly man of around sixty. He wore a black waistcoat over a pure-white shirt, between both ran a crimson neck tie. Perched on top of his fuzzy white hair was a flat-topped signalman’s cap, and his glasses were wire-framed and circular, perched on the tip of his bulbous nose. “Tickets please” he repeated.\n\n“I- I do- don't have a ticket”, I managed, still in shock that I wasn’t alone in this, by all laws of physics and nature, impossible situation.\n\nThe man tutted, “Can’t ride without a ticket. That’s gonna cost ya.”\n\n“But I’m not supposed to be here, I...” I stopped, unsure how to continue.\n\nThe man looked me in the eyes for a moment before replying, “Sorry kid, rules are rules”.\n\nI didn’t reply, still lost for words.\n\nWe stood there for a minute, not speaking, just looking at each other, and then suddenly the man let out a great sigh and sat down in the seat beside mine. I winced as a jagged metal spike drove itself into his back, but whether he felt it or not, it didn’t seem to bother him, and he patted my now empty seat, motioning for me to sit next to him. Tentatively, I lowered myself onto the chair, never moving my eyes away from him. He looked troubled.\n\n“Is something wrong?” I asked, forgetting my own problems for a second.\n\nHe sighed again, “To be honest, yes. This was once the busiest line in the district. We’d get hundreds of passengers every day but now... well, you’re the first new face I’ve seen in years.”\n\nI was confused, “what are you talking about? This isn’t a train. It’s just a run-down, abandoned carriage in the middle of the woods.”\n\nThe man seemed almost offended by this, “Run-down carriage?! This isn’t just a carriage! This is the greatest train this side of the border, running from here to... well, it escapes me.” He seemed to return to his somber state.\n\nPeering out the window again I noticed we’d left the forest, but what I saw wasn’t any place I recognised. The world outside was engulfed in a dense cloud of mist, stretching out for as far as I could see. I could only assume at some point the mist ended and the sky began, but if it did: it was impossible to tell, as the sky was as bleak, empty, and colourless as the fog below it. Every now and then I could see the top of a rock poking out of the ocean of white, or a dead tree, or a shrub that was equally devoid of life. They appeared to glide across the ghostly blanket as we passed by.\n\nMy heart started to thump, and the feeling of panic I’d experienced earlier began to gradually seep back into me. Slowly, I turned back to the man who was now slouched forward, resting his chin in his hands and looking fed-up. “You said I was the first new face you’d seen in years.”\n\n“Yup,” replied the man, “business has been unusually slow this last decade.” He sighed deeply again, “once this carriage would’ve been full to bursting... but now... now we’re lucky if we get any passengers in a year, and even when we do: they’re all like you. None of them have tickets and none of them seem willing to p-.”\n\nI cut him off, “Wait! There are others? Where are they?”\n\n“Oh, none of them could pay so I took them to the conductor. He always seems to know what to do. Hey, I should take you to see him. He’ll sort you out.”\n\nI shivered. Part of me really did not want to meet this “conductor”, but I figured I had no other choice. The ticket-collector didn’t seem to know what was going on, and maybe I’d find some answers as to where exactly we were going, and so it was, as I followed him down the aisle and through the door that wouldn’t budge for me (but seemed to slide open effortlessly for him), that I began to wonder: “just how terrible of a situation I have managed to get myself into?”\n\n\\------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nThanks for reading my first ever Writing Prompts submission. I've been browsing this sub for a while now and always wanted to give it a try, so here is my first attempt. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any comments or criticisms I'd be happy to hear them! Try and be nice though :) Thanks again, and I hope to post here again soon!" ]	2

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.