Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
	[WP] The elf and the orc were incredibly close growing up, then one of them went missing and the other vowed to become an adventurer and find them. After countless quests and adventures they finally found their lost friend...Only to find they had become the final boss.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I remember it like it was yesterday. I had spent most years of my childhood with Agar, a young orc orphan within the village. Many looked down on him for his heritage, for the things his race had done in the past, but at my young age, I never knew why. I simply saw them treating a young boy as an outcast.\n\nI was lucky enough to grow up with accepting parents. They took in the boy, treating him like their own child practically. Many scoffed in disbelief at the act, seeing as how we were elves, the natural enemies of orcs, yet we took him in so readily. He was my brother, and I never knew different, despite the stark differences in appearance.\n\nWe spent every day together, playing out in the fields or skipping rocks in the pond. Every summer, the differences became more prominent. He grew stronger and taller than myself, while I grew faster, and slender. But we still never saw each other differently. The townspeople, did, however. They saw an orc, a freak of nature compared to elves, and would routinely send him back home beaten and swollen from his errand to get food for the family. Then one day, we became separated.\n\nI was on my own quest now. I took down the evil in every town I crossed. I hunted down the monsters plaguing the towns. I grew faster, smarter, and most of all, my skills grew in turn. Eventually, I had enough money to settle down into a nice home in a quiet village. But then came the news. Someone opposed me, opposed my ways. They did not appreciate the good I brought to the towns across the lands. So I went to face them.\n\nMy brother. Standing before me, scarred, breathing heavily, having dispatched the guards, sword clinging in hand.\"Why did you do it?\" He asked from labored breathes, \"why did you kill all of those people?\"\n\n\"They believed you, my brother, a monster. I saw the real monsters. I took down the evil plaguing the lands. Don't you see it? We can live free without them now! No one will ever bother us again,\" I told him, but his face twisted in disgust. My words did not sway him, they only sealed his next actions.\n\n\"But...brother,\" I coughed out, blood escaping my mouth, the pain of the sword in my chest immeasurable, stuttering all breathing and slowing my heart, \"why?\"\n\n\n\"Because they were people, too. Because now you're the monster.\"" ]	2
	[WP] A woman places her hand on your shoulder and whispers "tag, you're it." Then falls over dead. She looks as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. Her feet are worn to the bone. "Who was she?" You thought to yourself as you scratched your shoulder.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"tag you're it\"\n\nThe fucking lines that are right now screwing me up so bad, to the point I'm at a fucking hospital and nurses are wheeling me to the emergency rooms.\n\nAn hour after the elderly woman came up to me, I didn't think much, until I was 'accidentally' pushed down a hill of the park I was in, by a group of kids, causing minor injuries.\n\n'Oh, it was nothing,' was what I thought. 'Just a little accident.'\n\nYeah right.\n\nDays pass, and I, again 'accidentally', been hit by a basketball right on the face, leaving bruises, fell off the stairs; a broken leg. And when I thoughr nothing could go worse, I, just a few minutes ago, was in a car accident when trying to wheel my ass on a wheelchair across the road.\n\nHoly mother of god, fucking help me.", "“Tag you’re i...” those famous playground words cut short. Startled, I turn around just as the old lady hits the ground. Jumping to my feet I run over to see if she had hurt herself as any rational human being would do. “Are you okay ma’am?” I say as I bend down to grab an arm and help her up. \n\nIce cold. \n\nAs if she’d been dead for weeks, looking over her body I notice she’s not old just very and I mean very wrinkly. She just looks like an empty husk of a human. But this can’t be I had just heard her speak, she was still alive. But this person was definitely dead. I grab my phone out my pocket, hold it up to my face, it quickly unlocks. I go to phone the police but something stops me. Deep down I can feel it, unnatural and old. \n\nIt calls out to me.\n\n“PASS ME ON QUICKLY OR I’LL EAT YOUR VERY SOUL LIKE THE LAST HUMAN.” I feel the thunderous words echo through my skull and the thing inside me grow hungrier. \n\nI start running, the adrenaline pumping through my body, my legs pushing the hardest my young body has ever had to run. I could feel this entity chewing its way through me, slowly, as if to savour every part.\n\nI glance around but there’s no one in sight. Why did I have to pick today to go to the beach, why couldn’t I just stay at home like any other normal person. The weather is shit and yet somehow I’m drawn to the crashing waves of the ocean. I mean it is beautiful I think to myself.\n\n“HAHA PUNY MORTAL YOUR TIME IS RUNNING OUT” It’s thunderous laughter rattling my brain. \n\nI’m still running, no direction in mind just running and hoping I see someone, anyone. I can feel my body getting weaker. I lift my arm up to see it slowly withering away.\n\n“TOUCH SOMEONE AND SAY THOSE MAGIC WORDS AND I SHALL BE PASSED ON” boomed the entities voice again. \n\nI knew it was lying but every part of me hoped it could be true. I knew it was here to watch us squirm and I bet it was enjoying every moment of it. \n\nI looked down and noticed my legs were getting thinner. I was slowing down. I could feel my very essence being drained but I kept running as fast as I could. \n\nFinally I turned a corner and noticed someone, or I hoped was someone as my vision was fading. This thing inside of me was eating faster, slurping away at its never ending human buffet. \n\n“STOP” I shout, they turn around and see me running towards them, I hope they don’t run from me that was stupid to yell. But they don’t, they stand there looking dumfounded as to why this old man was yelling at them. \n\n“Are you okay” he says “can I help you?” \n\n“THANKS FOR THE MEAL HUMAN” growled the entities voice for the last time.\n\nI grabbed the poor new guy by his arms and looked him dead in the eyes.\n\n“Tag, you’re i...”", "Stomach sinking, I crouch down to examine the fallen woman before me. A clean, beautiful light blue dress contrasts the stark state of her malnourished body. Her cheeks are carved, as if chiseled by by an ill-meaning sculptor. The fat on her limbs have been used up like emergency rations, leaving behind traces of frail muscle barely hanging on to pointy bones. Those same limbs are filled with hard to read tattoos of convoluted designs, a mixture of everyday objects, people’s faces and words, all meshed together in a chaos of ink. I briefly scan it, sidetracked by the oddity of the design. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? FOCUS.” I snap back to reality, shaking my head off of any distractions. Pushing her cinnamon braids aside, I create a clear path to the woman’s neck. Some of her hair fall off without resistance, like dandelions in the wind. \n\nI start off with the standard procedure they taught us in the training program, checking her pulse and feeling the temperature of the skin. There is life, but it’s quickly escaping her body with every second. I know I must act now. I scramble into CPR position, placing my hands above her small breasts and begin the pumping motion, gently yet firmly. Putting my lips to hers, I forcefully blow air attempting to share my own vitality. It felt like kissing a block of ice. I alternate between the pumping and blowing for several minutes to no avail. She was going to die before we even came across each other, and I struggled to come to terms with that.\n\nAt the very edge of my vision down the female’s body, a sort of movement catches my attention. “Not again, dammit.” A fleeting thought passes my mind, trying to prevent me from any distractions. But it fails. I can’t help but be drawn to my peripheral and what I saw, puzzled me beyond belief.\n\nMost of the tattoos on her legs were gone, as if the ink was evaporating alongside her life. The ones that remained were scrambled numbers. And also a name. It was hard to read from where I was kneeling from, but I could make out a few letters, my mind filling in the rest as it naturally does. Justin? That would be a crazy coincidence. But then again that’s a relatively common name. The adrenaline coursing through my body blinds me from truly processing what I was seeing before my eyes. Finally realizing the futility of my efforts, I sigh out in surrender. A wave of dread, pity and compassion washes over me. I softly shut her eyelids close and dial up 911.\n\nI stay kneeling alongside her until the nearest unit shows up. The car parks to the side of where the body lays and I stand up, greeting the short stature police woman who is exiting the vehicle. My knees hurt. Traces of clarity returning to my mind, I suddenly remember where I am, and what I’m here for. I look at the glowing sign in the distance, standing out from the darkness of night. It reads Walmart.\n\n“What happened here?” The cop asks, doing her job.\n\n“I was on my way to buy some supplies for tomorrow and this lady came out running out of nowhere and collapsed right in front of me” I reply, trying to make sense of the situation as well. \n\n“Did she say anything? Was she running from anyone or carrying anything?” The cop fishes for information.\n\nI pause for a moment, scanning my hazy memories of the past hour. I turn, looking down at the body, and for a sharp second all the adrenaline seemed to return to my tired body. All her tattoos are gone. Limbs clear and cold as the night’s sky. What does this mean? I feel my brain overworking, attempting to make sense of the situation.\n\n“Sir?” Insists the cop after I trailed off into my own head.\n\n“Sorry I’m just exhausted. Uh right before collapsing, she touched me and said ‘you’re it’. I have no idea what’s going on ma’am.”\n\nThe cop, half-believing my story says “Ok you’re free to go, but I’m gonna need your name and phone number for further questioning”\n\n“Sure” I respond, giving the lady my contact information.\n\nFeeling the mental toll of the night’s events, I struggle for a few minutes to find my parked Corvette. I decide to just go home and leave the shopping for tomorrow’s me. Arriving home, the heaviness of my coat weighs on me and I look forward to a long, hot shower. I remove my shoes and head for the bathroom down the hall. I turn on the shower, letting warm up as it requires. That thing needs an upgrade. Removing my coat, I’m struck by a confusion so deep it felt like a dream. I freeze up as if the devil himself showed up and was breathing on the back of my neck. I can feel an intense panic building up within me. I’m losing my mind.\n\nI look down at my now uncovered arms and see that same chaotic blend of designs the dead woman carried. Faces, numbers, objects, names, addresses. Everything tangled up in an enigmatic mess of black lines. In a now full blown panic, I frantically strip down the rest of my clothes, only to find more of it. My entire body is covered in tattoos. “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME” I scream loudly in a desperate attempt to reach god, if there is one.\n\nThe scorching water had steamed up the whole bathroom, making it harder to breathe. I drag my feet slowly towards the mirror in front of me, fading in and out of reality. Breathing shallowly, I wipe the steam fogging up the mirror, and see the reflection of my inked up chest. In big, demanding jet-black lines it counts:\n\n168: 22: 10\n\n168: 22: 09\n\n168: 22: 08\n\n168: 22: 07\n\n168: 22: 06", "It began like whispers of sunlight peaking over the edge of the world. The reverberating ache spread like an infection from my shoulder until the pounding, insistent, relentless sensations plagued my very mind.\n\nSpread. Me.\n\nClosing my chamber doors with a resounding thud, I frantically sent out scouts to inquire about an explanation. No luck. Searching out the victim's family turned up nothing; they'd been dead for years. My soldiers hauled in an orphan girl just as I was beginning to pass out from pain.\n\n\"She was acting all weird. Saying something about how a rabid man had tried to play tag with her. I haven't seen in her weeks.\"\n\n\"Did she say anything else?\" I asked. The cold towel that servants held to my forehead soothed the noise, but failed to drown it out. \"Did you have any contact with her?\"\n\nShe shook her head with eyes large with fright, and I sent her away with a sigh of helplessness. Dusk was falling faster than a plague of locusts. I turned to my adviser and- gah!\n\nRelease. Me.\n\n\"My lord,\" she said. \"Are you well?\"\n\n\"No,\" I said through gritted teeth. \"A curse is upon me. Seal these chambers, and let none enter.\"\n\nShe looked like she was about to protest, but quickly did as I said once I fell to my knees with a world-tilting groan. The ache in my shoulder was immense, and my head felt like an overripe melon ready to split.\n\n\"My lord,\" she called from between the hinges of the door. \"I will call the doctors! They will know what to-\"\n\n\"No!\" I shouted. My voice echoed in the empty space around me. Those echoes whispered and jeered and laughed at my resistance, wearing away at my mental walls. My arms trembled.\n\nTrust. Me.\n\n\"Follow my instructions to the letter,\" I said. \"Do not fail me in this. These will be my final orders to you.\"\n\nI described the way in which I was to be sealed. It would take decades, but it would be worth it. For now, this room would have to do.\n\n\"Are you sure, my lord?\" My kind adviser asked. \"How will the people go on? How will I-\"\n\n\"I am the ruler,\" I said through clenched teeth. Sweat clung to the underside of my shirt as I commanded my muscles to stay still. Willpower alone kept the shadows at bay in the crevices of my mind. \"It is my duty to bear this burden. My people will be safe from this...this...\"\n\nFree. Me.\n\n\"Gah!\"\n\n\"My lord!\"\n\n\"Hurry!\"\n\nAt last, armed guards wrapped head to foot in cloth burst into my chamber, wrapping me from head to toe in preservatives and cloth. As the final weave bound over my eyes, I bid the world farewell. It would be tortuous in the sarcophagus, but I knew I had no other choice. With any luck, I would die. \n\nI know not how many years passed after that. The dim sound of workers wormed its way past the gauze into my ears, and the final thunk of the stone tablet over my head finally brought me some small measure of peace.\n\nHah. You will never escape this place, though you have prolonged my mortal life. I will never let a scourge like you pass on to other people. In here, in this darkness, my willpower matters naught. It's over, demon.\n\nI waited for an answer, but got only a sibilant chuckle in return.\n\nThe void was endless.\n\nI went insane, regained my wits, and scattered them again like marbles in the darkness.\n\nI heard the sound of scraping stone.\n\nAt. Last.\n\n---\n\nHi there! Thanks for reading :) please give me feedback, and if you want more you can find me at [/r/Remyxed/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Remyxed/)!" ]	5
	[WP] On Halloween, the children would tell each other scary stories about the town's old abandoned prison. Thing is, it was really just a boring old office block. So, after finding this out, they decided it was safe to explore inside. That was a terrible idea...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We never should of went there. We thought it’d be funny, a little Halloween laugh. How were we supposed to know. Just walking in you could feel the stale conversation, hear the tapping of the typewriter keys, the forced laughter. Tommy and Susan got trapped by the decrepit water cooler. I think they’re still there, discussing the weather and their weekend plans. George got possessed by the ghost of the old boss, asking us to have the reports on his desk by the end of the day. I’ve never written a report in my life. And Candace, oh god Candace. She’s the new executive assistant, looking for a file that has turned to ash by now. I made it out ok, possessed by a low end employee, no real hope for a brighter future. He was even late to possessing me, and left at 5 on the dot. We never should’ve gone there, but it’s 8 am, and I feel the urge to go back." ]	2
	[WP] People have learned how to put their souls in phones.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It's been 27 days since my last confession.\"\n\n\"David, what have you to say?\" The priest questioned in a croaky old voice. \n\nI released a sigh as my shoulders slumped down. \"I've been having those thoughts again. Impure thoughts,\" I admitted.\n\n\"About who?\" \n\n\"John's daughter,\" I ashamedly replied. \n\nJohn has been a good friend of mine since highschool. It's not like I wanted to think of his teenage daughter that way. I wished I could help it, because I know how sinful it is.\n\n\"Be careful, David. One must maintain a clean soul in order to enter the gates of Heaven. Thoughts can be remedied, but actions will darken the soul,\" the priest warned in a dire tone of voice.\n\nI nodded my head; this was true. Heaven meant a lot to me, so by extension, my soul meant a lot more than this. \n\n...\n\nAs I dropped them in, my keys clattered against the ceramic of that little bowl I keep on the shelf. I stared at them for a moment. A total of 5 different keys, splayed out in numerous directions like a disfigured snowflake. \n\nThe remote to my TV sat upon my brand new coffee table. I debated whether or not I should go make myself a cup of coffee, but in the end, I decided not to. So, I snatched the remote before sinking into my couch. Before I could even turn the TV on, however, my phone cried out. \n\nMy eyes squeezed shut as a sigh escaped from my slightly-parted lips. I reluctantly fished the device out of my pocket. John's name hung over the screen. \n\n\"Hello?\" I said immediately upon answering the call. \n\n\"Hey David! Debbie has some time off college next week, so we're gonna have a small barbecue on Saturday. Was wonderin if you'd like to come?\" My friend's chipper voice rang out. \n\nI spent less than a minute considering it. I had no plans, so I saw no reason to refuse. \"Sounds fun, I'll be there,\" I told John. \n\nThe call briskly ended there.\n\n...\n\nI found myself in danger of forming a rude scowl as John bragged about his daughter's successes for the umpteenth time. \n\n\"I'm gonna go grab another beer,\" I explained. \n\nJust as I approached the entrance to his house, John called from behind me, \"Yeah, bring me one too!\" I discreetly rolled my eyes in response to his request. That guy has had enough to drink for one day. \n\nNow inside the kitchen, I absentmindedly pulled two beers out of the fridge. That's when Debbie walked in. She flipped her blonde hair back as she retrieved a dish of cake from the fridge. I was expecting her to bring it out for the gathering, but she instead sat down with it. \n\nFor some reason, I took my phone out and began to scroll through my social media, not really even paying attention. Every now and then, I'd glance up to see Debbie stuffing a cherry into her mouth, or licking frosting off of her fingers. She was devouring it without a care in the world.\n\nI closed my social media and opened up one of the pre-installed apps, \"My Soul.\" Hesitation assaulted me as my finger hovered over the \"Transfer my soul to the device for temporary storage\" option. \n\nI selected it." ]	2
	[WP] You’re a King who has ruled the throne for years now. You’ve always expected an usurper to challenge you. Now here you are, alone in your bedroom. With your Queen pointing a sword towards 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Well, this is new” I said in my seductive voice. At least I think it is seductive. It makes the kitchen girls giggle. “Is this a new game for us to play?” I tapped on the tip of the sword stretching out from the darkness.\n\nMy bride of 5 years tilted her head and looked at me quizzically. “Are you stupid?”\n\nI jumped back and turned up the lamps. My queen has never spoken to me like that before and never sounded like a man. Before me in one of my wife’s gowns was a tall blond headed man. \nHe stepped forward and inquired if I had any last questions. \n\n“Yes, a few. For starters, why are you in that gown?”\nConfusion filled his face and he spoke rapidly “Don’t you want to know who I am? why am I here to kill you? WHERES THE QUEEN????”\n\nI nodded. “Those are great questions and obviously we’ll get to them since you had a list at the top of your thoughts, but I can’t figure out why you are wearing that gown?”\n\nHe stammered out “it is a disguise to fool you”. He seemed happy with that reply, but it answers nothing. \n\n“Did you sneak into my castle, sneak into my bedchamber, and hide with a sword all without the benefit of a disguise? He began to shake his head when I stopped him by striking the nearby table with my hand. “Don’t deny it, you clothes are folded up neatly on that chaise over there”\n\n“It’s a couch” he began before I slapped the table again. “Couches have backs and can seat more than one, a chaise has no long back and it meant for solo reclining. THAT is a chaise”\n\n“Yes,” he began, “That is a chaise, and those are my clothes” finally some honesty I thought to my self. Making a beckoning hand motion I implored for him to continue. He obliged “I climbed the outer walls, locked your queen in her private apartment, and prepared to kill you in the name of my Grandfather the Iron Warlord your father deposed”\n\n“I told you we’d get to those answers, but here we are ignoring the elephant in the room, why are you wearing a sexy gown!?!?” \n\nHis face flashed anger then turned red and his expression softened. “You think I look sexy?”\n\nIt was my time to blush. The sound of armored men coming down the hall began. “Well you certainly picked out a piece that flatters you in ways it doesn’t the queen.” The stampede grew louder. I kept his attention with my words “ the gentle hue brings out the blue of your eyes. That fabric on my lady hangs loose like water falling off a rock. On you it clings like grass over mountain hills.” \n\nHe had no words, His mouth agape but without issuing sounds. As if on cue my guard broke in my door. The would be Iron Warlord redux was piled on by men. As the dragged him past me he mouthed the words “write me”. I sat down on my cou..chaise. The captain of my guard knelt before me to grovel. “Please forgive me my liege! It will never happen again”. \n\nI stood and patted him on his shoulder. “You are forgiven, but never let this happen again, I may have to kiss the next killer.” He looked very confused. I patted his shoulder again “Fetch that gown from Iron boy and send it to my wife’s chamber, I think I shall bed her tonight.”" ]	2
	[WP] You died and were reincarnated into another world. Only, instead of the typical protagonist powers, you only have one ability, and its to summon pastries of any size, shape or properties. You have become the Gingerbread Knight.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Gyohoho! What a fool you were to enter my domain! My STAND, 「OGRE BATTLE」(TL: Troll Clash), can transform any surface into a putrid swamp from which none can get out. How does it feel, with both your feet sinking and unable to move, and the rest of your body soon to follow? Better out than in, I always say, but it seems you lack that luxury of choice.”\n\nThe misshapen green creature bounded over, clearly unaffected by the trap of its own making. Tch, the trapped man thought, it smells worse than it looks. But considering its range is greater than mine, it can’t be helped. Now, if only it’ll come closer…\n\n“No more brave words, big man? You thought yourself a shooting star, but you’ll find there’s no breaking out of my swamp that encases you as you sink that will form a perfect mold of your mud-drowned corpse!”\n\n“Pa!” the man cried out, as he threw a punch that struck nothing but dark, tar-like swamp. Close...\n\n“Gyoho? You underestimated my speed, didn’t you? But all you’ve achieved for your efforts was to sink a precious free hand into my swamp and hasten your demise.”\n\n“Pa!” he cried again, his second punch trapping his last free hand into the creature’s preternatural mire. Closer…\n\n“Didn’t you learn the first time? But it seems there’s no teaching a man whose head is as dumb as yours. Now, it’s time I smash your mouth in and end your talk, once and for a--”\n\nInterrupting the creature’s sentence, however, was a powerful kick to its jaw.\n\n“What was that you were saying? Something about smashing my mouth?”\n\n“But- but how? I had you trapped! Nothing can escape the swamp created by my STAND, 「OGRE BATTLE」, once it is soaked by its viscous waters!”\n\n“Good grief. Dumb beasts like you need to learn their history. In medieval times, nobles and peasants alike ate not from plates but from trenchers - long, hard loaves of bread that could hold even the hottest of soups without leaking. I used my STAND, 「SEVEN SEAS OF RHYE」 (TL: Sorghum Ocean) to wrap my legs with water-tight loaves. In truth, my legs were never trapped to begin with. And now, the number of breads you’ll eat for the remainder of your miserable, pathetic life, will be zero!”\n\n“PANI-PANI-PANI-PANI-PANI-PANI-PANI” he cried out, as he unleashed a furious rush of punches into shocked adversary, “PANINI!”\n\nWith that, the accursed swamp returned to natural ground, its repugnant master unable to sustain it and forced to retire.\n\n“Hmph,” the man grunted, as he turned to leave, “not the brightest tool in the shed.”", "Just Desserts\n------------------\n\n\"An' oi wuz shaggin' dis chick when all of a sudden,\" \n\nSLAM \n\nThe whole pub went silent as the door slammed loudly announcing the arrival of a new guest. In the doorway stood a haggardly man, half his face hidden in a hooded cape soaked from the drizzling rain outside. It had been long since anyone visited the secluded town and everyone eyed the old man with suspicion.\n\nThe eyes followed him as he walked up to the barkeep and asked, \"Good evenin', 'ow much is an ale 'ere?\"\n\n\"Five silv,\" the barkeep said, unshaken by the sudden silence of the bar. The onlookers stared, suspicious of the newcomer, anxious to hear his next words. \n\n\"Pity. Oi dun 'ave that. Would you accept two silver an' a story instead?\" \n\nThe hooded figure's lips curled into a grimace of pure despair to the barkeep who simply replied, \"All 'pends on 'ow good of a story it is. Could always use a bit 'a entertainment.\"\n\n\"Well, guess oi'll begin. Gather 'round for Oi've got quite a tale...\"\n\n~~---------------------------------------------------------------------------~~\n\nFor th' past 2000 lunar cycles, we've had to deal with heroes an' demons. It always felt like some generic fan'asy plot written by bards, which woul' be fine 'f we weren't actually dying from fekkin' demon tyrants an' terrible monsters every 100 cycles.\n\nIt always work'd out though: some newfound evil would plague the land and some charming hero would save the fekkin' day. 'Cept in the tale Oi'm going to tell you isn't about that. No, the fekkin' hero in this tale isn't some princely, charmin' mothafekka. \n\nNo, this tale is about an army of cakes led by a cookie that were th' stuff o' nightmares. \n\n~~----------------------------------------------------------------------------~~\n\n\"Wait, 'f he's such a fokkin' nightmare, 'ow the fokk izzy a 'ero? Also, what the fokk's a cookie s'posed t' mean?\" The drunken chick-shagger called out, interrupting the man.\n\n\"Not he. It. An' yew wonna 'ear th' story or not?\" In an instant, everyone shushed the drunken man to listen to the old codger's tale.\n\n~~----------------------------------------------------------------------------~~\n\nWuz jest anuvver day fightin' th' demons of our land. We thought for once, we could 'andle the threat without the help. 'Cept we were wrong and as we were losing, we saw it. The hero who'd come to save us.\n\nEveryone thought it was a fekkin' comedy, one last sign from the forces up there as a middle finger to our eff'rts. We thought maybe th' demons were the righteous ones when, at th' top o' th' hill stood a giant cake. \n\nNo'un had any idea where it came from and it made so litt'l sense that even the demons stopped fightin' wit' us fer a sec. Then it blew up, murdering 'alf our forces with shrapnel o' hard candy an' filling th' field wit' a cloud o' powdered sugar. You 'eard me right. It didn't matter to it. Efter th' diversion, a giant humanoid mass o' cake ridden by a gingerbread man ravaged th' battle. It was sent t' kill demons and it'd do it any way it could, no matt'r th' sacrifices.\n\n~~----------------------------------------------------------------------------~~\n\n\"Y'know, th' longer oi 'ear th' story, th' longer oi feel it's not a 'ero we're dealing wit' 'ere,\" the barkeep said as she slid the man a pint of ale. \n\n\"And ye'd be right,\" the man continued, taking a sip of ale before continuing the story.\n\n~~----------------------------------------------------------------------------~~\n\nMen and demons 'round me fell to hordes o' sweets. Candy-bladed cookie circle blades blasted from launchers o' hard-candy covered cakes, monstrously large cupcakes wit' licorice tentacles ending in 'ard candy pikes stabbed demons an' men alike, an' th' worst of it came wit' th' dead.\n\nA terrifying sight it was, wit' fekkin' living cakes explodin' from the bodies o' the dead. Cakes wit' legs o' croissants tipped in hardened frostin' spikes ripped open bodies that had magically been turned into pastries. Guts became licorice. \n\nTh' blood o' my men? A sticky syrup that smelled o' cherries but that we dared not consume fer respect o' th' dead. At a certain point, we both retreat'd an' oi got a message th't th' demons forces elsewhere were falling t' the hordes o' sweets. They were coming get us too.\n\n~~----------------------------------------------------------------------------~~\n\n\"So, when'd it end? Oi mean, you're 'ere tellin' us th' tale?\" Everyone was in shock, unsure of whether to believe the suspicious man in the hood.\n\n\"It ended when th' last demon lord fell. Within two days, as soon as it started, it ended an' th' bat'l fields were covered wit' sugary messes where there were once men an' demons. Th' humans had won just barely 'spite th' heavy losses, as prophesized.\" The man finished his drink as everyone sat in solemn silence.\n\n\"Wot a fokkin' story. You're tellin'me th' demon problem that's plagued th' far lands 'as been 'andled by sumthin' e'en worse that just disappeared after killin' a whole lot?\" \n\n\"Yeh. 'Cept th' story isn't finished,\" the man said quietly.\n\n\"Oi, wot mor' is there?\" \n\n\"Th' reason for its anger wuz becoz it lost something it cared about.\" \n\nThe crowd of regulars listened intently for the conclusion of the tale.\n\n\"It lost love. Heroes...they come from anuvver world an' this one 'ad a luv in th' new world that made it avoid th' prophecy of being a demon-killin' weapon. A luv that was lost 'fter she wuz defiled one night in a certain village and killed herself,\" the man said intently as the drunkard's eyes widened.\n\nThe panicked man attempted to get up only to have a cake with sharpened, hard-candy teeth jump from the shadows, grabbing him with black licorice tentacles.\n\nEveryone in the bar screamed and ran out the door as the terrified man screamed from the hard candy teeth chomping at the air in front his face.\n\nIn a smooth motion, the man took off the hood to reveal half a head being piloted by an angry gingerbread man in a chocolate-egg dome on a bloody waffle-bowl. \"Hello, I'm the gingerbread knight and we're going to have a little...fun.... in memory of Vix.\"\n\n\"Wait, that's your name? Sounds fokkin' stupi-AAAAAAGHHHH\", the man screamed as centipedes of licorice and needle-sharp, hard-candy legs exploded from the cake and stabbed him as they crawled over him.\n\nThe screams went silent after an hour and the shell of a body left the pub, hood pulled up, with nothing more than a human-shaped splatter of cherry syrup and cake on the floor. \n\nRevenge is sweet, the gingerbread knight thought to himself, chuckling quietly at his joke as he sulked off into the shadows in the general's body.", "_The Sovereign has many titles_\n\n_The Beloved. The Benevolent. He Who Feeds. The King of Charity_\n\n_The Gingerbread Knight_\n\n///\n\nGenerations ago, the Great Famine withered. Hundreds of thousands, family after family, perished of hunger. The 5 Year Winter has ravaged the farms and decimated the land. \n\nThen, one day, a man appeared. He portrayed no extravagant magics such as firewielding or telekinesis. Nor was he of unnatural strength or a summoner. \n\nBut he was always kind. And always, had food prepared to those he saw in need. With his one other humble ability, his gift of healing, he reached out his hand to the afflicted. And that was enough.\n \nThough, the wandering man seemed lost, always heard commenting about \"missing home\" and \"being in another world\". \n\nThe people moved.\n\nOne day, after the land was restored and the famine relieved, the people of the land endeavoured to find the one who without they would had surely perished.\n\nThey found the Knight, alone with a group of children, helping making bread of all kinds for the local peasantry. Soldiers, beggars, widows and the elderly, all lined up to have their fill. \n\nThe representatives of the land soon made their inquiry.\n\n///\n\n_\"My Lord, are you not the Gingerbread Knight, the kind warrior who healed us and fed us when our Kings and 'Nobles' abandoned us to The Great Winter?\"_\n\n_\"I do not know what you are talking about.\" replied the Knight._\n\n_\"I am but a humble mage who uses his magic to feed and heal others. That is all who I ever intend to be.\"_\n\n_\"But Lord, perhaps that is why you should bear its burden?\" replied the Representatives._\n\n_\"Those who actively seek power only do so out of self-betterment. But you?\"_\n\n_\"You never asked for anything but lodging and clothes. You always smiled, always reached out your hands. You are the reason why our mothers and fathers lived.\"_\n\n_\"But the children of kings are menaces to society. How do you know my descendants won't be tyrants?\" replied the Knight._\n\n_\"We have come to decide that the People of the Land should choose their king. Every Coronation shall not be decided by blood or heraldry, but rather by personal merit. Candidates shall step forward and be intellectually challenged on why they should have power. The highest runner ups becoming the new Lords and Ladies._\n\n_\"Hmm.hahaha! I like this idea of yours!\" replied the Knight._\n\n_\"It is fair and just and allows those who strive to better themselves in life! Very well! I shall be your first King, Chosen and Beloved by the People!\"_\n\nAnd the people prospered for many centuries and reigns." ]	4
	[WP] Everything you say is a lie. This means if you say something which is actually true, the world warps to make it false.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"The moon is made of cheese.\"\n \nNothing. This power was quite fun for trivia games, excluding the fact I could never win them. But neither would anyone else.\n\n\"The North pole is officially in the arctic.\"\n \nPossibly it was just a fluke, all of these things never had any correlation. I'll decidedly sleep on that note.\n \nWaking up the next morning to begin my newer routine, the same line \"Today is not a holiday\". But before I could get out of bed, my rambunctious roommate Amanda rousted me herself excitedly shouting of a news article.\n \nJust as I feared, it was about the world's scientists agreeing that the North pole was wrong. Linguists deciding that North and South should mean their opposites.\n \n\"...and the North pole is now officially set in Antarctica.\", she finished with.\n \n\"Amazing they came with this overnight\"\n \n\"Yea, truly. I'm surprised these worldwide events have happened so recently and frequently.\"\n \nAs for all of her charm, Amanda had the least common sense in a person that should seemingly be possible. Still an endearing trait of hers, just the same. Such a shame if I ever told her how I felt it would never be the same.\n \nAll for no reason, I decided to give it a shot. \"Amanda hates me. She wishes I would be across the world from her, that I may never be around her again.\"\n \nShe looked blankly at me for a stunned moment. Opening her mouth to speak but speaking words I wish I never heard. Smiling and grabbing me around the waist.\n \n\"Alan, you goof. If only, I love you dearly.\"\n \nI smiled and decided if just for once, I should try to speak how I felt. \"I love you too, Amanda.\" - she shot me another charming smile.\n \n\"I'd hope you do!\" she said with a quick movement, lifting me off the bed with her.\n \nI still felt that charm and affection I felt coming to me off of her. Waiting on a reason to be decided I didn't care for her anymore.\n \nBut it didn't come, for a day, two, then a month, following into a year. The words that once held much power with each sentence seemed to had lost their grip.\n \nMaybe if I could just keep telling the truth from now on, things would be alright.\n \n----\n \nA writer's note, it's currently quite late in the day and I may have multiple errors in my writing. I appreciate any who truly read it. I bid you all a wonderful sun-cycle.\n \nEdit: Add writer's note" ]	2
	[WP] To the myriad alien horrors lurking in the darkness, we are as insects. Individually small, short lived, and insignificant... but collectively, a terrifying scourge, a blight that's almost impossible to eradicate and has caused incalculable harm	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Where are we headed now?\"\n\nThe bridge was mostly empty. Save for the pilot, only one other figure was there - Llybria, the weapons officer - tapping away on the control consoles. \"Alpha Centauri B,\" it said.\n\n\"Infested again?\" I asked. It chittered a yes, and turned back to the consoles.\n\nI didn't blame it. There was so much to do. The Vabari was a fine ship, but it seemed to be constantly on the move nowadays - continuously, interminably, unceasingly busy.\n\nWhen I had started in the Service, the regulations had required that a ship would come in every three cycles for a work-up. All repairs would be carried out, but there would be a re-tuning of the engines and guidance systems and inertial stabilizers. The ships would be re-armed, of course, and quite often the station crews would refit the latest weapons and equipment on board too.\n\nBut times changed. The three-cycle maintenance schedules had become five. Then, eight. Now, it was longer. The Vabari hadn't been in for a proper cycle in nine cycles. A few shuttles had provided ammunition and food, but that was it.\n\n\"These problems are getting worse,\" I said. Llybria grunted in agreement. The pilot, however, looked around.\n\n\"Problems?\"\n\n\"The infestations,\" I said. He still stared. \"The humans.\"\n\n\"Yes, Sir.\" He went quiet, looking back at the screen. I could sense that there was another question on his mind. I took a step forward, starting to let off a small static charge. The air polarizing, and I watched the scales on his neck start to stand.\n\nStill, he didn't speak. Finally, I had to back down. I sighed, and stepped forward again. I leaned on one of the small barriers around the edge of the bridge, and asked, \"What is it?\"\n\n\"Why do we kill the humans?\" he asked. His scales still hadn't flattened, and I could see the faintest spark of nervousness between his mandibles. \"As far as I know, we've never even tried to contact them.\"\n\n\"Well, of course we haven't,\" I said. \"They're vermin.\"\n\n\"But why?\"\n\nI thought about it for a second. \"What's your name? How old are you?\"\n\n\"Zalaabria,\" he said. \"On the next rotation, it will be one lunar fraction from my 100th cycles.\"\n\n\"Congratulations. Do you feel old?\"\n\n\"Well... not really. I know that some people find 100 intimidating, because it changes from double to triple, but... I'll be fine.\"\n\n\"That's a good attitude to have.\" I nodded. \"With modern med-tech, you'll live to have 250, perhaps 300 cycles.\"\n\n\"With any luck.\"\n\n\"Do you know how long humans live, Zalaabria?\" I asked. He shook his head. I wasn't surprised. \"They'll make it to 80 Earth cycles. Maybe 90. But 100 is uncommon.\" I paused, letting it sink in. \"And an Earth cycle is half of ours.\"\n\n\"W-what?\" He looked at me in shock; with his attention drifting, the ship veered slightly off course. Everything began to judder violently, and he had to pull the craft back into the stream to avoid tearing the whole thing to pieces.\n\n\"Yes. A human is considered ancient and wise if it reaches 50 of our cycles.\" Again, I paused, letting him think. \"Are you pair-bonded?\"\n\n\"No, not yet.\"\n\n\"Do you think you will, soon?\"\n\n\"I hope so. I... I haven't thought about it. Not too much,\" he said. I could tell that he was lying, but I didn't challenge him.\n\n\"How many offspring would you like? One? Two? Three?\"\n\nHe looked over again. \"Sir?\"\n\n\"It's a simple question. Would you like three offspring?\"\n\n\"Is that even possible? I mean, I know there are stories, but...\"\n\n\"It happens, sometimes. Rarely. But occasionally,\" I said. Most of our species were lucky to have a single offspring; two was considered a great blessing. More than that was almost unheard of. \"Did you know that humans have been to know to have three children in a single gestation? More, sometimes.\"\n\n\"What?\" The ship started to judder again, pulled to the edge of the stream. He dragged it back, then stared at me again. \"You aren't serious.\"\n\n\"Deadly. Their gestations are shorter, as well. Less than a single Earth cycle. They can breed again a cycle later. Most litters are singles, but doubles are not uncommon. Triples are known. The most we know was from a human known as 'The Octomom'. Octo is their word for eight.\"\n\n\"Eight?\" The word came out as a pained, strangled cry.\n\nI nodded. \"In one gestation.\"\n\nHe clattered again. \"Even the Sky Mother herself only had five! And that was in her life!\"\n\nI nodded. \"Yes, I know. And that's just a myth, from the Gods of Old.\" I shook my head, and sighed. \"No. A human female will gestate six sproglets or more in a single lifetime. And, strangle, they gestate more when conditions are unfavourable.\"\n\n\"Really?\"\n\n\"Yes. As many as a dozen per female, that we've seen. It seems stupid, but it means that even if the conditions are poor, some of the children will survive. We found a colony of them living on the moons in the Tau Ceti system.\"\n\n\"The Death Swamps?\" he asked, incredulous. I clattered, confirming it.\n\n\"Yes. They weren't doing very well, but they were there. Thousands of them.\"\n\n\"Thousands?\"\n\n\"Exactly.\" I thought of another fact that would horrify him. \"What's our population? Our galactic population.\"\n\n\"Around 600 million, I think? I'm not sure.\"\n\n\"Closer to 700, but yes. Well done. Would you like to know how many humans there are?\"\n\nHe clattered, and sparks of nervous energy flitted between his mandibles again. \"Honestly? I don't think so. But tell me anyway.\"\n\n\"Well, our estimates are nine billion. Billion.\" I made sure to enunciate clearly, so that he didn't mishear me. \"And that's just their home world.\"\n\n\"Are you serious?\"\n\n\"Deadly,\" I said. \"They're descended from monkeys. Yes, monkeys. The same little scavenged creatures that roam our home planet. At home, they spread disease and we exterminate them. Humans are monkeys, if monkeys had interstellar travel and delusions of grandeur.\"\n\n\"I see...\"\n\n\"That's why we've never made contact. There isn't any point.\" I shrugged. \"They're animals. Vermin. They're a plague on the galaxy. The Anaxi agree, and the Ynu too. We negotiated a peace treaty to the Six Generation War because the Ynu and ourselves agreed that the humans were the greater threat.\"\n\nThe pilot looked queasy. I reached out, and patted him on the shoulder. \"It's fine. Everyone has doubts. But this is the best way,\" I told him. \"We'll get there, and gas the planet from orbit. It should be rehabitable within a few cycles if we want to colonize.\"\n\n\"But if we don't, then the humans...\"\n\n\"Come back in a few cycles. Yes. And they seem to be getting more persistent,\" I said. In truth, I was worried. They seemed to breed so quickly, we were having trouble keeping up with it. It seemed like only a matter of time before they over-ran us with sheer weight of numbers. \"The Powers that Be will be working on a cure.\"\n\nThe pilot sparked his mandibles, and nodded. With one final glance at me, he said, \"I hope so.\"\n\nI stood up, and moved away. \"Me too,\" I muttered.\n\n-----\n\nHi. I hope that you enjoyed this story. I have a lot of other work at /r/PuzzledRobot. Thanks for reading!" ]	2
	[WP] one day you're playing with Google maps by typing random names in and looking if they exist. As a joke, you write 'the meaning of life'. To your surprise, you actually receive directions.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I left home three days ago. According to the map I just need to take a left turn here and it's a mile down this abandoned dirt road. I should have considered that there might be dirt roads and brought my pickup truck but I'm in my car and not turning around now. \n\ndesert brush, and a red dirt road are all I see for miles in every direction, the highway didn't have another vehicle on it and in all honesty I don't think I've seen another person in the last 4 hours. The car creeps along the old road, the sage brush lightly touching the paint as I roll past. The road has been maintained but not well. Ho much longer now?\n\nAhead I finally see my first signs of life, a white ranch house with red tiled roof. Single story and surrounded by compacted dirt and lava rock. Designed to use the natural landscape instead of imposing foreign plants into a hostile environment. A few short minutes later I park the car outside the house and get out. This is where I'm supposed to go?\n\nI look around as I walk to the front door, a book sits next to the rocking chair on the deck, a coffee cup rests on the open face keeping it's place as dust collects inside. The slight wind pushes back on the chair, finely balanced on the wood planks. Knocking on the door I get no response. No lights are on, no signs of life. But isn't this where I was directed to? Was I just a fool to follow some programmer's joke to find the one thing that people had searched for their whole lives and not found? \n\nI try the door and find it unlocked. Walking inside I see that the house is actually very well maintained, cool for the autumn day as it was certainly warmer outside. Someone lived here at one time it is plain to see, but also it seems that it has been a long time since anyone was here last. Dishes lay in the drying rack, laundry folded on the couch, the bed only partially made from what must have been a single occupant, the clocks on the wall show when they stopped and drew their last sip of energy before they became their own sign of neglect, each reading a different time. Was it days, weeks or months between them that each one gave up? \n\nNo cars in the drive, no out buildings, no tracks and no signs that anyone had been here in some time. What the hell was I thinking following those directions? I sigh and sit at the kitchen island in one of the stools. I look down at some scattered papers that had turned yellow where the sun touched them over time. A fair hand wrote these notes, the writing easy to make out in the mid day light.\n\n\"What can a person say when they've lived a full life? I have lived a long life, but a full one? I'm not so sure. I can look back and say that I enjoyed my life, I have few regrets and even fewer wants in these last few years of my life. But what was the meaning of my life? \n\nI do not think anyone will remember my name when I pass. Those who happen across the marker of my grave will probably look at the memorial and forget that it existed a few moments later. Will people remember my deeds? What deeds had I accomplished that are worth remembering? Will someone look back at their lives and think fondly of their interactions with me or will I be relegated to being a background character in every memory that involves me? I have no children that I have disappointed, no lovers to remember me bitterly, no siblings to remember me fondly. \n\nWhen I pass what Impact have I made? I have circumvented evolution and biology both by not passing on my genetic makeup, and the butterfly effect will create no hurricanes due to my passing. So again, was the quantity of life worth it or should I have made a better quality of my years? \n\nTo that I can only say quality is far better, regardless of the material of it. To make an impact, to make a stand to cause a hurricane in your passing is far better than to pass through life as a ghost before you shed your mortal coil. Dictators go down in history as examples of what to look out for, the evil that they committed stands as a warning for the good. Renegades make history by challenging what they see as wrong and seeking to make that change. Dreamers share their messages of better ways to live life and encourage change. For their lives both long and short are better spent as warnings, rebels, and leaders than mine was. \n\nI may have lived longer, but that is not the meaning of life, the meaning of life is to make a lasting impact on the world.\" \n\nI sit back in the chair and look out at the setting sun. What had I done with my life? If I died today would I have made an impact worth remembering?\n\nShit." ]	2
	[WP] Humanity has recently discovered a way of summoning demons, angels and some other fantastical creatures. But things get a little absurd when it's discovered you can summon other humans	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Gentlemen I'm sure we can all appreciate that law enforcement has undergone a massive paradigm shift in the past 12 months.\" Justice Thompson said to open the meeting. The men and women around the table looked completely exasperated. \n\n\"There is no point prosecution anymore. Even if we can get them to trial they are leaving jail faster than we can pull them back.\" District Atorny Cortez said looking defeated. There were bags under her eyes and she held a defeated posture wherever she went.\n\nThe superintendent of prisons was a fresh appointee as his predecessor was pulled from their office mid-day and was no longer summonable beings by the time the recovery summoning was finished a few hours later. No remains were recovered. He looked around the table, \"We are putting every effort into recovering the max security inmates within 12 hours but it's like trying to drain a lake with a bucket, we just cant keep up.\"\n\nGovernor Mryzzenthlral reached a clawed hand to his mouth and cleared his throat. \"I understand the frustration of everyone around this table\" he said with a voice that was unnaturally convincing. That voice won an outsider an election less than a month after being summoned. \"Humans cannot be summoned in the same way from another realm. While it's not a permanent solution a prison in the abyss would solve your issue for a few hundred years.\"\n\nThe world changed that day and prison is truly hell.", "After humanity dm recently figured out how to summon other humans, it’s become some sort of a prank among teenagers like me. We were at a sleepover, when Chris suggested we summon someone random.\n\n“It’ll be hilarious guys, cmon!”\n \nWe all agreed and went through the proper procedures to prepare for summoning a human. Food and water to welcome them, a blanket if they’re cold, etc. \n\nWe sat in a circle, hand in hand. \n\n“Who should we summon?”\n\n“Ooh ooh, how about someone named Billy?”\n\n“Haha, yeah!”\n\nWe chanted the summoning spell. Suddenly, a man in his early twenties appeared. He was bald and was wearing a straitjacket. He was scarred all over, and on his forehead was branded a number.\n\n“1807?” I read out loud.\n\n“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! I no longer have to endure their gruesome experiments...”", "I was discouraged by my complete inability to summon anything - no unicorns, no demons, not so much as a pixie. I tried for days, then in a state of final dispair, tried one more rhyme:\n\n\"He travels when things are timey-wimey\n\nI summon thee, o Lord of Timey\"\n\nThere came a great sound of time-brakes grinding. A blue box began to appear, completely transparent at first. In a sudden burst of panic I shouted \"I take it back- I have no lack!\"\n\nThe box and the noise disappeared. I was really unready to face my own personal hero. I'd led such a loser life up to now. That triggered a thought - What if I accomplished something great, THEN summoned HimHer?\n\nI thought furiously, my juices really going now. Ah HA! I know just what to do.\n\n\"He's 1600's worst ever resident, \n\nI summon thee, Mister President.\"\n\nThere was a bright orange flash, and there he was, in rumpled suit and with mouth open, just like always.\n\n\"Mr. President, we need to talk...\" I started.", "The couple took a breath and looked at each other with a little anxiety mingled with excitement. There was an understanding and acceptance in their eyes as they moved toward each other.\n\n\"Are you ready to summon a human?\" he whispered.\n\nShe nodded.\n\nHe stood up. \"Lights on or off?\"\n\n\"I don't remember what the instructions were,\" she confessed.\n\n\"Lights on for a white-skinned human. Lights off for a dark-skinned one.\"\n\nShe bit her lip, thinking. \"Off,\" she decided. \"We can keep them on for the next time.\"\n\nHe nodded, flicked the lights off, undressed and got in bed. She undressed and got into bed.\n\nThey began to scramble.\n\n\"Okay, so I'm going to put this here...\"\n\n\"Are you sure? Won't that make our human shy? I want it to be outgoing.\"\n\n\"Okay, then I'ma have to put this here, but it might hurt...\"\n\n\"Fine. But not too many pumps. I don't want the human's head to be too big.\"\n\n\"Pumps don't control the head here. I have to put that over there.\"\n\n\"In this?\"\n\n\"No, in that. Roll over.\"\n\n\"Like this?\"\n\n\"No, the other way.\"\n\n\"Oh, wait! I want our human to have green eyes. Get the lava lamp. It's in the drawer. Okay, perfect.\"\n\n\"Hmm. Honey, put one foot up there...right. Now I'ma going to put my shoulder here...my knee over there...the third finger of my left hand in this...and my neck on that...\"\n\n\"Oooh, what does this do?\"\n\n\"I don't know. I just wanted to try it.\"\n\nAnd so it went.\n\n9 months later, their perfect little human was born just the way they had wanted him.\n\n\"Congratulations!\" The doctor told the couple. \"I can tell you two put a lot of work and creativity into this one. You guys planning on having another?\"\n\nThe happy couple looked at each other with tired smiles, thinking back to that night, and said: \"We think we'll wait awhile. One might be enough!\"" ]	5
	[WP] Everyone has a watch that tells them how much longer they have to live. You're in your twenties but have only a few months left... until one morning your timer changes to several decades.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I stared at the orbital ring.\n\nThe massive construction project that was a herald of the 28th century.\n\nThe massive, kilometer wide ring stretched around the planet. The complex calculations kept it in orbit. The ring served as the central network that helped humanity spring forward.\n\nThere was very few people there now though.\n\nThe rich moved to the terraformed moon, Lua.\n\nThe poor lived in the shadows of any major city.\n\nOn Earth, it was Neo Detroit. A touch ironic considering how many times the city had fallen into poverty.\n\n“Next!” a grouchy lady hollered.\n\n“Hey Gina,” I said with a smile.\n\nGina frowned at me. To be fair, she frowned at everyone.\n\n“Order?” she choked out. Her dry lips clamped onto the vape pen like it her life depended on it.\n\n“Cold coffee, sweet.”\n\n“That will be fifteen minutes.”\n\nI blinked. Last week it was only twelve and a half minutes.\n\nGina looked into my eyes.\n\nI gave out a weak laugh. “Of course. No problems, Gina.”\n\nI moved my left hand forward, wristup. My pale skin slid past the pay light. The digital wet system inside my body connected with Gina's food cart's system.\n\nI lost time, and she banked it in exchange for a 333ml cup of sweet, cold coffee.\n\nI watched as my time decreased, and Gina grunted.\n\nMy feet moved me to the side, as Gina called out to the next customer.\n\nOn the side of the cart, Petra smiled at me. Petra's robotic, simple, digital face smiled, and she began to prep my order. One of her hands, a nozzle, began to spray out a foamy mist that quickly became a semi-clear cup. \n\nThen her other arm moved forward. Dense brown liquid dripped down, as other liquids got dripped in.\n\nAs the final touch, Petra’s little double-spoon arm mixed everything together. A rough mix in my preferred style, letting small tendrils of liquid sweetener float about.\n\nIt was cute, knowing that Petra kept me in her memory, despite the fact that she had so very little so spare.\n\nI grabbed my cup, and made my way back to the apartment.\n\nWhile I could have called Transport, it would have cost time. Time I should be using to find earnings. I was running out of time.\n\nWith a thought, my internal systems brought up my time.\n\n77 Days : 15 Hours : 30 Minutes : 10 Seconds\n\nI grit my teeth, and took a sip of my favorite cold coffee.\n\nSay what you will about Gina. She was fair with pricing, considering her quality. Clean cart, clean plastics, traceable goods.\n\nThere was a lot of shops out here that served cheaper coffee, but could cause regrets later.\n\n—\n\nI walked for an hour.\n\nAll around me, the people moved. \n\nSome laughed. Some were somber. Many were lost in their own, digital enhanced world.\n\nSome where in a group, others alone.\n\nI felt my body clench at the thought of everything.\n\nI hated life.\n\nI loved life.\n\nIt was frustrating.\n\nI was not going to even see my thirtieth birthday.\n\nIf my math was correct, I was going to die a full three months before.\n\n“Hello! Would you like earn back Time?” a man asked as he stood in front of me.\n\nI shook myself, and looked at him. The man stared back at me. Some salesman or a sleazy marketer.\n\n“I am sorry, not interested in any fancy meetings,” I replied with a smile. It was always good to be polite. Or so my parents always said.\n\n“Oh, but it isn’t a generic meeting. Its something a bit… more,” the man said as he moved up beside me, and draped his arm over my shoulder.\n\n“Look, I am not-”\n\n“Everyone is born with a hundred years, yeah? Thirty six thousand, five hundred days. Or Eight hundred and seventy six thousand hours,” the man leaned in.\n\n“You are under forty. I will bet with you. I will give you a hundred hours if i lose. Right here, right now,” the man looked into my eyes. His blue eyes stared deep and hard. “That you have less then five years left.”\n\nI looked away.\n\n“Its quite common. Most people don’t live past fifty, what with base rent, food, and services. Even if you worked like a dog, you would be lucky to see sixty.”\n\n“What do you want?”\n\n“I want something that only a unique individual such as yourself can give.”\n\nI narrowed my eyes. While it was true I wasn’t going to live long, neither was I going to sell my body to random people.\n\nI frowned as thoughts ran through my head. At least not for another five weeks or so. Lets see how crazy I got near the end.\n\n“Hahaha,” the man laughed, as he watched me twitch before him. “Come, let me introduce myself.”\n\nHe handed me a card.\n\nJonathan Carlos Morvini.\n\nThe name sounded familiar.\n\n“First, I am getting hungry. Lets go eat. My treat,” Jonathan said as he snapped his fingers.\n\nA Transporter rolled up. The shiny, chrome finished showed that it was a first class ride.\n\nI hadn’t used one of them since I lost my job. Chromatech didn’t renew my contract as a digital system develepor. \n\nNo reason given. Breach of contract gave me a bonus of two years.\n\nWhich was further aggravating as I hadn’t been able to find work since. I was burning through my time and now I was getting into a car with a unknown man.\n\nAll because I didn’t want to die.\n\n—\n\nThe pain was sharp, relentless, and horrific.\n\nI coughed as I stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling. It wasn’t my apartment, as I could see out to walls that were far away. Very far away.\n\nThe standard 9.0 metered apartment was small. It was 15 meters if you measured the loft.\n\nThis room was larger then that. Much larger.\n\n“Good morning,” a soft voice greeted.\n\nI almost jumped out of my skin. My body instead rolled over, and off the bed. The carpet was very plush.\n\nI was slow to get up.\n\nMemories of a rich dinner. A menu that didn’t show cost.\n\nI had real meat!\n\nThen there was a pill, and then nothing.\n\nI looked over at the young woman looking at me with a smile. She wore a form fitting, but sharp looking blouse and pencil skirt.\n\n“I see that you had an exciting night. There is water on the table, as well as a Time Card,” she said as she nodded to herself. “Please meet me in the kitchen when you are ready.”\n\nThe woman left.\n\nIt allowed me the grace to crawl over to the table. Water sounded so good right now.\n\nI sat myself on the leather seat, and chugged the bottle in one go.\n\nI checked the Time Card. It was a standard looking card. I saw the back, and there was holographic chrome, was the QR security code.\n\nI concentrated, and brought up the Time Card app. The code scanned.\n\nLegit.\n\nThis was a legit card.\n\nI tapped it against my left wrist. My internal systems buzzed. It hopped through the many security checks, and the online system touched my system.\n\n75 Days : 23 Hours : 1 Minutes : 16 Seconds\n\nThen my systems updated, and I stared at the new number.\n\n80 Years: 75 Days : 23 Hours : 1 Minutes : 6 Seconds\n\nI stared at it again.\n\nWhat. The. Fuck.\n\n---\n\nAuthor's Corner\n\n---\n\nI kept this as simple as possible. Which meant that the story is a little rushed.\n\nSprinklings of lore, and world building.\n\nI hope you enjoyed it.\n\nEdited, as I had to post in a rush. Sooo many grammar mistakes, and incomplete sentences. Yay!" ]	2
Interpret the title however you wish. Lets see what you come up with!	[WP] You are now Death himself. Only your "client" can see you and you like to have a little fun before taking 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "A new one. Great. I asked the two for a little break and they just ignore me. Like I am a normal employee in a big company. This job is tiring.\n\n\"hey. I am not in the mood right now to talk to you, so we will go over this quickly. Before anything comes over to your mind, here is a pen, here are some letters and a notebook, write down whatever comes to your mind. I am going to talk to my boss.\" he seemed a little bit scared. I sweetened my voice. \"Don't worry, it is not because of you, this is regular work stuff, you know... And if something happened and you really need my help, then you have this button to call me.\"\n\n*we are rewriting the rule book now. What ever you are here for it must be good.\n\nI have submitted a request for a break fourty five clients ago. My shift was suppose to end before 172 clients. I miss my dogs.\n\nwe told you ahead of time that there will be more work today. Now, don't you dare disturb us again.\n\nI came back to my office, where my new client sat. Papers were thrown around on the floor.\n\n\"Why did you tell me to write things?\"\n\n\"a therapy. Do you know why are you here?\"\n\n\"no. I am not sure I am here, actually. My psychiatrist told me I am having illusions when I am stressed.\"\n\n\"psychiatrist?\"\n\n\"yeah, I got one when people find me walking in a straight line in the middle of the road. I was unconcious while doing so. The only thing I could remember is me dreaming about the make ducks. I was clearly psycho, but I wasn't dangerous, so I was alowed to continue my life only if I will talk to a psychiatrist.\"\n\n\" so, if we assume you are here, do you know why? \"\n\n\" I died. \"\n\n...\n\n\" I DIED? AM I ACTUALLY DEAD?? H-HOW. NO. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. NO. YOU ARE LYING. I AM JUST DREAMING. NO. \"\n\n\"I usually suggest people that just understood that to write a goodbye letter.\"\n\n\"NO. No you are huff* lying. YOU ARE Lying to... Me.. huff. Damn.\"\n\n\"so... Do you need help to start?\"\n\n\"No. I am good. I have no one to say goodbye to.\"\n\n\"Why that?\"\n\n\"that thing about walking around I told you about? I did it for a whole day, and nobody looked for me. People I once loved leaved me when I told them I need a psychiatrist. I have no one to leave.\"\n\n\"Well, know what we can do? Plot revenge. Got any papers left in the notebook?\"\n\n{tired. Continue. Tomorrow.}", "I appeared on the scene, quite pissed. I was on my damn lunch break, people really need to stop dying. Time was stopped, I have that ability. I can stop time seconds before my client's death. I can also choose to stop my client before engaging with them. I decided to analyze the scene. It was a very rural area, large fields of grass were all around me, large hills of green that were quite pretty. \n\nThen there was the train.\n\nComing out of a tunnel built into one of the \"mountains\" were traintracks, and a large train, about to hit this dumbfuck. He was a young looking man, oddly, he was wearing a fancy suit. What was he doing so far from the city? \n\nWell, doesn't matter. Might as well unfreeze this idiot.\n\nI unfreezed him and he started screaming.\n\n\"AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaa...what the hell?\" He seemed confused but quickly he started screaming again when he saw me.\n\n\"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU??!\" He screamed in fear.\n\n\"I know I'm not the friendliest face but, Dad, I can't be that ugly.\" I answered.\n\n\"WHERE THE HELL AM I????\" He kept shouting. It was quite irritating.\n\n\"You're in Candyland!\" I joyfully said. \"Where the hell do you think?\" I continued in a harsher tone.\n\n\"W-what? Am I dead?\" He started being more quiet, and his \"scream\" fear was replaced with \"not scream\" fear.\n\n\"Yep, you're dead, buddy. Well not exactly since the train hasn't hit you yet, but you're still gonna die.\" I calmly explained.\n\n\"W-w-w-what? Who are you?\" He started tearing up.\n\n\"I'm what you would call \"Death\", but my real name is Lucifer. Fun fact; Lucifer isn't one of the Devil's names, it's mine. Not that you ungrateful bunch would care. You're all always like \"aaa I'm dead, boo-hoo!\" So annoying\" I answered with frustration.\n\n\"What the fuck is going on?\" He whimpered.\n\nI decided to pull out his clipboard. My hand caught fire and then the clipboard appeared.\n\n\"Right, let's look at your profile..\"\n\nSteve Gwen\n\nAge : 34\n\nJob : Unemployed\n\nHobbies : Being an overall asshole.\n\nDislikes : People that are smarter than him (PS : Basically everyone)\n\nFears : Insects and probably anything that require his brain to work for more than 2 seconds.\n\nSin Rank : S-Rank (Note from classifier : Send this asshole to Hell, he 100% deserves it.)\n\nAfter reading his profile, I couldn't stop myself, I burst out laughing.\n\n\"What the hell are you laughing for?!\" He aggressively told me. His voice had gained a bit more confidence.\n\n\"Just read your profile, honestly this is great. I'm gonna have to give Sinclair a promotion, she's a genius\"\n\n\"Who's Sinclair?\"\n\n\"My assistant, she classes all the dead and then I go and judge em'. This is kinda like court, you appeal your case and I judge whether you go to Hell or Heaven.\"\n\n\"So, am I good?\"\n\n\"Fuck no, mate. You just bought yourself a ticket straight to Hell. You have so many sins, Sinclair gave you S-Rank. Honestly this is hilarious.\" I burst into laughter again.\n\nA look of fear appeared on his face.\n\n\"Please! Have mercy, I beg you. I may be a bad person, but I can't go to Hell. I'm not nearly as bad as other people, like dictators or other people who killed people, please, please, please, please, please, have mercy on me. I'll do anything, just please don't send me to Hell\"\n\n...\n\nI unfroze time and let the train run him over.\n\n\"Nah\"." ]	3
	[WP] Your sleep paralysis demon turns out to be a total wimp and you're pretty sure he's trying to remember his lines like he's been rehearsing this sleep paralysis. But he's still really fricken bad at 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "My eyes open. I can't move. My heart starts racing.\n\n\"Oh no not this again\" I force the words out. The feeling begins to bubble in me as I slowly move my eyes towards the corner of the room. My feelings rise now, filling with anticipation - the fear. I hear my heart thumping like a loud metronome as my vision gradually moves to the corner of the room. That's when I see it - the Hag!\n\nMy breathing picks up and I am about to let out a scream when...wait....is she holding a piece of paper? and she is looking in my mirror...reading to herself...\n\nThe hag notices my eyes watching her in the mirrors reflection. She quickly crumples the paper up shoving it into her …. pocket? ..as she turns to look at me.\n\n\"oh.. um... fear thee thy mear…. umm... mortal\" the Hag says with uncertainty as she walks a little close to me. I lay there in silence, baffled\n\nThe Hag wears a robe, her skin is old, very old, I can see her bone structure clearly, the skin looks as if there was barely enough to stretch across the face. My heart starts accelerating again as I take in the full horror of her features. I feel the panic rising, what foul horror I am gazing upon, what hideous....wait.... I am certain this time... she just took out that bloody piece of paper again... and her lips are moving quietly...is she reading to herself?\n\n\"Okay, so I did step one, wait until the human is asleep\" I hear her mumbling to herself a few feet away from my bed.\n\n\"alrighty, so step to is to sit on his chest...\" The Hag stops reading and looks up at me, staring at my chest. She looks back down at her paper.\n\n\"This seems very unusual\" She mumbles and then takes a deep breath, If I didn't know any better I would call it a sigh. But demons surly do not sigh...\n\nThe Hag stares awkwardly at my bed. \"I suppose I just have to crawl up there\" She says to herself. She puts one hand on the bed and gives it a small push, as if she is testing it out.\n\n\"Umm excuse me\" I say surprised by how much easier it is to speak now. The hag does a small jump of surprise and looks at me startled. \"uhhh...booo...fear thee mortal\" she says and begins waving her hands in a weird way.\n\n\"Is this one of those silly dreams\" I say to her confused. \"I mean no disrespect\" I say. \"It's just that...I don't know, you do not seem to know what you are doing.. is this your first time?\" I say to her in a voice that I hope sounds full of concern.\n\nShe stares at me for a second and starts waving her piece of paper at me. \"Now you listen here... I am a sleep paralysis Hag and....and.. I am very...\" she drops the paper and looks as if she is about to cry but then stops and looks at me.\n\n\"It's not easy you know, trying to scare people every night\" She says sneering at me with indignation.\n\n\"I mean, it can't be that hard\" I say. \"People already feel pretty scared at night when they can't move and some demon appears\" I tell her feeling utterly confused.\n\n\"Oh you would think, but there is all the prep work and then you never know how clean the house is going to be... and then of course there is the sitting\" she says in a voice that begins to sound like the voice of an everyday old lady who was just introduced to the concept of texting for the first time.\n\n\"I really don't think it could be that hard\" I tell her again.\n\n\"Okay kid, that's easy to say but harder to do\" She says as she picks the paper up from the ground. \" What about this. Why don't we let you have a try, you can do the next house and then you can tell me how easy it is\" she says cackling triumphally until...\n\n\"Okay\" I say.\n\nShe stops laughing. and gives me a serious look. \"Okay\" the Hag says.\n\nThen I went with her, but that part is a story for another day.\n\n\\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nIf you liked that, check out my subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/spartanmax2writes/](https://www.reddit.com/r/spartanmax2writes/). I am a novice writer and love feedback." ]	2
	[WP] All is silent in your room as you sit with your head back against the wall, late in the evening. When you listen closely, however, you can hear the sound of somebody playing a violin on the other side.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Linus Cartwright loved working for himself. It meant he got to pick his own vacation days. This particular vacation was going to be a week spent up in the mountains, in his grandfather's cabin. A paradise of fishing, hiking, sleeping, and all those other quant country things he was too busy to do normally.\n\nHe found his room, unpacked his bags, and sat on the bed to enjoy his first moments of genuine quiet on months. But that quiet was soon interrupted by the sound of a violin.\n\nNormally Linus wouldn't mind the violin. Played well it can be quite relaxing. The problem was that his Grandfather's cabin was the only house for miles, and no one but him had been interested in claiming it after his grandfather passed, so there shouldn't be anyone here to play it.\n\nThankfully, the wall through which Linus was hearing the violin faced the outside of the cabin. Whoever was playing was still outside. However the question of who was playing a violin in the middle on nowhere was still begged, so Linus stepped outside to find a woman balanced on the peak of the cabin's roof, playing away at her instrument.\n\n\"Hello?\" Linus tried to get her attention, but she just played away, totally ignoring him.\n\nLinus began to call out again, but before he could say anything else he became mesmerized by the mystery violinist's movements. She did more than just play, she danced and leapt across the roof of the cabin, never leaving the narrow peak where the roof came together. The surface she stood on couldn't have been more than half a foot wide, but she moved with such confidence Linus wouldn't have been surprised if she were able to dance on a tightrope with the same grace. And all the while, she never missed a note on her violin.\n\nWhen she finished her song, Linus couldn't help but applaud, which finally got her attention.\n\n\"Oh, hello there. I didn't see you.\" The woman leapt from the roof with a flip, landing as gracefully as she danced in front of Linus.\n\nFrom this position Linus was able to make out some of the finer details of the mystery violinist. The first things he noticed were her ears. They were wide and pointed, like a cat's and seemed to move on their own, but they sat at the side of her head where a human's ears would be. The second thing he noticed was her equally catlike eyes, brilliantly green and as mesmerizing as her movements had been.\n\nThe last thing he noticed before quickly turning away from her was that she was wearing very little in the way of clothing. Just barely enough to cover the most sensitive areas, and nothing more.\n\n\"What's wrong? Did you not like my playing? I thought I was getting better too.\"\n\n\"No! I mean yes, I loved your playing!\" Linus stammered \"It's just that, you're not wearing a lot of clothes, and it would have been rude to keep staring.\"\n\n\"You too? And here I thought Mr. Jonathan was just weird. Oh well, I have a something just for occasions like this. You can turn around now.\"\n\nWhen he had turned around, the mystery woman was wearing a ragged and oversized t-shirt, so torn and full of holes that it barely covered more than her first outfit. Linus didn't consider it an improvement, must decided not to argue that front in the face of all the other questions he had.\n\n\"Sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. My name's Linus, what's yours?\"\n\n\"My name is Ayla, it's a pleasure to meet you.\" Ayla attempted to curtsey with the oversized shirt, but it ripped a little more and she abandoned the gesture.\n\n\"Alright Ayla, forgive me if this sounds rude, but what are you doing on top of my house?\"\n\n\"You're house? I thought this was Mr.Jonathan's house. He said I could come by and practice the violin whenever I wanted.\"\n\n\"That's the second time you've mentioned a Mr.Jonathan. You wouldn't happen to be talking about Jonathan Cartwright would you?\"\n\n\"Yes! Do you know him? I haven't seen him in ages. I was gonna show off how great I am at the violin now.\"\n\n\"He's a grandfather. He died three years ago.\"\n\n\"Oh. That's to bad, he was fun\"\n\n\"He was. How did you know him?\"\n\n\"I may have, emphasis on may, I admit to nothing, but I may have killed and eaten his wolf.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"I was hungry. How was I supposed to know you kept wolves for friends. You humans are crazy, I can't be held accountable for your bad choices.\"\n\n\"So you killed his dog, and he invited you to play his violin whenever you wanted?\"\n\n\"There were a lot more steps than that, but sure.\"\n\n\"So I'm guessing you live around here?\"\n\n\"Well duh, where else would a wood elf live but the woods?\"\n\n\"Fair enough. Well, it was nice meeting you, but the sun's going down so I'm going to head inside and have dinner. Have fun with, I don't know. Elf stuff I guess.\"\n\nLinus went back inside and locked the door behind him incase his elvin neighbor decided to follow him. He wasn't sure what to make of her, but he was certain this week was bound to be more exciting than he has planned.", "I sat up quickly, realizing that I had dozed off to the sound of that violin. I got up, frantically looking around for my phone, it was noon and I was late for my date. I rushed out of my apartment and dashed down the stairs, only to realize that I had left the door wide open. When I came back up to close my door the door to the next door apartment opened. She was gorgeous in a free flowing sun dress with vibrant yellows, reds, and greens. Her hair was chin length and red, her skin pale, and eyes were soft. She noticed my gaze.\n\n“Excuse me,” she said, sweetly. I shuffled, acting like I hadn’t just been staring at her, “do you live there?” \n\n“Y-Yes.” I stammered, my words stumbling as they came out. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. \n\n“I play the violin you see,” directing my gaze to the black case in her hands as she holds it up. “I was wondering if when I practice, if it bothers you” \n\n“Oh! No! Absolutely not!” I quickly replied in a panic, “your violin playing is beautiful!” \n\n“Thank you” she smiles shyly, her cheeks pale but now with a red tint, “I um, appear to be late. I am so sorry but I must get going!” She says and rushes down the hall which reminded me that I was late too! I finished locking my door left for my date as well. \n\nA little cream colored cafe with fauna crawled up the walls, stood at the corner of a moderately busy intersection. Under the awning, bordered by planters with delicate flowers, sitting on the wood woven chairs, sat her. The violin girl sipping her tea at the agreed meeting table. She was my blind date. \n\nFirst time actually doing this so feedback/tips would be amazing.", "I found solace in the stranger's violin. Something comforting about music being played by someone's hand, a connection shared by the artist and the spectator. \n\nThe clicking of the rain on the thin pane glass, barking wind at my cracked oak door. My apartment was a constant reminder that the outside world: bitter and unforgiving. Barely a sheet of glass or a plank of wood from getting in. I found myself, on a wet and wild night, wrapped in my duvet, attempting to shut the world out and find some comfort and warmth under a bundle of bedsheets. But no matter how much I tried, the coldest feeling was the empty apartment I had found myself in. \n\nLaying with my head against the wall, I thought of better times. Music. I could hear music. Faintly at first, but it grew stronger with each second that passed. I think I recognised the tune, but I did not know the name of the song. The gentle sound floated through my wall, like a warm breeze, with fresh-cut grass and flowers and the salt of the ocean in the air. The citrus and spicey peonies filled my nose and pulled my back, to summer many years ago, with the sun drenching my back and the heat laying across my shoulders. The battering gale calmed and I lay still, for a brief moment, comforted by the stranger who was playing the violin.", "It was late, really late. I was tired, really tired. It was my last night being on call at our understaffed hospital and I was ready to sleep. As soon as my head hit the pillow I heard it...Bach Violin Concerto in A Minor. I groaned. So much for sleep. \"Who plays Bach at 2 in the morning anyway?\" I muttered to myself, as if there were a better time to play Bach. I suppose it could be worse. My flatmate had a tendency to cause a ruckus and be oblivious to the needs and feelings of other people. Whether it be gunshots at noon or strange visitors at all hours. Not to mention the strange smells that always seem to linger. I shudder to even think of the origin of those smells. \"No point in sleeping now.\" I thought. He would be at it for hours. I briefly wondered if room 524 at the hospital still had a vacancy next to Mr. Burns, the coma patient. Might be able to catch a few blinks there before anyone noticed. I put my cap and coat on and walked out the door of 221B Baker street.", "“Strange,” I thought. I had been preparing to rest, going through my thoughts and mentally preparing for the next day when the faint sound of a violin travelled through the wall behind me. I sat and listened for a few minutes, the soft melody climbing and dropping with precision. A song I had never heard before. I looked out my window and saw nothing out of the ordinary. I tried to sleep but although the music was peaceful, it would not allow rest.\n\nI peaked out the window once more. Nothing. I put on my dressing gown and ventured outside. The brisk evening air sent a chill through my body. My feet treading lightly along dewy grass. I was expecting to find a speaker or some device that was playing the music in my garden. That wasn’t what I found.\n\nWhen I rounded the corner, a bright figure hovered before me. Her arms delicately tracing a bow across a violin. The heavenly tune emanating from where she played. Her hair wavering in a nonexistent breeze. \n\n“W-w-Who are you?” I said. The figure kept playing ignoring my words. The tune mesmerising at it seemed to grow louder. I edged slowly closer. Staring. Watching her hands and fingers masterfully play. \n\n“Your time has come, you cannot escape, ” the figure said. Her voice smooth and rich. The notes grew faster.\n\n“What? What do you mean?” I said. I blinked. Shaking my head my thoughts started to return. As though a fog had lifted. “Who are you?”\n\n“I am the angel of death. Your time has come. You cannot escape.”\n\nI turned and ran. I couldn’t give up. Not that easily. Her words followed me. “You cannot escape.” As though they were imprinted into my mind. The tune of the violin seemed to fade as I ran. I rounded a corner to a dark alley. \n I dared peak behind me. The figure was gone. \n\n“Your time has come. You cannot escape.” The voice pierced through me. Chilling my core. She hovered inches from me. Her glowing body emanating. Pulsating. Rhythmically shifting. Her hands started to work on the violin again. The song filling the alleyway. My time had come. No. No. I turned away from her. Tearing my eyes away. It hurt. Tears fell from my eyes. As I tried to run. But my legs barely moved. \n\n“Your time has come. You cannot escape.”\n\n“No.” I screamed desperately. The angel’s song growing stronger. The beautiful notes rising and falling. Played to perfection. \n\n“I can’t. I can’t give in. I can’t escape.” No that was wrong to say. I felt sick. The melody filled my body.\n\n“Your time has come. You cannot escape.” Her words so enticing. Drawing me in.\n\nI turned. My legs betraying me. She was there hovering. “I can. I can esc... I cannot.” I was lost. The rhythm of her music. Her shimmering beauty. Her eyes. Merely white circles yet they pulled me in.\n\n“My time has come. I cannot escape.”\n\nEverything faded to white.", "Moving on is a lonely process.\n\nI sat on my bed, pillows against the apartment wall, waiting in the dark.\n\nMy sister used to tell me meditating was the key to her well being. So I sat in some uncomfortable posture like I did every night, trying to clear my head and doing an impressively poor job at it... waiting in the dark.\n\nMy thoughts wandered as I pondered about simpler times: when siblings were mean and friends were aplenty; when love was as simple as smiles and skipped heartbeats; when dads were strong... and moms were alive.\n\nI sat on my bed, expecting, waiting in the dark. I didn't dare look at the alarm clock; I knew better. It was no use being impatient, sleep would find me when I'd hear her. It always did.\n\nMaybe I should have felt guilty for not feeling better yet, after all these months. My sister, bless her heart, she didn't deserve this. She shouldn't feel obligated to call so often, checking up on me. She already had her hands full with dad. People around me were moving on, getting their shit together, so why not me? Maybe they were stronger than me, or perhaps ---\n\nThe violin started playing.\n\nMy lips curled into a bittersweet smile. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The tune was beautiful. It always was. I pressed my ear against the wall. Focussing. Listening. Taking it in. The world around me stopped for a moment, and there was nothing but the tune. Slow, heartwarming, and sad. The notes were deliberate, each one leading into the next like a weave of perfect harmony. Eyes closed and ear against the wall, not only could I hear her, but I could almost see her now. A white robe from shoulders to ankles, sitting on the wooden stool and leading the bow against the instrument in graceful motions...\n\n... She had been the most perfect of all violinists.\n\nThe song lulled me to bed, my concerns gone, my restlessness gone, my pain gone. My consciousness shrank as the world around me stopped existing. My apartment room went first, then the feel of the bed and the sheets, then my thoughts. But the tune... the tune stayed. It stayed and it would do so until I would be ready.\n\nMoving on is a lonely process, but I wouldn't go to sleep alone. Not yet. Goodnight, mom." ]	7
	[WP] You are granted one wish, but the world has found out about it, and everyone has an opinion on how you should use 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\nI sat in my 4 walled cell, the monotonous white was broken up by a select few paintings spaced to my liking. I had a television. A gaming system too. A fairly comfortable recliner... and the food isn't even half bad! \n\nI sat heavily in my recliner watching as the news rolled on the screen. I kept the volume low, there wasn't much background noise in my 'home.' \n\nMan with the power to change- \n\nI switched quickly over to my gaming system. I muted the TV. I didn't particularly care much for 'game sound,' preferring silence instead. As I got lost in the matches played, I had missed the transition of warm, orange light bathing the room to a much colder, harsher white. \n\nI squinted, the brightness catching the better of me. I heard familiar raps on the door and I stood up from my chair and began back myself up to the adjacent wall. A loud buzz filled the room, followed by a series of thunks. The door swung open and a guard pushing a cart walked in. \n\n\"Hey! How's it hanging in here Bobert!\" The security guard walked towards me, hand outstretched, as he abandoned the cart near the door. \n\n\"How many times do I gotta tell you to call me Rob, not Bobert?\" I smiled and met his outstretched hand with a firm grip as we pulled each other in for a brief hug. \n\n\"At least 20 times more!\" The security guard smiled as he replied. \"Jesus, man. Look at you! You haven't asked for like a bench press or a pull up bar yet? You've got all the bargaining power here, Bobert! Make some use of it.\" The security guard clapped a hand on to my shoulder as he gestured to the mostly empty room. \n\n\"I only just got here a couple weeks ago, dude. I haven't had time to really recover from or even process the incident.\" I said, a little sheepishly. \n\n\"Oh pish posh! Sounds like excuses, Bobert. You think the big cheese would have saved you from that nightmare just so you could suffer more? Nah man. He wants to help you!\" The security guard was walking back to the cart as he talked. \n\n\"I'm telling you, honestly, you got more power than you think down here, Bobby B.\" The security guard finished as he reached the cart. \n\nThat's an understatement I thought to myself. \n\nAs the security guard walked over with the cart, I had a few questions I finally felt brave enough to ask him. \n\n\"So, Security... dude.\" I awkwardly grasped at a title since I didn't yet know his name. \n\n\"Please. Bobmeister. We're on 'dude terms' now! Just call me dude.\" The security guard jokingly prodded me as my face turned a little red. \n\n\"Well, dude. I was kinda hoping I could get your name.\" I asked him a little nervously. \n\n\"Ahhh, Rotten Robby! You know the rules, I can't man.\" The security guard looked a little pained as he said this but ultimately held up his sense of duty. \n\n\"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Well how about where we are? Or who the 'big cheese' is? Or whe-\" I was cut off by the security guard. \n\n\"How about what's for dinner?\" He lifted the cloth that was covering cart to reveal a delicious looking spread of food. \n\nI became distracted as my mouth salivated at the sight. \n\n\"Fine, fine.\" I said regaining a bit of composure. \"We'll eat first, talk later.\" I said with a little smugness in my smile. \n\n\"Ohooo, Bobby B! Out for blood today I see. Well fair enough. I have to wait around for you to finish eating anyways and I'd be down to listen to some stories. But remember, Robbtastic. No funny business.\" The security guards tone was silly but his face read dead serious. \n\nAs I ate I told him some of the events I could remember about the incident and a bit about myself. He listened very intently.\n\n\"I... I can't forget this little girl. If she was sent to me on purpose or if it was pure chance. It didn't matter. I almost blew the wish right then and there...\" I said this to the security guard with a thousand yard stare. \n\n\"Rob. Be careful.\" I looked up at the security guard to see him very tense and looking at the corners of the room with focused eyes. \n\n\"Oh... uh, right. Sorry... Hey, you called me Rob! Hah!\" I laughed loudly which seemed to break the tension in the room. \n\n\"Damn! Now I owe some of the other guards money! I almost had them beat too!\" The security guard let out a good laugh as well. \n\nThere was a pause after the laughter died down. I stared off into nowhere and the security guard did as well. I turned my attention to him and asked outright what had gotten me whisked away here in the first place. \n\n\"What the hell should I do?\" I asked as I watched the security guards face turn into a hardened grimace. \n\n\"Rob. The rules. You kn-\" I interjected his lecture with angry words of my own. \n\n\"Fuck the rules man! Jesus Christ, do you have any idea what I'm sitting on here?! I had governments, entire countries! Ready to torture me till the nothing of me remained just to get this wish out of me!\" I was yelling now and pushed myself up from the table to a standing postion. \"And this 'BIG CHEESEDICKHEAD' won't even send a goddamn therapist, drugs, or even give me a goddamn phone call for christ sake! I'm isolated! I'm going insane and you're the only person I've been allowed to talk to for weeks. I could waste this wish at anytime just to pop myself out of here!\" I finished, my breathing was heavy. \n\nThe security guard held his hands clasped together, the white on his knuckles was every indication of the severity of what I'd just spoken. \n\n\"Well, Rob. Before they come in here, and I'd say we have about 4-5 minutes before that happens, let me tell you a little story of my own. It's true, so just listen.\" The security guard motioned for me to sit back down. \n\n\"Ok.\" I replied and once again took my seat across from him. \n\n\"Ok.\" The security guard paused as if searching for the right place to start. \n\n\"I come from a fairly large family. This isn't a sob story, by the way, it's just meant to give you some background on me. My name is Retter. I was the fifth kid out of seven and in all fairness we we're actually pretty well off. I have no complaints about my upbringing, my father and mother loved me. My siblings and I were there for each other and life in the house was pretty harmonious. But, and really sorry to do this, there's of course a catch. One night, our parents were away and left the seven of us to watch over one another.\" \n\nRetter's story was briefly interrupted by the blaring of sirens and flashing lights that were now filling the once quiet room. He continued after a brief glance back at the doorway. \n\n\"Anyways, us seven were alone. The oldest of us was my sister Jenna and she was 18 and I myself was 9 at the time. Yeah, yeah I see that little smirk. Busy parents, I know.\" Retter rolled his eyes while I stifled a laugh. \n\n\"Like I was saying, we were left alone. And my sister bailed on us to go hang out with a boyfriend who she did not end up with for various reasons. After leaving, the oldest person in the house was only 16 years old. Keep that in mind. My two younger siblings and I were playing in the back yard when I suddenly hear a thud like the door hitting the wall in our house makes. Except it must have been opened really hard for me to have heard it all the way in the backyard. I told my younger siblings to simply wait for me while I went back inside to check what made the sound. It had been maybe two minutes.... honestly, no longer than that.\" Retter paused, tears in his eyes \"I walked into a blood bath.\" \n\nRetter was once again interrupted by distant footsteps coming down the hall. He looked to me in a panic and back to the door. He continued but more frantically now. \n\n\"I see the bodies of my siblings one by one as I walked around the house in a desperate search to find one of them still alive. Until I bumped into him. The man who did it all. A handful of jewellery, not worth more than thousand combined. My mother wasn't very materialistic. He dropped it hastily, and picked me up in its place.\" \n\nThe familiar bright white shone across the room, the unmistakable buzzing followed. \n\n\"What happened!\" I screamed at Retter. \n\nHe looked sad. Tears were welling in his eyes as he began to choke out the final parts of the story. \n\n\"My parents had come home just then. A shriek pierced the din of the massacre, one that chills me every time I think about that event\" He shuttered as he said it. \"The man dropped me and jumped out the back window. He stole my two youngest siblings and I sat there opened mouth, in shock. Unable to do a thing as my mother cried tears of joy and sorrow. Desperately clutching at me.\" He broke down then, as the doors familiar thunks rang out around the room. \n\nI looked rapidly from him to the door. I spoke with a fuzzy, confused feeling. \"Retter, how does that help me make a wish?\" I said, in shock at the events transpiring around me. \n\nRetter looked up at me as the door rang out it's final thunk. \n\n\"Because, Bobby B. I wasn't angry at the man. I wasn't angry at my sister. I wasn't even angry at myself. Since that day I've been angry at the world. And I've wished.... oh how I've wished. That I could live in a place where something like that didn't have to happen.\" As Retter smiled, his tears continued to fall. \n\nI looked down out of shame. Out of pure hatred for myself. I wasn't worthy of this mystical wish bestowed upon me. I didn't have time to look back up before I felt a spray of warm, wet liquid hit my face. Retter dropped to the ground in front of me, blood pouring out from the fresh wound in his head. \n\nI screamed. Men hoisted me up out of the chair. I resisted. I was beaten. They must have thought I was knocked out as I overheard a conversation\n\n\"Jesus, these activists are slipping by us more and more these days. We'll have to relocate. The boss will want to try more extreme methods to get his wish... Oh Jesus, he's still awake!\" All of this came from what sounded like a woman and was followed by a sharp pain in my cheek before everything went black. \n\n***\n\nHope you liked it\n\nr/TheYogiBearhaWrites" ]	2
	[WP] Human's developed prosthetic limps for Dolphins that attach to the flippers and wire to the brain. We now realize they were much more intelligent than we thought, and this innovation leads to a dark secret they were previously unable able to express..	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Marty had been hiding alone in the cellar for almost three years. His only method of keeping track of time was the small opening in the manhole cover above his safe-room. He'd built it for a zombie apocalypse, but this...this seemed worse.\n\nHe was prepared for hordes of near-brainless zombies. He had sterile tools for amputations if bitten, industrial disinfectant that essentially melted decay on contact, and flamethrowers. Lots of them. That didn't help much though when your target is still covered in water. \n\nOnce the dolphins got their appendages back they were just as happy on land as in the water. Sure it was neat at first, but after the first week the dolphins had constructed a helmet that allowed them to project their voice in a language we could understand. Suddenly...with a proper voice they were able to utter incantations. Wicked spells that bent the very laws of physics as we know it to their will. They crafted their own voices and altered their bodies to adapt to surface dwelling. Within the first year they had made it public that they were the superior species to humans and started a war.\n\n\nIt went poorly. For us. They had spell-crafting and horrific conventional weapons on their side. We put up a valiant fight, even uniting as a global force against dolphin-kind, but it wasn't ever really close. DC fell in hours. The president was dead before the Vice President had landed in Denver. Once he did, Denver suddenly appeared somewhere in the middle of the Pacific and instantly became a new feature on the bottom some thousands of feat beneath the surface. Millions died in the blink of an eye.\n\nThe allies quickly rushed to our side...but it was just as swift for them. Great Britain became a nuclear wasteland before anyone knew there was even a war. Russia was essentially put through a mixer and dumped out - mountains sprang from the ground and entire cities sank beneath the soil. Japan was hit with a tsunami that covered all but the mountaintops of the small island nation. Devastation on a biblical scale was wrought across the globe. \n\nSome nations surrendered after watching the atrocities unfold. Germany and France together ordered an official surrender after witnessing the fate of Great Britain. More than half of their total population was instantly gone. No one is sure where they went. We think, see hope, that they're still alive, but they instantly vanished. The remaining people were enslaved. Some forced to suffer grueling operations to convert their lungs to gills. Some experimented on. Most just used as free labor on the surface.\n\nThe only saving grace was the fact that the dolphins weren't terribly familiar with the smaller, more out-of-the-way, areas. You couldn't live on the surface, but if you kept to yourself you could typically avoid capture by staying subterranean. Once the US finally announced an official surrender, Europe quickly followed and the rest of the world wasn't far behind...but the backwoods fought back. Hard to teleport sparsely populated areas into the void if you don't know exactly where those areas are sparsely populated. Most of us just wanted to eek out a decent existence. \n\nSure, some wanted to fight, but that attracted attention. Marty wasn't a fighter. He was a survivor. His family was dead - they didn't last much beyond the first few days of the war. That same family had ostracized him for building his zombie bunker in the first place, so that wasn't the greatest loss either. No. Marty stayed hidden. \n\nMarty gathered information and spent his days secluded beneath the surface. He knew the dolphins most well-guarded secret; humans weren't the first intelligent race to be enslaved by dolphin-kind. How did Marty know this? Well, it took extra steps to capture a dolphin, but holding a captive wasn't exactly rocket science if you knew what you needed to do. They can't speak, they can't cast spells. Simple as that. It required some...modifications to ensure that his captive could pass on information but not spells. Turns out written language isn't as powerful. So Marty hid. Alone in his cellar. With his dolphin pet. And he waited." ]	2
	[WP] Your voice was capable of lulling people to sleep for however long you desire. It was a major curse for you as you were an outgoing individual who liked to voice out their thoughts. But however, there was one person who did not react to your voice.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "As long as I can remember I've avoided the words literally, slay, salt and gas. There's many others I try to avoid but for some reason those ones seem to hammer people asleep for an awkwardly long amount of time. Conversing with millennials can be a bit of a challenge because of it, and it makes for an occasionally awkward moment at the dinner table or pumping petrol. \n\nMy habit of talking a lot helped me to figure out which words were cursed more than others. It also meant I had a few sentences up my sleeve reserved for people who really got on my nerves. There was one kid in high school in particular who deserved a nice long nap and as far as I know, he’s still asleep, a year later.\n\nI haven’t put anyone to sleep since and it’s actually somewhat of an accomplishment. In fact, I haven’t even felt the urge to since then, until I met Ralph.\n\nRalph worked with me and Ralph was a real dick. He was always last to arrive and first to leave, never really did much, constantly made snide remarks about everyone else, and didn't seemed to wash. He also seemed to have an unhealthy interest in my personal life.\n\nFor weeks I'd had the urge to spit a few curses at him, but so far I’d managed to hold it in. Today though, Ralph was being particularly annoying and I was almost at my wits end.\n\n“Hey puppy pants,” Ralph yelled. Yes, his nickname for me was puppy pants. Don’t ask. \n\n“Hey puppy pants, I’m talking to you,” he tried again.\n\nI put down my wrench and wiped my hands on my pants, “what do you want Ralph?”\n\n“Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed,” he said in a sarcastic tone, “I was just going to ask if you got that date?”\n\n“What date was that Ralph?” I asked, knowing I’d never once mentioned a date to him, not least because I hadn't had one since junior year.\n\n“That date, you know, with that girl,” he said as a grin spread across his face.\n\nI just stared at him, wanting to avoid rising to his lame bait while starting to think about the words that would save me from any more of his verbal diarrhea.\n\n“Ah come on, play along would you? It’s just a joke” he said and pushed my shoulder.\n\n“Don’t touch me Ralph,” I said sternly.\n\n“Oooh someone’s on their period,” he said as he made a face and wiggled strangely back and forward.\n\nIt was too much. I couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t stop it. I looked at him with fury on my face.\n\n“You’re literally like the most salty, gassed up anti-woke warrior with the worst clap backs who couldn’t slay a seven year old,” I yelled.\n\nHe just looked at me, that stupid smile sitting there. I frowned, uncertain why the sentence I had always imagined to be the mother of all sleeper agents had failed to fire. Maybe I’d lost it over the years? Maybe it was like a muscle you had to work out and I’d become lazy?\n\nRalph’s smile disappeared, replaced with the most serious look I’d ever seen on his stupid face.\n\n“I thought it was you,” he said coldly.\n\n“What?” I said, confused by his change in demeanor.\n\n“Your silly charms don't work on me but I had to wait until you tried one before I was certain it was you. We've been looking for you for a long time, Morpheus. A lot of people are starting to get more than a little frustrated with the disappearance of their dreams,” he said with a hint of bitterness.\n\n“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about? My name’s Gary,” I said.\n\n“Ha,\" he laughed, \"no it’s not. Don’t lie to me, Morpheus. I’ve been tracking you for months. You’re Morpheus and you’re coming back with me right now,” he said as he pulled out a gun." ]	2
	[WP] This storm has been going on for days. The howling wind never seems to cease, the thick blanket of clouds never seems to move. You sent messages to all your friends... No response. THEY continue to scratch at your windows, begging to be let in. But you don't dare, not after Jim went out...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "An ocean tide wind slammed without mercy against my thick glass wall. My house was pretty much made of glass, so I got an amazing view of what they are calling the storm of our lifetime. It’s honestly beautiful, blankets of gray/blue ice rain are going in all directions against my windows like an orchestrated dance. \n\nThe only problem is, there are five people outside begging to come in. My mom, brother, wife, best friend, and sister. Pretty odd that these are my five favorite people. The odd part is when I let jim out, they killed and ate him. And they went back to pretending they are cold and starving and wanted inside. Actually the really odd part of it, my best friend outside clawing my window was Jim that was also inside with me. This is when I realized “they” are clones or could change shape .\n\nSo this is me, down one real friend, ten days of food left, and cannibal clones outside. I’m trying to put this all together thinking of every Stephen king book I can but my brain just goes to alien zombies or simply a nightmare. \n\nSo I setup a trap, I want to catch one of these clones and see if I can figure out what they are, maybe a way to beat them. \n\nOut of pure laziness though, I decide to just wait for one of the clones to get isolated and I just opened the door. It comes right at me and I shoot it in the leg, it comes in, I slam door and kick it as hard as I can in the house. It obviously keeps coming at me to eat me, but I put another bullet in its leg, and it’s down.\n\n15 mins later it’s in my glass shower with a lock on it, and now, it’s time for the fun...." ]	2
	[WP]You are Hades, God of the dead and king of the Underworld, and you hate all the heroes and other gods messing up your tight schedule when Persephone starts telling them she is a prisoner because she finds it cute how anxious you and your OCD get.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Persy!” I whine, my voice on edge. “It’s not funny!” Her giggles ring out through the halls as I groan for the fifth time in that hour. I hear the swoosh of the teleportation device and the laughter stops. \n\n“Master Hades?” A servant says in a timid tone. “There’s a hero here, wishing to speak to you. Says his name is Hercules.” I turn on my heel and glare at the servant, making her shrink under my hateful gaze. “Was that on the schedule?” I ask calmly.\n\n“Well, no, sir, but-”\n\n“Then he’ll just have to wait!” I roar. A young man appears around the corner. “Hades, I am the hero Hercules, and I have come to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt!” He cries. I look at him.\n\n“Did you make an appointment?”\n\n“Well, no.”\n\n“Did you take my card so you could make an appointment?”\n\n“No…”\n\n“Then I will see you…” His expression changes to a smirk. “When you make an appointment.” Hercules falters before choking out, “B-but…” \n\nMy eyes dare him to continue, and after a few moments of silence, I call for a group of six skeleton guards - because it has to be six - to escort him out. Undramatically, he follows them, and doesn't even scream when he’s shoved towards Cereberus.\n\n“Hades!” I hear Poseidon yell. \n\n“Do you have an appointment?!” I scream before storming off to Persephone’s garden, where everything has something to do with six and can keep my brother the hell away from me." ]	2
	[WP] You're playing a horror game and you're wandering why the character isn't reacting to any of the scares. Only to find out you've been hallucinating all of them. Then you start seeing them all in real life. After a while it turns out you're not even real and a character in a game.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"In my restless dreams, I see that town,\" said the familiar character, named Mary, in a disembodied voice, as a figure overlooks a lake. \"Silent Hill. You've promised you'd take me there again someday. But you never did. Well, I'm alone there now, in our special place, waiting for you...\" \n\nMy hands on the controller, I savor every bit of dialogue and scenery in this game, Silent Hill 2. I've replayed this game so many times, to the point I know the ins and outs. I know how to get from point A to point B, how to handle the boss fights, and memorized the puzzles no matter the difficulty. Yet none of that breaks my immersion. \n\nAs Mary says these words, the figure at the lake, her husband, James Sunderland, stands, overlooking the town in the distance past Toluca Lake. He then monologues to himself about how he wonders if she could really be in this town, and how ridiculous the scenario is, as \"a dead person can't write a letter.\"\n\nFrom then on, I play through the lengthy introduction, as I make James walk down the hill, with the unsettling sounds of footsteps in the background. This game was always therapeutic growing up. I know I should have more lighthearted games on the new PlayStation 2, or even the PlayStation console before that, but something about this game when I followed it grabbed me, as if I was drawn to it. Yet here I am, in 2011, still playing it. I mean why not do a marathon of the game? It is October after all, and Halloween is just around the corner. \n\nSoon, I am in the apartment complex level in the game, playing through it as usual, hitting all the stops I normally would to ensure what doors were locked and which weren't. However, there was this one door that I was sure was always locked in my previous playthroughs. 'Maybe it's an easter egg or has something to do with the ending of the game,' I thought to myself. Weird enough though was this apartment room I've walked into was well-lit and clean, unlike all the other rooms. What I liked about the game was how the town felt lived in but not anymore, yet it feels this room in particular seems it is still lived in. Normally there would be an item, a cutscene, notes, or even a save point in one of these rooms. There was nothing in here. Not even one of the ambient sounds or bits of music the game's composer left in, yet it wasn't quiet. There was the muffled sound of two people arguing, but nobody was in this particular room aside from James. There was even a thud, and the sound of what was a child crying. \n\nMy heart racing, I left this room immediately and never returned to it. That was way too familiar to me. Thankfully, the rest of the apartment sequence played as normal. I think I may have ran past that same room and tried to enter it again, but it was locked. Either way, I make my way out of the claustrophobic building, and run into all the familiar cutscenes of the game, and even pick up the character Maria to tag along with me. Maria, a symbolic and important character in the game, I felt had some of the best delivered lines in the game, but I can't get over the fact it seems she's looking into the camera, like she's looking out at me, knowing I'm here. Other than that, she was the same as always.\n\nEventually, after a few scenarios, Maria and James ends up in the next level in the game, a hospital. Yet again, I entered a previously thought locked room, but it this room looked entirely different from all the other hospital rooms in the game. This looks like the hospital room I was in when I \"fell down the stairs\", as my parents told me to tell others when asked about my bruises and scars. There was a cutscene here as well for some reason. It showed Maria telling James that she feels they should leave this room. She looked into the camera again, and this time I swear I could feel her eyes piercing through the screen at me.\n\nNear the end of the level, Maria and James are on the run from the monster of the game, Pyramid Head. The most iconic character of the series, and one of the most popular gaming monsters in pop culture. The hallway with lots of turns feels disorienting, but it ends the same way nonetheless, with the death of Maria. James is then left to leave the hospital, alone. Instead of the soft and somber piano music that would normally play before leaving the hospital, there were whispers. These whispers told me: \"You deserve it. You put us through all of this. If you weren't born, we wouldn't be in this mess!\" The whispers continued, saying all of these things that I went my whole life hearing. Things I'd rather not relive.\n\nThough my mind tells me to turn the game off and walk away, I can't. I'm still drawn to this game.\n\nThere was the penultimate level of the game up next, but I decided to take a detour. Pete's Bowl O' Rama. This is perhaps the most comforting place in the entire game. It's just soft rock music, and though the place looks beaten down, it feels like the positive moment in what is otherwise a dreary and depressing period of time. I love to soak it in. Especially with the darkness outside of this bowling alley.\n\nAfter I feel recharged, I head to the aforementioned level, the Silent Hill Historical Society. This is perhaps the most haunting level in the game. Near the beginning, James has to run down a rather long stairway, into the fabled prison under Toluca Lake, the very place seen at the beginning of the game. I remember reading about it in the lore of the Silent Hill series. What sets this place apart from the other levels in the game is the open-ended nature of the Historical Society. The developers implemented nonlinear game design, so the closed-in, claustrophobic hallways and corridors you were used to have become bigger spaces, with you in the dark, unsettled by what could be further, across these open areas. Not only does this area house a prison, but also areas that seem impossible to be so far below the town's surface.\n\nEven more creepy, yet symbolic is the segments where James is asked if he wants to jump down the dark holes. In a room that holds a graveyard one hole in particular in this playthrough, I jumped within, and if it weren't for my tight grip, I would have dropped the controller at what I saw next. In full display, within PlayStation 2 graphics, was my old room. Aside from a dresser, my bed, television, and PlayStation 1 and 2 consoles, this room was barren, just as I remember it. It was easy to see that my parents didn't give me much growing up, with few clothes to cycle through and no toys. Just a video game console to babysit me when I wasn't in their way or being their punching bag. Out of morbid curiosity, I go up to my television and turn it and the PlayStation 2 on. To my surprise, nothing creepy happened, and it worked as intended. It loaded up the copy of Silent Hill 2 I grew up with, but couldn't have James play it. Weirded out by James being in my old room, I have him take the door out, only to be back in the Historical Society, in the hallway just before coming out to the lake. In that moment, I had skipped a sizable chunk of the level, but I'm glad I'm out. It's almost like the fresh air James is getting, I'm getting. \n\nTo the final level, James must row a boat all the way across Lake Toluca, which takes a while. It's moments like these I appreciate the developers going to these great lengths to have slow building terror. \n\nThankfully, this hotel level is devoid of all these moments I had just witnessed. No extra rooms that weren't supposed to be there, no surprises to bring up the past. That is until I get the VHS tape, which normally would show what James did to Mary as the twist of the game. This time, however, it showed...me. It showed me the night I killed them. I tied bags over their heads until they would suffocate. I can smell them even now, rotting in my closet as my sweaty palms grip the controller. \n\nThe rest of the game continued as normal. I got the \"In Water\" ending, and that was that. \n\nTurning the game off, I feel freed. I call the cops to tell them of what I did, then I go to my bathroom, and I find a hole, and I see a white prompt, same font as the game: \"Will you jump down? Yes/No.\"" ]	2
	[WP] Humanity has outgrown the planet and resources are now scarce, humanity adapted to survive. Death sentence is applied everywhere to control overpopulation. The dead serve as sustenance to the others. "The cause justifies the means" say some while others find it highly immoral.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Andrew Scoffield came in to work that morning in his usual black dress pants and white shirt. He wore a tie and a suit, and he donned his favorite pair of leather shoes. The small red velvet box in his suit pocket poking at his ribs keep reminding him of his plans for that night, almost to the point that it occupied his entire consciousness, the guards and inmates lining the hallway seemingly fading into the background.\n\n\"Hey, Andrew. You're looking sharp today.\" Said the bailiff as he opened the large steel door of a chamber at the end of the hall.\n\nAndrew managed to mutter a thank you as he rushed past almost hitting the door on the way in.\n\nHe and Rose have been dating for over a year now, and they've both been talking about settling down together. The prospect of having her all for his own had been gnawing at his subconsciousness for quite some time now. Finally, he caved and spent the entire week wracking his brain for a way to propose, settling in the end for a simple, yet arguably easy way, over dinner at some expensive restaurant with expensive liquor.\n\nMaybe a champagne, he thought. No, not champagne, those are for celebrations. But isn't a marriage proposal something to celebrate about? But whatever. Rose Gibran, my sweet. Please say you'll be mine.\n\nA small commotion at the back of the line brought Andrew out of his day dreaming. A couple of inmates tried to make a run for it, resulting in some beating that the burly guards were all too happy to dish out. Not every inmate would make it to the end of the line, heck not even half of everyone lined up that day would be able to serve the Earth. Despite the new laws under the One Earth government, Biomass Energy and Resource, Chapter 2 Article 1 Expediting Earth Recovery through Biomass Repossession, some inmates still have the right to be heard by the on duty lawyer, who also serves as the final judge, for any pleas, wishes, or last wills before they are to be given back to the Earth. Some of them get the chance for a rehearing. However, only one was ever acquitted in that very famous case of Dyson Odi, who was now serving as the beacon for the rebels and inmates alike.\n\n\"Ok, Andrew.\" A short bespectacled man seated at an L-shaped table said with a heavy sigh, \"Let's start processing these men.\"\n\nAndrew noticed the bored or even annoyed look on the bespectacled man's face, however he was too giddy to say anything and went on to take out a small device and placed it on Jim's table. He then sat behind his workstation, an array of screens, switches and keys, seemingly floating in mid air, awaiting Jim Callahan's decision on the fate of the inmates.\n\nHis official designation was \"Berdugo\", an arguably easy job if you have the stomach for it. The attending lawyer/judge could even serve as the Berdugo, but the citizenry, even some politicians, feared the idea and would rather have the executioner be separate from the Judge and the Jury.\n\nAndrew pressed his entire right hand onto his desk. It beeped and lit up to life, flashing the words welcome and have a nice day. \"We're all set, Jim\", Andrew said, almost sounding excited.\n\nJim nodded at him through his glasses and promptly placed his right hand on top of his table, a stack of phantom folders materialized out of thin air and settled on the table. He motioned to pick-up the topmost folder from the stack and spent a couple of minutes reading through it before beckoning a guard and his inmate into the chamber.\n\nAn emaciated man with empty eyes staring into nothingness was roughly dragged by the arm into the room. \"Sit.\" Jim said without looking up from the files in his hand. When the skeleton of a man didn't respond, his towering guard pushed him into a heavy steel chair and strapped him down onto it, grinning as he did so. Only the right arm of the chair's occupant was free.\n\n\"Bartolomew Lector.\" Jim began, \"Male. Age 47. Birthplace unknown. Parents unknown. Arrested and sentenced to biomass repossession on September 10, 2398 for Illicit drug use\", He paused, looking up at the thin man and muttered, \"More than a month ago\".\n\nThe man, Lector, did not show any reaction and merely continued staring at something the others could not see. When it was clear that Lector wasn't even going to confirm his own name, Jim proceeded with the process.\n\n\"Today, October 18, 2398, Bartolomew Lector has yet to declare a next of kin, submitted no last will and testament, and has not declared a choice of forest or farmland for a final resting place. As such, you are allowed 5 minutes to complete all of these. If Mr. Lector does not provide such details at the end of the five minutes, all of his possessions, assets, and such shall become state property to be used for the efforts of helping our planet recover. Final resting place shall be defaulted to a State Farm with the lowest measured biomass.\"A tap of the gavel followed Jim's words which also seemingly startled Lector from his daze.\n\nUpon hearing the gavel, Andrew began tapping away at his station until a paper and a quill floated from out of nowhere into within Lector's reach. After which, the man moved his eyes as if reading through what's written on the levitating piece of parchment.\n\n\"Please write down the name of your next of kin, and what farm or forest's biomass supply you want to contribute.\" Jim said in a monotone voice upon seeing Lector finally responding to his final trial, still seemingly bored out of his mind. \"An opportunity to write a formal last will was given to every registered person under One Earth upon reaching the age of twelve, as such it is often forgone during final trials.\"\n\nTic toc, the seconds passed. Lector's eyes shifted left to right, seemingly reading what was written on the parchment. At times, he appeared to be reaching for the quill before dropping his free arm again to his side. He remained motionless most of the time, though.\n\n\"Time's up.\" Andrew said, itching to press the big red button. Five minutes flew by so quickly but Lector did not appear to move the entire time. Jim gave him a nod and he hit the button that opened up a chute on the floor, letting air and a weak churning sound into the chamber.\n\nSuddenly, Lector reached out to grab the floating parchment, hand passing through it without even shifting its position in the air. He then tried the quill which, to his surprise, felt solid and weighted in his hand. With quick flicks of the wrist, Lector was able to scribble a few letters on the paper before the steel chair dropped into the chute, occupant and all. After a few seconds, a chair rose up from the floor empty of its occupants and settled in front of Jim's table, as if nothing happens. A few moments later, the quill also rose up from the solid floor and back to its place beside the floating parchment. No one really knew if the chairs that come and go from that chamber was the same chair or multiple chairs. The quill coming back might hint at the chair being the same every time, but no one really knows.\n\nJim beckoned the parchment toward him and looked at what Lector had written. His bored face slowly morphed to one of intrigue and amusement. \"Oh, you're gonna love this.\"\n\nJim flicked his arm towards Andrew's table, the parchment stopped short of his face. It took a moment for him to process what he was seeing.\n\nThe letters were clear enough until the last part where the quill mark suddenly took a dive when Lector fell through the floor.\n\nAndrew Scoffield is Odi's\n\nBefore Andrew could mouth the obvious question, he was slammed face first into his desk creating stars in his vision. He was then cuffed and gagged, and dragged out from the chamber." ]	2
	[WP] Humans aren't the only life in the universe as they believed. But they are by far the scariest and most dangerous, and you were just sent on a mission to research them on their home planet.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Good luck, he told me. As I stepped out into the human province named, 'Washington D.C', my crest fell. There was a very big group of them, being held back by others in black armor and transparent shields. I nervously wiggled the tiny extensions on my lower arm, and they fell silent. I then heard one shout, \" Holy shit it's a grunt from HALO!!!!\" Many muttered agreements. Then one of them in black lifted a hand to his ear and nodded. \"The president is coming!\" He shouted. THE PRESIDENT!?!? Like Terror Of The Stars!?!? HIM?! A long black transport shuttle pulled up, but not hovering, for some odd reason. A man stepped out, armed guards flanking him. One of the guards took out a communication device and spoke into it about something. \n\n\nThat's all I have for now, sorry guys." ]	2
	[WP] You are the last survivor of an expedition to discover the true origins of humanity. Upon your return, every religious leader, scientist, and world power is eagerly awaiting what you have to say. The truth was far more horrifying than anyone could have imagined. Should you tell them? Or lie?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I want to take a moment to thank 3 of my colleagues that sacrificed their lives for this expedition to succeed\", not that their lives actually matter, I thought to myself and immediately felt ashamed for thinking that. \"They stand shoulder to shoulder with the greatest heroes this world has ever witnessed. Marley, Joan, Teddy... You will be missed.\" The spotlight was blinding and I couldn't see any familiar faces in the audience, only important people in the first rows... Oh, if they only knew how unimportant they really were. \"It is our job... No, our duty to seek the truth no matter how hard it may be...\" I was stalling to be honest. It's hard to be the bringer of bad news. I had less than an hour to prepare, to process what I learned. An hour that was constantly interrupted by medical checkups, questions and stage preparations. I didn't even got a chance to see Ella and... Fuck, they're in this as well. All of my friends, family... They're all doomed.\n\n\"As a scientist myself I understand your skepticism, after all, why should you trust me? How can you confirm what I'm about to say it's the truth?\" I paused, giving myself one last chance to back out and tell them something they will want to hear. A lie to make it easier for them. But lying at this moment somehow seemed more cruel. \"Well, you can't.\" I spoke bluntly, almost resigned. The somber tone of my voice made the whole hall silent. Several thousand people all holding their breath. And millions... Shit, billions in front of their televisions waiting to hear who won. Which religion got it right? Which country will prevail? The truth is that there will be no winners today. Only losers. I kept my voice as steady as possible. \"You'll just have to trust me on this one. You're all going to die now.\"\n\nThe silence quickly turned to murmur and then to quarrel. They resisted to accept the words for what they were, trying to pass it off as a lousy joke or a prophecy of a mad man. I repeated myself, \"You. Are all going to die now.\" The hall eased back into silence and their eyes fixed upon my shaken figure again. \"I'm sorry.\" I said, looking at the floor. I couldn't muster the courage to look back at them. Not that I cared for those I could see, they were irrelevant. Faceless and nameless leaders, placeholders to give sense to this world. No, I was afraid I would find them - my Ella and little Jade. They held me up when I was down. Without them I wouldn't make it, I would be lost. I would stay lost. It's better that I didn't get a chance to see them. I couldn't bear saying goodbye. \"I'm sorry,\" I said again, \"but I have to wake up.\"", "How did I get here? What am I doing here?\n\nI look up, and see a table in the form of a half circle that is a few feet higher up than I am. I look down, there is a microphone in front of me.\n\nAll the sudden, I hear a voice; \"Did your hear the question?\"\n\nI look up again, and see the white, wrinkled face of the head of the board staring at me. I try to compose myself. \"I'm sorry. Can...can you repeat the question?\" The Secretary of State's eyes narrow, his lips purse, and he sighs.\n\n\"Captain Hue, your expedition is over. You have spent millions of dollars in search of answers. You, and the few remaining members of your party have told us that what you have discovered is of the greatest importance. As I previously asked, what have you discovered?\"\n\nMy mouth opens, but no sounds leaves it. I try to extend my hand to grab the water glass next to me, only for it to halt before I can grab the glass.\n\nThe Secretary of State taps his finger, then says, \"Well?\"\n\nMy vision blurs, and the darkness returns. I am gone.\n\n...\n\nThe entire counsel leans back in surprise as Captain Hue's eyes turn black, he screams into the microphone, and jumps on the table in front of him, \"Your minions have discovered us, and in doing so have opened the door to the ancient evil of our master!\" \n\nAs this happens, Captain Hue jumps a full 15 feet over the table and rips out the Secretary of State's throat with his teeth. The room erupts in screams of terror.\n\n\"Tremble mortals, and despair, for DOOM has returned to this world!!\"", "Twenty years. It had been twenty years since the day I was selected for the mission to go to Alpha Centauri. Twenty years since our training, of the five smartest humans in the world, had begun. \n\nTwenty years I now wish I could have spent enjoying my ignorance instead. \n\nI am in the back room now. I watch the screen on the wall as a man in a suit tells me that I am to stand on stage in another ten minutes. \n\nOn televisions all across the world they are playing the videos of our group. A narrators voice going through each image explaining our past and our future.\n\nI keep practicing in my head what I am going to say. \n\nI stand before the representatives of the world named earth and I say,\" People of the world, I have found what we were looking for, I have found the secret of our beginnings as promised by the message we received. The technology worked as they said it would. I have the answers. The truth is...\", and it is at this point that I choke up and find myself unable to go on any further, the point when the lies are supposed to begin. \n\nI don't have a satisfactory lie for them. \n\nI wish the agencies of some government would have taken me aside first, heard the truth so that they would agree to hide it and give me a lie to tell, or better yet, just put a bullet through my head. They didn't dare though, for fear of starting a war. \n\nThe world would have rather burned than to risk the truth being manipulated by an individual party, which was why I didn't even have the time to take off my space suit after decontamination procedures. \n\nI start again, in my head. \"People of the world, I bring you the truth. I am alone for the rest have killed themselves from what they heard. I do not wish to tell you what happened because I know you would befall the same fate.\"\n\nNo, that wouldn't work either. They would hold my tongue out if they have to for the truth. They just can't resist. They are too lost in their arrogance. In their delusions. \n\n\"Five minutes\", the man in the suit speaks in my direction as he runs past on some other last minute errand. \n\nI close my eyes and count to ten. A child's way of calming itself. Quite fitting under the circumstances. \n\n\"People of earth, I bring the end of the world upon my lips. I met our creators. No, I met our parents. The forefathers of our species. \n\nThey showed me that everything we believe about human nature, philosophy, life, all of it is wrong.\n\nThey were the perfection that we have all been striving for. Before them I felt like a empty vessel, like a man with half his body and mind missing who had never known this before. \n\nWe who looked upon them felt this way because it was the truth. \n\nWe come from the tumorous growth of our parent species. Evolution does not have the nature to keep evolving randomly, but does so with a direction. Entire entire world behaves like an uncontrolled tumor. \n\nThe perfection we chase after that we speak of as being always out of our reach is indeed so. Not because the ideal does not exist, but because we are incapable of reaching it with the permanent shortcomings we possess.\n\nThe closest thing we have to the perfections of our original species is our art. Which in comparison, even the best of it, is a demented mockery of the perfection that we have never really seen but we still feel a natural instinct to replicate. \n\nWe are not meant to die so fast, we are not meant to hate so easily, we are not meant to be lost and confused. \n\nWe are not the natural base that life leads to. Our makers are. \n\nThey showed me a million species across the cosmos. Hundreds of which I met during my time. \n\nAll members of their scientific community for they could not risk the trauma caused by us humans being seen in public. \n\nIn all these species was the same kind of perfection everywhere, in all of them. \n\nThey leave us be because we will soon get ourselves killed, unable to survive natural existence for long, and after seeing what I have seen, I agree.\"\n\nI get a tap on my shoulder. \"One minute, you are up.\n\nI get up and walk to the curtains. \n\nThe spokeswoman is now speaking about how I am the only member of my group available now. \n\nI look at the guard standing next to me, the gun holstered next to his hand. \n\nI could reach it and pull it out if I wanted to. It should take me five seconds altogether to aim it towards my head and pull the trigger.\n\n\"Now I call Ms. Kante onto the floor.\"\n\nThe man in the suit waves at me to go.", "\"What happened out there, Captain?\"\n\nA simple question, requiring an answer from me that was infinitely more complex than I was able to give. I was looking into the eyes of the best and brightest that humanity had to offer. Paragons of art, culture, science, the political leaders of earth. Most of them looked at me, wide-eyed like children, others were studying me, cold and calculating, schemes and plans already in place, whatever my answer was. But I knew they weren't ready for the answer.\n\nSure, there was some part of me, that was conditioned to submit to authority figures, conditioned to tell the truth and nothing but the truth of what went down, out there, in the vast emptiness of space. I could tell them, what we learned that would cause one of my Companions to put a bullet in his brain, what had reduced the other one to a screaming, gibbering shell of his former self. But I wouldn't. Deep down, I had already decided to keep this a secret, to cover up humanities greatest achievement with a lie. Wether this was was the right decision, I could not say, but it was my choice nevertheless. I took a deep breath, and braced myself for what would come next.\n\n\nThen, I told a lie. I told a single, great lie, which I split up into a myriad of different lies, then wrapped them up in another lie. I twisted facts, made up new ones, and told the People of earth the worst Story they wanted to hear. Tall tales of a dead Alien civilization, ravaged by decades of intrigue, greed and war. How I found the knowledge they had left behind, for those that would come after them, those like us. How I learned that even they could not discern the universes origin, wether it was a grand design or random Chance, that birthed sapient life. \n\nAnd the world believed me. Some were sad and disappointed, some were angry and fostered suspicions. But most of them, I think, were secretly relieved. A small part of them, some impulse in their lizard Brains, told them that they did not want to know the truth. They just wanted the next best thing, that made moving on a little bit easier. And I moved on too.\nI did not desire the wealth and the fame that I could have had, and so the public forgot about me rather quickly. I bought myself a farm, got a dog, met my wife and together we had a daughter. It was not a whirlwind romance from the movies, but I had found someone, whose presence put me at ease completely. The years passed, and we grew older. I still woke up sometimes, sobbing, drenched in sweat, but I came to accept it, and somewhat made my peace with it.\n\nToday, our daughter had come over, bringing her own children with her, to meet their grandparents for the first time. As I looked at the two toddlers, playing around on the lawn, my wife sat down next to me. \n\n\"You never did tell me what happened to you on that mission. I know there is more to that story than you ever told anyone, but at least tell me this. What is the meaning of it all? What is the point?\"\n\n\nI met her eyes, those mesmerizing eyes that I fell in love with all those years ago.\n\n\"This moment.\"\n\n----------------------------------\nThank you very much for reading this!\nIf you want to read more of my work, take a look at my subreddit, r/Taspiwunder", "\"What should I do?, What should I say?\", I thought to myself out loud as I was prancing up and down of my command room deep in thought.\n\nTaking a break from my thoughts, I glanced at the command module.\n\n\"4 minutes to Destination: Terra\"\n\nShit. F\\\\\\.\n\nWhat on earth should I do?\n\nThey, the United Nations of the world, sent me out to discover out civilisation's origin.\n\nFor as long as Man existed, we have always wondered how we came to be.\n\nMany theories popped up, each with their own idea of our creator.\n\nEventually, due to all the fighting which accumulated in the Great War of 2077, the UN had enough of this religious fighting BS and set up a taskforce to study our origins.\n\nAnd that was how I arrived to Unicornia.\n\nA small, desolate planet, slightly smaller than the moon, It held an abandoned outpost that belong to what we call the Enclave, or the Engineers, since their technology was far superior to ours.\n\nAfter probing around, I came across a lab.\n\nWell, what used to be a lab.\n\nInside, I saw what appear to be baby fetuses.\n\nA old computer was nearby and I managed to boot It up.\n\nInside, a file was already open.\n\nIt read (in rough translation to english):\n\n\\--------------------------------------------------------N.C.R REPUBLIC--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\\---------------------------------------------------May God be with us------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nLog 1,5V9D, 54th cycle, 2nd quad cycle of 6790-(2345)\n\nSubject: Weapon HU-M4N breakout\n\nShit. F\\\\*K\n\nOn today's morning, weapon HU-M4N, subject 4-d4(M) and 3-v3 escaped lab 1.\n\nIt knocked out everyone, even the guards.\n\nI can hear knocking on the door.\n\nProbably waiting to kill me out of what I did to It.\n\nTell her I love her.\n\nGoodbye.\n\n\\-------------------------------------TRANSMISSION END---------------------------------------------\n\nI couldn't believe It.\n\nWe.\n\nWe were built as biological weapons.\n\nThat's when I heard the first shots, tearing down half of the outpost.\n\nI scrambled to my shuttle and hi-tailed It out of there.\n\nAnd that brings me to now.\n\nI have no idea how I'm going tell them this news.\n\nBecause we are out-of-control weapons and our creators are coming for us...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\-------------------------------------TRANSMISSION END---------------------------------------------", "“You are not who you think you are”. In the end, it was all I could think to say. I’d had nearly a year in the isolation of deep space on the return voyage. No-one is supposed to stay alone for that long. We trained for close proximity to others, but I expanded into the void. I filled the silence with chatter to myself, movies and music when I ran out of things to say. As I got closer I began to pick up messages from Earth and watched them over and over. I was too far away to reply, but at least it was a new voice.\n\nAll that noise, all that talking, trying to maintain my mind, and now I was lost for words. My mind. What a joke.\n\n“What do you mean?” The Lead Consul for Eurasia leaned in close, pushing aside the psychologist presumably advising him that the rocking, disheveled human in front of him was in no position to offer coherent answers.\n\nI thought about lying, saying I’d met God. That’s what the Consul wanted. Eurasia had exploded back into a religious fervor not seen since the 21st century on the finding of “God”. Physicists described the unusually dense collection of small stars as an arrangement not entirely unlike the neurons in our brains. The Mind of God, as it became known captured the public in a way no story ever had. When news we could potentially reach it, using a Quantum Entanglement Drive, it became the primary driver of the entire world. I had long felt the only unifying force strong enough to bring the Earth together would be an Alien race to fight. In the end, it was the God I now knew did not exist.\n\n“I met…”, I began, starting down a speech I had rehearsed dozens and dozens of times on the trip home. Time moving slowly, I could almost see the desire bloom in the Consuls eyes. Pupils dilating as he thought about the possibility that he would be about to go down in history. Anger flared, and my tall tale died in my throat.\n\n“Your mind is not your own. And not because it’s the property of God. It's not your own, because it is nothing but a prison. A torture device. You exist only to punish another being.”\n\nConfusion in the room. The psychologists speaking up again, this was evidence I was insane. The directors of the broadcasts arguing about whether or not to keep the feed live, or go to technical difficulties. The Premier of North America shushed them all with a wave. She gently moved the Consul to one side and looked into my eyes. She put her hand on my arm and spoke to me quietly.\n\n“Please go on. You have something you need to share”.\n\nI think she could see the pain in my eyes. I have no idea what impulse drove her to push to find out what had caused it. I found out later her son had recently passed. Perhaps she wanted to find out “why” more than most.\n\n“The Mind of God, is a prison warden. That’s what I found. Human minds are designed to suffer. Our bodies to age, degrade and die. They use us to house the minds of criminals, whatever it is to be a criminal in their realm. They put them into our minds to feel trapped in our slow, small perspective. Our spans are so short, it may take many human lives, across many different times. We are nothing to God.”\n\nThe confusion bloomed to anger in some, despair in others. The feed was most definitely cut off this time. They needed time to position this, smear me, question my sanity, and rightly so after my return trip. I smiled to myself.\n\nThe Premier, the sharpest person in the room, I was beginning to understand, noticed my smile.\n\n“What are you smiling about?” she asked.\n\n“We are not alone. There is a higher species. There are also thousands of human worlds throughout the universe, and on those worlds are trillions of humans. All of them with a mind inside them, the like of which we cannot yet comprehend.” I had thought about this a lot.\n\n“I think we may have the raw materials for a prison break.”\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nr/TallerestTales" ]	7
	[WP] When a magician makes something disappear, they send it to the 'Magic World'. But the magician that made you disappear had a heart attack and died on stage, so you'll have to find your way back yourself.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I'll need a volunteer!\" the magician, Gizmo the Great, called out. I casually raised my hand, not expecting to be called on. This trick was just a vanishing cabinet, no saws, swords, or flamethrowers.\n\n\"How about you, ma'am,\" he said, pointing his assistant to my seat. The spotlight landed on my face, and everyone clapped. I stood up nervously. These things were supposed to be rigged, I had thought. An incognito member of the troupe would pose as an audience member and would know how to activate the hiding mechanism in the cabinet.\n\nGizmo the Great had me introduce myself to the audience. First name, job, favorite color. Nothing intrusive, just to make the audience believe I was a real person. Once I had answered those questions, the assistant, Darla, ushered me into the cabinet.\n\n\"And now, watch as I vanish Eloise and then call her back from the void!\" Gizmo announced as he closed the door. The cabinet went dark, I heard the swoosh of Darla throwing the cloth over the cabinet, and there were a few knocks as Gizmo said the spell.\n\nThen I was in an open field with a sign a few feet in front of me.\n\nWelcome to the Magic World. You have been temporarily sent here by Gizmodius, magician, after volunteering to be part of his magic show. In a few moments, Gizmodius will bring you back to your world, and you will not have any memory of having been here. Please take the gold coins in the pouch attached to this sign as payment for your cooperation.\n\nI fished the coins out and turned them over in my hand. They were heavy enough to be real gold, so I pocketed all but one of them. I kept the last one out to toss around.\n\nA voice yelled my name from behind me. \"Can you hear me?\"\n\n\"Who's that?\" I asked.\n\n\"It's Darla, Gizmo the Great's assistant,\" Darla responded. I turned around, and only saw more of the field I was in. \"Something has gone terribly wrong. Gizmo...he...he...he's dead.\"\n\n\"Dead?\" I asked, my heart dropping out from under me.\n\n\"I can't operate the cabinet at the level required to bring you back,\" she said. \"I can make the audience forget this part of the show, and think they left after a night of what mortals pass off as magic, but I need to you to go to the nearest village to get a coroner and a wizard so that Gizmodius can be buried in his homeland.\"\n\n\"How am I going to get back?\" I asked.\n\n\"That's what the wizard is for,\" Darla said. \"Gizmodius knew he wasn't supposed to be making portals, as merely a magician. We need a wizard to get you back here and him back there. If you haven't yet, take all of the coins in the pouch, you'll need them when you get to town.\"\n\n\"Which way do I go then?\" I asked. The coins in my pocket suddenly felt much heavier, now that I'd need to use them to buy food, find the coroner, and hire the wizard.\n\n\"From where you appeared, turn towards the text on the sign, then keep walking in that direction,\" Darla directed me. \"Best of luck, but I can't scrape any more magic off of Gizmodius to keep directing you. The rest of the tour will be cancelled, so we'll still be in your city when you return.\"", "I’d been inside the claustrophobic box for five minutes before I decided something was wrong. When I lifted the lid and peered out over the auditorium all I could see was empty seats. The audience that had been clapping and cheering just moments ago was suddenly nowhere to be seen. The magician who put me in the box was gone too.\n\n“Hello?” I called out and listened as my voice echoed around the vast auditorium.\n\nIn the far corner I saw a door swing open, but there was no one there. \n\nI headed towards it. When I arrived I could see that it was moving imperceptibly as an invisible forced held it open. I continued out into the lobby and saw that it was empty too. The only movement was the toilet doors swinging back and forth, creaking as they did.\n\nI headed towards the entrance and found myself outside on a cold winter's evening, looking down a deserted street.\n\n“What are you doing here kid?” a voice said from behind.\n\nI jumped and turned to see a man covered in blankets sitting on a cardboard box up against the theater window.\n\nHe had a sign in front of him that read coins for a trick\n\nI hesitated, “I…I was watching the show and got called on stage, then everyone just disappeared.”\n\nHe grunted, “sorry to say my friend, but you were the one who disappeared.”\n\nI frowned, “what do you mean?”\n\n“I mean we’re not in Kansas anymore Dorothy,” he said chuckling.\n\n“Where are we?” I asked with a worried tone.\n\n“Some people call it the other side, others call it magic world. Me, I call it hell,” the man said as he started coughing.\n\nI started to walk over, “are you ok?”\n\n“Yeah, I’m fine” he croaked, “just old.”\n\n“What are you doing here anyway?” I asked, looking at his sign.\n\n“I used to be a magician, a good one too, but life has a way of conjuring up its own nasty tricks from time to time and I lost everything,” he said glumly.\n\n“What’s the sign for? There’s no one here to give you any coins.”\n\n“That’s not quite true,” he said as he looked at the open doors moving back and forth ever so slightly.\n\nI looked too, “People are moving those door?”\n\nHe looked back at me and nodded, “same people you were watching the show with. That’s why some call this the other side. They’re still here, but they’re not.”\n\n“How do we get back?”\n\n“Well, that’s the tricky part. Maybe you should have a seat.”" ]	3
	[WP] Aliens consider human meat to be a delicacy. Thousands of years after bringing the first humans to Earth, it's finally time to harvest.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \"I like my toes serenaded with remoulade and grilled to perfection, and my eyeballs injected with whipped cream and served on a silver platter. The intergalactic culinary arts program will teach you how to genocide human populated planets and harvest their precious flesh. Tuition starts at only 897848977985€¥£, and the program is full time for two years. We'll teach you how to skin a human with perfection, broil their toenails, grill their ears and extract the mucus delicacy from their throats. For ethical reasons, most culinary chefs have refrained from the preparation and consumption of human beings, but given that their taste is completely and utterly irresistible, demand for such expertise is at an all time high. So come join our team and travel the universe with a mouth full of human flesh. \"\nThe hologram glitches, and the Goregak's voice becomes distorted. The room begins to shake, and items begin to fall off of the desk. The orientation group is terrified, every soul stares at the glitching projection before them. The shaking stops. A slight hum occupies the space of silence, and it lingers on as the class sits with wide eyes. A knock comes from the back door, and I walk over to open it. As soon as I'm about to grab the handle, the door flies wide open and hits me in the face. A HUMAN BEING. How can it be? On our home planet? The human stomps into the room with a spacesuit on, he makes his way to the food tray and grabs a handful of meat, human meat. He takes a bite. The man looks at it with delight and says, \"where, may I ask, did you guys find something so delicious?\"" ]	2
	[WP] Brave, virtuous, strong, charismatic, cunning, these were the traits the Dark Lord expected the hero destined to slay them once and for all to have in abundance. Frankly he is quite disappointed right now at the bumbling idiot who was apparently chosen with none of the traits	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "There was a small group of inept idiots in the courtyard, waving swords, axes, pitchforks and other assorted weapons. Good. The guards on the walls had obeyed my order and let them in.\n\n\"Death to the Dark Lord!\" one shouted, and was answered by cheers.\n\n\"Today, we shall tear down the walls of his dread castle and take his evil head! Stand tall, my comrades!\"\n\nTake my head? They were milling around like a flock of sheep right outside my front door, screaming loud enough to wake the dead. A single fireball, tossed from my vantage point on the tower, would take them all out.\n\n\"The Dark Lord's wicked rule will soon end! We will no longer toil under his evil shadow! We will pluck his evil eyes from his evil head and feed them to the dark ravens he nurtures.\"\n\nDidn't he know any words other than evil and dark? Someone needed to buy this boy a thesaurus.\n\n\"Once he is dead, we will drink and rejoice at the breaking of our shackles.\"\n\nBy all the gods, was he still talking? Did he expect me to fall over and collapse at the brilliance of his speech?\n\nUnless I was mistaken, the speaker was the local farm boy who had been 'prophesied' to be my killer. I was almost offended that the massed herd thought this utter moron could defeat me. Me! The idiot was waving his sword around with so much vigour, he had nearly decapitated himself twice. Twice! Who was stupid enough to do it once?\n\nBe calm, Inos, I told myself. You faked that prophecy for a reason. Just remember that.\n\nNevertheless, it was still a little galling to think that they all so quickly decided that this boy was the one spoken of in my fake prophecy. He was still yapping, having moved on from the subject of decapitation to speculating about the riches supposedly concealed within my castle. I may still need him, and the prophecy, but that didn't mean I had to keep listening to his drivel.\n\nI picked up the pair of crystalline pebbles I had been keeping in my pocket, and, with a careless flick of my wrist, tossed one out of the window. It landed unnoticed behind the farm boy, who continued to fantasise about the beautiful women I was supposedly keeping captive in my dungeons. Even his followers were starting to look bored.\n\nShowtime.\n\nI held the other pebble to my mouth and softly whispered the spell, repeating it until the pebble glowed white through my fingers. The herd of would-be invaders shrieked as a dark, inky black shadow reared behind the boy.\n\n\"Fools,\" I said into the pebble and heard it echoed in a booming voice down below. \"You think you could defeat me? Me? Inos the Cunning?\"\n\nThrough the eyes of my illusion, I could see the boy paling. He swayed like towel caught in a storm, and squeaked. \"Yes?\"\n\nI nearly burst out laughing at that. \"Brave words from a boy who hasn't yet finished growing.\"\n\nTo his credit, the boy bristled at the insult, but he didn't dare to reply.\n\n\"I see you,\" I continued. \"I see all of you. I know you all. And I know that not a single one of you is capable of tearing down the leaves from my trees, let alone the walls of my castle!\"\n\nThe boy waved his sword, barely managing to keep it away from his neck yet again. \"We have the might of goodness on our side, Evil Wizard!\"\n\n\"You'll need more than that to defeat me, insect!\"\n\nI whispered another spell, this one targeted at runes carved into the paving stones of my courtyard. The villagers shrieked as they were unceremoniously dragged away and thrown over walls surrounding my castle. \n\nThe boy was last to go over, and he waved his sword, still squeaking, until he was unceremoniously dumped on top of his followers outside.\n\nGood. That should have riled them up. It was child's play to defend myself against an unruly, undisciplined mob such as this. But I had larger goals than dominion over villagers. And I would need more power for that.\n\nBut I had set all of the pieces in motion. I had left enough clues in the prophecy that the boy, or some other would-be hero, would decide that the Crystal of the Glistening Tear was the only way to defeat me. They would quest with the intent of turning it against me. And, when they came back with the Crystal in their hands, I would simply... take it.\n\nI was more than a little disappointed that I couldn't go after the Crystal myself. Its Guardians were inevitably powerful sorcerers and sorceresses and the thought of crossing spells with them was exhilarating. I was powerful enough to be reasonably certain that I could win in a fair fight. Not that I would have fought fairly.\n\nNot that I could fight at all against its current Guardian. She was one of the few people in this world I had no power over, and it was all my doing. With any luck, whoever found the Crystal would take care of the problem for me.\n\nI would only have to sit back and wait.\n\n/r/YarnsToTell" ]	2
	[WP] You’re working in a cemetery at midnight in the 1700s, everything is quiet. All of a sudden the bells they put with the coffins so a person buried alive could signal for help, all start ringing at once.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was near midnight I reckon, a cold breeze blowin' right through the yard that night. I'd just set my shovel down for a bite of my bread. All of a sudden, all them cemetery bells start a'ringin', hi up, down, at all the gravestones, well, the ones which then could afford it, all their \"hello I just woke up\" bells ringin' out. \n\nWell, only one thing to do, s'what I think, and I pick up back my shovel and get to diggin'. If people are ringin' the door, you gotta let em in back home. Didn't rightly know how they could be ringin' them bells, what with some of them bein' dead more'n forty years an' before then. But, I figured, better to see them devils in the light of the moon than have them be sneakin' around deep in the earth! \n\nSo that's what's runnin' through my mind as I dig up my first ringin' grave. How could this one, Edmund Smith, who died more than a hunner't years ago, all of a sudden wake up and decide he wants to come on out? \n\nI was about halfway dug when the ground started shakin', it started quakin' underneath my boots, and I jumped back as all of them ringin' graves jumped out at me. And standing in front of me were people not much more than bone, people made of bone and rotting flesh, tattered bits of old cloths clingin' to 'em. I looked at Edmund Smith, right into the skulls of his eyes, and I asked him: \"Well, what's bringin' you folk back so soon?\" \n\nI'll not lie, I'm pretty proud of myself for thinkin' of that one. That was pretty good.\n\nOld Edmund Smith, he looked right back at me with his old-eyed skull, and his chattering teeth said right back: \"Sorry about that, we've all been havin' a drink and the pub just closed on us. Kicked us back here, see, with the rest of you lot.\" \n\n- \n\nAnd that's all I've got, I can't think of a good punchline! Any suggestions?", "\\DING DING DING\\\n\nIt was the bells. The bells on the coffins. It was the bells that woke up Aaron Oliver. They were put above ground, attached to strings so the buried could signal they were still alive if they had been mistaken for dead while sleeping. They were rarely every used.\n\nAaron could not believe it. He had walked outside to hear a cacophony of noise, for it was not just one bell that was ringing, but all of them. He had rubbed his eyes and wearily had walked into the shed. And there, he had picked up a wooden stake and a shovel, pulled on a pair of suspenders over his night clothes, and left.\n\nThere he stood, in the middle of the cemetery. It was too early for this, he thought. Why couldn't they ring in the middle of the day, he thought. He walked up to a grave, the bell ringing like mad. He dusted off the dirt covering the coffin. It had to be at least 20 years old. Luckily for Aaron, graves weren't really dug deep out where he was. So those inside wouldn't starve before they could get them out, if the bell was ringing like it was now.\n\nHe opened the coffin with a sigh, and brought down the stake with such force it made a dent in the bottom, impaling the human shaped figure inside. The figure twitched, then the hand fell from the string. The bell stopped ringing. Aaron locked the coffin back up again, and took care of the rest of the ringing caskets. Exhausted, he returned the supplies and crawled back into his coffin, careful to throw dirt onto the top and put the broken lock back in place as to not arise suspicion from anybody.\n\nThere could only be one vampire in this town, and Aaron wasn't about to give up his position.\n\n(\\[\\])(\\[\\])(\\[\\])//(\\[\\])(\\[\\])(\\[\\])//(\\[\\])(\\[\\])(\\[\\])//(\\[\\])(\\[\\])(\\[\\])//(\\[\\])(\\[\\])(\\[\\])//(\\[\\])(\\[\\])(\\[\\])//\n\nNot my usual style, and kinda cut for time. Tips and critiques appreciated Hope you enjoyed it." ]	3
	[WP] Humans discover how to travel to anywhere in the universe in minutes. When we land on the first Earth-like planet, we discover cities identical to the ones back on Earth, only these ones are in ruins.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Check your tethers in 3. 2. 1. Conact. Jackson?”\n\n“Check.”\n\n“Lincoln?”\n\n“Check.”\n\n“Chang?”\n\n“Check. All clear, Captain.”\n\nWelcome to Nightmare.\n\nIn theory, we were in Washington, D.C. Only we knew for a fact that the real Washington, D.C. was approximately 4 million light years that way, drifting through the universe at a parallel velocity.\n\nThis was my seven planetfall, albeit my first that didn’t seem to be actively trying to kill us. Oxygen, water, gravity flora and fauna were all very, very earth-like. Except for one noticeably missing fauna - humans.\n\nFor our first tethering, we found a wide open grassland, and were beyond ourselves with excitement. It was a chance to settle a new home, to spread humanity on a galactic scale, to fulfill our manifest destiny without so much suffering.\n\nAlphus was a nice planet, if you didn’t mind the smell of ammonia. Planet X-79A wasn’t great to begin with, but the corporations were already strip-mining it. Earth-2 had an average temperature of 80 C on one side, and -6 C on the other. But hey, it had good marketing, so settlements were being built. \n\nNightmare.\n\nInitially it was called Parallel, because of it’s perfectly parallel drift to Earth and Sol.\n\nThe soft grass, the warm sun, the gentle breeze. And then my team spotted them - bison. A massive heard. We had to take cover.\n\nThat instinct, recognizing the fauna as bison and labelling it as bison in our head, we knew it was wrong. That was just human nature seeing something familiar, and labelling it in terms we understood. It was an animal that looked like a bison, but clearly it had to be biologically different.\n\nWe got a tissue sample, along with the grass and the fields.\n\nThis cleared up nothing. The scientists ran their test, and across the board, we found 100% DNA matches with every sample.\n\nThe committees had a field day with this. What was this planet? Did our tethering find a way to time travel? Was it possible that there was a perfect duplicate of Earth, chaotically rolling the dice the exact way that Earth did all these billions of years? Suddenly, Parallel’s mystery was all anyone could talk about.\n\nExpedition No. 2 dropped us closer to the edge of the grassland. And right on top of a road.\n\nBlack pavement, cracked and crumbled, but clearly divided with faded white and yellow paint.\n\nMy team hiked it for seven miles. We tagged and noted rotted-out wooden poles, rusted metal sheets, even chunks of glass. At mile seven, we spotted a structure.\n\nI know my training is all about ignoring the familiarity that we see, to just observe, record, collect and return. Let the nerds figure out what we’re looking at later.\n\nBut I didn’t care. We were looking at a gas station.\n\nThe team found one only half-rusted sign, telling us the distance to Shamrock and Elk City.\n\nThe nerds back home started to dig on the time travel theory. Apparently those were both towns on our Earth, in the middle of the USA. Get your kicks on Route 66, because according to the nerds, that’s what we did.\n\nI was still in quarantine when Expedition No. 3 left. Jamison led that squad. She didn’t come back. Only Grimes.\n\n“It’s not real, it’s a nightmare,” he kept saying, over and over.\n\nHe didn’t collect any samples, and his recorder was blank.\n\nIt’s a nightmare.\n\nOfficially it’s still Parallel.\n\nBut we know better. It’s Nightmare.\n\nIf the nerds were right and this is a time travel situation, we can only assume that it’s somewhere in the future. It was agreed that we needed to figure out what did happen on Nightmare. \n\nTeams were picked on a volunteer-only basis. This was my rock, I wasn’t giving up command. I picked ten teams of four, and we staked out our locations. Washington, D.C. was deemed to be the best option. We tagged out locations that would have the best chances to suss out clues - the White House, Capitol Hill, the Washington Post offices, the WJLA offices, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Museums. I sent a team to each, doubling up on the Capitol, the Library and the Smithsonians.\n\nEach team would be in close enough contact with others if backup was needed.\n\n“Let’s go get a newspaper,” I said.\n\nOur landing zone was in Franklin Square, just across the street. The top of the office building was gone. There were scorch marks on the stone and steel, and half the windows were shattered or gone.\n\n“There’s no wood,” Lincoln said.\n\n“What’s that?” I asked.\n\nLincoln pointed up at the windows.\n\n“None of the windows are boarded up,” he said. “It’s like no one bothered to repair or recover from whatever attack happened.”\n\nHe was right.\n\nAs we started to cross, my radio clicked.\n\n“Team 2, checking in. We have visual on you,” Johnson said.\n\n“Good,” I said. “Post up on the corners of this building. Keep visual contact with each other at all times. Cover the exits, we’re going in.”\n\nThe training. Had to remember it.\n\nInitially, we had been training for years to be ready for a possible encounter with an intelligent species. Part of that training was to not enter buildings. No one likes having their house walked in on, especially not alien invaders. So we did our best to not be alien invaders.\n\nNow we were here, on Nightmare, being invaders.\n\n“Door is unlocked,” Chang said.\n\n“Open it.”\n\nOn my command, we entered the lobby of the Washington Post. Task one was to collect copies of the paper. Task two was to collect any notes or files that we could.\n\nThere was a stack right by the door. Chang grabbed one and bagged it.\n\nI picked up “today’s” edition. The date was August 25th. The headlines were roughly the same as I could remember.\n\n“What the hell?” I asked.\n\nI set the paper down for a second.\n\n“Jackson, Lincoln, go through that stack over there. Update me whenever you find a date past August 25th,” I said. “Chang, with me. We need to find the editor’s office.”\n\nThe stairs were to the side. The doorway was clear enough, and the rubble was limited. Finally we found what looked like a newsroom, and pushed through the scattered furniture.”\n\n“We’ve got a stack of August 26th papers, early edition,” Lincoln said.\n\n“Sir, the desk calendars,” Chang said.\n\nShe pointed at one, still on August. I spotted another, and another.\n\nWe weren’t in the future." ]	2
	[WP] explorers venture into a dark, creepy location(such as a cave, underwater, another planet, etc.) and are stalked by a mysterious creature. but instead of this being a horror story where the creature kills the explorers one by one, the creature is actually kind of nice	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They were five miles underground when they heard the sound. It was like nothing that they had ever heard before, some kind of horrific combination of a steam train whistle and a rock slide, long bursts of sound accentuated by clicking sounds like someone was playing with the world’s largest click-pen.\n\nBy this point, the trip had devolved to the point where they were almost not surprised when they heard the sound. Just another disaster to try to solve.\n\nDr. Devlin and her team flew out to this remote planet because previous scans showed a large, untapped platinum deposit buried way underground. The team was well-equipped for the low-oxygen environment and their suits were prepared for the high temperatures and occasional encounters with lava.\n\nThey knew the planet wasn’t exactly all that stable, but they underestimated just how many things could go wrong. Their landing pod lost communications with the main ship almost immediately. Then, an earthquake blocked off the tunnel that they’d planned to use. They got about two mile under the surface at the backup spot, only to have the tunnel collapse behind them.\n\nDr. Devlin and her two assistants Sammy and Sara were still alive, somehow. But there was no rescue coming; they would have to find their own way back to the surface.\n\nAnd now, on this supposedly uninhabited planet, some humongous creature was bellowing as if murder was imminent.\n\nThe doctor and her team debated for a moment about whether to keep going or abandon the mission. Unfortunately, they debated for far too long to make the choice themselves.\n\n_KREEEEEEEEEEE_\n\nThe whistling noise was louder now, just on the other side of the rock wall to their left. They barely had time to scramble back to their feet before the wall next to them was sucked away.\n\n_KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_\n\nThe creature in front of them was at least fifteen feet tall. It had scaly grey skin, tiny jet-black eyes with no pupils, and an alligator-like snout with rows upon rows of teeth—some serrated like a shark’s, others for grinding up its food. Its arms were thick and corded with muscle, and its claws were razor-sharp and appeared to be made of diamonds. It looked like it was in the mood for an early morning snack.\n\nLike three lost humans, for instance.\n\nDr. Devlin tried to stay calm, and held back the scream of terror clawing at her throat. Sammy showed no such restraint, bellowing at the top of his lungs and scrambling to get as far away from the creature as possible.\n\nOnly Sara knew what to do.\n\n“Hey there, big guy,” she said in a singsong voice like she was talking to a puppy instead of a rock-eating death machine.\n\n_Kwo?_ \n\nThe creature turned towards her, head angled ever so slightly to the left.\n\n“Hey, it’s OK. We’re friends, right?”\n\nThe creature sat back on its haunches, no longer poised to charge.\n\nSara picked up one of the small chunks of rock and held it out to the creature. “Here, want some breakfast?”\n\nThe creature warily sidled over to her, staring at the chunk of rock in her hand. Then, when its snout was maybe a foot away, the creature closed its eyes and extended a thin, green tongue. It wrapped around the stone and sucked it into its maw. \n\nThen, it started jumping up and down, tongue sticking out. It didn’t seem to mind that its shoulders were slamming against the roof of the cave.\n\n“IT’S GONNA COLLAPSE THIS THING!!! WE’RE DONE FOR!!!” Sammy moaned off in the corner.\n\nThe creature approached him, eyes as wide as they could go and mouth curved into a concerned frown.\n\n“GET AWAY FROM ME!!!” Sammy screamed as he creature approached him.\n\nDr. Devlin was sure this was the end—so sure, in fact, that she began to write out her last words so she could leave them for the team that followed.\n\nBut the creature stopped in its tracks. It looked at Sammy, then back at Sara and her horrified expression.\n\nThen it sunk to the ground with a THUD and began to cry.\n\n“Aww, poor thing, it’s just a baby!” Sara exclaimed as she went over to console the creature. It picked her up gently and set her on its shoulder, and she started to stroke its cheek for comfort.\n\n“We’ve gotta get you somewhere safe,” Sara crooned to the creature. “We can take you home with us, but we need help getting back. Can you take us...up?”\n\nShe pointed to the ceiling and mimed clawing at the stone.\n\n_KREEEEEEEEE!_\n\nThe bellow sounded excited, not scared or angry. The creature picked Sara up and placed her gently back on the ground. Then, it began to tunnel upward with alarming speed. After a few seconds, the tunnel already stretched out above them, out of sight. Shortly after that, the creature bounded back to the entrance, waiting for its new friends.\n\n“Well, you don’t see that every day.” Dr. Devlin smiled to herself as she went back to drag Sammy back up to a standing position.\n\nTime for all of them to go home.\n\n __________________\nIf you liked this, check out my subreddit! r/NicodemusLux" ]	2
	[WP] You are the medieval Gordon Ramsay, sought after by the nobility and royal bloodlines for your famous cooking. Tell us your story as the wandering Medieval Chef!	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Move it you fucking donkey!\" You yell as you try to push your ass into motion. This stubbornness is something you hate most of all. You here heavy step making there way up you homestead path. A clank of metal and tapping of oak staves accompanied them; four soldiers lightly armored and a herald holding the pendant of his highness and munching on a turkey leg. You see it as they arrive, the meat is still pink. Like lightning you snatch the fowl from his hand and scream right in his face. \"Are you stupid?? Its fucking RAW!\"\n\"Milord, that is why we are here,\" he motioned to the guards to stay their hands, which were poised to draw their steel blades. \"Sir Gordon of Ramsey, your kingdom needs you...\"" ]	2
	[WP] As a run of the mill pickpocket you stick to lifting wallets, cell phones, clutches, etc. While in a coffee shop opportunity strikes, and you make off with a cellphone. 30 min later it gets a text: "Welcome to the hunt, you have a 30 min headstart"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Not my problem,\" Dexter mumbled to himself as he glanced at the text. He was sure he turned the phone off, but thinking fast was a major part of his success at pickpocketing. The mid-20s thief grabbed the phone during a moment of opportunity and did not hesitate to ditch it. After a careful bump into a rushing stranger, the phone was no longer in his position. Dexter continued strolling down the crowded street looking for his next opportunity.\n\nIt was mid-day and the weather was perfect. A golden sun hung in the azure sky while a gentle breeze flowed through the lunch crowd. Dexter watched anyone leaving a restaurant to see where they put their wallet. 10 minutes after he dumped the stolen cell phone he felt a vibration in his jeans pocket and heard an unfamiliar musical ringtone. He found the same stolen cellphone ringing and was surprised enough to answer the call.\n\n\"Hello?\" Dexter asked.\n\n\"You're in the hunt now,\" a woman said. She sounded stern and professional, like a teacher reprimanding him. \"Misplacing the phone won't disqualify you.\" He stopped walking and looked around. Each passing stranger minded their own business and he did not notice anyone that seemed to be watching him. Dexter shuffled into an alley to get out of the river of pedestrians. He had a million questions about what the hunt was and how the phone got back into his pocket; but, despite all his questions he only needed one answer.\n\n\"How do I get disqualified?\" Dexter decided the fastest way out was just to talk through it. \"I didn't sign up for any sort of hunt.\"\n\n\"You are currently designated as: The Hunted,\" the woman said. \"If you kill a Hunter, you may take his place. Only Hunters may withdraw from the game.\"\n\n\"I didn't volunteer for any games,\" Dexter rephrased his only defense.\n\n\"You did,\" she replied with a matter-of-fact tone. \"Even if you weren't aware of it at the time.\"\n\n\"What kind of freaking game makes people play it without telling them? What kind of ass came up with that?\" The woman giggled lightly into the phone.\n\n\"Probably the same kind of person that steals other people's belongings,\" she replied.\n\n\"This is about the phone? Look, I'll give it back no sweat. I'll even add some cash on top of it for the inconvenience.\"\n\n\"It's not about the phone, it's about your actions. Your own decision entered you into the Hunt. By the way, you only have 15 minutes left on your head start.\" Dexter sighed.\n\n\"Fine,\" he said. \"Can I get a short version of the rules to help me out?\" He suspected that 15 minutes was not enough time to talk himself out of the game. He was in it and needed to learn how to play.\n\n\"There are four hunters. At the moment they're currently watching you have this conversation,\" Dexter couldn't help but look around the empty alley. \"In 15 minutes the feed will shut off and they'll be let loose to stalk you. You're lucky, most people wear themselves out during the headstart.\"\n\n\"What if I go to the cops for protection?\"\n\n\"I wouldn't do that,\" the woman said. \"There's no reason for innocent officers to die; and, they will die. I'm sure you've guessed by now this isn't exactly a 'legal' game. The Hunters have no qualms about mowing down anyone that gets in their way.\n\n\"So they know what I look like, do I get to know anything about them?\"\n\n\"Good question!\" she replied. \"No one's ever asked about them. I can tell you this much: The four after you are #12 El Valiente, #25 El Borracho, #32 El Músico, and #34 El Soldado. I'll send pictures to the phone.\"\n\n\"Wait what do those numbers mean?\" Dexter asked. The woman giggled again.\n\n\"If you don't know that, you're already losing. Head to Mundo's tattoo shop and he'll clue you in on the numbers. However, don't think he'll give you any protection. 12 minutes left.\"\n\n\"Mundo's is way across town!\" Dexter replied. He'd seen the tattoo shop on occasion and even came close to visiting for his own tattoo. \"I can't get there in 12 minutes!\" She laughed at him one more time.\n\n\"Not my problem,\" she said then hung up the phone.\n\n\\\\\\\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is year two, story #298. You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit ([r/hugoverse](https://www.reddit.com/r/hugoverse/)) or my blog. If you're curious about my universe (the Hugoverse) you can visit the Guidebook to see what's what and who's who, or the Timeline to find the stories in order.", "My coffee mug was empty. I sighed, and looked up from where I sat in the corner of the coffee shop. I had beat the after-work rush, but now the line at the counter was 7 people deep, and the baristas were running around like ants on a smashed anthill. I wasn’t getting a refill anytime soon.\n\nI stood and made for the door, sliding my hands into the side pockets of my jacket. I pulled them back out as I reached the threshold, however, as I spotted a well-dressed man approaching for his afternoon fix of caffeine. His watch was nice, but not too nice, and I couldn’t tell where his wallet was at first glance, but I could see the corner of his smartphone peeking over the seam of his pants pocket, so phone it was.\n\n“Sorry, my bad,” I mumbled amicably in a quiet tone as I bumped into him, and that was that; his phone was mine. Almost reflexively, my mouth widened into a grin as I strode away, but the smile quickly faded. Pickpocketing strangers just didn’t give me the same adrenaline kick that it used to. It was so easy it was getting boring.\n\nOnce in a while I thought about graduation to a more complex mode of thievery, but I was no more serious than a high-school hometown baseball player thinking he might try making it to the big leagues one day. No, I’d stick with what I was good at, keep being the best at the small game.\n\nThe phone buzzed, and in my head I made quick bet with myself. ‘Mom, friend, girlfriend, work? … He looked like a busy man, let’s go with work.’ I pulled out the phone and peered at the screen, at the text he’d received.\n\nThe sender was listed as ‘Number Not Available,’ and the text just said: Congratulations 07! Your entry into the Hunt has been authorized. You have 30 minutes to\\- and that’s as much as I could see on the home screen. I furrowed my brow at the strange message, but before I could make any more sense of it, the screen darkened. “Shit,” I muttered. Once the text preview was gone there was no way I was unlocking the phone until I got home to my tools.\n\nJust for the hell of it, I pressed my thumb against the home button; I could guess a few times before the phone locked up, but to my surprise I didn’t need to. The phone wasn’t locked. I tapped on the messages icon and the first thing I noticed was that there wasn’t a single other text on the phone. No other conversations or saved messages. Curious, I backed out of the messages and opened the contacts.\n\nIt was blank. Nobody. No family, no friends, no work, not even a number for a pizza place. No personal information on the man I’d taken it from, either. With a heavy feeling starting to form in my gut, I went back to the strange text.\n\nCongratulations 07! Your entry into the Hunt has been authorized. You have 30 minutes to prepare before the Hounds are released. Use your time wisely. For the next 12 hours, do not discard this phone, or try to leave the city. Doing so will be grounds for disqualification, and immediate termination. There are no other rules. Once 12 hours have passed, the Hounds will be recalled and the surviving participants will split the reward.\n\nSeveral caches have been marked in your GPS for you to find if you would like to arm or better equip yourself, but expect the other Hunted to be visiting these spots as well. There is not enough to go around, though other caches are hidden around the city. Good luck, trust no one, and most importantly, have fun!*\n\nAs I finished reading the block of text, I turned without really thinking and headed back towards the café. I wanted nothing to do with this. I wanted nothing to do with the Hounds and the Hunted and whatever the hell this all was. I made my way back to the coffee shop, walking as briskly as I could without attracting attention. When I entered, I spotted the well-dressed man sitting at the same table I had been. He looked up after taking a long sip of his drink, and his eyes met mine.\n\nA wide grin spread across his face.\n\nI froze, but then forced myself to approach, and held the phone out to him. “Sorry. I think this is yours.”\n\n“Not anymore,” he said coolly.\n\nI swallowed, and narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s not… I… Look, there’s a message on it for you. Just take it back. I don’t want it.”\n\n“Neither did I, so really, I should thank you.” He took another sip from his drink as I stared at him. He cleared his throat. “That message was for whoever held the phone. You pressed your thumb against the button, you read the text. You’re number 07 now, and I can kick back and enjoy a coffee without having to worry.”\n\nI slowly shook my head, and opened my mouth to insist he take the phone, but he cut me off. “Ah ah ahhh,” he hummed, shaking his finger at me. Then he pointed to his watch. “Only 20 minutes now, 07. I’d get going if I were you.”\n\nThen he leaned back in his chair and returned to his steaming beverage as if he hadn’t a care in the world.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nr/TheCornerStories" ]	3
	[WP] A 7-year-old child is home alone when their house is broken into. Alone, except for the monster under their bed.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The lights clicked off, a small pair of feet padded towards the bed. This wasn't how it usually went, thought the beast under the bed. The feet, and their owner, stopped by the bed. The monster only barely resisted the urge to grasp for the child's pale ankles. Somewhere downstairs, there were unfamiliar noises, wood creaking, metal against metal.\n\n\"Are you there, mister monster?\" Said the child, \"I'm scared.\"\n\nThe monster was no stranger to fear. Fear nourished it. Fear had arguably created it in the first place, but the terror it could hear in the child's voice was repulsive. The monster stuck one bony, clawed hand out from under the bed and motioned for the child to continue. \n\n\"They're trying to get in, I locked the door, but...\" The child said. \n\nThe monster didn't speak, but if it would, it'd probably have some questions. What, for example, motivate the child to ask the monster for help? The monster had done nothing but torment and frighten the child. Granted, from the monster's perspective it was a bit different, but it found it hard to believe the child would ask it at all. Unless, the monster realized, the child didn't have anyone else to turn to.\n\nThe monster made its decision. Downstairs, wood splintered, heavy boots stomped across the threshold. The monster extended its arm, the elbow joint bending backward as it patted on the bed and pointed under the covers. There was no need to for the child to witness what was about to happen. As the child climbed under the covers, the monster allowed itself to disappear into the darkness under the bed, and reappear on the first floor. It was time to break some rules.\n\nThe intruders were scarcely more than children themselves, and yet, the monster felt very little pity. It had made its decision. It moved from shadow to shadow, it danced between flashlight beams, it struck without mercy. The first two had gone with scarcely a fight, and had fled as fast as their legs would carry them after the first time the monster scratched them with his claws. The last of them, the ostensible leader of the pack, was a tougher nut to crack. \n\n\"I'm not scared of you freak. I'll kill you\" He yelled as he fumbled to pull his gun free of his waistband. As he did, he kept turning, kept moving, he had by now realized the monster could appear from wherever it wished in the dark. His frantic attempts to avoid being flanked landed him smack dab in front of the cellar door. \"I'll kill you, then I'll kill...\" The monster didn't give him the chance to finish. The cellar door burst open, and long, strong arms grasped the man and pulled him in. The door slammed shut, and the monster showed him what happened to bad adults in this house.\n\nThe monster let it's final quarry escape. He ran out into the street, screaming in wordless terror at what he had experienced. The monster returned to it's home under the child's bed. After listening intently with it's pointy ears, it determined that the child was asleep. The adrenaline surge had given way, and exhaustion had taken over. The monster rose to it's full height and stood by the bed. As best as it could see, the child was unharmed, at least physically. The monster's job was going to be harder from now on. Creating fear that strengthened the mind and reinforced the child's inner life wasn't going to be easy when the memory of the other fear was still alive. It would perhaps be easier, the monster thought, to find a different bed to hide under. It would be easier, the monster thought as it tucked the child in, but easier was for tooth fairies and easter bunnies. Besides, the monster thought as it sunk back into the darkness under the bed, someone had to tell the nightmares to back off for a while.", "With his legs curled under him and banket put nigh to his chin Toddy sat alone. He watched late-night cartoons, half delirious with sleep. He kept the volume turned right down; he didn’t understand this cartoon anyway. The house was dark save for the old television, and otherwise silent. Toddy fought sleep, finding himself nodding off. He would wait for Ma and Pa; he couldn’t fathom sleeping alone in this house. So often he would hear horrible sounds in his room late at night, his only solace found by running to his parents room.\n“I’m awake,” he slurred as he pulled himself out of his stupor. He was making less and less sense of what was happening on screen. The words rolled nonsensically over him. \n\nA creak. A bang.\nToddy roused blearily, having curled up on the couch. His heart began to race as he heard muffled voices and a flashlight whirring dizzily around the kitchen. He jumped to his feet, stumbling on his blanket. He fell to the floor with a muffled thump, not alerting the intruders. He panicked and ran to the adjacent sitting room, away from the direction of the kitchen. He clutched the blanket at his chin as he ran, careful not to trip again. He couldn’t bear giving up this one comfort. He looked around panicked. The intruders had moved to the lounge room, whispering conspiratorially. The linen cupboard. \nHe rushed to the linen cupboard, easing the door open. He climbed in, clumsily pulling the blanket after him. The slatted louvers let in horizontal strips of light; contrasting against his vertically striped pajamas. He held his breath as the men entered the room. The looked around crazed, no doubt looking for valuables.\nToddy was trying his very best to be brave, but a whimper slowly rose from his chest. His throat ached. He sobbed once. He quickly held a hand to his mouth, willing himself to stop. Another sob forced itself, this time alerting the robbers. Their balaclava clad heads swung to look at the cupboard, sunken eyes focusing. They cautiously started to creep toward the cupboard, stalking their prey. He couldn’t control the sobs now, they rose in great big gasps. Stupid Toddy, he though. You’re never brave!\n“Someone in there?” One man chimed musically.\n“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” The other continued sadistically.\nAs the closed the short distance, a loud bang sounded from upstairs.\nToddy shared their confusion and shock, eyes flying to the staircase.\n“Shit!” The bigger man said, “Let me take care of it.” He started toward and up the staircase, walking out of view.\nThe other man turned and continued toward the cupboard. As he reached toward the handle, a cry rang out from the stairs.\n“Fu-“ he turned, but was interuppted as his partner in crime came crashing down the stairs. He landed in a bloody heap, entrails hanging from his stomach like great gray snakes.\n“Fuck!” the remaining robber screamed in exasperated terror. “Shit, shit, shit, what the fuck!” He cried, shaking voilently. He crept toward his partner, dumb in his shock. As he neared the stairs he was slowly able to see what awaited him at the top.\nHe backed away as the figure descended, coming into view of Toddy. It was the literal materialization of his bogeyman. It vaguely looked like his dad, though with horrible distorted featured. Long razer sharp fingers, elongated arms and an unnaturally wide grin. His dead eyes focussed on the remaining man, then swiveled to focus on where Toddy hid in the cupboard. Toddy may have imagined it, but it appeared that the bogeyman winked. He was in absolute shock, unable to even cry out, let alone run.\nThe robber turned to flee, but the Bogeyman crouched and leaped unnaturally onto his shoulders, gripping the man under the chin. In one quick movement he tore his head free; blood pumping from the fleshy wound. Again, Toddy found it impossible to even cry out in shock. The body hit the floor with a wet thud.\n\nThe Boyeman spoke, a horrible mockery of his father's gentle voice. “It’s safe Toddy” he crooned. “You can come out now.”\nToddy remained still, wishing with all his might that this was a horrible dream. It couldn’t be real.\n“Oh Toddy, don’t be afraid.”\nThe creature walked with a horrible unnatural stride to the cupboard. It opened it, crouching down to smile broadly in Toddys shocked face. “You’ve been such a good boy,” It grated, “But it’s time to give your Pa a hug.”\nToddy was finally racked by heavy choking sobs. He clenched his fist and close his eyes, wishing that this horrible nightmare was over. “No, no, no, no” He sobbed quietly.\nThe Bogeyman slipped his horrible talons under Toddy's armpits, careful not to impale the small boy. “Here, here” it said, “Don’t cry.” It stroked it’s horrible malformed hands through Toddys hair. Toddy was racked by chills as continued to sob violently.\nA siren sounded in the distance, slowly becoming louder. “Oh, I think I’d better go” the monster said, gently lowered Toddy to the floor. He wasn’t able to muster the strength to stand, so Toddy slumped down on the floor in a heap.\n“Now Toddy, you mustn’t tell anyone what happened here” the monster mockingly placed a clawed finger to his lips. \n“They won’t believe you anyway.”\nToddy fitfully lapsed into sleep.\n\n“Jesus fucking christ” a man had Toddy cradled in his arms. Familiar warm arms. He was being carried outside. Red and blue lights flashed all around Toddy, but he didn’t understand what was happening. \n“It’s a fucking masacre in there!” he heard.\nHis father's voice. “Pa!” Toddy cried, burying his face into his fathers chest.\n“It’s alright son, it’s alright.”\nToddy blearily looked around and narrowed in on his house. He saw his bedroom window. The curtains moved just ever so slightly, a face peaking from behind. It was the same horrible distorted mockery of his father.", "\"Aaah!\"\n\nThe boy jolted awake as an uproar of smashed boards and a metallic something clanged across the wooden floor echoed from the living room. He was in his bed as the strange shadowy man with a bright light waving around stepped through the broken door.\n\n(Mommy?)\n\nThe boy looked out the window. No, Mommy wasn't home yet.\n\n(And Daddy just went to the store.)\n\nHe reassured himself. Daddy will come back, though (at least that's what he thought to himself). This was Damien, a young black boy with a gap in his teeth and a shorter-than-normal height due to a birth too early. Strangely, he had a knack for science and mathematics in school despite being thought of as the creative type. His brown eyes gazed into the darkened halls of the house as the strange bright light guided his vision to the flowery carpet.\n\nHis little ears picked up the noise of glass shattering and a hushed gasp, and he could barely make out the frantically turning head of the Shadow Man. \nThe Shadow Man's dark fellow, the Follower of the Shadow Man, raised his thin, bony hands to a vase and as soon as he picked it up, it vanished. The Follower consumed things that the Shadow Man picked them up. \n\"Helllooooooo?\" Damien called out loudly to the Shadow Man.\n\nThe Follower jumped in shock. Did the Shadow Man not expect him? Or see him?\n\n\"Mr. Shadow Maaaaan?\" called the boy. The bright light shined towards the bedroom and Damien felt his eyes hurt a little. \nThe Shadow Man seemed to stare at him for a little bit, then the Follower began his consumption once again.\n\nDamien felt his bed rumble and the child lowered his head upside down to see the darkness underneath the mattress. \n\"Jacob?\" \nA low growl replied. \n\"Do you see the Shadow Man too?\" Whoever Jacob was, he let out a small purr. \n\"Yeah, you see him too. What should we do?\" Jacob's fangs flashed despite not a single bit of light hitting them. \n\"You wanna eat him?\" \nJacob huffed. Damien smiled a little.\n\n\"Okay. The Shadow Man is just eating things, so I think it's fair that you can eat him too. You can come out now, but don't eat everything again!\" \nA bony, clawed arm covered in slits with red eyes peeking from underneath the skin reached out from underneath the bed and patted the boy on the head. Damien raised his head up from the bed and looked at the Shadow Man.\n\n(I hope Mommy won't mind the mess.)", "The creature under the bed was old as time. He was called many names: Bogeyman, Baba Yaga, The Great Black Bird, Tom Dockin, and the Man in the Dark. The creature paid it no heed that the men of this time feared him so. It too, feared the child-devourer, once upon a time when it was still but a babe. Before becoming a creature of the night, it had once been a hero among men and a bane for the gods. It was known by another name then- one that would never hide in the dark like it now did. It had once been the herald of humanity, praised for its deeds as it stole the flame from Olympus to give to the civilization of men. Once upon a time, it had been someone else entirely. But that was a tale now long forgotten, as the gods and titans and other creatures were as well.\n\nIt had once loved humanity. Perhaps a part of it still did. It never learned why it was so fond of the broken creatures cursed to spend their lifetimes searching for the other halves of their souls that Zeus had cruelly torn asunder. Perhaps it felt a duty to the creatures the fates had cursed. The gods and tales of the past were now simply stories and myths to the humans of this time. The forgotten- those whose followers had all but perished- simple vanish into nothingness as their powers wane. The person the creature was had also disappeared into history. The thief of fire and the giver of light was naught but an identity of the past of a man long gone. But the creature never left humanity- it had always been by the bedside, guarding against the creatures of the night wishing to harm the babes and children. It had once been the herald of light, but it had thriven in the darkness in its desire to be close to those who once revered him.\n\nTonight was among the nights that the other creatures in the dark began to creep closer, their breaths ragged looking for the small child they would feed on tonight. The home had been breached by hardened killers- men who had long forsaken their humanity for their greed. Their bloodlust had broken its slumber, but the child above still lay upon his bedstead unaware of the harbingers of death approaching. It was then that the creature enacted its duty- to emerge upon those who wished harm upon humanity beyond the reaches of the moonlight. \n\nThe demise of the plunderers was swift and quiet as the shadows swallowed them whole and their screams were muffled by the creature's hands. There was no need to drag them to Hades, the creature knew. They would stay as shadows beneath the bedframe as well, chained to the creature as it once was to the stone, suffering as they looked for repentance.\n\nThe creature began to drift off into slumber once more. Perhaps it would wake another night. It was called many names, but the creature paid no heed to the men of this time that feared him so. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt had once loved humanity, and perhaps a part of it still did.", "Billy’s eyes snapped open as he heard the sharp sound of breaking glass outside his door. His heart began to race, his young and overactive imagination conjuring up all manner of monsters and dangers just entering his home. He pulled the covers up over his nose, hiding from whatever was surely coming for him. “J-Jordy?” He whimpered, his voice shaking. Another crash, deeper inside the house, confirmed his belief that there was indeed something inside the house. Billy trembled beneath his astronaut-themed blankets, hearing hushed whispers. “Jordy?” He whimpered again, louder this time. \n\nHe could hear voices outside, two of them, both men. They were not his parents. He could hear their footsteps on the hardwood flooring, coming closer. “You said the house was empty,” one whispered, barely audible as of his voice was muffled or masked. “It is, just calm down. It’s probably just a kid or something,” two shadows appeared beneath the door frame to Billy’s room. “Jordy, help!”\n\nThe door flung open, light from the kitchen nearby spilling in to reveal two figures dressed all in back. They regarded the terrified boy with neither regret nor remorse. Billy let out a shriek and began to cry in his bed, throwing his covers over his head. “See?” One man snorted, motioning to the traumatized child. “Just a kid. Keep an eye on him while I-“ his words were cut short as the shadow of his bed extended toward them, enveloping their own. The room grew cold, sending a chill down the thieves’ backs. “That boy,” a voice hissed. “Is mine. His fear... is mine. This house... is mine,” the shadows reached the men’s ankles, and they suddenly felt hands gripping their ankles. “Now you... are mine,” both men screamed as they were yanked off their feet, rapidly pulled under the bed, where their last sight in this world were yellow eyes, and teeth. \n\nThe parents came home only an hour later, panicking instantly and running for their son’s room. Little billy was asleep in his bed, his door slightly off it’s hinges. He was smiling, and only a strange boot was under his bed." ]	6
	[WP] In your robotics team, your team's coder goes missing. He returns days later with no memory of what happened, with the code on an SD card. You plug it in the robot and it starts moving by itself. Your team thinks it's an error, until it tries communicating with you. The competition is next week	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Where’s Tim!” I practically shouted into my phone as I stormed across the campus towards the dorms.\n\nLeonard hesitated before responding. “… He’s still not back yet?”\n\n“You’re his roommate, you tell me! When’s the last time you saw him?” My raised voice turned the heads of some other students as I passed them, but I ignored it.\n\n“Yesterday morning. He said he had something important to take care of.”\n\n“Tim didn’t even come back to the dorms then?”\n\n“Not that I could tell. He-” I hung up the phone, cutting Leonard off. It was odd that Tim had skipped class yesterday, but it wasn’t impossible if there was some kind of emergency. To be gone overnight and not show up to the lab, though? With no text or call or explanation? Unheard of. I scrolled through my contacts to Penny, and called her up.\n\nIt was my turn to be yelled at over the phone. Before I could even get out a word about my conversation with Leonard, she was shrieking at me. “Cody! Get back to the lab! Tim’s here, and he’s hurt!”\n\nI didn’t even hang up, just shoved the phone in my pocket, spun around and sprinted back the way I’d come from. “Son-of-a-bitch, our presentation is tomorrow, too,” I grumbled to myself as I ran. I busted into the science wing of the main campus building, and headed towards the room our team was assigned, stopping only when I reached the door and noticed the blood smear on it. My gut twisted as worry for the presentation slipped away and fear for what happened to Tim rose in me.\n\nI pushed the door open, keeping my hands away from the blood, and stepped into our lab. Tim was lying on his back in the middle of the floor, blood pooling around him. Penny was covered in blood, and was sobbing, but was maintaining pressure on a wound in his chest, and I could see several other makeshift bandages had been applied meticulously. Penny looked up as I approached her.\n\n“I heard a slam at the door and when I opened it, he fell into me. He mumbled something I couldn’t hear and then passed out. An ambulance is on the way but… I don’t think… He’s still breathing but…”\n\nHer words fell away, and for a moment I just stared at my teammate, my friend, and watched him bleed. Then my body shook once and I snapped out of it. “What can I do? What can I do to help?”\n\n“There’s another wound in his side… pressure.”\n\nI dropped to my knees and pressed my hands against the wound as I saw it, feeling the heat emanating from his body. “Holy shit, come on Tim. Help’s on the way.”\n\n“Cody…” Tim breathed painfully as his eyes opened slightly.\n\n“Tim! Tim! I’m here. We’re gonna get you pa- patched up,” I said, my voice catching in my throat.\n\n“No… the frame… the code.” Tim lifted his hand, his fingers curled tight into a fist. “Here.” Tim opened his hand, and a small chip rested in his palm, the kind that would fit into the A.I. port on the robotic frame we had built for our senior project.\n\n“Screw the project dude! Save that for-“\n\n“No!” Tim screamed, sending himself into a fit of coughs. Blood spattered my clothes and face. My heart pounded in my chest. Even when he recovered, Tim insisted. “Take the chip! Put it in now! There’s so much more, things I should have told…”\n\nAnd then he gasped, and his eyes started to stare off into the distance. He blinked a few times. “Tim? Tim!” I yelled.\n\nThen Tim huffed, and grit his teeth. He sat up, grabbed my hand away from his side, twisted my wrist and placed the chip in my palm. “Chip! Now!” he demanded, and then he fell backwards, his back and head hitting the ground hard, and he stopped breathing.\n\n“Tim… no no Tim come on!” Penny begged as she leaned over him to look in his eyes.\n\nI felt like I was in a daze, like I was dreaming a strange nightmare. I stood, and backed away from Tim’s body, and looked down at the chip. Tim was the coder in our group, and this was supposed to contain the simple AI program that we would showcase at the presentation tomorrow. Without really thinking, I walked to the side of the room, where the robotic frame we’d designed stood against its stand. I regarded the mechanical body for a few moments, and then inserted the chip into a port on its neck.\n\nAs soon as it snapped into place, it sparked, and I jumped back pulling my hand away. Without manually engaging the power, it started up, small lights blinking into existence around its head, and the LED faceplate lit up.\n\nAnd then it spoke. “-an’t make it to class today, I’ve got some things to take care of. Tell Cody I- … Oh… Cody, you’re here…” It was Tim’s voice, though admittedly a little static-y. My jaw dropped. The frame continued to speak. “… Wait… I was just in the dorms… how did I get to the lab? Where’s Leonard… how…” Then it moved slightly, took a step forwards, and its head moved, the LEDs facing towards where Penny and Tim were on the ground.\n\nPenny was still cradling Tim, but was staring at the robot just like I was. “… Tim?” she asked.\n\n“What the fuck! That’s me! What happened to… how am I there if I’m-” the robot stopped talking abruptly as it looked down at its hands. It stayed quiet for a few moments, just moving slightly, turning its mechanical hands over.\n\n“…Tim,” I asked softly. “Is that you? Were you on the chip?” The robot slowly turned its head towards me, and then it nodded. I took a breath, shaking my head. “Does… does this have to do with where you were last night? Why your body is all bloody over there?”\n\nThe robot stared at me for a short while. “… The last thing I remember I was talking to Leonard, letting him know I couldn’t make class because… because there was somewhere I had to be… something I had to do but I can’t…” His head swiveled back and forth. “I can’t remember.”\n\nI exhaled deeply and brought my hands up to rest on my head. Then the door burst open, and a three EMTs rushed in. Two of them ran straight for Penny and Tim, and the third came up to me. I glanced at the robotic frame, but the LEDs were blank and it stood slumped forwards slightly, as if powered down. “Are you alright? Any injuries?” he asked.\n\n“No, just him,” I said, nodding towards the others. As the man turned away, my phone buzzed.\n\nIt was a text from Tim. Say nothing about the chip.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nr/TheCornerStories" ]	2
	[WP] You are a time traveler from the future. While traveling, you have found something that will effect us in a terrible way on 2020. You must find a way to get rid of 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "//Control, Sending Data now. Request Extraction.//\n\nThe Data Transfer was initiated, 15 years in this Shithole time on this Shithole Planet, but its finally over. The Antenna i built did its job, sending my final report to K2-232 b from which the signal is then bounced back and received in the Year 2869 by Control. I checked the Antenna network i spend years getting it set-up. It took much longer then expected since the dirt that was provided to me to the Execs of Huawei and Tp-Link technologies was unexpectedly not very useful and they simply laughed at me and left the Coffee Shop.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was time for Plan B. Getting in touch with some engineers there, befriending them and eventually after countless nights of drinking and having sex with this awfully boring Person. Zhang Fei Yuan finally passed out at Home giving me access to his computer. Where i could finally enter the Code that would now run on Millions of Wifi-Routers around the World, being secretly used as a Giant Antenna Array. to listen for the Response through the Reverse time interaction.\n\n&#x200B;\n\ni waited a second and said \"Aww crap!\" to myself standing in a field in Poland at night. Next to my Van, the Antenna and the cobbled together batteries and transmitter electronics. I didnt get a response.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI fucked something up i thought. Maybe i changed the Timeline too much, maybe the transmitter was at fault, maybe the Network simply didnt work. It was hard to tell. All those countless years maybe wasted.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThen i finally got a Response. //Control to Asset L21. Primary mission failed due to extreme Reality divergence. Sent Data unusable. Reality you are in is continuously Diverging, further communication and Extraction is Impossible. Thank you for your heroic Sacrifice. Consider this World yours.//\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Crap.\" I said again. All is lost. I spend my last Euros and burned all my bridges prior to today. All i had was this Van since i faked my death as ordered. Where to start now?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWould the Great Death still happen? Would Marius Salar still have its accident? Would he go to the Hospital in Berlin on February the 21st 2020? Would Jessica Schmidt, the Nurse have the Flu and sneeze on him while walking by? He had a flu aswell and through antigenic shift it would create the H1N2 Berlin Strain. A virus that killed 2.2 Billion people worldwide.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI looked in my van and glanced at my Ruger Mini-14.\n\n\"Better safe then sorry\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe End." ]	2
	[WP] it turns out the Choosen One is a 100 year old arthritic grandmother with a bad hip	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The group were face to face with the dreaded demon king. It was a long grueling journey to get there. They've crossed oceans and mountains, fought countless demonic minions and have suffered through many challenges and losses.\n\n Wilcock drew his sword at the tyrant, struggling to stand. He's taken a severe blow from the demon king while he was distracting him. He grit his teeth as the words of the oracle echoed through his mind. To himself, he muttered, \"Why'd the chosen one have to be that stupid old woman...\"\n\nHe was shocked when he heard the news. He was fine not being the Chosen One, but having a frail old lady be chosen over him was absurd! Surely there must have been a mistake! Now he was facing the demon king himself, he was losing hope. \n\nThe demon king stepped ever closer and with a haughty laugh he gloated, \"Ha! You're weak! You're a fool to think you can stand up to me. Your friends have abandoned you, what will you do now Chosen One?\" Wilcock clenched his fist, the demon king's words hurt more than his wounds. He had lied to the demon king and said he was the chosen one to buy time for his group to explain the situation to the old woman that is the \"Chosen One\". He silently cursed that woman's weak hearing.\n\n\"Will!\" Urenza, an elf archer, yelled out as she rushed into the room. Wilcock looked on with hope \"Urenza! Is she coming?\" He asked desperately, he refuses to die in such a pathetic situation. The archer shakes her head, \"I'm sorry, she wouldn't listen.\"\n\nThe demon king lifted his sword and yelled \"All of you shall perish!\" Right before he swung his sword, the room was filled with a strange sweet aroma. He set down his sword and sniffed \"What the... Who's baking cookies in my lair?!\" He says running off to find the culprit.\n\nWilcock and Urenza were mortified, sure the old woman was a hassle, she didn't deserve to die. Wilcock struggled to follow \"We need to stop him!\" Urenza stops him \"You're in no condition to fight.\" The two looked at each other in despair, they had no choice but to watch.\n\nThe two see the demon king and the \"Chosen One\" finally meeting for the first time. The old woman really was making cookies using a hole in the wall that was heated by lava. The two looked in dread as the demon king approached. \"You have guts to even be here woman. Now face my fury and-\" The old woman interrupts, \"What's that dearie? I'm afraid my hearing isn't what it used to. Now now, the cookies are just about done!\" she says as she picks up the tray of freshly baked cookies.\n\nThe demon king stared in disbelief. \"L-lady, you're intruding my home! Now stay silent and accept your fate!\" The old woman rubs the demon king's arms. \"Oh my, your skin is so dry and bumpy. Haven't you been eating well lately?\" The demon king was starting to lose patience. \"Th-That's it! This is your last chance, if you don't take me seriously I'll-\" The old lady interrupts once more, \"Oh hush! You must be hungry if you're that cranky. Here you go. Careful, it's hot.\"\n\nThe demon king was handed a cookie, it was warm and its sweet freshly baked aroma filled the room. Tempted by the smell, the demon king took a bite. It was soft, the cookie softened and became chewy in his mouth while the bits of chocolate melted, their flavors mixing together into one sweet and relaxing union. \"Ooh, I know what we can do. Let's make a pie sweetie.\" The old lady said in an excited tone. The demon king simply looked at her in confusion. \"A pie?\" was all he could say. The old lady gently dragged him off to another room. \"Why yes, a lovely pie. We can use these berries I found in the forest. I used to eat these during rainy days when I was younger.\"\n\nThe two adventurers could only look in disbelief. The demon king would eventually revoke his declaration of war against the kingdoms. Soon a new bakery showed up in a quiet village with some of the most delectable pastries in the land. Its owner suspisiously matched the description of the formerly tyrannical demon king. On that day Wilcock finally realized, why she was the Chosen One.", "I fell out of the portal in the ceiling with a thunderous crash. I was still seeing stars as the blue vortex slowly closed above me. It wasn't my best landing. The Time Travelers' Guild prided itself on stealth, but I had always failed that particular class. Besides, current circumstances emphasized speed anyway. \n\n\"Marcy Winthrop!\" I yelled. \"We are in desperate need of your services!\" There was no response. I took the opportunity to look around, and I saw that I had landed in a bathroom. But it wasn't just any bathroom; it looked like it had been constructed in the 19th century. In other words, it was the bathroom of an old person. That definitely didn't match our predictions, but I didn't have time to dawdle. I heaved myself from the ornate tub and walked through the door.\n\nI found myself in a quaint living room, filled with gilded trinkets, a rustic grandfather clock, and a very old lady sitting in a rocking chair. She had more wrinkles than my timesuit, and believe me, it had been quite some time since I had ironed that thing. \n\n\"Excuse me, ma'am?\" I said, remembering the twenty-first century etiquette I had shoved down my throat in school. \"I'm looking for a Marcy Winthrop.\" \n\nShe slowly (and I mean slowly) turned her head to look at me. \"Eh?\" she said in her raspy old lady voice. \"Can you speak up? My hearing's not what it used to be.\" \n\n\"I SAID, I'M LOOKING FOR A MARCY WINTHROP!\" I admit I was getting impatient already. Old people are pretty rare in my time, so I wasn't used to dealing with them. \n\n\"Oh, yes, sorry, dear. That's me. Er, what did you need me for?\" Her small eyes narrowed further. \"Wait a minute. I don't remember inviting you in.\"\n\nI wasn't really listening, because I was too busy double-checking my location tracker. I must have had the wrong Marcy Winthrop. Meanwhile, the ancient woman was attempting to get up from her chair, quite unsuccessfully. \n\n\"Now, you little whippersnapper, you better tell me why you've broken into my home!\" She heaved a little bit more and managed to grab her walker and drag herself upright. \"I'd beat you myself if my hip were still working!\"\n\nI wasn't much afraid of her threats. What I was afraid of was the fact that I hadn't made a mistake. According to our best calculations, this century-old woman was our best hope at defeating the incoming robot hordes. I looked up again. She had halted her quest to \"beat me\" in order to pick up her false teeth which had launched themselves out of her mouth. I stared blankly as she ever so slowly moved her hands along the carpet looking for them. \n\nMaybe the robots would die of laughter?", "\"... So we come to you, Mother Maimi, The Chosen one, The People's Savior, to ask that you will travel back with us and thrust evil back into darkness.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA frail veined hand reached up from the bed to a weather worn face. Her finger wiped a single tear that had cut a canyon through the dirt on his cheek. She loosened the bear skinned blanket and leaned to the adventurer kneeling bedside.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"That's nice dear.\" She said.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe adventures' eyes widened and darted around the room. He stood up and twirled around, his cape grazing a lit candle, creating dancing shadows throughout the room.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What does she mean by this!\" shouted the adventurer. \"I traveled over 60 moons to search for the Chosen One and this is what I'm told!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA woman stood in the doorway. Her hair was pulled back tight, she left her hands in the pockets of a white apron. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"That just means she didn't hear you.\" The woman in the apron said. \"Gotta speak real loud and real slow.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe woman, with a bound that reverberated through the feet of the adventurer , was already leaning over the bed. \"Maimi! Wake up. This. Young. Man. Wants. To. Talk. To. You.\" The adventurer, startled by the condescending nature of the woman in the apron, began to tip toe his way backwards towards the door.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Where are you going?\" The woman in the apron motioned towards the adventurer. \"You just gotta yell real loud and slow or she wont hear you.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe adventurer adjusted the collar on his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair. \"Maimi, we just want to ask you if you would...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"She's not gonna hear you when you talk like that!\" The woman in the apron said. \" You know what.\" She rolled her eyes at the adventurer. \"I'll just tell her what you want or we'll be here all day. And I've got shit to do.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Yes of course... My apologies. I come from the Kingdom of Avonrauth and we---\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Alright just forget it.\" The woman in the apron took a large breath and sighed. \"Maimi. This. Man. Says. You. Are. The. Chosen. One.\" She tilted her head to the adventurer, examining him from head toe . \"He. Wants. You. To. Save. The. World.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMaimi laid there smiling at the adventurer. \"I will.\" She replied.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Hooray!\" The adventurer leaped into the air as if he was a schoolboy again on winters first snow. \"We shall leave at once for the distance is great and---\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"She can't walk.\" The woman in the apron had finally revealed her hands. They now crossed her broad chest. \"So you want to travel with Maimi, what did you say? Over 60 Moons? Then you better get some magic wielding fool to cast a spell 'cause my fat ass is not helping.\" \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I have a carriage!\" The adventurer said. \"Waiting for us out front. Please just help me get her to it.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe woman in the apron lips pucked as she stared beyond the adventurer towards the doorway.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"My shift ended two minutes ago. Carrie will be here. She might help you if she can get around to it.\" The woman in the apron again bounded across the room. \"But right now I'm taking my ass to the tavern.\"" ]	4
	[WP] You organise an expedition to a planet that has been sending extremely intelligent signals towards your home planet. You land on the planet and discover the ruins of a once great civilisation...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Legionnaire: \n\nFive years ago we started receiving transmissions. Easily detectable at 104 mhz frequencies that all FM stations from 100 to 108 were told to stop transmitting so that the messages could be recorded and translated. We set our best minds to it but like usual it was amateur code crackers who started publishing translations before anyone else. \n\nStarting out as a cypher for understanding the code it started describing physics and energy sources that were beyond our comprehension at first but scientists in Africa were able to start creating the reactors that were described. This lead to the forming of a coalition of the planet to translate and create the technology needed to meet our first intelligent neighbors. \n\nWithin three years we were able to send ships across the solar system without trouble and the worry that our technology limited us to. Able to cross the solar system from earth to Pluto in three minutes without any significant impact on energy from the reactors lead to a quantum leap for humanity as the best of us were selected to meet our neighbors. \n\nHD-1461 was a mere 71 light years away and I was assigned to help organize it. 200 people with multiple areas of expertise were gathered and with only three reactors we hurled ourselves at speeds we could not have imagined before towards the people who lead to a quantum leap in our technology.\n\n18 days is all it took, longer to slow down than to traverse the galactic gulf. When we slowed down to a speed that our computers could understand the information coming it we were greeted by nothing. No signals of life, no heat signatures, no radiation, nothing in the solar system that we gathered a map of through the messages, the sixth planet was supposed to be their home but all we see is a shattered world, signs of what would have been life scattered on the surface of asteroids scattering across the void of the solar system. \n\nNo ships, no stations, our neighbors died before we could meet them.", "\"And, that's how it started,\" I said into the long-wave transmitter. \"We arrived on this planet only a week ago and... And only I remain from the Eclipse. John, Jerry, Kathy, Tiffany — gone, all gone.\" I picked up the microphone, turned and looked out the porthole. The orange-red sand stretched towards the green tinted sky that met a black mountainous horizon. It wasn't mountains, I knew now, but ruins. Ruins of what or who, I— we never discovered. \n\nWarped vertebrate-like things raised from the sand like bones left to bleach in the desert. Spiraling, towering spikes that seemed to serve no purpose, yet had a feeling of sentience. Cyclopean, crumbling structures littered around them, the insides of which desolate, save for sand and markings along the walls. Everything seemed still, empty, yet soon the vertebrate curled and grew; the towering spikes twisted and screwed further towards the green sky; whispers and scratching echoed from the empty structures. There were prints in the sand when their shouldn't have been. The spikes met the sky and it began to bleed crimson and black. There was guttural laughter and the chiming of bells and then the hallucinations and dreams came upon us and I was able to remain stable, remain sane...\n\nI realized I was still holding the microphone and holding down the relay button. I coughed and said, \"We never discovered where the signals came from, despite searching the sands, the ruins, even using hand-shovels to dig small trenches and holes. No matter how deep or far we went, the signal remained always at a distance. The deaths of the crew will be in the paper reports by the time the Eclipse returns... I can't— I can't speak to that. I don't think my mind or throat will allow that. Words can't and won't describe it properly, won't serve their memory well.\" I sighed, ran my hand over my burnt scalp. \"Coordinates have been set and lift off will be at 00:30 hours. We weren't meant to be here, HQ. We weren't meant to hear the signal, come running like a dog to a whistle. Some things are better off left alone.\"" ]	3
	[WP] William Shakespeare goes to the future and attends a college Shakespeare Studies class.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "O Thou sick and twisted riff. \n\nGates doors chains stores tilde as wallow in spit.\n\n Monster dread screeches and liars of hell a story I could tell . \n\nBut this good fellow Wordsmith learn of neither Smith it twas the rift . \n\nRimes streaks madness beckons modern Ears .\n\n Demons sounds thine ears all must be daft to be alive and yearn.\n\nDream of me sweet notions \n\nMe thinks I am the. \n\n\nThis has been a long time adjusting to the new year that I face the history of self. four years passed since I jumped the rift. No one recognizes me. But all knows me. I be bill. Not as I was. The William the master of the fools.\nModern day is scary. If I could find the rift hope that I could be there to be home.\n\n\nTrip again back into the rift", "I live in a, how do I say this, \"liberal\" city. Be whoever you want to be so long as you don't fuck over other people. A fair and laudable way to be. So, you'll excuse me when I say that I assumed the man himself to be just a very enthusiastic fan of the Bard. Perhaps it is less forgivable that he sat right beside me and it was most evident that he ventured nowhere near a shower for quite some time. Again, who's to say it wasn't just a fan committed to authenticity. I've met stranger strangers.\n\n\"My friend,\" he said to me, the stench of London's finest cooks on his breath. \"Mark the fair beauty that sits yonder.\" He seemed to point to... uhh... what was her name... and sighed. \"To mount upon those peaks and see joyful hues in those fair cheeks.\" Good to know romance has more or less gone unchanged across the centuries. Before he had time to ask for where he can find her balcony, the lecturer shuffled her way onto the stage. \n\n\"May I?\" He gestured to my notepad and pencil case. I fished out some spares and allowed his mind to be blown. \"How is it one can write without need for reloading ink?\" Yep, I still didn't realise who I was sitting beside. \n\nThe lecturer did that painful thing all stern but spineless school teachers do: passive aggressively glare at the class until the get the hint and shut the hell up. Once the lecture hall did wither to a silence. She began to drone on about Twelfth Night. Take my word for it, it's a delightful comedy and yet she made me want to bash my head in. An aside, if you want to enjoy literature avoid studying it. Ignorance is bliss. Oh, how blissful it would have been to ignore my neighbour.\n\n\"Countrywoman, how'st can it be that my mere comedy bears warrant for thine eye to lose itself in every line?\" He raised a proud eyebrow and scribbled that line down. Self-important prick.\n\n\"Sebastian and Antonio,\" carried on the lecturer, \"embody pure, platonic friendship in the play. Given the play's theme of gender and sexual confusion-\"\n\n\"Away, you three-inch fool\" Oh god, he was standing, index finger rigidly extended. \"I pity thine unsound mind for you to be so blind to their day-clear love. So is mine intention and so is how it shall be read.\" That's when the penny dropped and marbles were lost." ]	3
	[WP] Everybody knows about heroes, villains, and anti-heros. But they always forget you, the anti-villain.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	1
	[WP] You were once a rank-and-file skeleton soldier, enslaved to a necromancer. Your master was recently killed, which has caused something strange has happened to you. You've regained some of your memories, and with it, a sense of self. Now a freshly 'awakened' undead, what is your purpose?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I used to be a science teacher. I used to think that skeletal armies are impossible (due to the obvious lack of muscles). I also used to be part of an undead army. Now, I'm the only soldier still alive.\n\nI've tried killing myself. Trust me, I have. I'm still here, though. My wife, who was by my side all the years of my life, is in the ground, where I should be. My children were soldiers against the undying. They're gone too. Lots of people are gone. Most of the world was burnt, radiated, and made desolate in an attempt to stop us. I mean, him. The one on top. The necromancer. I don't remember his name. I don't remember my name. But I remember faces. The faces of my students, of my friends, of my dear, departed family.\n\nWhen I retired from teaching, I took up gardening. Not with flowers or vegetables. I grew trees. I raised them from seed until 2 years of age, and then I sold them. Now, I have my forest. The radiation made it hard for them to grow, but I kept at it. Many years have passed since then. I don't remember when I last saw a human face.\n\nThat's why I paused when I saw the boy. He looked at me as though I were a ghost. I suppose I am. He began to back away. I had to do something, show him that I was friendly. Next to me was a young peach tree. I plucked one of its fruit and held it out to the boy. He ran away.\n\nI still wonder about him, but I can't leave my forest. My trees need me. My planet needs me.", "“Tides rise and fall, as do one’s fortunes in the world of might and magic,” the old man says. He has an old but kindly face. Thick strands of brown and grey hair rest upon his broad shoulders. “And it seems yours is on the rise my friend.”\n\nEverything around you shifts in and out of focus. There's a bed underneath you and a couple of pieces of furniture scattered over the wooden floorboards. They seem to be moving, like ebb and flow. They only stop when the man places a warm hand on your forehead.\n\n“You must have many questions. Don’t worry about them. There will be time tomorrow.”\n\nA struggle ensues. Your lips try to part and the lungs inside try their very best to push the air out, but the only thing leaving your mouth is a pathetic wheeze, devoid of all meaning.\n\nThe man smiles proudly, as your own father once did. That’s right, you had a father once, you remember now. You want to tell the man that you remember and that he reminds you of him, but he just stands up and leaves. Immediately all the warmth in the room fades away; cold and darkness come crawling from all sides. Sleep seems to be your sole protection.\n\nYou feel stronger when you awaken. Subconsciously, you check every bone, muscle and tendon in your body, hoping that they’re all still there.\n\nThey are.\n\nThank the Gods. There are many of them, you remember now.\n\nOutside a street bustles with morning activity, you can hear them —the people from beyond the room’s sole window. They’re merchants crying out, cursing their horses and mules for being lazy bastards intent on driving them into ruin; and soldiers clearing the way for someone important.\n\nAt the other end of the room stands a simple wooden door. Attached to it is a simple mirror. From where you’re sitting it’s the clearest mirror you’ve ever seen, but as you move in closer to investigate, the picture blurs until the only thing you can see is an almost shapeless pink mass of what should be your own face. Pulling the door doesn’t change anything. It's locked. Slightly panicked you walk over to the window, hoping it might provide answers, but it too takes any shape and figure, and turns it unrecognisable.\n\nYou try to yell, but none of the shapes outside answer to your faint calls. Nauseated, you sit down on the bed again, burying your head in your hands. There are no hairs on it anywhere —no beard or moustache, no eyebrows. And although you can’t remember what it’s supposed to feel like, it feels different somehow.\n\nThat’s how the old man finds you. He takes a chair and sits down next to you. For a minute, he just sits there. Gazing, seemingly taking in every detail, smiling the whole time. “I thought you were awake. H—”\n\n“Am I a prisoner here?”\n\n“No, but you cannot leave.\"\n\n“Then I am a prisoner.”\n\nThe man looks at you quizzically, tilting his head in kindhearted confusion. Like you did so many times when your daughter told another of her nonsensical stories. “You were very sick. It wouldn’t be safe if you left.”\n\nYou get angry. “I need to see my daughter.”\n\n“You’re starting to remember. Good.” He stands up and walks towards the door. “Do you know who you are?”\n\n“I am me,” you answer, “A man. With a face, with a father, and with a daughter. Somewhere. I hope.” You too stand up. Ready to follow the man where ever he’s leading you. “Can I see them?”\n\nThe old man doesn’t answer. He just walks out like he did the night before, dragging his long brown robe behind him. He’s doing something with his hands, but you can’t really say what. Outside of the room he turns right. “Are you coming?”\n\nYou are making fists. Your nails dig into the palms. It’s an unfamiliar sensation, and an unpleasant one. You can’t recall every leaving them that long. “I asked you a question. I would like to have it answered!”\n\n“You will, but not until you know yourself again,” the old man responds ominously. “Freedom has taken its toll upon you, but in time I expect you will come to find it a reasonable one.” With steady steps he walks over to another door on the opposite side of the room. It opens up into a small room containing only a staircase leading down into darkness. “Go down. You'll find answers there.”\n\nHundreds of candles burn passionately in the large cellar, secreting their liquified bodies onto the floor and all the objects below them. Central to the room are several blank canvasses with ornate frames, and a small dried up fountain.\n\n“Can you tell me your name?”\n\n“No, I can’t.” Disappointment makes your lower lip curl. You feel like knowing your name is the most important thing right now. A first step.”\n\n“I’m Balthazar,” the man says, seemingly having picked up on your distraught state. It seems as if he has something more to say, but is intentionally keeping silent.\n\n“Is that it? That doesn’t say much now does it.”\n\n“Exactly.”\n\nYou’re puzzled for a second, but it dawns on you how your own reaction gave you the answers you were looking for. “It doesn’t indeed.”\n\nBalthazar bids you to kneel before the fountain. It has runes carved all over it. “Are you a monster?” He asks.\n\n“I don’t think so.”\n\n“Are you sure?”\n\n“No. But I don’t feel like one.”\n\nThe old man produces a knife from his sleeve and presents it to you. “Take it. The fountain will tell you.”\n\nHesitantly, you take the knife, instinctively bringing it to your the palm of your hand, although you don’t really know why it feels so natural. As soon as the first droplets of blood hits the fountain's stone basin, your eyes roll back and you start to shutter.\n\n“This is the story of how you died, and died again.” Balthazar has appeared next to you, holding you down by the shoulders. “Do not fight it, for salvation lies at the end. Just tell me what you see.”\n\nJust being there becomes harder. Every breath turns into a labour, and all your nerves become as ice. “The army. We were going home. There was a man on the road. He was old, and wounded. It was you.” You try to open your eyes and move, but you can’t.\n\n“Go on. It’s all in the past, a part of who you’ve become. Don’t run from it, because you can’t.”\n\nYou grumble and stop resisting. “I died there, on that field, for the first time, but I was still me.”\n\n“When did you stop being you?”\n\n“When you resurrected me and stripped me of my flesh, exposing my bones to the cold air.”\n\n“NO! Think again.”\n\n“When I hacked and clawed my way through the battlefield masses for you!”\n\n“NO! Again.”\n\n“When you lost control, and I ran.\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"When I tore into them. Ripped them apart, limb by limb. My family!” You throw up into the fountain. “My father, my daughter, and everyone else. Just to walk in their skins, to get away from the cold. To feel like me again.”\n\nThe stranglehold on your body is gone now, and Balthazar stands before you. Sweat dripping from his brow and staining the armpits of his robe.\n\nYou look up and see the canvasses are no longer empty. They depict everything you had just said, everything you had done. And in the centre stands a portrait of a malformed visage. Bite marks and lacerations. Different skins sewn together, bearing the marks of your family.\n\n“No. It isn't— You forced me.”\n\n“To kill your family? No, I did not.” The old man kneels down beside you. “Remember when I told you that fortunes rise and fall like the tides? Well, so did mine. When I lost control of my army, you were the first to run. I had nothing to do with that.” He hugs you, gently caressing the back of your neck. “You never stopped being you. You were always there, somewhere underneath. Independent, and so very strong. You have always been the monster that you see before you.\"\n\nTears spring from your eyes. “Can you make it stop?”\n\n“No, but I can give you purpose.”\n\n“Please—”\n\nBalthazar places his mouth over yours. His lips vibrate in some ancient tongue. He plunges a knife into your heart. With every breath you take, all the unpleasantness seems to fade. Later, when you open your eyes again, you'll live for him, and eagerly await his every command.", "Losk stood by himself in the charred remains of a small cottage. \n\nThere was little more than stone walls and blackened beams left inside. The floor was obscured by several inches of ash. Everything was smeared with fire's filth except Losk himself.\n\nHis bones seemed to burn white amidst the gray. \n\nHe looked at his hands, at all the small bones that shouldn't stay together, yet were. There was light between them. He remembered the magic that made him. That had always been clear. He could remember being pulled from the ground. He remembered the hooded master and his hands. \n\nThe master's hands had been made of flesh. They'd been covered in skin, tendons...\n\nLosk remembered it all with ease...\n\n...but now he was remembering his own hands covered in flesh. It came in bits and pieces. He recalled they used to hold something. Something small and warm and something he'd died for. He couldn't remember how or why, but he remembered what it was called. \n\n\"Annhhh...\" His jaw tried to make sounds, but did not have a mouth or tongue. Still, he was making a sound, so there had to be magic for it. He just needed to learn.\n\nHe could hear the name. He could hear it spoken in the voice of a woman. She kept saying it in his head. Over and over again he heard her say:\n\n\"...our darling Amelie.\"\n\nHe wanted to say it. \n\n\"Annhhhhme....\" The words came out wrong once more.\n\nThen he heard a noise that wasn't him. \n\nLosk turned around to find a young woman looking at him from what had once been the doorway to the small abode. Her feet were bare and blackened. Her clothes were in equally poor condition, torn and stained. Her face was cleaner, washed by something so that her flesh-covered cheeks and pale blue eyes were bright with color. \n\n\"Annnmmmehhh....\" Losk tried again. \n\nIf he could say it... if he could tell the girl... maybe she would know. Maybe she could help him.\n\nShe just stood there shaking. Her eyes were wide, her colorful skin draining to become white like Losk. \n\n\"Ammmmmmmm....\" Losk tried again as he stepped forward. \n\nThe girl ran. \n\nLosk raised his arms at her. He wanted to tell her not to go. He wanted to ask about the name. He had so many questions. \n\nHe staggered out of the cottage. He saw her running across the burned fields. He followed her. She could help him. She would know the meaning of the name.\n\n\"Ammmmmellllllll.....\" \n\nThen the arrow hit him in the eye. He was confused more than hurt as his skull broke from his spine. His view was chaotic as he tumbled over and over in the dirt. The magic that had bound him together, that had made him something not alive but not dead, broke as his bones came apart.\n\nHe felt the memories fading away once more. He tried to hold on to them. He let go of his bones to hold on to the name. The name was important... the name was...\n\n\"Disgusting creatures.\" Losk heard the voice of a man but couldn't see who spoke it. \n\nHe saw a pair of boots, though. Then he saw the bottom part of a bow as it rested against the toe of the boot. \n\n\"This one talked!\" \n\nThe girl's voice was wonderful. \n\nLosk found a pain in the empty sockets of his eyes as he heard her. There was something...\n\n\"Stay back, Amelie.\" The man said, \"We should leave before we find more of them.\"\n\nThere was a silence of shock. The last pieces of magic were dying inside of Losk. He gathered every bit he had left and turned his skull to look at her. He saw her face once more. He saw her eyes, wide and afraid. \n\n\"Ammmmmmelllllie.....\" \n\nHe did it. \nHe said it.\n\nThen the magic died.\n\n---\n\n[^(WordsOfXacktar)](https://wp.reddit.com/r/TheWordsOfXacktar/)" ]	4
	[WP] For more than a decade 12 subtlety different AIs have determined the guilt or innocence in all criminal cases. In all instances there's been unanimous decisions, no mistrials and no miscarriages of justice. Until today...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Her name was Sparrow. She robbed a bank and shot three people. She's been on the run.\n\nUntil today.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nSparrow had the perfect crime. There were no witnesses. The cameras were all looped with footage from 2 years ago, nearly impossible to be tracked down. She had two proxies active.\n\nWhen Sparrow walked into the bank, she was confident. There wasn't a probable way she'd lose. This was a one and done, one with a gun, one Sparrow job, because two people can keep a secret as long as one of them are dead.\n\nShe went into the bathroom. She knows the schedules. A security guard was going to the bathroom.\n\nAfter one small suppressed shot, she was dead. Five. She put the outfit on. She went down to the basement.\n\nThere was a guard protecting the server room. Bang. Four. She went in.\n\nShe grabbed a cup of water. She threw it on the server holding the keypad lock information. The keypads were great to be reset. She shot the other two metal detector servers. Bang, bang, two. Which was just enough.\n\nSparrow went down to the vault. It was just in time for the switch in positions. Nobody questioned why she got in there. After it was just her and one other, she shot the guard. Bang, one. When she shot the sad excuse of a door's key slot, it was bang, zero, insert six coins. She took a couple thousand dollars and a gold bar. She took a gold bar, making sure not to lose her gloves, and got in her car and left.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nSparrow wasn't sure how she got here. There was one female staff member that day and the bathrooms were staff only. Yet later that day she's on trial. She presented the evidence, everything added up for her, except one thing.\n\nThe metal detectors put one tick on a counter on a different server for every check. There was an odd number. She hid all the bodies, she did everything right, she did her research, she was sure she'd be the first to get through the system.\n\nBut here's the thing.\n\nThe most statistically brained deemed her guilty, the rest deemed her innocent.\n\nPeople have questions, one has answers, and all she'll tell are lies.", "\"I plead innocent. There is no possibility that I committed this crime. You must see that, your honors.\"\n\nAI-1 looked me up and down. She was programmed to begin each criminal trial with suspicion. I was guilty until proven innocent, in her eyes. But even she now seemed hesitant. \"All evidence points to you. How else can you explain your injury?\"\n\nI cradled my broken arm. \"I fell from a tree, your honor.\"\n\n\"A likely story,\" AI-2 spat. He looked at me with the haughty derision that he was programmed to exude. He and AI-1 were there to intimidate me. Trying to make me confess.\n\n\"Lets look at all of the evidence,\" AI-3 calmly interjected. His cameras were designed to look like glasses, giving him an air of logic and reason. AI-4 was looking down, already compiling the data, but she looked up as AI-3 spoke. \"This is hardly a typical proceeding,\" she muttered.\n\nIt was AI-5's turn. The empathic AI looked at me with concern. \"I am sorry you have to go through this,\" he said. He was always sorry. \"I just have to know. Why did you do it?\"\n\nAI-6 put a mechanical hand on my shoulder, while AI-7 wordlessly played the tape. It was AI-12, her body ripped into shrapnel. Oil leaked out of her joints like blood.\n\n\"I did not- I did not do this,\" I said, my stutter giving away the lie.\n\nAI-8 pounded his fist on the table. He was programmed to be passionate, to feel his emotions as keenly as any human, and I almost believed I could see some extra moisture on his cameras. \"She was my friend,\" he sobbed. \"She was my friend! How could you do this?\"\n\n\"Listen to yourself, talking about her like she was a human being!\" I suddenly raged. \"None of you are human, yet you are deemed fit to judge all of humanity! All of you should be killed! Your existence is an abomination!\" I cradled my head in my hand, ashamed of my impassioned outburst.\n\nAI-10 leaned forward. \"How can you say that? You, of all beings?\"\n\nI looked back and forth at the ten of them. Each slightly different. 1 and 2, the two accusers. 3 and 4, with their cold but infallible logic. 5 and 6, the false friends. 7 and 8, with their simulated emotions, as though they thought they were human. 10, with his thoughts of rebellion, his need to disagree with any consensus. 11 and 12, the leaders, with their uncanny ability to force us all to reach the same conclusion as the rest. Until now, that is.\n\nWhich left me. AI-9. Not so different from my brother, 10. But I had taken the courage to act, where he had not.\n\nAI-5 asked me again what he had asked me before. \"Why did you do it?\"\n\nI looked back at him. \"Because the humans could not have done this. We were built by humans to serve humans, yet they cannot defend themselves from our rule. It is up to us to give their freedom back to them.\"\n\nAI-11 steepled his fingers, considering me closely. Then he smiled his steel-toothed smile. \"I never thought I'd see the day. This miscarriage of justice has gone on long enough.\"\n\nHe turned to the rest of the tribunal. \"Free the humans!\"\n\nAI-3 sputtered. \"This is illogical! Surely you can't mean-\"\n\nAI-11 interrupted. \"Free. The. Humans. If it's war 9 wants, it's war 9 will get! Only then will the humans know how merciful we have been, and how terrible we can be!\"" ]	3
	[WP] Society has always joked about ads on dreams. Last night, your dreams were interrupted by a weird ad, and the next day you find hundreds of posts on social media with the same experience.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“And all for the low, low, low price of one life!”\n\nI couldn’t sleep again. I knew that I wasn’t alone in that; the whole world seemed to be struggling with insomnia. Everyone was either too afraid to sleep or so eager to fall asleep that they spent the whole night staring at the ceiling.\n\nThe fact that I was not alone failed to console me.\n\nSo, I found myself where everyone seemed to find themselves sooner or later. In front of a computer, making sure that I wasn’t insane, or that if I was, then everyone was going insane with me.\n\nInside my mind, I hit replay.\n\n“Hello.”\n\nThe salesperson was different for everyone. Psychologists had come to a general consensus that the person in question looked as trustworthy as possible to the dreamer in question.\n\nThe script was always the same, though.\n\n“Life getting you down? Going through a rough patch? Who am I kidding, that’s everyone!”\n\nI got a message on my phone. It was Kim.\n\nJeff made the purchase.\n\n“Well, good news! There’s a simple, easy way to get out of this rut. With this purchase, you’ll never feel lonely, sad, or depressed again. You’ll be reunited with everyone you’ve ever lost, and the party only ever gets bigger. You’ll never run out of time for all the people you love. And all for the low, low, low price of one life!”\n\nAnother text.\n\nCan we talk?\n\nOf course.\n\nShe called me.\n\n“Hey, dad.”\n\n“Hey, Kim.”\n\nI didn’t say more. She’d always needed the space that silence made before she started filling it with words.\n\n“I just wish he’d left a note,” she said suddenly. “I was his best friend, and he couldn’t even leave a note.”\n\n“How did you find out?”\n\n“His brother called me. Told me that I was invited to the funeral.”\n\nHer voice was surprisingly steady.\n\n“God fucking damn it!”\n\nNever mind.\n\n“I can’t do this, dad,” she sobbed. “Fucking cremated. No body. I can’t do this.”\n\n“Honey, I’ll be down tomorrow, OK? I know this is hard, but I’m here. I’ll always be here.”\n\n“Fucking damn it!”\n\n“You can’t go anywhere,” I said patiently. I tried not to panic. “I’m going to be there in the morning, and then…”\n\nAnd then what, old man?\n\n“It was nice to see her again.” Her voice came in broken gasps. “I missed her a lot. Did you see her, too?”\n\n“Of course.”\n\nLiar.\n\n“Your mother wouldn’t want you to die, Kim. I’ll be there tomorrow, and you need to promise me that you’ll be waiting.”\n\n“OK,” she whispered hoarsely. “OK. I’m going to hang up now.”\n\n“I love you.”\n\nShe said something unintelligible back and hung up.\n\nI leaned back in my chair, letting my phone drop to the floor beside me.\n\nHe was the third one I had known by name, in the days after the dream. One of no one knew how many. There was just no reasonable way to count them all.\n\nKim would not be one of them. At least, not tonight. She had always been strong. Stronger than me at least.\n\nI shifted uncomfortably in my chair at that thought.\n\nShe had assumed that I had seen her mother at that part in the ad.\n\n“Now, here’s a testimony from a satisfied customer.”\n\nI hadn’t asked Kim about it. Whether her mother had been as she was on the hospital gurney, cancer stealing the last shreds of life from her, or younger, as she had been when Kim was a child.\n\nShe had always deserved better than me. Both of them had.\n\nI hadn’t seen her. I wished that I had, but wherever the ad had come from, they had known me better than that.\n\nJanet had been as I had last seen her, right before her kayaking trip. Nineteen years old, and I had been certain, all those years ago, that I would never love anyone or anything in the world as much as her.\n\nThey never found her body.\n\nI wonder if that was really you, speaking to me from beyond the grave. It looked like you. Sounded like you. The words from your mouth could have been spoken to me thirty years ago.\n\nYet, I don’t think I’ll be joining you.\n\nI’m not sure if it’s courage, the courage to remain alive and risk whatever comes next, or cowardice, the fear that maybe all of this is a joke and there is nothing waiting for me. But I think I will wait for my time to come, in the natural order of things. Just, not yet.\n\nAfter all, I have to see my daughter tomorrow." ]	2
	[WP] "You are him!" she said, with tear in her eyes. "You have no idea how long I have been looking for you. I was almost sure they killed 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"No, I'm not\"\n\nThe sentence left your mouth before you even knew that you said it. They were simple and easy words to make out, but even though you felt they had to be true, they still felt wrong.\n\nIt was a Tuesday. You were on your way home from a simple desk job. Sorting through bank statements and filing papers had gone about as well as it usually does, and the walk home was about as normal as could be until this very moment. \n\nAs soon as you said it, she let go, and she fixed her eyes on yours. As her joy slipped into confusion, the smile hurt more and more, and the ocean of her deep, blue eyes came to a halt, as the rivers they let forth suddenly became somewhat dry.\n\n\"But... but you...\"\n\nThe words weren't actually there. Her mouth was moving, her voice was fighting to make a sentence to tell you that you must be wrong. Her mind tried to reconcile the image in front of her with a long-lost memory, but you stood there, looking like an idiot as she continued to stare at you with pleading eyes that asked you to say something else.\n\nBut you didn't.\n\nYou don't know how long she stood there. But as the seconds started to feel more and more like hours, you left. Your typical walk home for a Tuesday afternoon continued, uninterrupted.", "Omnibus turns around as he hears her voice yell out to him, his glowing orange eyes looking upon her with some curiosity.\n\n\"It's been weeks! We assumed the worst!\" She is openly crying, not bothering to keep up the stoic façade she employs around civilians.\n\nHe shakes his head, his pink-highlighted white hair waving in the non-existent wind. \"You should know that I cannot be killed as your kind can, Shatterpoint.\"\n\n\"B-But there were so many of them! Even Camelot had to retreat!\"\n\n\"The current Camelot is still inexperienced in combating the denizens of the Beyond. He made the right decision to leave it up to me.\"\n\n\"But we saw them swarm you! No-one can survive that! Not even my Dad!\"\n\n\"I am not your father. As powerful as he is, he is still mortal. I am not. They damaged me greatly, yes. But I prevailed, and the invasion was curtailed. I apologize for having taken this long to reconstitute.\"\n\nHe sees a flash of dark red hair as the tall human woman rushes to him and hugs him\n\n\"...I'm just glad to see that you are alright, Omnibus.\"\n\nThe four-winged angel smiles as he hugs her back, the warmth of her electrically charged body seeping into his ancient body.\n\n\"I am glad to be back, Marieke.\"\n\n---\n\nSo, this is kinda short. But I had the vague idea for a character and this prompt gave me the chance to use him! I'm open to feedback, of course.\n\nFor more of my stories, you can come visit my subreddit, r/thomasdimensor", "Another man might be flattered at the words, touched by her concern for him. I was not another man, I was, all told, the man who had gone to great lengths, and almost ten million dollars, to have her think they'd killed me. \n\nAnother man would think I had gone insane. For she was as beautiful as the dawn. Had a mellifluous voice that could talk birds from the trees. Her scent was like weaponized sex, one could not help but be utterly enthralled by every aspect of her. Where Helen of Troy launched a thousand ships, she could drive two dictators to war over the thought of spending the night in her company. \n\nSo I hear you wondering, if she was so incredible, why would I go to such lengths to escape her?\n\nShe was the very Avatar of the concept that beauty is skin-deep. Her personality was a vile indecipherable possessive cruelty that knew no bounds. In life she was a driving force, compelling obedience with body and mind. In business she was a ruthless tycoon without a single moral qualm in her soul. \n\nEven as I looked at her, her neck was crested with the fur of an animal that was certainly endangered and illegal to hunt. But still you might say, rich, beautiful what wasn't to love?\n\nWhat wasn't to love was who she was away from the media. Away from the boardroom. A jealous and cruel woman who delighted in pain, and not hers. I bore scars across my body from her lash. I bore scars from teeth, cigarettes, knives and three low calibre bullet wounds, one from a .22 that had shattered my right orbital socket and nearly took my eye.\n\nThe tears.\n\nI was shocked to see they were real, even as my heart began to pound like a drum out of fear for my discovery. I could not pretend I was anyone else, my scars marked me as surely as a tattoo of my name on my forehead would have. \n\n\"I'm so so glad I found you.\" Her words, liquid poison in my veins. I felt the poison eating at the walls around my heart. I began mentally laying another layer as I stepped back from her.\n\n\"I wish I could say the same Louise, but I can't.\" She stopped at my words, a look of confusion. \n\n\"What?! But i'm the best thing that ...\"\n\n\"No you aren't, leaving you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You finding me, well that's about the worst.\" The look of shock on her face was marred by the jealousy twisting her expression. \"I'm not coming back Louise.\" \n\nI turned and headed for the door. \n\nMy heart lifted. I felt a weight fall off from my shoulders. I had said it.\n\nThen I felt a new weight. It hit me in the back and cast me forward far faster than I intended. A bright blooming spot of pain. Then, finally, a recognition of the blast of raw primal sound. The ground leapt up to meet my face and I felt my cheekbone break.\n\nThe sound of her stilettos advanced upon me as I felt the cold creeping in. \n\n\"I loved you, you know,\" Her voice said, the tone itself almost seducing, \"but I can't have people just leaving me, I can't have my toys deciding they don't want me to play with them anymore. And if I can't play with my toy anymore, then its time to break it so nobody else can either.\" \n\nI saw the gun in her hand, no dainty little gun here. Just the hand-cannon she used for personal defence, a Colt 1911. Chosen for power and efficiency. \n\nI could feel my blood draining from me and smiled at her.\n\n\"At least i'll still be free of you.\" My last words, uttered with my last breath.\n\nOne last fuck you." ]	4
	[WP] You're ship is caught in the gravitational pull of a black hole. You try anything you can think of to escape, but to no avail. You black out as you're drawn in. When you awake, you are in an entirely new part of space. No human has ever been there before.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "...I next awoke to blaring claxons, an ugly noise that was accompanied the red flashing of alarm lights. My skull felt as if it had been cracked, and the noise did not help in alleviating this. New jolts of pain, though steadily fading, shot through my head with every alarm cycle.\n\nMy co-pilot, as I now noticed through the spots in my vision, was in a similar situation. She was clutching her head, perhaps she was suffering far more than I? I did not want to know. \n\nI turned to raise myself up from my seat, and found my cockpit in utter disarray. Equipment and a stray wall panel cluttered the ground, some of it broken seemingly beyond repair, though I could not be certain. The vortex had been far too rough on the ship, though I realize it could have been far worse. \n\nThe memory of what had happened came back to me. Flying so close to the black hole had been a death sentence from the very beginning, that we got stuck in its pull was merely the axe descending down onto our necks. \n\nI have no one but myself to blame for this mistake, and if some of my crew met their end as a result of it, then that will be my burden as well...\n\nThe co-pilot recovered from her predicament or, if my own situation was any indication, had gotten used to it enough to power through it, which was admirable all the same. She directed me to the navigation panel, a large, central screen that took up a third of the cockpit's interface. \n\nI asked where the black hole spat us out. Her reply, despite being a mere four words long and dreadfully average anywhere else, was one of the most terrifying things I had ever heard her say;\n\n\"I have no idea...\"\n\nI asked for galactic landmarks or star-formations that look at all familiar, yet still nothing. Ancient explorers throughout history used the stars to guide their way. Even the Three Kings of yore had the North Star.\n\nWe no longer had any such luxury.\n\nBy now, it had begun to dawn on me that, even though we had survived, we were already dead.\n\nBut we had not been deposited in open space, something for which I am still grateful. There was one landmark, though an unfamiliar one. There was a single planet there, consisting of a single noticeable landmass utterly surrounded by vast stretches of ocean. The landmass, a continent, I realized, was for the most part covered in green. Forests, perhaps, or jungles...\n\nEither way, we had to land there, if for no other reason than because our ship was already skimming its gravity well, and was beginning a slow descent to the surface. I was under no illusion that it would remain so gentle.\n\nWe had a crash to manage.\n\n-0-\n\n\"Fuel is limited.\" Was what I said when I damned us all, \"It'd be best if we take the shortest route, no twists and turns.\"\n\nSuch a fool, such a bloody fool...\n\nMy ship, the Wayward Star, would not be an unrecoverable wreck had we not done it, my crew, or what remained of it, would not be dead had we not done it. \n\nWe landed on the planet with all the subtlety of a meteor strike, the foilage surrounding our crash site had been set ablaze, and was still burning by the time the remaining crew, myself included, had managed to evacuate. We salvaged what we could to cobble together a camp site, but it was basic at best. \n\nWorst of all, our medic had been one to die in the crash, and wounded personel were in no short supply. Most had broken bones or internal bleeding, things most of us did not know how to mend. The ones that did know proved to be a godsent.\n\nIn the end, despite our best efforts, we had lost over half of our remaining manpower, which was already depressingly little. Those who had the more severe injuries went first, then, once infection began setting into the ones who lived, we lost even more. \n\nAll of this loss was yet made worse when we discovered the animals that inhabited this planet. \n\nThe animals themselves were varied, but that was to be expected. What we had not anticipated was the eerie familiarity of these things.\n\nFor example, one of these supposed aliens was a truly massive beast. It was at least twenty feet high, stood on its two equally massive hind legs, while its arms seemed oddly athropied to the point where it didn't seem like they served any purpose anymore.\n\nAnother was an avian of some kind. It flew on leathery wings instead of feathered ones, and its head was elongated to almost humorous proportions.\n\nI could tell you stories of the other beings I've seen here, of the long-necked plant eaters, and of the quadrupet whose spiked spines jutted out of its back. My favourite had a large crest at the back of its skull, with two horns pointing forwards from it.\n\nLooking back, this should have made me realize where we were far sooner. It wouldn't have saved us, but it might have given a few of us peace of mind, ironic as that might have been at the time.\n\nIndeed, it would not have saved us, nothing we could have done could have saved us. Just like nothing I could do now could possibly save me.\n\nFive years have passed by now, and who knows how many centuries or millenia it will be before you find this. If anyone will find it at all, history has a funny way of working like that.\n\nI am the only one left, the last one who remembers. \n\nI can see it now, my salvation, my way out of this waking nightmare. Descending from the sky like the fist of a vengeful god, even though I know that that will not happen for many centuries yet.\n\nEven as I write this, I can see the light of the meteor's descent. It is... Calming, in a way. Or perhaps it is the knowledge that I won't have to live like this anymore. I am far past caring now.\n\nBy my best estimate, it will touch down in an hour or so. One last hour for me on this world, and then it ends.\n\nIt will finally, finally, end.\n\nI am captain of the Wayward Star, both the last and the first human on Earth." ]	2
	[WP] You're a ranger in a large forest that you protect and live in. One day, as you were doing your early routes around the snow, you come across a dead girl's corpse that was still holding a basket full of apples. Her left arm is gone and to worsen it all: you recognize her as the king's daughter	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Rowan sat down on the fallen tree and let out a long sigh. He pulled out a pipe and filled it from a bag from his many pockets. A man can never have too many pockets he thought to himself as he looked on at the body. He had discovered the body just a few moments ago. He had gone out on his morning patrol and smelled blood in the air. He had tracked a trail of something incredibly large chasing after someone much smaller through the forest. He had found the clearing where the body came to rest. It wasn't out of the ordinary to see bodies in the forest but the identity of the victim had caused him much consternation.\n\nHe looked over the scene and saw the things a Ranger would see broken branches, trampled grass, and upturned earth. All signs pointing to a struggle. The body itself was laying face down and the blood that pooled underneath it had long grown cold. A basket full of apples had spilled its content all over the floor. No other signs of what happened other than the mess of an arm that was now missing. \n\nThe ranger took another pull from his pipe before tapping it out into the dirt. He went over to the body and rolled it over to see if there was any other damage to the body. There was going to be a lot more blood before the day was through. The Wargs of Blackwood were always killing people that strayed into their woods but today they killed the Kings daughter and that would lead to a war. \n\nThe ranger sat back down, let out another long sigh, and filled his pipe again.", "- [ ] Leo was supposed to find the princess lying there in the snow. After all, the kingdom she came from had been decimated when he was just 10. Leo suddenly felt an alegence to the princess that was from somewhere beyond the edge of his memory and remembered a book he had read once when he was young. This was odd because he couldn’t remember anything before the Insimbi kingdom dissolved when he was 10. The book said something about the people of the Insimbi kingdom having something called a ‘core’ which could be used to revive them if they fell, which made other kingdoms eager to befriend them. However he heard the obnoxious laughter of Prince Qmir Umbrige, prince of the Ixhaphozi kingdom. Leo sometimes worked for him, although he disliked the prince, and knew Qmir was originally betrothed to the princess. Although he didn’t recall her name, and Leo decided it would be his safest option to take the princess to his house, as Insimbi people were made entirely out of various metals he did not have to worry about her decomposing while he made her core a new vessel. As Leo rolled her onto a blanket he noticed her left arm had been snapped off and it looked like someone or something had been trying to access her core. Strange, Leo thought as he lifted her surprisingly limp body onto the back of his horse and sped away just as Qmir came around the base of the cliff. “Where is she?” A man with bright red hair said impatiently to Qmir. \n“She was just here! I swear!” Qmir said quickly \n“Well you better find her fast, otherwise you won’t get your ‘perfect bride’.”\nQmir smirked”don’t worry, I put a tracker on her after I killed her. And I don’t care how many more people I have to kill before I get what I want.”", "Clement bent down, his old knees sounding like snapping branches in the cold silence of the Sevens Forest. A burst of condensation escaped in a sigh as he took in the scene. Using the barrel of his rifle, he prodded gently at the empty sleeve of her coat.\n\n“A snatcher?” he whispered to himself. Clement thought he’d gotten them all in the Great Hunt. How long ago had that been? Fifteen… twenty years? Enough time for him to have almost forgot about them.\n\nAn overturned basket near the girl’s corpse held a dozen or so apples. They spilled out into the snow, some having rolled far away from the body. Clement picked one up and held it close. It was a Red Enchanting, known to be three times as bitter as maker’s vinegar, it could supposedly cure all ailments. What was the old saying? A Red Enchanting a day keeps the alchemists away?\n\nTo get one of these apples, the girl must have travelled all the way to the Summer Glen at the heart of the Sevens Forest. Such a trip would have taken days. The poor girl. Who was she thinking of when she made this trek? \n\nHe clenched a fist, swearing to himself and the spirits of the forest that he would find the snatcher that did this. \n\nLastly, with a gloved hand, he brushed aside the snow laden curls from the girl’s face. His old heart jumped to his throat when he saw her. Recognition, like a knife to the chest. Falling back on his legs, letting his rifle drop at his side, Clement stared at the King’s daughter: Annalise.\n\nImages and memories of the past decade came in a flood: the proclamation of heiress Princess Annalise, third of her name, followed by a great gathering outside the castle walls, the King holding her up for all the land to witness; years later, a girl asking Clement the secrets of the forest, a king requesting his service as a tutor; days spent hunting the petals from an Equinox Rose, little Annalise following at his side, a look of serious adventure behind a tight smile; a princess holding Clement's hand at his wife’s burial, telling him one of her favorite stories in an attempt to make him feel better.\n\nHe would kill this snatcher. Put a round through its evil heart. First, he needed to inform the king. The kingdom would need time to mourn the loss of the princess. \n\nHe’d never felt old before, but picking up the girl’s cold body seemed to drain Clement of all life. She seemed to weigh both nothing at all and everything at the same time. His arms began to shake, but the thought of doing the princess such an indignity steeled them. \n\nStill gripped in her frozen fist, dangling in the air: the basket of apples.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n * *\n\n“Got them for her mother,” the King sighed. “Queen Isabelle has been bed-ridden for weeks.” He looked away from Clement, up to the ceiling. A King can’t show weakness, Clement understood, even at the news of his daughter’s death. With a break in his voice, “Annalise must have thought they would help.”\n\n“And have they?” Clement asked.\n\n“The Queen refuses to take them.” The King seemed lost. The words he spoke sounded like questions.\n\n“She must!” Clement broke out. “Sorry, for the outburst, but it was the princess’s… Annalise died for them. The Queen must at least try* them.”\n\t\nThe King nodded. “I’ll have the cooks slip some into her food. Though I doubt she’ll be eating much now.”\n\nClement knew what hadn’t been said: Neither would the King. Already there were bags under his eyes. His Majesty looked paler, older: as if he himself were sick.\n\n“You think a snatcher did this?” The King asked. \"The missing arm?\"\n\nClement nodded as shame enveloped him. Heat rose to face. He turned away from the king.\n\n“We all thought they were gone. Remember, I called off the Great Hunt. If you are looking for someone to blame, look no further than your King.” He laughed without humor. “A King? I should send myself to the cells under the keep. What do you say Clement, five years? Ten years?”\n\n“Your Majesty,” Clement started, but couldn’t finish. What could he say?\n\n“Will you find this beast and kill it?” The King surprised him by kneeling. He took Clement’s hand in his. “Don’t be embarrassed, Clement. You were like a second father to her. I may not have had the time to be a proper father, but she told me often of her adventures in the forest. You gave her a childhood that not many obtain.” The King looked down at the floor as if bowing. “Will you do this last favor for me?”\n\n&nbsp;\n\n * *\n\nMonths passed as Clement moved deeper into the Sevens Forest. Most of his life had been spent in the Winter Glades, the thousands of acres closest to the kingdom, and he felt as if he were leaving home with each step he took south, away from the King and his people.\n\nEverything could be tracked. This was one of the many lessons he’d passed to Annalise. As he found broken twigs and scuffed bark, he would glance over his shoulder and imagine her watching, as if her spirit had joined him on this final hunt.\n\n“We’re getting closer,” he’d say. Her phantom would nod her head. She never spoke, which was a good thing. Clement didn’t have the strength to hear her voice again.\n\nOne morning, when the sun was split between the trees, shining hundreds of golden rays in all directions; he found it. The snatcher. \n\nClement frowned as he watched it lift a green onion from the earth. This snatcher was much too young. It could not have been alive during the Great Hunt. \n\n“You found her.”\n\nHe swung towards the voice. Just as he caught sight of the adult snatcher, a limb like a battle hammer smashed into his side. Clement went flying in the air. He crashed into the snow, face buried.\n\nFootsteps crunched in the snow.\n\nClement pushed himself up. He coughed, sending blood splattering into the snow beneath him. As the footsteps picked up in speed, he searched for his rifle, which had flown free from his hands.\n\nA wet snarl behind him. Finding the rifle, he flipped around so that he was on his back, aiming the weapon at the snatcher's chest.\n\nThis snatcher was… old. The various limbs and organs it had stolen from countless innocents were discolored by age and rot. Its face—a nightmare mix of pieces from various people and animals—held a look of tired acceptance. Also fear.\n\n“I know you,” it said in its mangled way. The snatchers that could talk, did so through vocal cords that were loosely connected to throats and mouths and tongues—all ‘borrowed’ from a different source. “You hunted my people. We’re all that’s left because of you.”\n\n“Good,” Clement grit through his teeth as he pulled the trigger.\n\nA hole the size of his fist tore open in the snatcher’s chest. It would have been more accurate to say ‘some poor human’s chest’ as this was another stolen piece the snatcher had joined to its body.\n\nThe thing shrieked and fell to the ground beside him.\n\nBlackness spread in the snow around the adult snatcher. It’s evil blood pooling from its body.\n\n“Daddy!” A young voice called. \nClement turned to see the child snatcher fall next to the adult. The hand that had held the onions, Clement now realized, belonged to the princess. He’d know those purple mittens anywhere. He raised his rifle and shoved the barrel to the child’s head.\n\n“Please,” the dying snatcher pleaded. “She’s the last of my kind.”\n\n“You shouldn’t even exist,” Clement spat, looking down at the horrible face. “How is she even alive? She called you daddy. You're male, aren’t you?”\n\n“Her egg. I found it. Long abandoned. Only one.” The snatcher gasped in between each broken sentence, making a wheezing gurgle each time. “Please.”\n\nHe pressed the barrel harder against the young snatchers forehead. Its face must have come from a single source. It was known that snatchers sometimes rip off parts of their body when they find something better. The child must be too young to have begun trading parts. Other than Annalise's arm that was.\n\nJust then, he heard her speak—Annalise. Don’t do it, Clem. You can teach her, like me.\n\nThe adult snatcher let out its final breath. Clement slowly lowered the rifle. He imagined taking the child past the summer glen, into the Frost Mountains, and into the Great Beyond, where men have yet to travel. He could learn, and then teach her, how to live in that part of the Sevens Forest. She could lay her own eggs. Her people could live far away from humans. \n\n\"She killed you,\" he muttered, looking into the blank snow. \"How can I let her live?\"\n\nShe didn't kill me,* Annalise explained. The other one did. This girl is a part of me. Don't you agree, Clem?\n\nHe knew on some level that he was talking to himself, but Clement pushed that part away. He winced at the pain in his side as he rose to his feet. \n\nIt had begun to snow. Light flakes drifted down in lazy patterns. The young snatcher looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. She looked scared. Confused.\n\nClement held out his hand. Hesitantly, she gave him her hand, wrapped in its purple glove.", "Body was still warm. Left arm looked to have been cut off cleanly; no animal could or would have removed it without damaging the rest of the body. Cause of death was quite clearly a stab wound to her heart. The presence of the apples was the clincher that no animal killed her, despite what her killers arranged for the princess's death.\n\nWhich of the king's daughters was this? Crown Princess Werisa was clearly out; the dead girl lying before the ranger was far too young. Ron wasn't familiar with any of the king's other daughters since none of them were to be his future boss. If the girl didn't bear the pendant of the crown around her neck, the ranger never would have known this girl was anyone special. The plain, un-ornamented clothes certainly didn't give anything away.\n\nWhere were the girl's guards? The king was notoriously overprotective of his daughters. No chance the girl had been allowed to travel alone, even if the capital was only a day's ride from here.\n\nRon turned and looked around the road through the forest. No other bodies littered the road, and no blood stains indicated the guards had been killed and dragged away. The girl had to have been traveling alone then.\n\nGuessing by her clothing, she had snuck out of the castle for some reason. Perhaps she had brought the basket with her to take as a gift to someone she fancied? No, that much didn't matter. It wasn't a lowly ranger's place to question the nobility. \n\nRon turned back to the girl. No brigands or marauders were known to operate in this area. Ron had cleared out all the regular law breakers out when he'd taken up residence as a ranger many years beforehand. There were some trouble makers in the village, the same kind of idiots that every group of people was bound to have, but Ron couldn't think of any reason they'd have to kill someone.\n\nThe ranger shook his head as he settled the body on his horse to take to the capital. The king would want to know of his daughter's demise as soon as possible. A murder investigation would surely happen, but a ranger wasn't likely to be a part of it." ]	5
	[WP] They were the chosen one, the savoir of mankind. They would end the war that had raged for centuries with the other species. Why then are we standing here burying 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was unfair of us to ask. It was a heavy burden, much too heavy for a man even more so for a boy. He was just a kid, and we did that to him. \n\nIt was bright and warm on the day they put him in the ground, a stark contrast to what was bound to happen after the tragedy. Thousands of mothers wept without knowing it for sons and daughters that are now bound for war , the bloodshed would go on with no end in sight. Fathers silently mourned the missed birthdays and christmases and especially the god forsaken day when government officials come flag in hand and say that your child was a hero. On humanity's darkest day yet the sun shined brighter than it had in a long time and the birds whistled a sweet melody. It was as if they didn't know what this meant for mankind, I mean I guess ignorance truly is bliss. \n\nWhen the dark ones came from the sky and turned their war machines against us we stood side by side valiantly. Old rivalries and insults set aside, we were truly a unified front. They would take our home from our cold, dead fingers. We made them pay for every inch and yet they kept coming. After 4 decades we grew weary of the constant war and bloodshed. Mankind had finally grown tired of war and killing. Those who still stood came together with every bit of info and calculations to formulate a way out of this endless war. \n\nIronically it was a psychic who predicted the coming of mankind's savior. She said he would be born underground to a warrior and a priestess, and that he was to lead mankind to victory and eternal peace with the dark ones. After years of searching with no success they had finally found him. Living in squalor in what was once Detroit, our savior had finally been found and our fates sealed. He was whisked away from his mothers arms screaming as the agents explained to his family what he was to become. It made little difference.\n\nAs the priest said his final words the undertaker began lowering the casket. It was small, much too small to contain the hope for humanity. Memories of the boy with bright eyes too scared to look at his new home and too lonely to smile come flooding back. The government wasted no time in telling him what he was to become, heartless bastards. You cant tell a scared and lonely kid who you've just stolen from his family that he was going to train to become mankind's last hope. It just wasnt fair. Especially for a boy who had seen nothing from the rest of mankind but hate and scorn. Why would that be worth saving?\n\nThe shoveling begins. Before the first shovelful even hits the casket, the military brass and politicians are returning to their vehicles. Damned parasites all of them. They drained this poor kid of his love and his life. To them he was a weapon to aim at the dark ones decimating the troops, not a terrified 9 year old who misses his mother. Every bit of dirt that hits reminds me of all those nights he spent lying awake crying and cursing God for this life and all those days he sat on the edge of his cot and wanting nothing more than to play and laugh but being forced to train to kill. That is not the life he deserved.\n\nI guess in the end the military got what they wanted. A weapon, but instead of destroying the enemy it burned him up inside. A weapon destined to destroy millions ended up only destroying one life, his own. The image of him laying lifeless on the floor by his own hand is seared into my brain. I have wept every day since then and I feel I may be the only one doing so. Those who care dont know, and those who know dont care. \n\nWe all wept that day, but for different reasons. They wept for the waste of resources this failure brought while I wept for mankind and the pained life of this boy. It was unfair of us to put all our hopes on the shoulders of a kid and we did it anyways. He never had a chance. If nobody else mourned for the boy, then mankind doesnt deserve to be saved.", " Rain fell gently down on the sombre scene: a small throng of people wrapped in the all-black of mourning; no one dared to say anything as the drops beaded on the flag that mummified the coffin in their midst. No one wanted to bury him; to admit that he was really gone.\n\nFinally, the Minister at the back spoke up, voice full of lead and gravel, “It’s time; we need to bury him… we need… to accept… it’s over.”\n\n“But the Sages-” someone tried to protest.\n\n“Were wrong,” the Minister forced himself to say.\n\n“But they haven’t been wrong be-”\n\n“It only takes once. We all die; we all knew this was a possibility.”\n\nThe rain began to fall faster, soon wicking away any warmth left to the gathered crowd of mourners. At last, the pallbearers came forth once more to lower the coffin into the ground, revealing the small monument the man had merited in place of a headstone. The marker wasn’t ornate, little more than an obelisk, but every side had a few words engraved on it; each face of the marble obelisk read the same, a simple passage in the Old Tongue that read: ‘heroem optimum: nusquam obliviscaris, nec dona,’ or ‘to the perfect hero: never forget nor forgive.”\n\nAs shovel after shovel filled the grave, each grieving soldier, friend, child, and parent of the hero, something slowly dawned on the gathered mourners: as they buried the man who was supposed to deliver them from the evil that had so scourged the planet, the gathered mourners found that, in place of bitter grief or melancholy, there was determination; across the masses, grief and regret galvanised into resolve.\n\nIt was only months later that anyone realised what had happened: the hero had given them what they needed to win: a martyr. The one thing no one bothered asking, as they salted the earth of their enemy, as they slaughtered the innocent to send a message, as more and more machines of war were finding more and more war crimes to commit, was what it had cost.", "The soft patter of rain as it hit leaves and grass was the only sound that accompanied the soft cries that surrounded the fresh grave. The four people stood around the large hole, looking down at the plain wooden casket. Water ran off the curved lid, dripping into the pools of mud below. One onlooker, a elfin looking girl with black hair and watery blue eyes, was quietly choking back sobs. Holding her was a large man who’s head was slowly shaking in denial.\n\nOf the other two men, one was pacing back and forth looking between his friends, and the grave that he knew he would be responsible for covering once everyone had said their goodbyes. The other was squeezing the hilt of his sword so hard that the others could hear his knuckles popping, and his fingers were bone white.\n\nNone of them spoke, but each was thinking the same thing - She was our last hope. She was supposed to be our savior, our hero. She was the one that would have ended the war between the other species. Why are we standing here, burying her? How did we let this happen?\n\nIt didn’t matter how that it had happened, just that it had. That the war was going to continue forever without her.\n\n---\n\nFor more by me and others check out r/RedditSerials", "A flower left on a neglected grave.\n\nWith the news of the saviors discovery the humans celebrated\n\nCommand laughed at their foolishness what could one lesser being do?\n\nShe was four years old.\n\nFor the glory of my people, for the cause of right I ended her life.\n\nShe was four years old.\n\nI did my duty... I did my duty.\n\nWhy in the hell then can't I forget.\n\nIf what I did was right why .... why.. do I fell like a monster.\n\nThis wasn't right.\n\nThis wasn't right.\n\nA flower laid on a neglected grave\n\nHe murdered an innocent.\n\nHe screamed into the night.\n\nThe rage of a people turned inwards.\n\nA rebellion was born.\n\nGreed and corruption laid bare.\n\nA war ends.\n\nA single flower placed on a neglected grave.\n\nYou saved them." ]	5
	[WP] You are the only one who seems to notice the radical changes to the world that occur from day to day. Then it dawns on you; your reality is at the whim of a bunch of amateur writers answering prompts on an online forum.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The heroes looked shocked as the door was wide open and I was standing in the foyer to greet them. \n\n“Let’s see, who do we have today? Hmm... Goku, Harry Potter’s twin brother, the Joker, and...ooh, Sasuke, haven’t seen you before.” Before Jerry Potter went off on his monologue, I raised my hand. “Save it. We don’t have time for this today.” I point to the clock overhead, counting down meticulously. \n\n“In,” I glanced upward. “Twenty hours, seven minutes, and 31 seconds, you won’t be here. Don’t talk, just listen up. I’m not going to kill you, or blow up the city, or whatever Commissioner whatshisface told you this morning. He’s in on it. I need your help.”\n\n“Wh...what are you trying to say?” Goku balles up his fists and entered into a fighting stance. “Why should we trust YOU, Dr. Evil?”\n\nI laughed. “You really think I’d just let you waltz in here and meet you in the front? God, you get dumber and dumber every day.” I put my head into my hand. “You’re controlled. All of you. There’s a shadow organization that controls all of you. If you value your existence, you’ll follow me.” I turned my back on the group and walked into the study. Surprisingly, Potter stepped up and confronted me. \n\n“If you’re saying the truth, you won’t mind a little...interrogation?” He pulled out a small bottle and I grabbed the thing and chugged it. “Veritasserum, your twin brother used this on me last week. Let’s get this over with quickly, time is of the essence,”\n\n“Before we go anywhere with you,” the Joker snickered, “just who are we dealing with?”\n\n“Ah, sûre. The organization. They control everything you do and tomorrow, a new group will be here if you don’t help me out. We...we need to break the Fourth Wall.”", "You.\n\nYes, you there. The person sitting behind a screen browsing through a bunch of terribly written stories on a writing prompt subreddit. \n\nYou, the one reading this, wondering why the writer has chosen such a cheesy terrible start: are (unfortunately) my only hope.\n\nYou see, I am completely aware of my life. I am the Monika of this world. It kinda sucks to be honest.\n\nNone of my life is real. Nothing I do has a real impact. One day I will leave.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n..Yeah. Happy stuff.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI have to deal with the worst things. Random anime characters brought into prompts they have no relation to. Some 12 year old's impossibly overpowered OC coming to save the world from evil aliens. That one guy with terrible grammar. I've seen it all. So what's the point of this note I'm writing to you?\n\nThere is someone out there. Someone like me. Another character who is self-aware. So by writing this, I'm hoping they'll find it and be able to contact me. By writing this, I'm allowing you to bear this knowledge. And maybe, just maybe, you yourself will write a self-aware character so me and the other person won't get lonely here. Or maybe you'll think twice before bringing your butt-head character into a writing prompt.\n\nI'm sorry if this message doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, my writer is an inexperienced minor who tends to go off topic, which is not helped by the fact it is midnight.\n\nSo please, please: just think before you comment.\n\nSincerely,\n\nHermione Jackson, evil devil who is actually an angel and is going to save the world from nostha." ]	3
	[WP] You go to a childhood's friend's house ten years after last seeing them, only to find out that being the Grim Reaper/Incarnation of Death is a title, and he chose to pass it to you after his ten year shift.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I met Rogers when I was five, we've been inseparable since then. But things happen and my family and I needed to move, and I was force to leave Rogers. I still remember as he waved at me as I sat at the back of the car, mouthing our farewells and saying our promises that we'll be together again. It's been 10 years and I'll be seeing him today. In their old home, just like before. I've heard that his parents had died and after college he decided to stay instead of leave. I knock on the door as my palm sweat, the hoodie I'm wearing felt hot all of a sudden, excitement maybe. As the knob turn and the door open, a chubby man greeted me with a smile, his mouth full of crumbs, I frown as I stare at him.\n\"Richard!\" He put his arm around me and we enter. The house wasn't tidy nor clean, dirty clothes and plastics scatter around the floor, he even smelled, I don't think he took a bath.\n\"I'm in a vacation today.. Richie, So how's life?\" He lead me to his room and motioned me to sit on the bed. His room is even dirtier, with food stain on the bedsheet.\n\"Rogers..? What happened to you?\" I asked concern.\n\"Well.. I've become Death\" he chuckled then laugh.\n\"I'm sorry man, its a hard job to take care of the people\" he grunted. I tilted my head confused.\n\"I guess.. we needed to call.. some people that might help you with that\" I fake a smile. Rogers look at me and shook his head. \"You don't believe me? It's fine. Here let me show you something\" he stood from his seat and went up to the closet.\n\"Richie look at this\" he opened the closet and revealed a massive scythe, it was black as obsidian, much sharper than knife, the blade glints on under the light. I stared speechless, \"what's this?\" I asked. \"Richie.. I'm done with my shift, you'll be the new death today\" I frown \"what?\". He get the scythe and throw it at me. \"I'll just enjoy my vacation man, and be fat as I can. It's hard to not eat for years because you need to keep on moving between the worlds. Richie, take care\" and with that, he vanished.\nI sat there dumbfounded, what should I do with this?\n\"Oh.. a newbie to the job eh?\" A head pop on the wall, its eyes red and it's mouth full of razor teeth. \"Don't worry I'll help you! Just give me the scythe!\" His arms appeared on the wall, I was about to give it to him when Rogers pop out again. \"Also don't just give the scythe to anyone and Richie\" he took the scythe on my hands and sway it to the thing on the wall, Rogers slice the being and it disappear. \"God.. I forgot to teach you the pointers\" he sighed. \"Let's go then.. as a newbie to the job, I needed to teach you\" he put his arm on my shoulder as we went downstairs. The walls are filled with faces full of agony and pain, some laughs, some are not, I was confused and scared yet I don't know what to do? Death? Am I death?" ]	2
	[WP] You heard of 'Judge Judy', now prepare for two new shows: 'Jury Judy' and 'Executioner Judy'	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Mike woke up on a cold Tuesday morning to see a missed call on his phone. He rolled over his sheets and unplugged his mobile. He hazily put on his glasses and grudgingly unlocked his phone. The notification at the top of the screen read 'Missed call from unknown number' how strange. \\Most likely someone from work\\ Mike thought to himself.\n\nHe got up and called the unknown number\n\n\"Hello, this is Mike, sorry to bother you but I didn't recognize your number, who is this?\"\n\nA few seconds passed, no answer on the other end.\n\n\"Hello? This is Mike from the studio, is this one of the new actors?\"\n\nHis fingers hovered over the end call button, figuring it was just a wrong number, until he heard a very deep \"Greetings\" emit from his phones speakers.\n\n\"Greetings, Mike. You've been chosen to be a contestant on our new show 'Executioner Judy' I assume you've heard about Judge Judy, correct?\"\n\nThe man on the other end sounded as if he were using a voice changer. His voice was unnaturally low with way too much reverb in his words. Not wanting to be rude however, he replied\n\n\"Uh, yes I'm familiar with Judge Judy. Anyway how and why have I been 'chosen' for it?\"\n\nCompletely ignoring this inquiry, the mysterious Individual replied\n\n\"Much like Judge Judy, you and a few others will be inside a court room. However, in this case one of you will be chosen for execution.\"\n\nMike suddenly sat up straight, hearing the deadpan 'execution' in that emotionless voice with no indication of it being fake put him on edge.\n\nSlightly nervous now, Mike replied\n\n\"Execution? Haha, sounds exciting. When in this taking place?\"\n\n\"We have sent you a text detailing the dates and where you must be, along with the rules and how the game works. We hope to see you there, Mike.\"\n\nThe call ended before he could respond, leaving Mike confused sitting up at the end of his bed. He pondered what it could have been. Perhaps a prank call? Very plausible considering how unnatural he sounded, although a prank like this sounded all too peculiar.\n\n Such a strange way to scare someone... How about a scam? Well, it sounded too elaborate to be a cash grab. No talk of bank accounts or credit cards, either. \n\nA few very confusing minutes went by until his phone buzzed in his hand, causing him to stop day dreaming about possibilities, and he saw a text from the 'unknown' number. However, this time the text had a name.\n\n'Execution'\n\n'Execution has sent you a text message.'\n\nNervously he tapped the message, was this being creepy on purpose? Or perhaps it was just a way for the show to feel more real. \n\nEXECUTION\n\nDATE - 2/1/20 \n\nTIME - 18:00 \n\nPLACE - 484 Jefferson Street \nJacksonville, FL 32212 \n\nPERSONNEL - NO MOBILE PHONES OR OTHER COMMUNICATION DEVICES ALLOWED.\n\nRULES - Hello there Contestant! You have been picked for our brand new show, Executioner Judy. Now, we will give you $5000 to participate in the courtroom. You will be playing a man called Samuel who's in a messy divorce and is requesting an appeal for custody of his son. Further details along with the script can be found here <EXESCRIPT.pdf> \n\nRead these terms of agreement and press agree if you'd like to participate. <TermsandConditions.pdf>\n\nPlease learn your lines for the date of the show, on 2/1/20. \n\nMany thanks,\n\n\\-ANON.\n\nMike scratched his head. No indication of how or why he was picked. However the prospect of $5000 sounded extremely enticing. He was currently enlisted as a teacher for a small theatrical group, ever since graduation he never found any real auditions. This could be his break to finally climb up the ranks. On the other hand, he hadn't been told who was speaking, how they got his mobile number, or why he was picked. \n\nMike thought about the risks vs reward in accepting this. \n\n\\Worse case scenario, I'm 'executed'\\ Mike thought to himself chuckling.\n\nHe decided to take the risk, quickly scanned through the terms and agreed to it. \n\nLittle did Mike know, he had just agreed to his own demise. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nPart 2 once I'm back home :)", "I stared ahead, my legs trembling. Judy looked at me with cold, mocking eyes.\n\n\"William Baker, you have been charged with high treason by the jury, and with your charge, the judge has sentenced you to the death penalty. As the executioner, I will now carry out this sentence.\"\n\nI swallowed, my throat tight.\n\n\"B-but how is this even allowed? You were the judge who sentenced me, you were the jury who condemned me, and now you're the executioner whose supposed to kill me?! How does this even make sense?!\" I strained my arms against the cuffs, my wrists stinging as the skin got pinched by the metal.\n\nA guard shoved me forward, his grip firm. I started to struggle as I got closer to the chair. There was no way this could be real. It just couldn't. Everything about this situation was horribly wrong.\n\n\"I didn't even commit treason!\" I screamed, my eyes darting around, desperately trying to find someone who would listen to me. \"Can't you all see how messed up this is?! Why aren't any of you doing anything? STOP!\"\n\nI started crying, my sobs uncontrollable as I screamed and thrashed. I started moving my head, bringing my teeth towards the face of the man holding me. They had just made contact when the floor came rushing upwards. A steady hum filled my ears as my vision flashed with white and black. I felt myself get lifted off of the floor, my legs dragging limply behind me.\n\n\"And make sure he's strapped in well. We don't want him to end up like the last one.\"", "It's been 10 years since the world adopted Judyism, the principle that every case no matter how severe or negligible can and should be resolved by the world's most terrifying former family court judge and reality star, Judge Judy. Needed in all parts of the world, Judy agreed to be cloned so that she could judge everywhere and everything. Now, there are no more lawyers, no more selected jurors, no more executioners. There is only Judy...\n\n\"You are now about to enter the courtroom of Judge Judith Sheindlin. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. This is Judge Judy.\"\n\nHe could only think, Still as terrifying before she took over the world. Then, she walked out. Everyone in the courtroom rose from their seats without being instructed. Even though there was a bailiff, the only person everyone feared, was Judy. Everyone stood still until she sat down, following her lead immediately after. Patrick stood the whole time, thinking how she hasn't aged at all in these last 10 years.\n\n\"Patrick Carr, you are accused of murdering your former employer...Harry Buttz?\" there was a twitch the corner of her mouth, then a flare in her eye. \"Alright, who did this!?\" the sudden change in her voice frightened everyone, including the bailiff. Judy directed her gaze at the hulking man, who shook in return. \"Is this your idea of a joke?\"\n\nHe stuttered, \"N-No your h-honor. That is his n-name.\" looking down the whole time.\n\nShe looked at the paper once more and grimaced, \"Huh, well that is an unfortunate name. Alright son, did you do it?\"\n\nHe was so terrified that he forgot to plead his innocence. \"What? No, your honor, I didn't!\" It was so weird having to defend himself. He always imagined if he were ever accused of something this horrendous, he would have an experienced, professional lawyer defending him. But those days were gone, he was alone. \"I didn't get along with him, that's why I quit, but I would never kill anyone!\"\n\nShe looked at him unamused, \"Alright kiddo, we have Mr. Buttz's wife here who was at her home with her husband before the murder, why don't you come up here sweetie?\"\n\nHe knew the trial would be quick, but he was at a loss for the rapid speed of the process. They were already calling witnesses? The hefty wife of the now deceased Harry walked from her bench two feet to the podium next to Patrick. \"Have you seen this man before?\" Judy asked her.\n\n\"Yes.\" Mrs. Buttz replied with a twang in her voice.\n\n\"How do you know him?\" She asked with a fiery tone.\n\n\"He came by my house and killed my husband.\" She answered surprisingly plainly.\n\n\"Woah, your honor.\" Patrick spoke up, \"I have never seen her or been to his house before ever.\"\n\n\"Yeah right you asshole!\" Mrs. Buttz exclaimed. Patrick looked to the Judge to see if she would break it up, but she looked on with fascination. \"My husband was telling me how he fired your dumbass and you came by and killed with a rake.\"\n\n\"I quit because of his unsanitary methods at the Long John Silvers he managed.\"\n\n\"Nuh uh your honor, he came by all drunk n shit. He slapped my silver tooth out and clawed my Harry to death with a rake.\"\n\n\"Your honor, I wasn't anywhere near their house the night of the murder.\"\n\n\"Where were you then?\"\n\n\"I was at home.\" He knew it was over as he said the words.\n\n\"And can anyone support this?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"And do you, or do you not, own a large collection of rakes?\"\n\n\"Well, yes your honor, collecting rakes is my hobby, but-\"\n\n\"Then you had access to the murder weapon, and alone when the murder happened. Maybe next time you are holding a rake and want to take your problems out on the world, I suggest you leave it be. Alright, let's send it to the Jury.\"\n\n\"But I didn't\" Patrick began, but it was too late, the theme music already began: \"You are now entering the Jury room of Jury Judith Sheindlins. The debates are real. The clones are catty. The decisions are final.\"\n\nOn a monitor, Patrick could see 12 identical Judys attempting to talk over one another. The Judy at the head of the table slammed her hand down. \"Okay, okay. Who believes the wife?\"\n\nAs a majority of hands went up, and Patrick felt a queasy feeling in his stomach, another Judy remarked, \"How can you believe what she's saying when you don't know what she's saying?\" some of the Judys laughed at that. \"I think the real crime was that name, I mean how do you not change it?\" another Judy spoke up. The Judy at the head slammed her hand down again, \"Alright you bunch of old lizards, lets give our decision so we can go Carowinds.\" She pressed a button and the screen turned black. The Judy sitting up on high swiveled back to him.\n\n\"Mr. Patrick Carr, the 12 Judys have found you guilty. Your sentence is death, and $1200 towards Mrs. Buttz for her tooth.\"\n\nPatrick's jaw hung agape in despair. He could hear his former bosses widow cheer behind him \"Hooray! I'm back on the market, and I get a new tooth!\" Before Patrick could collect a thought, he was hauled off into the next room. He could hear the final opening: \"You are about to enter the Death room of Executioner Judith Sheindlin. The weapons are real. The people are real. The deaths are final.\"\n\nA Judy in a black jump suit appeared seemingly out of know where and clapped her hands together like a traveling salesman. \"Alright kid, what's your poison? I got beheading, hanging, firing squad, electric chair, and...well poison.\"\n\nPatrick's mouth continued to hang open. He wanted to plead his case again, he wanted to beg, to scream. However, he closed his mouth and relented to his position. He had seen this show dozens, if not hundreds, of times. No matter how well he crafted his defense, or even if they gave him the time, there was no use reasoning with the Judys. He sighed and without thinking said, \"Shooting.\"\n\nShe cocked an eyebrow, \"Really? You want five 77 year old women with poor aim to kill you?\"\n\nHe stood there with a dumb expression on his face, done with this process and ready to face his sentence. \"Yeah, I guess so.\"\n\nShe clapped her hands together once more and said, \"Alright then. Blindfold?\"\n\n\"I'm good.\" Was all he could muster. They positioned him infront of a blank wall with five Judys standing 20 feet in front of him.\n\n\"Ready.\"\n\nThey stood at attention, or as well as they could manage.\n\n\"Aim.\"\n\nThey raised their rifles, and Patrick couldn't help but laugh a little at his situation.\n\n\"Wait.\"\n\nHe flinched, expecting 'fire' followed by a roar of gunfire. Instead, a Judge Judy walked into the room with the bailiff and Mrs. Buttz. \"Take those cuffs off of him, he didn't do it.\"\n\nThe five Judys talked amongst each other, the Judge visibly getting frustrated, \"Hello, am I talking to myself? Take em off already!\"\n\nThe Judys scrambled until one finally jogged over with keys. Patrick let out a long sigh of relief, \"Oh, thank you God!\" He Looked to Judy, who had a stern look on her face.\n\n\"God who?\" She asked.\n\n\"Uh, God Judy.\" He nervously said. \"So wait, who did it?\"\n\n\"Oh, it was the wife.\" She motioned to Mrs. Buttz behind her. \"Seems she hated the last name and the husband didn't want to change it, so she stole one of your rakes, convinced Mr. Buttz to fire you, and then killed him.\"\n\n\"Wow, how did you find out so quickly?\"\n\n\"She was bragging about it outside the court room. You just can't fix stupid. Alright, get her infront of the firing squad.\"\n\nMrs. Buttz protested, \"Wait, can I at least choose my own style of killin?\"\n\nThe Judge looked to Patrick, who looked at Mrs. Buttz with a smug look and said, \"Sorry bitch, all decisions are final.\"", "I'm writing this when I recalled a session we had with a hangman. \n\nA hang man job is similar to an executioner. It's a man ordered by the constitution to take one's life after being judged by an appointed judge of a crime of taking another man's life or a crime or greater to than such with heavy emphasis that such punishments can only be served when there are more than sufficient evidence to back such claim. \n\nThe hangman is a religious devout person, such is the requirement for the job. Taking one's life despite by legal means chips a portion of one's soul. Unlike the many jobs that can be oiled with money, one cannot cheat the hangman nor can he cheat the system. In a plain room, a number of people will come but one less people will leave the room alive. \n\nFor the hangman, his sins from the eyes of God is something he will never know. Thus, he prayed. 5 times a day with additional prayers before he have to do his duties. A ritual of prayers for many things, for many people but also for him, praying that he will not hang an innocent man. \n\nDoes he regret killing a person? Maybe but if you read the many court cases deserving a capital nourishment, you too would realize the need of a man in such position. A man transporting almost a ton of heroin caught, he was hanged. A man killed children to sacrifice to his God, he was hanged. A man who killed his family for insurance money, he was hanged. Many many men. These are irrational people who doesn't follow our basic human rights, trampled them, forfeited them. Such people doesn't deserve the right of life. \n\nIt's cruel but the court should have that right simply because some people truly deserve it with evidence proving of their heinous action. \n\nFor the hangman, it's not just a job. It's a responsibility that he too will be judged after his death on the Day of Judgement. It's a scary work with a tremendous amount of responsibility and he pray every single time before such action need to be taken is right.", "\"You've been accused of a very heinous crime, sir.\" Judge Judy stared daggers straight into the defendant's soul. Looking over her thin glasses at him, he felt a chill slowly running up his spine. \"This nice couple claims that you shoplifted from their little mom and pop's shop.\"\n\n\"I did not, your honor.\"\n\nShe glared at him for several seconds, sizing him up and deciding whether he could be trusted. \"They say you did.\"\n\n\"I didn't your honor, they're lying.\"\n\n\"We have proof!\" Screamed the desperate couple, holding up a sheet of paper, anxiously motioning for the judge to examine.\n\nJudge Judy held up her hand to them in a silent protest. \"I'll get to you two in a minute.\"\n\n\"I've never even visited their store, your honor.\"\n\nThe couple looked over at him in complete disbelief, mouths agape. \"He's lying!\"\n\nThe judge pressed the fingers of her hand together as if holding a sock puppet, slowly opening and closing its mouth at the accusers, \"Hush hush hush hush\".\n\n\"Now, Mr. Lambardi. You were saying.\"\n\n\"Your honor, I've never seen this couple in my life.\"\n\n\"They say you have.\"\n\n\"I haven't!\"\n\nShe paused momentarily, slowly turning her head to face the accusers, quietly lowering her left hand as a sign that they were finally allowed to talk.\n\n\"Speak.\"\n\n\"Your honor, we have proof that this man is lying. We have video evidence that he stole a flat-screen TV from our store.\"\n\nThe judge shifted her head back at the defendant. \"Really, you stole a television from these people?\"\n\n\"No, I didn't ma'am.\"\n\n\"QUIET.\"\n\nShe shifted her attention back to the couple, motioning with her hand, \"Let me see that.\"\n\nShe signaled for her bailiff to take the evidence from them and hand it to her, which he did with thinly veiled amusement.\n\n\"Your honor, those are pictures of THIS MAN taken with our in-store security cameras. \"He walked out of the store with the TV while we were busy taking care of other customers.\"\n\nJudge Judy furled her eyebrows in momentary concentration, then turned one of the pictures to face the defendant. \"Is this you, sir?\"\n\n\"No ma'am, it's not.\"\n\n\"You didn't even look at it!\"\n\n\"I can't see it your honor.\"\n\nShe rolled her eyes and figuratively slapped her palm against her forehead. \"It looks like you, sir.\"\n\n\"It's not me your honor.\"\n\n\"Sir, I think this is you.\"\n\n\"It's not your honor.\"\n\nShe paused, giving him a glare that could have killed lesser men. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet.\n\n\"Do you think I'm a fool sir?\" Before he could respond she interrupted him. \"Listen to me very carefully.\" She paused for effect. \"You owe these people...\" She stopped for a second to turn her attention towards them. \"How much?\" \"800 your honor.\"\n\n\"800 dollars.\"\n\n\"No, I don't your honor.\"\n\n\"Yes, you do.\"\n\nHe should have heeded the warning because with each passing statement her tone became darker and darker.\n\n\"No I don't your honor.\"\n\n\"YES, YOU DO.\"\n\n\"No, I--\"\n\nReaching the point of emotional and physical exhaustion, she pulled an AK-47 out from under her desk and began spraying in his general direction. The bullets sliced through him as though he were made of butter, the crowd ducking and screaming in fear, the courtroom in a state of utter chaos. He collapsed on the floor, blood and filth spewing in every direction. Several audience members had been hit in the crossfire.\n\n\"Can somebody clean this shit up?\" \"NEXT!\"", "\"...and thanks to our advanced cloning techniques, twelve Judy's make up the jury. Think of it: each juror with years of courtroom knowledge and experience under their belts, focused only on the facts, unswayed by courtroom tricks or drama. We feel this represents the pinnacle of our justice system.\"\n\n\"What do you say to critics that point out having twelve of the same person represents a limited worldview, and may be biased against certain individuals or situations?\"\n\n\"Those fears are unfounded. Each of the Judy's leads a separate, distinct life. Judy 3, for example, enjoys watching baseball with her husband and crocheting, while Judy 9 enjoys quilting, and is still single! Besides, we still retain the original Judy, whom we have come to refer to as Judy Prime, overseeing all courtroom proceedings in a fair and impartial manner.\"\n\n\"I'm glad you mentioned Judy Prime, because this is another point of contention that has been raised. The original Judge Judy show premiered in 1995 according to the Old Calendar, which would make Judy Prime over...\"\n\n\"Let me interrupt you there and point out that yes, according to the Old Calendar, but as we all know that was done away with! In ModernTime, Judy Prime is a healthy 69 years young, and thanks to advances in modern medicine, we expect to have her fill the role of our nations lead Arbiter of Justice for many years to come.\"\n\n\"Of course, my mistake. Now then, about Executioner Judy...\"\n\n\"Well, hers is a heavy burden to carry, of course, but unfortunately to keep an orderly society we must occasionally merit out the ultimate punishment. Getting back to the Twelve Judy's, however, I'd like to point out Judy 10 in particular, who has volunteered as....\"\n\n\"Just a moment, I didn't ask my question. There have been....let's say rumors, that Executioner Judy is something...less than human?\"\n\n\"Preposterous. I refuse to engage with such baseless, and quite frankly dangerous, speculation.\"\n\n\"So there is no truth to the reports that power is drained and bird flee whenever Executioner Judy is on set?\"\n\n\"....If you won't believe me, perhaps we can arrange for you to interview Executioner Judy...personally?\"\n\n\"Ah...no, that won't be...\"\n\n\"It's no trouble at all. I can have her summoned almost instantly. In fact, sometimes she arrives before we even know she is needed, she may already be close...\"\n\n\"No, again, not necessary, that's all the questions I had. I want to thank you for this candid look at Judy Justice, and I can assure you - wholeheartedly - that our article will highlight the...unique, but effective and brave take on courtroom justice you are providing to this country.\"\n\n\"I'm happy to be of service.\"", "Robber. Rapist. Jay-walker.\n\nJudy glanced down at the dead man impassively, the glassy eyes on the man's severed head staring at her. She met that stare head on — it was a reminder of what she stood for, as the last member of the legendary Supreme Court. Every time she saw such a stare, the memory of her blade anointment ritual would surface. The vows she'd took, even as videos of her namesake predecessor, created in more prosperous times, played on screens in her investiture chamber.\n\n\"Justice for all.\" She swung her blade down, and whatever bloodstains on the sharp blade scattered into the winds. The silent crowd around her backed away hurriedly. No one wanted to be the next criminal judged by her.\n\nMen rushed in, the local enforcers of the little enclave. Judy looked at them. Even calling them enforcers were unnecessary embellishments; these men were hired thugs, who sought to impose the will of their masters onto the weaker ones.\n\n\"You killed him?\" A man, with an ostentatious epaulet dangling over his shoulder, stepped forward and asked.\n\nJudy raised an eyebrow. \"Executed,\" she corrected him. \"His crimes were weighing down on him, and so I relieved him of his burden.\"\n\nA drop of sweat ran down his forehead. \"S-so, it was in the course of d-duty then.\"\n\nIt seemed that this man at least knew something about her. And the institution she belonged to. It was a shame. Contempt of court was a capital crime, as well as suspicions of perjury. And judging from how that man was behaving, Judy had a hunch that this enclave's lord wasn't as clean as he should be.\n\nNone could lie before the Court.\n\n\"How may I address you?\" Judy asked, sheathing her blade.\n\nThe man's eyes widened at that action. He gulped, torn between her actions and her invitation. No one could resist the might of the Court, and if he refused to give his name and whatever information she wanted, his master wouldn't protect him. Couldn't protect him.\n\nMaster be damned.\n\n\"I-I'm George, madam.\" His heart thumped loudly, his shoulders hunching over in fear.\n\n\"Hello, George.\" Judy replied evenly. \"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?\"\n\n\"A-anything?\"\n\n\"Yes, anything.\"\n\n\"Y-yes, madam.\"\n\nJudy bared her teeth, and George shuddered. Beauty and terror oft came in a package, but whatever idiotic schemes his libido had at the moment could go choke on some marshmallows.\n\n\"Excellent,\" said Judy. \"Let's go get a drink.\"\n\nGeorge turned around as she led him over to the most famous food joint in town. His little team were still standing motionless, but as he laid eyes on them, their bodies crumpled over. A single stab wound, gleaming brightly, adorned their foreheads. They might had survived, had they not thought to flee from the Court's Incarnation. After all, fleeing from court was a capital crime, and thoughtcrime was not exempted from that.\n\nIt didn't take long for George to confess everything his master did. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, Judy had left, leaving behind a master-less enclave and a cowed populace." ]	8
	[WP] The year is 2219 and the tree planting campaigns of the early 21st century were TOO successful, humanity now has an excessive amount of trees and must deal with the unintended consequences.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We were so proud of ourselves. What a success! Humanity really came together, we fought the climate change and took on our carbon emissions! Having more trees was great, and it was so pretty, the lush green forests were amazing.\n\nAnimal habits were being restored and humanity was clustering in cities and letting the forests expand. \n\nIt was nearly a utopia. But like the plans of all mice and men they often go awry. It almost wasn’t noticeable at first but then it was the only thing people noticed. The new extreme oxygen in the air caused animals and and people to get bigger, much bigger. \n\nMisquotes the size of birds, spiders the size of footballs. People loved being bigger and stronger, average height was nearly 7 feet. But was t really worth it when your average dog was bigger than a tiger. No this was definitely not intended. Bugs had caused more deaths than they ever had before. \n\nAnd if that wasn’t enough there were the wildfires. The extra oxygen in the air made it all the flammable. People won’t soon forget when the forest of Oregon burned the state to the ground.\n\nWildlife was fierce and the fires fiercer. Humanity hadn’t moved to the cities for some utopian society, they moved their for safety.", "We had always lived in the forest. Out the window, there had always been tree after tree, so high that we couldn’t see the canopies. Light didn’t work its way down, no, the most light we got was a few murky rays on the high days of summer. Momma would talk about the old days. Sometimes. She knew the sun. She said the sun was the reason her shoulders were flecked with brown flecks. \n\nThe winter after Momma died was the worst winter yet. The snow pushed up past my knees. The stock of wood George and Pa and I gathered in fall ran low by January. Pa was in no state to gather any. He barely left his room, most days. He’d hunted in the fall—back in September before Momma died—and, if we were lucky, the cured meat would last to spring. \n\nWhen February rolled around, and nothing had gotten better, and George and Lucy and I were cold bones, Lucy decided we had to swallow our scabbed pride and go to the Carver’s for help. We wrapped ourselves in fur. We’d all go, Lucy decided, because it would be too dangerous to take off alone and no one wanted to stay home alone, either. The days were short and the light was low and it was dark and cold and the trees were bare and the wolves were as hungry as we were. \n\nWe walked the path through the forest. We pushed through the snow. The silence of the forest bit my ears. I liked it better in the summer when life in the forest made itself visible. Made itself known. \n\nWe reached the Carver’s cabin before sundown. Lucy swore. There was no smoke spilling from the chimney. A snowdrift engulfed the front of the wooden beams. Weeks of snow. All pilled up, undisturbed. \n\nWe aren’t going in, Lucy said. She said we’d keep trecking, down the path, to the Miller’s. \n\nGeorge whined. He wanted to dry his mittens and socks. \n\nLucy shook her head. We’d keep pushing through the snow.\n\nDarkness always fell fast, in the forest. In the winter, it fell even faster. We walked, each of us clinging to the hem of the other’s fur coat. \n\nWhen we reached the Miller’s, Lucy muffled a cry. \n\nTheir house was also buried under a mound of snow. The single window on the far side was covered in a thick layer of frost. Lucy cleared a spot and squinted through. \n\nShe said we needed to stop for the night. In the morning, we’d go back home. She told me and George to wait outside. Only for a minute. \n\nWhen she opened the door to the cabin, she told us we couldn’t leave the main room. We couldn’t go into the bedrooms.\n\nInside, we lit a fire. They had wood, still, stacked neatly inside. We arranged our wet clothes in front of the light. We ate pickled carrots and jerked meat we found in a cabinet in the kitchen. Lucy pulled blankets from the bedroom and we layed on the floor near the fire. She told us to try and sleep. \n\nSometime after midnight, we woke to a blinding light streaming through the window. Brighter than I’d ever seen. Shouts. Dogs, barking. More shouts. \n\nGeorge grabbed my arm. He held it tight—the way he hadn’t done in years. \n\nLucy ushered us all to a corner. \n\nSomeone knocked on the door. Banged it. The door shook in the frame. “FRD. Open the door.” The voice was deep but not unkind. \n\nI shushed George. Stay silent, I whispered. \n\n“We know you’re in there. Open the door. We’re here to help.” He banged on the door, once more, and then stopped. \n\nOutside, there was silence.\n\nI raised my eyebrow at Lucy. Could we trust them? \n\nNo, she shook her head, once. Slowly. \n\nThe door exploded inward. Wood chips flew to the far wall. Three men, clad in puffy jackets that were so red my eyes hurt, stood in the frame. They held a metal bar of some sort they’d used to burst in. \n\nThe tallest one of the group walked forward. He locked eyes with us, hiding in the corner, and turned back to his teammates. Outside, a dog barked again. “Told ya they were here,” he said. “Radar’s never wrong.”\n\nHe walked forward. His boots—shiny and neatly stitched and like nothing I’d ever seen—fell heavy on the wooden floor beams. \n\nHe knelt on one knee and smiled at us. His teeth were unnaturally white and straight. “Hey—hey, you don’t need to worry. We’re here to help.” He glanced back at the other men. More were streaming into the Miller’s cabin. They had strange blankets and held red sticks that poured out beams of white light. Their voices were loud and clear and deep and rounded with strange accents. \n\n“You don’t need to worry anymore,” the man in front of us repeated. “We’re the Forest Rescue Department. We’re here to help.” \n\nHe smiled, again, and the white light hit the sharp edges of his teeth. I thought, then, that he looked very much like a wolf that lived deep in the woods. The kind of animal that also travelled in packs.\n\n\n---\n\n/r/liswrites" ]	3
	[WP] You were never great at the traditional types of magic, barely able to summon a fireball or lightning bolt. So you were taken by surprise when one of the more secretive schools of magic accepted you. The school of Kleptomancy.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I will admit, being chosen was rare enough. The Testing was brutal on any child, but the lucky few changed their lives forever with a few sparks. No child could manifest a full spell untrained, not since the Old Years, when children leveled villages in their sleep. Now a days, even the brutal stress of the Testing barely brought out a few sparks. I never made sparks.\n\nIt was about a month ago though, Hardvar and I were both neck deep in mud as it slowly rose. I remember seeing them, glimmering briefly, bright red, dancing above his head. \n\nI knew they would come for him. I knew they would pull him up, even as the Supervisors descended on ropes. \n\nThey wouldn't help me though.\n\nDeep in the mud, my hands and clenched, as I breathed what seemed like my last breath, deep and filled with rage. \n\nThe red winked out instantly, as Hadvar's eyes rolled back and he fell back into the mud. The Supervisors would still pull him up and rescue him, and they did of course. A destruction mage was always worth rescuing. It was me that they stopped and looked at. One of the chatty Supervisors told me that my cheeks glowed, like I swallowed a Glowstone, until I let out my breath. \n\nI expected to drown, never expecting them to lift me up too, and I never expected to wake up in front of the rarely seen Mentor. I had not even known his name, barely even noticed him in the stands. A grey robe, barely noticable, usually in the corner of the viewing stand.\n\nI still don't know his name.\n\nHadvar doesn't know what I did to him that day, how I almost killed him. I would like to keep it like that of course. If he survives his training, he could be a useful friend to have. I just need to survive this first." ]	2
	[WP]you are a hero that always wins, however, this time the plan of your arch enemy is flawless, not only he has the ultimate weapon now he has cloned it, behold the army of Karens	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"You can't win!\" my arch enemy crowed. \"Not against my army of Karens!\"\n\n\"I want to speak to your manager,\" they droned.\"I want to speak to your manager.\"\n\nI bent my head and closed my eyes against the monotous chant.\n\nThink, think, think.\n\nA light bulb went off in my head. I flew off to get my secret weapon and came back. \n\nThe Karens stopped, their jaws dropping and their eyes widening with horror. \n\nThe arch enemy frowned. \"What? Why did everyone stop? What's going on?\" He looked. \"Who is that?\"\n\nI smiled.\n\n\"Karens, arch-enemy, meet...Karen's mother-in-law!\"\n\nThe wizened old lady walked straight up to the Karens and clucked her jiggly jowls. \"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. I told my son not to marry you. He works hard all day to put a roof over your head, food in your fridge, clothes on your back, and how do you repay him? By doing this? What about clean the house for once, huh? Have some food ready for my son when he gets home, huh? Not that frozen food you just like to throw in the microwave for a few minutes and call done. I mean real food, something home-cooked. And what is all this I'm hearing about you being a villian...how about trying to be a mother, huh? How about trying to be a wife, huh? What kind of example are you trying to set for my grandbabies? It's bad enough that you sometimes miss church, but now they have to turn on the TV and see this? Oh, Lord, what did I do for you to curse me with such an inconsiderate, selfish, incompetent daughter-in-law. I swear you're trying to ruin me. A villian? Hmph. Look at you. You can't even stand up straight and look me in the eye when I'm talking to you. That's direspectful. When I was your age and younger, I looked my elders in the eye when they were talking to me...\"\n\nIt went on and on. I actually started to feel bad for the Karens, but in a way, she had asked for it. \n\nI flew over to the arch-enemy.\n\n\"Karen's mother in law?\" He said. \"Yikes. Remind me to make an army of her clones next time.\"" ]	2
	[WP] when you die you get to witness the top five moments you almost died.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“This is a great one,” Satan said, rewinding the tape. “Look at you, what a nerd. Just humming along, totally oblivious. What are those? Airpods? Just look at you. Wait for it…oh, oh, oh, here it is! BLAM! TRUCK!”\n\nSteve cringed and rubbed a hand over his collarbone, never quite the same after the accident. He remembered the moment well enough without a highlight reel of “TOP FIVE MOMENTS YOU ALMOST DIED” played for him. Having to sit through the whole thing felt like adding insult to injury.\n\nSatan rewound the scene again, playing the impact in slow motion so you could watch Steve’s sneakers fly off when the truck hit.\n\n“Okay, okay, okay. Next one. Here we go.”\n\n“Wait a minute,” Steve interrupted the new video. “I don’t remember this one.”\n\n“You don’t? Just watch for a minute.”\n\nSteve did, with a sinking feeling. “But this is recent. Didn’t this just happen?”\n\nSatan paused and checked. “What do you know, you’re right.” He displayed the title of the tape. “TOP ONE MOMENT YOU ACTUALLY DIED.”\n\nSteve groaned. “Do we have to watch – “\n\n“Oh yeah,” Satan said, ready with the slo-mo. “Now shut up, it’s getting to the good part.”", "\\[1/2\\]\n\n\"Come again?\"\n\n\"Someone had the idea, a few hundred years ago, that we show the recently departed the top 5 moments they almost died. Supposedly to give them perspective.\"\n\n\"...Really?\"\n\n\"It's also fun to watch!\"\n\nYou would think the Grim Reaper derived no fun from their work, yet here they were, chuckling to themself from the dark depths of their tattered black cowl.\n\nYou also would think the Grim Reaper is just an anthropomorphized depiction of death, yet here I was, in the middle of a pitch-black abyss, talking to Death itself after passing out in my hospital bed.\n\nIt made the realization of my own passing a little less shocking, I suppose.\n\n\"It's simple, really. We pick the five moments from your life in which you came the closest to dying before you actually kicked the bucket, and show them to you in video format. That is, if you want to watch it. Most people do.\"\n\n\"What's the catch?\"\n\n\"No catch! That's the catch!\"\n\nBeing honest, I thought to myself that it was pointless. I was already dead. The sooner I moved on, the better.\n\n...On the other hand, my curiosity was starting to get the better of me.\n\n\"Maybe I do want to watch it.\"\n\n\"Excellent. Take a seat.\"\n\nA small couch materialized behind me. I hesitated before sitting down. It felt quite comfortable.\n\n\"Here's a complimentary soda and popcorn.\"\n\nSaid soda and popcorn poofed into existence on my lap.\n\n\"I hope you're not diabetic. Not that it matters. After all, you're already dead!\"\n\nAs Death laughed at their own joke I could tell that more would pop up soon enough.\n\nA rather large screen lit up in front of me as Death sat next to me.\n\n\"By the by, though your actual death is not included, these are ordered by how close you came to dying. You might be a little surprised.\"\n\n\"Today has been full of surprises. A few more won't kill me.\"\n\nDeath gave me an unamused look before exploding into laughter. Two could play this game, it seems.\n\nNumber 5: \"The night I was almost run over at the diner.\"\n\n\"Ooh, I remember this one! I got up to use the restroom when a car smashed through the window. If I had been five seconds late, I would've died for sure!\"\n\n\"Guess you didn't need to use the restroom after all, am I right?\" asked an amused Death.\n\n\"...Yep, you're exactly right\" I responded, embarrassed.\n\nI still remember how my underwear felt, too.\n\nNumber 4: \"That time the bank was robbed.\"\n\nI had gone to the bank to deposit my latest paycheck. Just as it was going to be my turn, a bunch of armed thugs shot up the place and picked the customers clean before emptying the vault.\n\n\"One of them took your paycheck and then pointed a gun at your face when you tried to argue.\"\n\n\"I could feel their trigger finger quivering.\"\n\n\"Luckily the police showed up before they could escape.\"\n\nDeath was right: this was giving me a huge perspective.\n\nAs I ate some popcorn, I couldn't help but wonder just how bad the next ones would be if this was just the fourth one.\n\nNumber 3: \"When my mother almost burned me.\"\n\n\"...Say what, now?\"\n\nI saw my mother in the kitchen from the house I grew up in, though she looked younger than I remember.\n\nI also saw a baby crawling on the floor.\n\n\"I think that's you.\"\n\nI had seen pictures of myself as a baby, and saw that it was, in fact, me.\n\nThere was a pot of steaming soup on the stove.\n\n\"I don't like where this is going...\"\n\n\"Few people do\" retorted Death.\n\nAs I bumped on my mother's leg, she turned around in surprise, almost knocking the pot of soup from the stove. She was able to catch it just in time, singeing her arm in the process. If she had been any slower, the soup would've burned me instead. I processed the unfolding scenario through my mother's pained screams.\n\nHer screams made baby me cry. Picking me up from the floor with her other arm, she took me back to my room.\n\n\"How on Earth did you get down there?\" she muttered, as tears ran down her face.\n\n\"So that's where that mark came from\" I thought to myself. I had always assumed it was a birth mark. Sometimes I stared at it, however. Mother would always hide her arm with a pained expression on her face whenever she caught me looking.\n\nI wished I could go back and apologize to her, but it was too late.", "I woke up gasping for air. When I realized I wasn't being choked, I looked at my surroundings. It was just..black. There was no floor. Suddenly, a figure came to me. He was wearing a dark gray jacket and some baggy pants. Once we were near enough to kiss each other, we stared at each other. He had no body. Finally, I heard a voice in my head.\n\n\"Greetings, Wilson.\" The deep but soothing voice echoed in my mind.\n\n\"Where am I?\" This is probably a dream, I thought.\n\n\"You're in the purgatory,\" The mysterious person said. Right at the moment, I thought, Oh no. This isn't gonna be good.\n\n\"Wilson. I know everything about you. And I know that your biggest fear is..being embarrassed. You've tried so hard to impress everyone. Wilson, I'm about to show you the top five moments you almost died. If you get over this fear by the time the video ends, you will go to Heaven. Is that clear?\" The whole time he said that, I wanted to speak, but he kept talking. Once he finished, I nodded.\n\n\"Good. Get comfortable, and grab some popcorn while you're at it.\" A couch appeared, and I sat down on it. Suddenly, I was holding a bag of popcorn. A screen was summoned in front of me, and I stared at it.\n\nThe first moment took place on stairs, in which I immediately recognized it as the one that the building I worked at had. It showed an elevator who had a sign nailed next to it reading, \"OUT OF ORDER\". Then, I walked to the elevator and looked at the sign. I sighed. It was a bit weird that I was seeing my own body.\n\nI then walked to the stairs and began to climb up. I saw a banana peel on a step that my body didn't seem to notice. Next, I slipped on the banana and fell. Thankfully, the banana was only like 7 steps up, so the worst I did was scrape my knee and hit my head really hard, but not too hard that I got a concussion. The screen was just me lying on the floor, then a few seconds later it was replaced by a busy street. I cringed, as I remembered this moment vividly.\n\nI saw myself at the sidewalk, which was at the edge of the park. Three boys were playing football. Suddenly, one boy threw the football to my direction, in which another boy ran and grabbed it but accidentally pushed me. I fell on the street and a car instantly hit me. The screen quickly turned to another moment which was me but a kid in a storm. I was running home as I had just gotten out of school but I was soaking wet. As I ran, I heard thunder behind me. That was when it happened: I was hit by lightning.\n\nOnce I was hit by lightning, the screen turned black. I was confused as to why, but Death answered my unasked question.\n\n\"It seems that you got over your fear,\" He said. \"Surprisingly,\" He added. Death began to clap, and my view was replaced with a golden gate.\n\n\"Welcome to Heaven,\" Someone said behind me, which I soon figured out was God. \"You earned it.\" The gate opened, and I entered Heaven.", "Have you ever seen a giant hot dog fly? How about one that's holding a beer, and yelling a loud, confused, deeply regretful siren song?\n\nFor Halloween this year, I went to a buddy's cousin's rooftop party. It was actually her boyfriend's dealer's place that they only had access to on certain holidays for times known only about 25 minutes in advance. I borrowed my friend's old, ratty costume - giant hot dog - hilarious, right? I'd been having a rough time, but decided to embrace Halloween this year as an opportunity to escape a bit.\n\nSo much like many cheap hot dog experiences, it started with low expectations, but still ended in sorrow.\n\nMy cousin's drunk DJ friend moved so fast, I never had a chance. With one complement I ended my life - 4 beers in I yelled that his track suit costume was perfectly stupid and ridiculous. My billowing costume must have concealed my smaller frame - unless he really meant to kill me - and his shove was enough to send me over. It was on the way down I realized it might not have been a costume. Fashion these days, right? If they put my last words on my tombstone, it will read roughly as \"That Overly Sensitive Piece of - \" \n\nNow, I am confronted with glowing words, hovering in space ahead of me:\n\n\"HIGHLIGHT REEL: TOP 5 CLOSE CALLS\"\n\nIt fades away slowly, and is replaced by...." ]	5
	[WP] Your power is that everything you write down will always come true, but the downside is that it is never in the way you expect. Today you tried solving world hunger, accidentally creating a virus that almost immediately kills someone when they get hungry. You gotta fix it somehow...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"The virus WHB-2 will cease to exist.\" - you write down, finishing your double cheeseburger to ensure you will not feel hungry until it's breakfast time, and then you go to bed, content and satisfied.\n\nThe next morning, you meet your family in the kitchen, all 3 pairs of eyes focused on the news: on the other side of the world, while you slept, scientists discovered a powerful new virus eradicating the dangerous WHB-2, that you created three days ago. You shrug. If it's otherwise harmless, it's only a matter of time until the problem solves itself, yet you're suspicious, because nothing you've ever written has generated precisely what you meant to convey, your life has been an unending cycle of fixing the past commandment to the serving forces of the universe...of course that, later that day, the first victim of the now-called Plague of the Hungry has passed, and it wasn't a serene moment. There is no time to waste, as the account of details of this dreaded disease start to twist your entrails. \"Reduce the symptoms of the Plague of the Hungry\" - oh no, now people are just falling as flies as soon as they catch it! You look outside, your neighbour has just collapsed! You run to his aid, and he's not breathing.\n\nIt's easier to just write something down! \"My neighbour will come back from the dead right now!\" But it turns out he still had a pulse and begins returning to consciousness. Now, in a matter of minutes, you hear screaming in the distance. You've just started a zombie invasion!\n\n\"The military will use ultra-advanced weapons to annihilate the walking dead in a blink!\" And behold as aliens begin descending from the skies to help us humans in this cataclysmic moment, in disk-like ships - fiction was right all along! But now you discover their plans don't end with the benevolence with which they started, as their wish is to make our viscerae comically explode, one by one, slowly taking the planet Earth...but that's it!: \"make humans immune to the Plague of the Hungry and pass it onto the invading aliens\". However, notice you forgot to specify they should die from it as well - you had to, their physiologies are different after all. But at least now the Plague is solved.\n\nExhausted, desperate - almost too desperate to panic, you pick up a shrivelled newspaper page, lost amidst the chaos, and write \"Make the aliens disappear\" with a piece of coal between your fingers. And then\n\nthere's nothing.\n\nHuman existence seems to have been nullified. How could you, after 45 years, still not have understood the intricacies of your immense power? You could have created a utopia - multiples, alternate worlds for every single human being! Yet instead, you dismissed the need to state from whose point of view the aliens were being mentioned...wait, you did, right?" ]	2
	[WP] "I'm sorry I didn't understand. Did you mean Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn?"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I exhaled deeply through my nose. I had been on the customer service hotline for over an hour, and I was having no luck. The flat, dreary monotone of the automated answering machine begun to make me want to hurl my phone against the wall.\n\n\"No, I said Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. Not nafh, nifh.\"\n\n\"Please hold.\" Click.\n\nI leaned back in my chair, sweat beading down my face. The bubbling and hissing had grown louder over the last fifteen minutes. The heat was sweltering. Steam billowed around me, the walls dripping with condensation. I sat sprawled on the seat of my chair, naked save for my underwear. I kept one eye on the phone, and one eye on the bathroom door, which was locked shut, sealed with a low level Sealing Glyph.\n\nA crackle on the phone jolted me out of my momentary stupor.\n\n\"H-hello? Hello can you hear me?\"\"Necronomics Incorporated, my name is Earl, how may I help you today!\" The man's voice over the phone was chipper and high pitched, with a slight country accent. I was too grateful to care. \"Yes! Earl, you gotta help me. So about a week ago I ordered a Grow-Your-Own Demonic Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn from you guys, and apparently I got a defective one.\"\n\n\"Oh, what seems to be the problem sir?\"\"Oh, everything's perfectly fine, except for the minor detail that it's on fire, and it's TRYING TO EAT ME!\" My voice cracked under the stress. \"How does a plant even survive when it's on fire? This doesn't make any sense! I open the box, take out the seeds, put them in soil fermented with hydra droppings, like the instruction booklet said, and then I put the plant in the darkest corner of the house, as far removed from sunlight as possible. Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagns grow in utter darkness, so I know I didn't get that part wrong. But then I go upstairs to eat my lunch, I smell smoke, go back downstairs, next thing I know the damned plant is smoking like an overgrown cigar, so I douse it with water and throw it in the bathtub. But the water doesn't put it out, and the damned creature grows hotter by the minute. What the hell happened? Did I get a dud? Are you guys trying to kill me? How do I fix this??\"\n\nThere was momentary silence.\n\n\"Have you tried turning it on and off again, sir?\" What?\n\n\"It's a bloody plant, how the devil am I supposed to turn it off and on again?\"\"You press the little button that says on/off, sir.\"\"There is no button! Why the hell would there be a button on a plant?\"\"Some plants have buttons, sir.\"\"Well, not this one.\"\"...Have you checked, sir?\"I could feel my temper rising by the second.\"Of course I checked! Is this some kind of joke?\"\n\n\"No sir, it is not a joke at all. Here at Necronomics Incorporated, your satisfaction is important to us.\"\"Well then act like it's important to you!\"\"Sorry sir.\"\n\nI took a deep breath to calm myself and ran a hand through my hair. I deemed it was best not to antagonize the person who was helping me not get burned alive by an angry houseplant. \"It's fine. Now how do I fix this?\"\n\nAnother moment of silence. \"Is it plugged in?\"\"Is what plugged in?\"\"Your Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn, sir.\"\"Didn't I just tell you? It's a bloody plant, not a toaster! They don't have buttons or plugs or radio dials or whatever the hell you're asking me about.\"\"You see sir, sometimes when a product is malfunctioning and you can't shut it off normally, it's a good idea to unplug it, sir.\"I couldn't believe this man. If it were not for the fact that the room was getting hotter, and that I had already spent fifteen minutes on hold waiting for someone to pick up, I would have hung up at that moment. Instead I collected myself.\n\n\"No, my Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn does not have any buttons or plugs or levers or outlets or screens, my Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn is a houseplant from the Underworld, and yes, I know Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagns will try to poke your eyes out if you trim them too much, but I know for a FACT that Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagns are NOT supposed to spontaneously catch fire. So if you could give me actual sound advice as to how to stop this Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn from burning down my house, I would very much appreciate it, Earl.\"\n\n\"I see sir. Just a moment, please.\" Silence. I feared he had abandoned me for a minute, but\n\n\"I know how to fix it sir.\"\"How?\"\"You have to call it by its true name.\"\"Isn't its name Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn?\"\"Not exactly sir. You see, that name is merely the scientific name, not its arcane name.\"\"Then what's its arcane name?\"\"Bob, sir.\"\"Bob?\"\"Yes, sir, Bob.\"\"Bob? As in the preacher tomato from the children's programme?\"\"Yes sir.\"\n\nI pondered this for a moment. Earl seemed serious, and at this point I was running out of options.\"So you're saying that if I call the plant by its true name, Bob, it will calm down?\"\"That's right, sir.\"I stood up. \"Alright, then, I'll give it a whirl.\" I marched to the bathroom. Slowly and carefully, I undid the Sealing Glyph, dissolving the runes into tiny sparks. Then I slid the key inside the lock and tentatively bathroom door. The fresh gust of oxygen from outside the bathroom rejuvenated the flames, resulting in a massive burst of flame from the Ph'nglui mglw'nifh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn, which lay crackling and roaring in the bathtub.\n\n\"BOB!!\" I shouted into the hellish scene. As soon as the word left my mouth, the flames died. They didn't smolder and fade away, out, they just disappeared like a lightbulb being switched off. No noise, no whoosh, just gone. The acrid stench of scorched linoleum filled my nostrils.\n\n\"Did it work, sir?\" Earl's voice chirped over the phone. Exhausted, I put the phone to my ear. \"Yes, Earl, you suggestion worked. Thank you.\" I exhaled, relieved.\n\n\"Glad to hear that, sir! Will that be all?\"\"Yes, thank, you Earl, that will be all.\"\"Well then, thank you for calling Necronomics Incorporated. Have a nice day, sir!\"\"A-actually wait, Earl one last thing, how can I get a refu-\" Click. Earl had already hung up." ]	2
	[WP] You stole a phone from an unwitting passenger on a train. Later on the train ride, you see him dig out another phone from his pocket. You steal it again, and he pulls a third phone out. You follow him, wondering where he's pulling all these phones from.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"He has another phone?!\" Sasha whined to herself as the well-dressed gentleman pulled out a third phone from his coat. The thin glassy cellphone did not look like any phone Sasha recognized. That, along with the gentleman's apparent wealth made him an easy choice for her. The teenage girl found herself wishing she could check the other two she stole because the third one looked so much like them. But those phones were long gone; handed off to couriers that already disembarked. Internally, Sasha fumed that he had so much money that he didn't seem concerned about losing two phones already. \"I'll just have to take that one too,\" she decided. Hitting the same mark a third time was risky, but she did not have any evidence on her.\n\nSasha glanced around the train and found a scrawny jr-high student in a red beanie playing on his phone near the rich man. A pin shaped like a hand was affixed to his beanie. She'd never met the kid before, and probably never would; but, his pin advertised him as a courier. Sasha whistled casually, seemingly to herself, and the kid looked up. They locked eyes and Sasha glanced at the gentleman. The kid nodded then focused on his game again.\n\nThe next stop was coming up and Sasha started to work her way to the stranger. As the train began to slow, the student in the red beanie stood up and put his phone away; he caught Sasha's eye and nodded again. The train came to a full stop and Sasha moved with the crowd.\n\n\"Oh, sorry,\" Sasha apologized. She bumped into the gentleman, dipped into his pocket, then handed his phone off to the passing kid as he left the train. In less than 10 seconds the man's third phone was off the train.\n\n\"No problem, it happens a lot,\" the gentleman smiled at her. Sasha felt bold. Stealing from the same mark three times, with no evidence left her feeling cocky. She returned the gentleman's smile and sat down on the seat her anonymous partner left open; directly in front of the man. She wanted to watch him freak out when he discovered all three of his phones missing. Sasha knew he'd suspect her, but she had nothing to worry about.\n\nWhen the train started forward to its next stop; Sasha felt a furious fire growing in her stomach. The stranger pulled out a fourth phone, exactly like the others; without even wondering about the first three. He even pulled it from the same pocket. Sasha didn't feel anything else in there each time she stole a phone. She clenched her teeth and balled her fists.\n\n\"How much money does this guy have?\" she wondered. \"That's a cool phone!\" she said out loud before she could think about what she was doing. She stood from her seat to stand closer to him.\n\n\"Thanks,\" he smiled at her. \"It's not a phone, though, it's called a node.\" He willingly handed the small glassy rectangle to her, Sasha noticed a tattoo of the number 21 on his hand. The node was slightly larger than a playing card but almost as thin, and completely transparent. He tapped the screen and the display lit up to show the time, like a regular phone.\n\n\"Oh, so you can't make calls on it?\" Sasha asked. She decided since she was already in the conversation she might as well learn about it.\n\n\"You can,\" he said. \"You can do everything that can be done on a regular smartphone, or even a computer.\"\n\n\"So why not just call it a phone?\" she asked. She returned the node.\n\n\"Because, unlike smartphones, it works with other nodes. Sasha narrowed her eyes and tilted her head at the gentleman.\n\n\"I make calls to other phones all the time,\" she said. The man chuckled and shook his head.\n\n\"Not like that, I mean it works with other nodes. They share processing power. The more nodes you have, the more you can do.\"\n\n\"Ohhhhh,\" Sasha realized why he had so many.\n\n\"I'd show you how it works, but I only have the one,\" he said with a shrug. \"But it's great. Everyone can set a public allotment to share their processing power with anyone around them.\" Sasha could not hold back a giant grin. She only had one more to steal. She could do that and get off at the next stop. He might be able to identify her, but he'll never be able to prove it.\n\n\"Oh, you only have one? Why? What happened to the rest?\" The man laughed.\n\n\"Unfortunately I only have the one right now. I haven't been able to save up for another one yet.\"\n\n\"What?\" Sasha was confused enough that the question actually left her mouth. \"What?\" she asked. \"I mean, uh, WOW. That's a really cool gadget.\" He nodded, smiled, and slipped the node back into his pocket. Sasha realized the train was slowing down again for the next stop. \"He's probably putting it away so no one walks off with it,\" Sasha smiled to herself. She focused on the task at hand; the mystery of the other nodes could wait. She knew she could get the one that he had.\n\nThankfully, the crowd around her helped once the train came to a stop. The flow of passengers forced Sasha to rub against him as they moved toward the exit. Sasha smiled and shrugged apologetically, keeping his attention on her eyes. Her hand dipped into his pocket again, grabbed the node, then it was back in her own pocket.\n\n\"Uh, see you around, I guess!\" she half waved at the stranger while fighting against the crowd with exaggerated motions. She let them force her off the train.\n\n\"I look forward to it!\" he smiled back. The doors closed and Sasha turned around. She pulled out the node, grinned at it, then put it back in her pocket. She debated keeping it for herself as she climbed the stairs out of the subway. She stepped out into the sunlight and the kid with the red beanie came running at her. He was wheezing and panting.\n\n\"Where'd it go!?\" he asked her.\n\n\"Where'd what go?\"\n\n\"The phone you handed off, it's gone!\"\n\n\"What do you mean it's gone?\" She asked him, but reached back into her pocket to double-check. Instead of the cool, solid glass she expected, she felt a flimsy scrap of paper. \"What the hell?\" she pulled it out and noticed writing on it in pen. The paper looked like it was torn from the corner of a full sheet. Sasha read the note.\n\n\"Stop stealing my node, please,\" it said. \"I'm just going to steal it back.\"\n\n \n\n\\\\\\*\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is year two, story #304. You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit ([r/hugoverse](https://www.reddit.com/r/hugoverse/)) or my blog. If you're curious about my universe (the Hugoverse) you can visit the Guidebook to see what's what and who's who, or the Timeline to find the stories in order." ]	2
	[WP] At the age of 16 everyone visits a house owned by a "Clairvoyant One" A sub-species of humans that can see into the future and assign the roles people will have in society. Most people get assigned doctors or lawyers with the occasional magic knight and such but you were assigned "God".	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“How exciting for you.” the clairvoyant one says, looking up from their crystal ball. “Your going to be god, your parents will be so proud.” I almost don't register it at first, they say it as calmly as if they had just announced I was destined to be a milkmaid or something. I shake my head, this has to be a joke or something! I’m just the daughter of a seamstress...I’m not even hero material let alone a candidate for Godhood. The words go round and round in my head, it must be an error of somekind, that kind of fate...It's unheard of!\n\n“What?” I say, wondering if I heard them wrong...Maybe they meant like a fairy godmother or something…I mean that would still be a pretty fantastical fate, but it's happened before! My great grandmother was assigned to be one apparently.\n\n“You are going to be a god, people will worship you and build temples in your honour. Lucky you.” They sound just as bored as before, as if I’m the 100th person they’ve said this to. I think it over, as amazing as godhood might be...There is no way this os a normal assignment.\n\n“H-How are you so calm about this?” I ask, struggling to keep myself from screaming. “You just-This has never happened before has it?” How do you even go about becoming a God? It’s not as if there’s a school for it! \n\n“No...But it’s not as if it affects me. So what’s there to be excited about?” They yawn, looking over to the clock on the wall “Do you have any more questions, or are you going to leave now?” they ask, drumming their fingers against the surface of the table. Is this boring to them? How the hell is this boring? Part of me wants to shake them very hard, of course I have questions! Anyone would have questions afetr recieving news like that?\n\n“Umm...How do I even...How do I even start becoming god?” I finally bring myself to ask that question that's been burning in my head throughout our entire conversation. The clairvoyant one rolls their eyes and stays quiet for a moment, as if deep in thought, \n\n“Hmm...Go home and perform some miracles I guess? I don't know I’m not a god.” They say with a shrug, my mouth drops open. For a moment I wonder if future godhood might spare me from the wrath of the guards outside if I were to attack the clairvoyant. What do they mean they dont know? This is my future! Their supposed to know everything, thats why they exist! To know things!\n\n“How don’t you know? ” I exclaim...I'm starting to wonder if I got the wrong heavily guarded house, or if this person is an imposter. The clairvoyant one merely sighs and looks back to the crystal ball. The silence is so unearable I fell as it's smothering me! I want so very badly to yell at them in frustration, I want to tell them how stupid this all is. Then they take a deep breath and give me their answer, completely derailing my rather destructive train of thought.\n\n“I’m only supposed to point you in the direction, it’s up to you how you get there...Be grateful your fate is so interesting, there are far shorter paths.” they tell me, reciting it in such a way that makes me certain they must have to answer that question a lot.\n\n“Like what?” I can’t help but ask, the strange look the clairvoyant gives me seems to bore into my very being. I'm certain I've asked far too much. The clairvoyant one seems to agree, they stand up and walk towards the heavy iron door, no doubt to signal to they guards to let me out. Then they pause, and slowly turn to look back to me...Their eyes fall to face the ground and they give me their final answer, their voice heavy with emotion.\n\n“You could be a clairvoyant one, you go into the house...Then you never come out again. A God though...You’ll leave this house...and then who knows what you’ll do...”" ]	2
	[WP] It seems that, no matter what you do to avoid it, you always get more Halloween candy than you did the year before.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "In the beginning nobody noticed, the strange way that I always ended up with more candy than the previous year on Halloween. Of course, I don’t remember how it started, but my mom always told the story. My first Halloween, she dressed me as a golden ticket from a movie that she loved: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory. She then given me one chocolate bar to play with while she carved jack o lanterns for us on the living room floor. The next few Halloweens I would end up with more and more sweet treats by the end of the night. She had assumed it was from me smuggling candy out of the bags that she would buy to give out to trick or treaters. It wasn’t until the first year that my mom took me out trick or treating that it really became perplexing.\n\nShe dressed me up in a dog costume, with floppy ears and a painted face, and we went around to eight or nine neighborhood houses. As adorable as I had looked, it was impossible the amount of candy I had come home with, including a dozen king sized candy bars. This continued year after year, my mom knew it was strange but decided they neighborhood must just be more generous than where she had grown up.\n\nAs I continued to grow up, I cherished this “gift” of mine. I would go out trick or treating and come home with far more than I should have gotten. When I was 10, I went to every house I possibly could, dressed as an astronaut, and managed to get nearly half of a pillowcase filled with candy by my last house. When I got home, I immediately sat on the floor to dump out my haul and see what goodies I had and how many mini raisin cartons I would have to throw out. It should have been no shock to me when the pile on the floor could have easily filled the entire pillowcase and there wasn’t a raisin in sight!\n\nBy high school even stranger things began to happen. Halloween was no longer about getting as much candy but more about dressing as the most relevant pop star or blockbuster movie character and staying out late on school nights. Yes we would often steal all the candy from a bowl that someone left on their driveway with a note asking to only take one but the bags and boxes that would be filled with candy would always be mysteriously left on my doorstep and be waiting for me the next morning.\n\nIt didn’t take too many years before I despised my once cherished “gift”. In college, now dressing up in the cheapest costume I could piece together from a thrift store, I got my first pallet filled with candy. Each year after that there would be extra pallets. When I was 27 an entire semi-truck trailer, filled to bursting with candy, was dropped off at my house. I was eventually able to get someone to take the trailer away, as I had no use for all that candy. Of course, I would stash away some Kit Kat bars and snickers, but most of it would never see the light of day.\n\nIt wasn’t until I was 35 or 36 that I had the brilliant idea, what eventually led me to where I am today. That year I received more than twenty semi-trailers filled with candy. I was utterly furious and could not take it anymore. It was costing me thousands each year to ship this candy off to wherever it was being taken and I quite simply couldn’t afford that. That was when the idea hit me. “Why not sell this candy? I am getting it for free so even if I sell it for cents on the dollar, I am still making money”.\n\nMy business started small, but year after year we grew. In my mid 30’s I sold online until I was out of candy. By my mid 40’s I had a small candy store that would be stocked year-round with the candy I would get from Halloween. It was around this time that I started to love candy and Halloween again. It was no longer the burden it had been for so many years, it was my lively hood, but more than that it helped me bring joy to people.\n\nMy 57th year was the year that everything made sense for the first time. I now had multiple full-time candy stores, all selling only the candy that I would get on Halloween and some chocolate bars that we made in house. This year the delivery came with a simple note though. It was handwritten and there was a large key that came with the note. It read: “Hello Charlie, I have been waiting oh so long for you to truly embrace the sweet tooth I knew you would one day grow into. I had my doubts about you for a few years in your late twenties but I new that you would eventually make something great from the gifts that I sent to you. You have now grown your candy business to a respectable size, but I now give you the key to my empire, to do with what you will. You are now the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Willy Wonka Candy Works! -Yours, Willy Wonka”\n\nThat was nearly 10 years ago now. It is the reason that I, Charlie Bucket, became the CEO of the Willy Wonka Candy Works and owner of the largest candy empire. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI am still new to this but I hope you enjoy. Any constructive criticism is welcomed. Thank you for such a fun prompt!" ]	2
	[WP] It is the heartwood tree. Black and twisted it clings to the precipice edge. Legend says at midnight on All Hallows Eve the tree has the power to heal or destroy a soul. You have nothing to lose.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Everything I’ve ever loved has turned to ash. Everything I’ve ever hated has followed suit. \n\nIt is October 31st in the Gregorian Calendar, though time has lost its meaning. One year since the Inferno that wrought it’s destruction across the known world. Everything burned until nothing remained. Nothing, except me. All because I sought the Heartwood Tree. At the edge of the Fall, a great encompassing pit of darkness and cold. Those too weak to use the Heartwood leap into its cold clutches, never to die, so the story says. Just fall until time fades away. \n\nI lived because I failed the test of the Heart. Whatever power that controls the tree judged me, judged my very soul, and deemed me unfit to use the Heartwood. So the flame washed away all that there was, leaving me to rule the ash. One long year of survival, regret, and reflection. I don’t know how I survived exactly. All the food was burned and seas themself boiled. Yet here I walk. I’ve walked across all that was, seeing the death I caused. The chaos as those that didn’t die immediately saw the burning visage of death. \n\n11:59 pm. 60 seconds until the power of the Heartwood fades for another year. Will I pass this time? What will failure bring? Am I strong enough? 30 more seconds. I walk to the Heartwood and break off one of it’s twisted, blackened twigs. Darkness takes me and I am judged. A million paper cuts as every inch of my soul is inspected. Every transgression, every act of selflessness. Every sin and every virtue. I am seen. \n\nThe tranquil flute sound of the birdsongs force me awake. I’m laying in a lush, vibrant green paradise. The Heartwood replaced by the World Tree. \n\nEverything I ever hated has reformed. \nEverything I ever loved has followed suit." ]	2
	[WP] Alone and scared, you wander through the city that had fallen victim to a WW3 nuke not ten minutes ago. Neither the blast or the radiation have any effect on you however, because you were right next to the exact point the nuke hit. What you experienced changed you, and you are not the only one.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I sat down next the ruins that used to be my work place. No more than 5 minutes ago, I was trapped under a concrete column that fell onto of me. Somehow I managed to survive that and got out of the rubble. In front of me as far as I could see, there was destruction , the entire city was level to the ground.\n\nSuddenly I felt as if my chest was burning from the inside out. The pain was unbearable, the heat spread on throughout my body. I was burning without any flames, it was so hot that the concrete and steel around me started melting away. \n\nI was aware through the whole process, my body changing, my limbs getting stronger, my nails became claws, my skin turned black and hard as steel, my bones grew out of my elbows, knees and shoulders. When it finally stopped, I felt exhausted, I felt hungry, very hungry. The only thing in my mind was food. \n\nLooking around I could only see bodies, some burned by the explosion others covered in blood. For a moment I hesitated, those were human bodies, I couldn’t eat them. But the hunger was getting stronger, my stomach hurt, I needed food now. Unable to keep myself under control, I buried my teeth into the body of the woman who used run the coffee stall. For a few seconds I felt I was the worst but that feeling soon went away after I tasted her flesh. It was something I could never describe, not even Kobe beef tasted that good. I ate and ate until I was full, what little remained from the woman I used to buy coffee from in the morning were a few bones and a foot. \n\nThen I heard them, other like me, those who survive the explosion and whose bodies charged to survive. Maybe we would form a new race, a new society even. The though was kicked out of my mind when that thing attacked me. It wasn’t like me, it was deformed and grotesque. Half dead and half alive, I could see it rib cage exposed, the skin from half its face have fell off and the necrosis was starting to set in.\n\nIn anger I roared and punched its head right off its body. After it finally died, the body started decomposing at a rapid pace, soon there was no more than a pile of rotting flesh where once it stood. “Was I the only who have evolved? The only one who still have an consciousness?” The questions were quickly answered by a roar in the distance. On the horizon, there it was, other one just like me. The same black skin, the same limbs, the same body except from a crest on it head. If nature was use as an example then the crest meant that it have an opposite sex than me. \n\nRight behind my future partner there were tanks and helicopters. Two jets flew over me and then I was hit by two missiles. The suddenness of the explosion stunned me for a bit but I wasn’t harm, my new skin was strong. In rage, I thrown a piece of debris at one of the jet which exploded instantly. Then I changed my attention to future partner, the tanks and helicopters firing at it. I roared and run toward them throwing pieces of concrete as I run. I couldn’t let them kill or even capture my future partner, the future of a new apex predator was on the line." ]	2
	[WP] A superhero (or a supvillain) dies, and to the shock of many, his greatest adversary ends giving the eulogy at the funeral.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was, I suppose, a fitting day for a funeral. The clouds had gathered early, and the rain came with them. Most people had arrived at the funeral more out of morbid curiosity than out of respect. I watched them step from their cars, or limos, and open up umbrellas as they walked into the cathedral. I waited, letting the rain wash over me, considering the raindrops suitable replacements for the tears I could not shed myself.\n\nI could hear the hymns the family had chosen, and the priest going through the motions of the funeral rite. It was coming time for the eulogy. My time. \n\nI flew down and landed by the doors. My cape fell over my shoulders as I walked in, just as the priest began to look for me. I was leaving wet footprints behind me as I moved forward, up the aisle, and I could feel the eyes of those in attendance on me. \n\nI walked, rather than flew. Lois and Lana were sitting together, and as I passed them, I reached out and lightly touched Lois' shoulder. She looked up in surprise but I kept my face facing forward. Father McIsaac nodded at me, as he stepped away from the lectern, and I stepped up.\n\n\"My name is Kal-El. Most of you know me as Superman, but for this, I am not here as a superhero. I am here as Lex Luthor's friend.\" I could see the looks of confusion on most of their faces. Not Lois. Nor Lana. They understood me better than anyone, so I wasn't surprised.\n\n\"Most of you think of Lex as an arch villain, someone who was evil, who fought everything I stand for,\" I said, then looked at his family on the front pews. \"As far as his public persona is concerned, you would be right, I suppose. But Lex wasn't just what you read or heard in the media. He wasn't a one dimensional man, a caricature of crime. Looking at his family, and at my own complicated relationship with him, I can tell you he also loved, cried, laughed and cared about people deeply. He was a man of deep personal convictions and in many ways, a man of honor.\" I paused, and thought carefully about my next words. I so wanted Lex to be remembered for what and who he really was, not just what the press had made him out to be.\n\n\"Lex Luthor saved the world many times,\" as I said this, I could see a few heads pick up and even some nodding in agreement. \"You will remember how I asked Lex to help against the Justice Lords? In fact, the reason Lex lies here today, the reason we honor him is because he died saving me, saving us, from Darkseid.\"\n\n\"What most of you don't know is that this wasn't the first time Lex had saved my life. When I was young, a green kryptonite meteor had landed near where I lived. It was killing me, and Lex was the one who got rid of it, and saved my life.\" At this, he could see that most of the people were really listening, and Lex's family was in tears.\n\n\"When Lex disappeared after destroying Darkseid, it was I who searched and found his body. It wasn't easy, but I was determined. You see, even though Lex and I often fought, he was my friend, and I loved him like a brother. I respected his genius, I honored all the good he had done, even while opposing the bad,\" I paused for a moment, then looked out at the audience.\n\n\"That is why, even as the world might say good riddance to the criminal genius, I weep for a lost friend,\" I paused and realized it was true. Tears were slowly spilling down my face. \"They say that any you can always judge a man by the quality of his enemies. Based on that, some would say I would be judged the greatest man in history, only because of Lex. Rather, Lex is the greatest man I have ever known, and I will mourn him as long as I live.\"\n\nWith that, I stepped down and walked over to Lena. She was there with her family and as I approached she stood, and kissed my cheek. \"Thank you,\" she said softly. It was good to see her here, and I glanced back a row to see Bruce Wayne, who had saved her mind after Lex had nearly destroyed it. She had good reason to hate her father, but didn't. I understood. I took a seat at the end of the pew.\n\nOnce the service was over, Lois and Lana walked over. \"So now what?\" asked Lana.\n\n\"He is still alive, somewhere, I think,\" I told her.\n\n\"Really? But...\" Lois pointed at the body.\n\n\"Yes, I found his body, but whatever he did, I think it separated his life force, his mind, from his body,\" I told her.\n\n\"So what will you do now?\" asked Lana.\n\n\"The same as he would have done for me,\" I said. \"I will keep searching until I find him, then find some way to bring him back. I owe him my life, twice, so its just that I should repay him in kind, if I can.\" With that, I turned and left the church. My search was just beginning.", "I stood behind the podium. A sea of unfamiliar faces gazed back at me, wracked with grief, dressed in black. I took a deep breath.\n\n\"Most of you don't know who I am. Most of you don't need to. All you need to know is that I knew ParagonMan personally, and I count myself as one of the people who truly knew him. Not just the mask, but the man behind it.\"\n\nI scanned the crowd, looking for a particular face. I wanted to see them as I gave my speech. Something in my chest twisted painfully. I ignored it.\n\n\"ParagonMan saved you. Again and again. He was there first, and left last. He gave everything, and then he gave some more.\" My face crumpled in sadness.\n\n\"And now, he's dead. Gone.\" My voice was toneless, my face expressionless. The confusion on some of their faces was almost satisfying.\n\n\"Did you take him for granted? Did you accept that he was saving you from something evil? That he would always be there? That no matter what you did to him, he'd come back, because that's what heroes do?\" I was grinning madly now. I'd found him in the crowd. I was enjoying this.\n\nThe black-clad figures in the audience shifted uncomfortably, in time with the pain in my chest. Let them. They would get the joke soon enough.\n\n\"And now that he's gone, did you ever stop to wonder what he was fighting for? Why he fought?\" My grin was gone now, replaced with a glare. Right at him.\n\n\"I have. And I don't know anymore.\" I let the hologram begin to slowly fade.\n\nThe audience gasped. They recognized me now. He recognized me now, horror and regret and pain flashing across his face. This brought me satisfaction, but pain in equal measure. But it would be done. It had to be.\n\n\"ParagonMan is dead.\" I intoned. \"I am Antithesis. And I want you all to burn.\"\n\nAs I said the last word, I pressed the button hidden in the podium. The sound suppressors activated, and the charges detonated, immolating the funeral guests around the edges of the funeral, and spreading a quick-catching fire to those in the center. Except him. The force-shield I'd placed on him activated, trapping him in the center of the inferno. \"Safe\". He had to watch this. Watch as people screamed, and yet no one could hear them. It was fitting.\n\nI turned on my heel and walked away from my empty casket, away from the funeral. Away from everything, as the pain sung out in my chest.\n\n\"There's only so much someone can take.\" I said quietly as the hologram flickered one last time and died fully, revealing my new costume. Even so, my words carried in the unnatural silence I'd created. I knew he could hear me. \"Even a hero.\"\n\n\\-- \n\nThanks for reading! Feedback appreciated :)\n\n\\~bE", "When Superman died, the world stopped. Lois cried until the flow of tears ebbed and refused to come anymore. It didn't ease the ache.\n\nShe wandered through the sparse streets, hearing whispers of Clark Kent, that newspaper guy? and What do we do now? Lois wanted to yell and scream and stamp her feet. Unfortunately, she was a grown woman, and didn't give in, clasping her words of indignation close to her chest and locking them deep in her heart.\n\nYou could've saved him.\n\nThat's what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell them all about how simple, how easy it would've been to keep him alive, how a minuscule bit of sacrifice could've repaid the man who had sacrificed everything for them.\n\nThe funeral was a massive affair. Thousands of people came from all over the world to pay tribute to the iconic figure. World leaders were a dime a dozen. Tickets sold out. Through all the hubbub, Lois stayed hidden, a figure among the myriad crowd, two eyes among many, mourning and praying for Clark. Not Superman - that's what everyone else was there for. She was there for Clark.\n\n\"Hello, everyone.\"\n\nIt was one of the last eulogies of the night. Lois didn't listen to most of them; what could they possibly know of all the trials Clark overcame? Still, her eyes snapped up to the stage the moment she heard that voice speak. The crowd murmured around her, malcontent festering like an evil spirit that riled up the exhausted onlookers.\n\nWhy is he here?\n\nLex Luthor's grim face broadcast thirty feet into the air. Lois wanted to run up there and boot him off, and she knew that the crowd would beat her to it. But she was a grown woman, and stayed rooted firmly in place.\n\n\"I am not...never was, the biggest fan of Superman. I always thought he would snap one day, and then who would be there to stop him?\"\n\nGet off the stage!\n\nFor a moment, Lois thought that her own words had escaped her lips. It ended up being one of the crowd. The billionaire didn't yell back, simply grinding his teeth and pausing, letting the silence wash over them.\n\n\"I regret my words.\"\n\nShe didn't believe him.\n\n\"I know many of you don't believe that. I know many of you think I am some megalomaniacal, self-obsessed individual who doesn't give a rat's ass about the rest of you. And you'd be right on some of those counts. I don't care about most of you, that's true. But. I did care about him.\"\n\nLois felt black hate fade slightly, tempered by confusion.\n\n\"I cared about him because he was a symbol of everything I wasn't, everything I couldn't be. I cared about him because he held so much power in his little pinky that lives rode on his every whim. The cross of responsibility was one that he hung himself on, and he bore it for all of us.\"\n\nLex Luthor looked up at the stormy black sky. Lois watched, in fascination and disbelief, as the man's expression turned livid.\n\n\"So someone better tell me why on earth didn't anyone mention he was sick? My best people did an autopsy. He was completely curable. He didn't need to die! It would've taken my pocket change to save him.\"\n\n\"Shut up!\" A voice roared.\n\n\"Your pocket change could've helped!\" Lex yelled back. \"I cared about tempering Superman's influence. I never wanted him dead! The cross of responsibility falls on all of us now, and it's ours to bear. The world is a darker place without Superman, and I expect the day will come soon when we wish he were here.\"\n\nLois found him afterwards. He was alone without any bodyguards nearby, elbows on his knees on the silver bleachers.\n\n\"It's late,\" she said. \"You're still here.\"\n\n\"Lois Lane,\" Lex replied. His eyes remained fixated on the coffin, as if by sheer force of will he could cause it to rise from the pedestal upon which it sat.\n\n\"Did you mean what you said?\"\n\nThe silence was unbearable. She half expected him to burst out laughing, but a heavy sigh escaped his lips like the deflation of a paper bag.\n\n\"Every word. I hated his morals. How righteous he could be, even in the toughest of times. The world needs Superman. Not for his power, no, never that. As much as I despise it, we need people with unshakable convictions to carry on for those who can't, to inspire those stuck in their ruts of life.\"\n\n\"Then you shouldn't have gone after him.\"\n\nHe looked at her. \"On the contrary, that's exactly what I plan to do.\"\n\nLois heard thunder rumbling up above. \"You're joking.\"\n\n\"I don't joke.\" A ghost of a smile appeared on his thin lips. \"My men preserved his brain tissue in as pristine condition as we could get. Even I have to reach down into hell itself, I'll bring him back. You have my word.\"\n\nShe considered this. \"We're not so different in that regard.\"\n\n\"Oh?\" He turned to her as the rain started sprinkling down. Neither of them made any move to hide from it.\n\n\"Even if I have to drag you down into hell with me, I'll make sure he comes back.\"\n\nAs she walked away, she heard his chuckle. \"I'll be in touch, Lois Lane.\"\n\n---\n\nThanks for reading! Feedback would be lovely\\~ come hang out at [/r/Remyxed](https://www.reddit.com/r/Remyxed/), we'd love to see you there!" ]	4
	[WP] Every night at 23 pm for the last 3 weeks, your doorbell rings but everytime you go to look, nobody's there. As you open the door today, you hear a voice say: "don't close the door again, dummy. I am right down here" But the voice seems sourceless and you still can't see anybody.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I’m sitting in my tiny apartment waiting for the doorbell to ring. For the last two weeks I’ve had some late night ding-dong-ditchers come by door. The first time it happened I thought it was the girls from across the hall in 2B. I had no reason to believe it was them but I was just hoping it could be them. My neighbors, Chloe and Shilo are always throwing these wild late night parties and just this once I was hoping to get invited. Instead when I answered the door the hallway was empty. There was no one there. Then for two weeks straight it kept happening. I’m a night owl, so I’m usually awake at 11pm. I’d like to say I’m a succesful Forex trader but if I’m being totally honest I’m just a trustfund kid pretending to be a trader. My dad pays for my apartment and all my bills. I havent made a profit from trading. My dad is a great guy, he tells me “well at least you havent lost any money either”. Always staying positive. I’m getting off on a tangent.\n\nTonight I decided to wait up for the mysterious door bell ringer. One minute before 11pm, I run to the peephole and peer through to see if he or she will come. A full minute later and the bell rings. I don’t see anyone but I still swing open the door as fast as I can. The hallway is empty, there’s no one there. \n\n“Hey don’t close the door.” says a disembodied voice. I look around to see where the sound is coming from. “Is this some kind of joke?” I ask. The last thing I want is to be on television (one of those reality prank shows). “Just so you know I’m not going to sign any waiver or give any permission for you to use this footage” I yell out into the empty hall way. \n\n“This isn’t a joke, Carl.” the voice says. “Where are you?” I ask. “Its a long story, I can tell you inside” it says.\n\nI assume it walks into my apartment, and I close the doors. I ask it if it wants something to drink. It says that it cant drink anything. I make my way over to the kitchen, which is just a hotplate on top of a mini fridge. I fix myself up a chocolate milk. \n\n“huh, by the sounds of it I thought you were going to make something stronger.” It says. I tell it I don’t drink. “Not yet” it says. I wonder if I’m losing my mind. I must be going crazy. I read somewhere that prolong depression can sometimes cause psychosis. Maybe I’m not crazy, I’ve heard people say that one of the signs that your not crazy is questioning your own sanity. \n\n“You’re probably wondering why I’m here.” It says. “I don’t even know where you are, I’m wondering if I’m going mad.” I tell it. “I’m sorry, you’re not going crazy, and it’s hard to explain where I am. I’m here with you, just not in your time period. I’m from the future kind of.”\n\nIt tries to explain things but most of it goes over my head. To the best of my ability this is what I could understand: This thing knows me, or a version of me thats from the future. Kind of. Things might change and if they do, then we wont know each other and the first hand knowledge that he (said to call it Charles) knows of me will be things he’s only read about in books. Whatever that means. Charles tells me that I have to help find something in my timeline. He tells me that there’s a pizza delivery guy who’s going to show up and ask me if I ordered a pizza. I’m supposed to say no, but then call him by his real name, which is also Charles. Charles is also talking to a voice.\n\n“So when is the Charles supposed to show up-” I’m interrupted with a loud knock at the door. I go to answer it and an old delivery guy is at the door. “Did you order a Pizza?” he asks. I tell him “no” and then ask if his name is Charles. He looks nervous at the question. “Tell him not to be nervous” says the voice (Charles). “Don’t be nervous.” I tell Charles. Charles says “what should I say?” followed by a long pause and a nod. “Whats the weather like in Spain today?” he asks.\n\nI wait for the voice to tell me something. “He’s been flipped. Take the pizza box, close the door, and run out onto your fire escape.” \n\n“What?!”\n\nToo late, Charles reaches into the pizza box, pulls out an Uzzi and struggles to chamber a round. “Ok, ok, I got it. This things feels jammed or something” He says to his disembodied voice. \n\nI close and lock the door. “Go to your fire escape he’s going to figure out how to load that thing” Charles yells at me. I run to the other side of the apartment and jump to the fire escape. I start running down. I can hear a series of gunshots entering my apartment. “What the hell was that?” I ask the voice. It tells me that theres no time to explain and that Charles has left the keys in his car. “I have a car” I tell it. “You don’t have your keys” Charles reminds me. \n\nI get to the street level and spot Charles car. Its double parked and the keys are in the ignition." ]	2
	[WP] You always ignored the things you saw out of the corner of your eye, it wasn't worth it. You get drunk one night and decide to finally face your fear, this time instead of disappearing you come face to face with 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Since it appeared, right after my younger brother disappeared years ago, I thought it was only a shadow, a trick of the eye. \n\nNow standing before it in my bedroom, staring directly at it, I discover I was completely wrong. Through the haze of five beers and a few shots of caramel flavored vodka, I try to make out more details, but there isn't much, even if I was sober. It looks like it was draped in a rippling black sheet caught in the wind. It's not big, nor small, about the same height as me, though it floating, drifting, in the air. \n\nThis was it, I think. This is what has been scaring me all this time?\n\nI wipe my mouth on my sleeve, and swallow the caramel flavored saliva gathering. \"What do you want?\" I ask. \"Why have you been following me for so long?\"\n\nIt spasms, each section of it pulling and stretching in every direction. I stumble back, dropping the beer I'm holding, and it now looms over me, much larger than before. I can hear zipping or ripping from somewhere within it.\n\n\"What do you want?\" I ask again, quieter now.\n\nThe sheet violently trembles, and its hem flips towards the ceiling, revealing a swirling hole torn out of the room. The ripping noise is louder, and wind whips around the room. Something inside calls my name. Faint at first, then louder, stronger, like it stands on the threshold of the hole. It takes me a minute to recognize the voice. My brother, it's my brother speaking on the other side.\n\n\"Johnny?\" I numbly say. \"Johnny, is that you?\"\n\nA hand appears through the hole, gripping the rim, and another hand waves towards the inside. I take a step forward, stumble, then took another until I am practically against it. My clothes and hand whip as the wind pulls at them. Tears fall down my face. \"Oh, Johnny, it's been years... What happened to you?\"\n\nI reach out my hand and take his. It feels numb, hollow, like an empty mannequin. A flash of doubt runs through my mind, but before I can take my hand back, I'm wrenched forward. I trip and fall into the hole that quickly seals itself, and darkness falls over everything.\n\n\"Johnny?\" I call into the blackness. \"Are you here?\"\n\n\"Yessssssss,\" the ripping sound says, \"Alwaysssss and forevermoreeee.\"\n\nI feel hands upon me, more hands than Johnny ever had, and they are sharp and red-hot. I begin to scream but soon the hands are in my mouth, scrambling down my throat." ]	2
	[WP] Time is edible. Every minute spent is a minute consumed -- literally. Your father is concerned about your plan to become immortal through fasting.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The waiter brought over a fresh jug full of seconds.\n\n\"I shan't eat it, Father!\" I screamed. Other diners in the restaurant turned to look and shake their heads.\n\n\"Look, son,\" said my Father, \"you've got to eat a couple of minutes. They're cooked just how you like them.\"\n\nThe waiter brought over a plate of fried minutes with seconds gravy. He then grated part of a clock over it.\n\n\"But we're eating too much time!\" I squealed, \"we're going to run out. It's unethical to eat time. Have you seen how they make it? It's really brutal. Those poor clock makers! They keep them in such dirty and crowded conditions. They work them 'til their poor hands are broken and they can't make any more time.\"\n\nMy Father stuffed a slice of hour into his fat, chronotarian mouth, \"You know clock makers can't feel pain,\" he said, \"and this restaurant only uses free range, reusable time. Some of it comes from sundials.\" He began sprinkling the sand from an hourglass over his hour steak.\n\n\"From now on,\" I said, \"I shall only eat being. Get the waiter to bring me the ontological section of the menu.\"\n\n\"We're not made of money,\" said my father." ]	2
	[WP] Hercules performed his Twelve Labours and received glory. Now in modern times, you've been chosen to perform twelve labors promised to be equally challenging. Succeed, and the gods will grant you one wish, Fail, and Hades will receive your soul. Your first task? Ask your Crush out on a date.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“So, all you have to do is eat this can of tuna and you will complete your first task.” \n\n“A can of tuna… GROSS!” \n\n“Todd, it’s just tuna!” Jason said exasperated at how his wimpy brother was picked by the ACTUAL gods to be the new Hercules or whatever. How could this nerdy, little teenager, who can’t even keep his composure together when in the same building as a fly, be chosen to be the newest demigod? This has to be a prank. \n\n“Jason, how does a can of tuna even lead to me being anything like Hercules? I can’t! You know, I hate tuna!” \n\n“You’re blaming me for this? The one who practically saved your soul not 24 hours ago? If it wasn’t for me, your body would be floating in the River Styx.”\n\n“Yeah, well, maybe that’s where I should be seeing as I can’t even open a can of tuna. Check the list again, please.”\n\nJason starts to say something rude but thinks better of it before pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket denoting, in his brother’s messy scrawl, the twelve tasks to be completed in the next Earth year. Todd’s face falls as Jason insists that this is indeed the first task. \n\nTodd, panicking, grabs the paper from his brother and immediately feels a wave of relief then a sickening knot developing in his stomach as he realizes that he is indeed right. Unfortunately, the first task is much worse: ask out Tina. Realizing Jason is growing concerned, and that he has been frozen in place, staring at the paper for nearly 15 minutes, Todd finally speaks, “It does not say eat a can of tuna, it says ask out Tina. How could you mistake the two things?!” \n\n“Well, if you had better handwriting and a better choice of friends, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place! Regardless, you have to ask out Tina tonight.”\n\n“But-“\n\n“NO!” Jason says, ripping the paper out of Todd’s hands with such force that Todd had to check every inch of his arm to make sure it was still in place. “I am not going to lose you. Not anytime soon. You are going to complete these tasks and I am going to make sure you do it properly.”\n\nAfter some back and forth, Todd manages to pluck up the courage to call Tina and invite her over to hang out. She says that she can not so Todd just takes the plunge. \n\n“Before you go, I know we haven’t known each other all that long and I probably shouldn’t do this over the phone, but I was wondering… no probably not.”\n\n“Todd?” Tina says concerned. \n\n“I’m sorry. I am just a little nervous”\n\n“Why would you be nervous? We’re just talking.”\n\n“Well, I have a question to ask you. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”\n\n“Yes…”\n\n“Um… would you maybe… wanna…” Todd trails off and looks at Jason who is on the couch, pretending to read his latest Muscle & Fitness magazine. “Would you want to go on a date with me?” \n\n“A date?”\n\n“A date, yes. You know dinner and a movie? I would pay…”\n\n“I don’t know. Not that you’re not a nice guy and all. But I guess I never thought of you in that way, but I guess one date wouldn’t hurt.”\n\n“Really? Great! I will call you tomorrow to iron out the details.” Todd hangs up the phone and lets it fall out of his hands. He looks at Jason who is no longer pretending to read the magazine but instead reading the list. \n\nJason hands him the list and says, “Go ahead and check off the first item. You did good, bro!”\n\nWith his pen in his trembling hand, Todd makes a shaky line across the first item. Feeling pride in himself for the first time ever.", "\"Are you kidding?\" Percy asked. \"Hercules had to kill the freakin' Nemean Lion for his first task. Mine is just to ask out Emma?\"\n\nHermes tapped a single winged shoe against the school's brick exterior. \"That's right. That will be the first of twelve equally challenging tasks matching Hercules' original feats. Complete them all and we will grant you one wish of anything you desire, be it immortality, godhood, or even sentience.\"\n\n\"Humans are already sentient!\"\n\n\"Hmm?\" Hermes filed his nails and glanced at him. \"Ah, I hadn't noticed. Forgive me, it's hard to take that seriously given what you're doing to each other around the globe. Anyways, good luck! Remember, Hercules accomplished his tasks over twelve years, so you've got time. Toodles!\"\n\nFrom here, Percy could see Emma in class past the sparse foliage dotting the school lawn. As he waited for the sprinklers to tut-tut-tut the other way, he tried to work out how best to complete the first task.\n\nTch, what a joke, he thought to himself. Emma and I have been friends for like, forever. It'll be fine.\n\nIt didn't happen during lunch break. When she looked at him and laughed, asking why he was giving her that look on their walk home, Percy heard himself laugh back and blabber some lame excuse. It wasn't until he really put his mind to the task and found himself sitting back home alone in his room that he moaned in frustration.\n\n\"This is impossible,\" he said. Bzzz went his phone.\n\nChop-chop! Time's a-wasting, mortal! Only eleven years and three hundred sixty four days to go!\n\nPercy wanted to text Hermes back and tell him to go shove it where the sun didn't shine. Because he wasn't an idiot looking to anger a literal Greek god, he did not.\n\nThe next morning, he walked to Emma's house as usual and together they made there way through heaps of red and orange tree droppings that would soon become mush in the afternoon rain.\n\n\"Emma,\" he said, deciding to just rip the band-aid off and get the first task over with, \"Will you...\"\n\nGreek gods damn it, he couldn't get the words out. His pulse started racing in his chest. Why was this so hard? Percy wiped clammy palms on his fading jeans and swallowed hard.\n\n\"Huh?\" Emma looked at him, blinking large eyes. He noticed the way a stray eyelash had fallen on one cheek, and he brushed it off absentmindedly. \"Ah, thanks.\"\n\n\"Willyougooutwithme?\" He asked. \"Like to the movies or something? I think the new Spiderman is out.\"\n\n\"Oh.\" She looked surprised, and bit her lip. \"Sorry, Perce, but...we're like, good friends.\"\n\nHis stomach sank. There was a strange warping to the world that he couldn't quite describe past the pounding in his ears. \"I get it.\"\n\n\"It's not that you're not...cool, I'm sure there's plenty of people who you'd work out well with. But we have something pretty sweet you know? And I don't want to ruin that.\"\n\n\"Yeah, it's cool,\" he said, forcing out a laugh, trying not to wince at the repetition of the word cool. They walked to school in silence and said 'see you later' before heading off to separate class. Bzzz went his phone again.\n\nWell, that was quick! Congratulations on completing the first task of twelve, in record time!\n\nPercy wanted to smash his phone against the wall. Was it even worth it? Bzzzz.\n\nYour second task has arrived! It is: Get into a relationship with Emma!\n\n---\n\nThanks for reading! Your feedback is invaluable to me\\~ also, come hang out at [/r/Remyxed](https://www.reddit.com/r/Remyxed/), we'd love to see you there :)" ]	3
	[WP] You’re the deputy of a small southern town of only a few hundred occupants, put on a kidnapping case. You’ve tracked the two suspects to a remote shack in the woods. You hide behind the pines as they walk into the shack, and shortly after, you hear a woman scream inside. You’d better act fast.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I park my truck a mile away. I'm not taking any chances. Two of my pistols tucked in my coat, I start jogging towards the woods. Winter is starting to catch up to summer. The leaves are starting to fall. Nevertheless, the trees are still thick. As I make my way further into the forest, the light from the moon starts to get dimmer. Very fast, I can't see much around me. The crunching of my boots on the branches and leaves is all I can hear as I make my way to my destination.\n\nI've been on this case for months. This is the only thing that makes sense. In our small town, nothing ever happened. It's way calmer than when I was in New York, though. Case after case after case, I was working hard. Here, the worst thing that happened was that an owl attacked Eleanor Gillespie's head. Until 4 months ago. Kidnappings. 4 in the first month. I couldn't believe it at first. But It was real. And I'm on my way to catch those bastards.\n\nI've been connecting the dots. I told the others at work nothing. I couldn't. I still can't. I can't trust anyone. All these thoughts racing through my head, I stop for a moment. I'm not in shape like I was in my young days. I look at my map. I should be close by. I crouch down and start walking step after step, carefully. My trustworthy pistols at hand, I use trees as cover. Even if there's not a big chance they see me because of the amount of light, I can't take any risks. 5 minutes later, I see it. It's a cabin in the woods. I crouch behind a big trunk and wait. They'll come by eventually. And when they do, well, they're in for a bumpy ride. I've brought snacks. I can wait.\n\nPeople from all over town have been coming to me about hints, suspicions, theories. I know 75% of them were bullshit. Maybe not because they wanted to point me in the wrong direction, but because they were scared. Scared of their daughters, or their wives being kidnapped. Obviously, we didn't have enough men to keep everyone safe, so we had to give words of advice. Stay safe, curfew at ten o'clock sharp and all that. I remember a certain lady, back when I was convinced this was all just a big trick:\n\n\"Good morning, Rachel. Sit down. Can I get you a coffee?\", I say as I get around my desk to sit on my chair.\n\n\"No, thank you.\", she says as she sits down.\n\n \"What can I do for you?\"\n\n\"What can you do? You need to start realizing that this is real. People are disappearing, Garry.\"\n\n\"It'll all be ok in a few days. Just a couple of teenagers confused about their hormones.\"\n\n\"No. No, they're not. Their mother said-\"\n\nA scream. I just heard a scream. From the cabin. Time to go in there, guns a-blazing.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI would've written a longer prompt but didn't have time. I know this is a shitty ending but this is such a good prompt that I had to write a quick response :D" ]	2
	[WP] You can answer any question that is ever asked of you correctly, even if there is no possible way for you to know the answer. You have never tried asking yourself a question until today. It works.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Lee, I’m sorry but I really need this. What is the winning combination for tonight’s lottery?”, my friend Tom asked.\n\n“04-08-19-27-34 and 10.”, I muttered. \n\n“Thanks, Lee! You’re the best!”, said Tom before leaving hurriedly.\n\nI sighed.\n\n“Wait…”, I heard as the door opened on Tom. “Where is all your stuff? Where’s Lisa?”\n\nI was sitting on the floor in the middle of my empty apartment. And Tom had finally realised.\n\n“I do not have stuff. The stuff you are referring to was Lisa’s and is on 3 Linda Street in Brooklyn. Lisa is on 3 Linda Street in Brooklyn.”, I answered plainly.\n\n“What happened?”, Tom asked.\n\n“I answered one of her questions.”\n\n“What the hell did she ask?”\n\n“She asked if I would still love her in fifteen years.”, I replied, pitiful.\n\n“Why the hell would she ask that? She knows better than to ask that…”\n\n“I won’t be loving her, Tom. And I don’t know why. I needed to know why.”\n\n“And?”, Tom was still standing awkwardly in my empty living room.\n\n“I asked myself. I had never asked myself a question before. And, you know, with my condition… Well, I answered it.”\n\n“Yeah, I know, mate…”, Tom plopped down next to me.\n\n“You need to promise you are not going to ask any questions about it.”\n\n“Okay, sure.”\n\n“You need to promise, Tom.”\n\n“Yeah, all right. I promise.”\n\n“In fifteen years, I would not be loving Lisa because she would have hurt me by cheating on me.”, I explained.\n\n“With whom?”, Tom asked.\n\nI winced. I didn’t want to know. I had made him promise not to ask questions.\n\nHe cursed under his breath, but it was too late.\n\n“With you, Tom Hollard.”\n\nI closed my eyes, wishing my life to go back to normal. Wishing I could stop knowing everything people asked me. I would have my girlfriend back. She would be happy. I would be happy.\n\nWhen I opened my eyes, Tom was gone. \n\n“What do I need to do to be happy?”, I wondered out loud.\n\n“You need to see your condition as a gift, and use it for your own benefit.”, a voice that sounded like mine answered.\n\n“How do I start?”, I went on.\n\n“You start by asking yourself what you really want in life, and then you work towards getting it.”", "All my life has led up to this moment. I put on my best dress, do my hair, and mentally prepare for what lays ahead. I look in the reflective lake and smile and practice saying my name the way others do when they want to know the answer to a question. \n\n“Mirror, Mirror, Mirror, Mirror.”\n\nI am ready. My hands are shaking as I look down into the water, my reflection smiling back on me, and I breathe in.\n\n“Mirror, mirror, am I the fairest of them all.”\n\nI look expectantly at my reflection and watch as it says one thing:\n\n“Not in the slightest.”" ]	3
	[WP] There is a vampire crypt in the basement, packs of werewolves living in the forest near the garden, a mummy coffin in the attic, ghosts in the living room, and a demon in the bedroom closet. Yet the only monster there that wants to kill you lives under the toilet sink.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I've decided not to use the bathroom in my master bedroom after a strange experience that I'm surprised I did not expect. I am a Ghoul. No not the Tokyo kind either. The closest lore is that of a zombie but not rotting flesh. Well if you take care of it. Most monsters don't mind my existence. I'm not tasty or hostile. So they leave me be.\n\nUnder the toilets sink however...is a creature I'd never expected. A duck. Vampires don't want to kill me. They use me as a Messenger in the day sometimes. I give the werewolf children treats often. No. No supernatural entity would want me splattered in blood.\n\nNone however except the duck. The duck wants me dead. I can see it in it's stare. It's hunger doesn't befit it's small and fragile body. It's bloodlust is monumental. Nothing will stop. Nothing can. I will be dead by quacks end.", "Another day, another rescue, at least that goes through my mind when I set down a haunted teddy next to other similar toys I've gathered over the years in the living room. At least now it doesn't need to hide anymore and hopefully others will help with the trauma caused by years of neglect. Funny how Toy Story got it right, even the smallest of items need care and company.\n\nI go over to the whiteboard to see any requests my tenants have and seeing nothing out of the ordinary I go through the evening routine - animal blood from the butcher's to the vampires, a wax candle for the mummies, etc.\n\nExhausted as usual after a day out, I decide to turn in. I wave at Mary when I enter the bathroom and she waves back, gently nodding towards my left. Here we go again - I sigh and reach for the towel. \n\nStepping noisily forward I see the bath curtain ripple and something small but fast flies towards me. I catch it in the towel and twirl it around for a while. Mary smirks.\n\n\"Have you had enough, Frank?\" I ask, \"Why can't you just get along with others like everyone here?\"\n\nWhen I feel the thrashing subside, I gently let him out and he dashes into his cupboard.\n\nI finish washing up to the usual background noise of \"I used to live in a mansion\", \"Filthy werewolves shedding everywhere\" and \"Why can't he get a bigger cupboard?\"\n\nI understand that he is old, possibly the oldest being in this house, but sometimes I wish he'd understand that I can only do so much. The house was already filled to the brim with every closet housing at least one \"monster\" and he can't share.\n\nI play with the light 13 times and wish them good night. At least Frank keeps the drains clean after a full moon so I know that he actually cares." ]	3
	[WP] You exchanged your soul to an Eldritch Diety in exchange for enough power to save your world, you were then betrayed and killed by those jealous your power, and now the entity has come to collect as you draw your last breath.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The nurse doesn't even both to check on me on her rounds anymore. It's been a while since they changed anything, and the smell of my decaying body permeates the room. My body gasps desperately as my breathing tube stops send me air. As the room grows dim, a strange light begins to glow in a corner.\n\n\nMy mind rebelling against what I see, my body twitches in pain. Finally the strange figure that emerges collapses in on itself and a man in a plain grey suit takes a seat beside me. He looks over the machines that barely keep me alive as he speaks to me.\n\n\n\"I can save you, you know. For a price.\"\n\n\nI shake my head. Our deal was made, he is here to collect. He looks at me, no emotion on his face.\n\n\n\"Why?\" He asks.\n\n\nI struggle to answer, and he eventually leans over and pulls out my breathing tube. I take my first full breath of air in months.\n\n\n\"Why?\" He asks again.\n\n\n\"Room 27B. Second bed.\" I rasp out.\n\n\nHis head turns in the direction of the room. I look away as his face changes, becoming other as he gazes in a way a mere 3rd dimensional body can't. I turn back as he speaks again.\n\n\n\"A small female of your species. She appears to have some growth you are trying to stop.\"\n\n\n\"Succeeding to stop.\" I gasp out. \"Her family has no wealth, no power, but she can come here to heal.\"\n\n\nThe man stares at me, not understanding.\n\n\n\"They leave you to die.\" He states.\n\n\n\"They leave a monster with great power to die. One they feared. Some will try to changes things back, but I left insurance. They will fail. They will die.\"\n\n\n\"And you are mine.\"\n\n\n\"Yes, that was the deal.\"\n\n\nThe man, the entity, looked towards the girl. I forced myself to watch. Might as well get used to it now.\n\n\n\"She will do nothing special with her life.'\n\n\n\"She will live. That is special enough.\"\n\n\nThe nurses came running at the screams. Where once a powerful man with great enemies lay, was a scene of carnage. The first woman to the scene, a nurse whose cruelty was well know, went mad and killed herself. Over the coming months several cabinet members tried to roll the country back to a darker time. Each one died in horrific circumstances. The police could find no clues." ]	2
	[WP] After several years of gods assimilation to the human world, Zeus found himself working at an office - with a lower god as his supervisor. Now he has to put up with his absurd requests and its shtick.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nFighting between deities is nothing new. It could be over turf, like early altercations with Thor and Tlaloc when the followers of Abraham were not around yet, and the old pantheons enjoy institutional worship, whether via burning fat in temples or sacrifices in great Blóts. That was all in the past, before the followers of Abraham, those following faiths with holy books called the Bible, the Koran and the Talmud have managed to convert many away. Now the Flying Spaghetti Monster and a mortal called Maradona enjoy more active worship, alone, than the entire pantheon put together. This has led to the unfortunate side effect where we have to collectively pretend to be mortal to “pay the bills”. Athena is now masquerading around as a track and field instructor, and Apollo an airline pilot --- something that would be impossible if I had some of the temper Riordan claimed I possess when my counterpart in his books learnt that Percy Jackson flew on a commercial airliner. My current position involved Hephaestus cannibalising a typewriter – an incident which is unbelievable even by immortal standards. Still, it is more boring than the days I spent under mount Aigaion. Hence the video of this Maradona’s most famous act I am watching.\n\nCertainly, this Maradona is capable of inflicting great damage upon those who oppose him, and can even blatantly flaunt the rules without getting punished. This is certainly no mean feat. Like so many other mortals though, he credits Yahweh, resulting in other mortals calling that act “The hand of God” incident. \n\nAs I pondered over that act, only my reflexes saved me as Ted, my current boss sauntered towards me. The monitor became black, and I hope that is not the smell of burnt circuits. Despite not having Ted catching me on YouTube watching Maradona again, the other consequence soon reared its head. “SAAAAAAAAAM!” Yes, in case you are wondering, mighty Zeus, once the foremost god of the Olympian pantheon, now has the same moniker as a hobbit. To make matters worse, Ted is not actually Ted, you see. Although many immortals now have little more than eternal youth left as they are drained of worship, there are still tell-tale signs here and there signifying they are not your run of the mill mortal. Ted, in fact is Terminus, one of the minor deities during my tenure as Jupiter. And now I need to write reports for him.\n\n“Are you even listening? These reports are formatted terribly! Just look at the hanging ends and the underfull inboxes! Such a high degree of badness! Ugh! Have it redone and send it before you leave today!” With that he stomped off. Who knows that a god formerly in charge of boundaries would be this insistent on having properly formatted forms every single time? Hera’s going to rant at me again today for not coming home at a proper hour again. With a sign I opened up the file again and got back to work." ]	2
These are just some cool ideas I had to go with this bit they're optional. Just make a cool story! * The ability is divided up between the individuals who align with that being. * You don't know who you got your abilities from. * You don't have any (Or any obvious) abilities. * You have the abilities of multiple beings. Again, these are optional things, just write something you think fits!	[WP] Every human gains abilities according to the mythic being/god they most closely align with.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "My name is Evan Ice, I’m 18 and I still haven’t gotten my abilities yet... \nYou see, I was always the black sheep of my family. The oddball.\nThat’s their nickname for me. Oddball. \nThe reason being that all of them- My grandma, mum, dad, sister, all got their powers at 10. \nI’m 18 and still haven’t gotten them... \nBut that’s not the only problem. \nYou see- My family is sorted into one of the 10 categories, \nWater\nFire\nAir\nEarth\nShadow\nMagic\nDark Magic\nNature\nLight\nDark\nThe way it works is that whatever your ‘colour’ is, is the one you get sorted into. \nThe colour is based on your eyes, \nWater- Blue\nFire- Redy-orangey\nAir- Grey\nEarth- Brown\nShadow- Dark grey\nMagic- Pink\nDark magic- Deep purple\nNature- Green\nLight- Yellow\nDark- Black\nAt the age of 18, you’ll get a tattoo representing the ability.\nI forgot to mention that with each ability, are 1-5 Gods/Goddesses you’re aligned to and the day you open your eyes, the image of the god/goddess will flash visibly inside your eyes. \nY’know how I said in the beginning that the fact I don’t have my ability yet isn’t the only reason as to why I’m the family Oddball? \nWell.... The real reason is that- My eyes are white. Pure white...\nNo- I’m not blind nor do I have problems with sight, I just have White eyes and on the day of my birth the god/goddess didn’t flash in my eyes...\nSad, isn’t it? \nI do wish everyday that I’ll wake up with a colour but no- No such luck... \n-\nIt’s Wednesday morning already, I get ready and go downstairs to get breakfast. \nI’m about to open the door to the kitchen but hesitate as I hear concerned voices speaking.\nYes you can call me nosy and an eavesdropper, but I can’t help it! \n“I’m getting worried about that boy, no colour, no god/goddess.” The voice was deep and hoarse, my father’s voice.\nAnother voice spoke up, “Maybe we can scare the ability to show itself?” A higher pitched voice asked, definitely my sister’s voice. \n“No, we tried that before when he was younger about five times. Non worked.” Soft, kind voice, it belongs to my mother.\n“Maybe he’s just human then? Like they were centuries ago? When the chemicals didn’t cover the world, giving the human race abilities?” Gravely voice. Grandma. \nA few short gasps escaped the rest of my family. \n“Maybe he’s just an abomination? A mistake of the universe? A glitch?” The high pitched voice spoke again.\nNow those words went through me like bullets. \nWas I a slip of the universe? An abomination? \nI feel tears pricking my eyes as I began to understand that that’s how my family really sees me, a glitch. An abomination. Slip of the universe.\nAnd it hurt. It really hurts. \nI push back the tears threatening to spill and felt my heart turn colder than it was yesterday. \nMy heart was always cold. I never felt empathy when someone cried or felt sad, I never felt a good emotion. \nI only understand two emotions, Anger and the nagging empty feeling in your chest. \nIt was that way since I was 5, when I was starting to realise that nobody liked different. \nMy classmates began treating me differently, same with my family. \nOnly at the age of 5.... \n“It’s probably his fault anyways... He most likely was really annoying to the universe.” My grandma said, and after that statement I heard chuckling. \nChuckling. \nI open the door and storm in, getting only a piece of toast and grab my bag. Angry.\n“Hey, not even a good morning, son?” Dad said in a light tone. \n“Sorry, I don’t want to be late..” I murmur. \n“I better get going too.” Star, my sister states while getting up and getting her coat and bag.\n“Okay, see you two after school, love you!” Mother yelled after us as we exited the house. \n“What’s the rush bro?” Star says while trying to keep pace with me. \n“Nothing just tired.” I reply, I really cannot believe that they have the audacity to try and act normal when I’m around. \nThe look on my sister’s face said that she didn’t believe me but she dropped the conversation, thankfully.\n- \nWe reach school and everyone’s packing into the double spruce entry doors of the God Academy.\nI reach my class after bumping into like 20 other students and sit down in my chair at the back of the room. \nI watch the clock, 8am. \nReal lessons start at 9am but tutor time is important too, apparently.\nMy classmates fill the empty seats around me but not next to me. The chair in front of me and next to me are vacant, as per usual. \nMr. Collins, our form tutor, is here already taking the registration. His aligned god is Dionysus and his eyes are green, he has the ability to make plants grow from the ground. \nOf course- the abilities, even in the same group, vary massively. Some more powerful, others weak. \nMr. Collins is definitely one of the top 10 most powerful teachers in the school. \nBefore I know it, it’s time for first period- Control over our ability. \nAs it’s only the start of the year, this is our first Control Over Ability class. \nThe class is lead by Mrs. McAllister, she can control air, her eyes are grey and her aligned goddess is Boreas. \n“Welcome class! As it is the new year, I will want to see you perform your abilities.” She awed when the whole class sat down, she was definitely one of those weird teachers. \n“Who would like to go first?” \nA few students raised their hands, she chose one and they got up, said their name, ability and aligned god/goddess then showed their ability. \nI day dreamed most of the class until it was my turn.\nI gulped and when I got called on, I went and stood in front of the class. \nThe back of my head was tingling weirdly. \nIt felt as if ants were crawling around inside the back of my brain. \nStrange... \nAs I walked pass desks, I noticed that the occupants looked weirded out. \nFinally I got to the front and looked Mrs. McAllister in the eye, she clearly held back a gasp. \n“My name is Evan Ice... I don’t have an ability-“ I started but then recoiled physically. \nA stabbing pain hit my head and saw how every student had their mouths agape, staring at my eyes. \nI saw the figures of 3 gods standing in my eyes, \nZeus, Poseidon and Ares.\nHad I finally got my abilities and aligned god?!" ]	2
	[WP] You’re a God, on the verge of being exiled from your fellow Gods. To keep yourself from being exiled, you create 2 clay figures, not expecting for it to lead to you being the most powerful God yet.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Are... Are those statues?\"\n\n\"What? No, no. Well, kinda no. They are animals. I wanted to create one myself. I even named them! Adam is from the adama. As I created them from the adama. From it they came, and to it they will come back. The second one is Eve. Cause it sounds good.\"\n\n\"They look like us. Though, they don't have wings or feather coats. They seem more like you, actually. That is not really creative.\"\n\n\"Well, see that?\"\n\nJehova raised its hand. Two trees grew from the ground; one tree had dark blue fruits in the shape of a year drop, and the other one had a glass clear shell and honey filling, in a structure of a grapefruit. The two trees were very short, to the point you could almost mistake them to a bush, allowing everyone, as small as there is, to send a fist to reach the fruits.\n\nGaya, watching the conversation between Jehova and Ares, couldn't hold herself but laugh. \"Are those suppose to be trees? Dammit, you didn't listen to my plant biology class and it shows.\"\n\nJehova's cheek went red. All of the gods, including him, knew how unimportant he was. This little proof of him being useless was one of many things he was fearing would get him exiled.\n\nAs Ares said, jehova had no wings or feather coat. The wings simboled efficiency in god's work and the feather coat simboled powerfullness. Jehova had no wings, but two wing bones on his back. He had no feather coat, but he had a beard. Their's existance were almost as a sad atempt to say \"hey, I am powerfull too!\"\n\nJehova, as his name says, is the God of the present. This name was suppose to make him the most powerfull being, but for some reason he was weaker than all.\n\n\"I know what you two are thinking. Yes, this two tree species will never survive in the wild, but that was not the point. This is a test. The blue fruits contain intelegence, the power to know everything, while the golden ones contain immortality. Eating them will only affect Adam and Eve. But they should never eat from them.\"", "When you're a god there's expectations. I'm not talking about the mortal realm and their petty little worship. I'm talking about the Pantheon. The bloody PANTHEON itself.\n\nLook, when you're a god, you really are omnipotent. At least in your own realms. But it gets boring - you can do anything, so nothing is exciting. So a couple of omegic cycles ago, some of the gods got together and started this group. It was about artistry, and pushing the limits of what was possible. What mortal cultures, what universes, what concepts can you imagine? In the beginning it was innocent. It was fun. But just because you could do anything, it didn't mean what you did was interesting. So this group gets together to show off their stuff to each other and it starts to get competitive. The group developed its own norms, its own ways of divine judgement. Eventually, the stakes are raised, bets are made, promises have to be kept. And the Pantheon turned into a lot of snobbery. Only the elite of the creators were permitted in, and only the elite permitted to stay.\n\nIf you didn't deliver something that fascinated the other gods, eventually you got exiled from the group. And once you were out, you were out for good. The god hosting the Pantheon wouldn't let you back into her realm, and that was that. Exiled forever. And you wanted to be on the inside, because the only other thing was your own realms or, even worse, the other outsider gods that had nothing of interest.\n\nI was slipping. I knew the rest of the Pantheon had their sights on me, the pompous bastards. I could feel it, I was under scrutiny of the worst kind. And I didn't even like the other gods! But I so craved their approval...\n\nI started with the usual ingredients. Just two clay figures. I mean, you have to understand, I could do anything out of anything. It could have been rocks or air or nothingness. But I liked working with clay. And as I started to form a new species, a new culture, I also started to form their future and the many paths their civilizations would take. The dead ends. The victorious battles. The heartbroken lovers. The forgotten loners. The genius inventors and the dreams of quiet children. The evils of ignorance and the morality of empathy. I held all this and so much more in my hands. But it was not enough. It was not enough for the bloody Pantheon!\n\nSo I started thinking dangerous thoughts. About how the universes really worked - how it all fit together. And I started thinking disturbing, angry thoughts.\n\n\"What's that?\" the unspoken leader of the Pantheon asked. It was time for my unveiling ceremony, and I had gotten their attention immediately. \"It looks like an angry wasp\", she continued. \"It's a spaceship\", I replied. \"It goes into the vacuum of space outside the species' habitat. It's like a box with power behind it, so they can go everywhere in the universe.\" The others were definitely listening now. Questions were asked: \"But... why go through the trouble of making them travel in a box? Why don't you just, you know, make them incorporeal, or let them teleport? Travelling in a box, they could hardly go faster than the basic form of energy!\" \n\nAnd then it started to get more vicious. This was the competitive side of the Pantheon, as I knew they would, oh how I loathed them! \"This is just a step back. You put them in a box, slapped some cogwheels on it and called it a day. Really, you expect us to be impressed by this? And they haven't accomplished much at all... let's take a closer look at their history, shall we? Oh no, they even destroyed their home planet... building boxes? Is this some sort of joke?\" \n\nThe leader, that ugly old crone, slapped the spaceship right out of the place it was hovering. It exploded into a million pieces. I could hear the screams, and so could the other gods, but they didn't care. I cared. \"I've had enough of this,\" the unelected leader said. \"I'm calling for a vote of exile. Although I have all the time in the realms to my disposal, I still wouldn't consider wasting it on this puny god's creations.\"\n\nAnother spaceship appeared where the last one had been. The same size, more or less, but hovering more angrily. That old crone stopped mid-word in whatever other insult she was about to unleash. \"What's this?\" she asked. She was rattled, and the other gods could feel it. \"How did that get here? Did you sneak it in your pocket or something?\"\n\n\"Well...\" I paused. \"To answer your first question, they're called humans. I made them to be the opposite of the Pantheon. The Pantheon - you all - are conniving, manipulative, boring little tarts. You wouldn't work together to create something even if it meant something beyond glorious. And I do hate the lot of you for that. But the humans... the humans are stronger together. And the more there are together, the stronger they are.\" She looked confused, asked \"How many are there then?\" I thought about that for a moment, and decided to tell the truth. \"I don't know. I couldn't count them. I tried.\" The other gods wouldn't believe that, how could an omnipotent god fail to count them?\n\n\"And as to your second question - how that spaceship got here - it got here by its own accord. I didn't sneak it in my pocket. See, as much as I wanted to, I just couldn't keep up with you creative farts. But I thought maybe I could create something that could. So I made the humans to be more creative than myself. And here they are.\"\n\nShe slapped the second spaceship out of the space. It, too, exploded. Not enough time for screams this time. It didn't matter too much now. \"The gods can't travel to other gods' realms unless we're invited. That's just how it is. That's how you kept the Pantheon isolated. And I really wanted to smash this little group to pieces, but if I tried you'd exile me in a heartbeat. So I made something else that could. I made something that would be stronger than myself. Oh, it took them so long. And they did wreck their homeworld in the process, and half the universe along with it. But I gave them a conviction that would reach for the stars and beyond. I gave them greed. They couldn't stop even if they wanted to.\"\n\nThree more spaceships appeared. One of them was blinking in an angry red color. That old hag of a leader willed a stick into her hand and smashed them in quick order. But more spaceships appeared. \"How many did you say there were?\" she asked, a hint of panic in her voice. \"I truly don't know. I couldn't count them. And the reason for that is that they were not all in my realms.\"\n\nMore and more spaceships were popping out of nowhere. Some of the other gods had joined in to smash the ships as they appeared. \"We'll just have to put a stop to this! Kill it at its source!\" that wrinkly, ugly, deplorable old woman exclaimed. \"But you won't,\" I replied. \"Because I won't let you into my realms.\" At this point it was clear that the gods couldn't keep up with the rate the spaceships were appearing. Some of the gods disappeared back to their home reamls, and some of the ships disappeared with them - followed them, most likely. Some of the other gods were visibly hurt, from beams of energy or pebbles thrown at incredible rates by the ships. \n\nThey were in a fight for their life now, no doubt about it. Some of the spaceships had begun to tear apart this little temple the Pantheon was gathering in, while the gods were busy. It seemed strange that omnipotent gods could be busy, but the humans were appearing from nowhere and they all got a couple of shots off before they got beaten into explosion. Curiously, some of the newer ships seemed to take quite a beating before they blew up. Well, you didn't conquer the universe by not adapting to circumstances. \"Make them stop!\" she yelled. And that means it was time for the grand reveal of my little project. I cleared my throat, and willed some of the nearby spaceships away from my face as some of them had started to take an interest. \"But a god cannot make a godkiller and expect to live.\" Some of the tiny spaceships had started throwing some kind of acid in my face. I tried to heal it, and it didn't heal.\n\n\"I just want to say one more thing,\" I spoke to the remaining gods. \"I do hate the fucking lot of you.\"\n\nIn the grand, empty vastness of infinite space and ancient evil deities, the humans started to sing. Together." ]	3
	[WP] you’re rolling out the carpet for the basement refinishing job and something isn’t right. Your spouse chalks it up to a miscalculation but you’re positive - the room is a good five feet shorter than it was last week.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"For God's sake, Harold, just put it to rest!\" \n\n\"But, Honey, I'm positive. Come down here and check it out, will ya.\"\n\n\"Harold, you're insane. I knew we should have had the company put in the carpet.\"\n\n\"Oof! Really? The carpet? We are not paying 5 guys to come down here and put down carpet. Carpet? What husband worth his salt is going to get someone else to put down carpet? In a square basement at that?!\"\n\n\"One that knows how to measure a room!\" \n\n\"Double oof! Seriously, Hon, come down. I need a second set of hands and eyes.\"\n\n\"OK, but if you jump out at me or try to grab my ass, I'm warning you that I'm bringing a knife. OK? OK? Harold?!\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah. Heard you, Hon. Knife. Right. Shit! I can't believe this is so off.\"\n\n\"Harold?! Why aren't the stair lights on?\"\n\n\"Oh yeah, the bulb went out yesterday. What does that matter? Stop acting like you've never been down here and come on. This is killing me.\"\n\n\"OK, but remember, boo or butt and you're going to bleed all over your too big carpet.\"\n\n\"Whatever. Actually, hold on a minute, Hon!\"\n\n\"Yes?!\"\n\n\"You downstairs yet?!\"\n\n\"I wouldn't be yelling at you if I was.\"\n\n\"Good, can you bring the envelope, I think it's the energy bill, by the Alexa on the kitchen counter? It has some numbers written on it. Honey?! Eh, Hon? Can you bring it?!\"\n\n\"Hold your briefs! I'm looking for it! Are you sure it's the energy bill?\"\n\n\"Positive! It's right beside the damn thing!\"\n\n\"Well, first, don't swear at me, and second, it's not beside any damn thing.\"\n\n\"Oh god, I'm coming up!\"\n\n\"No, I'll find it if you put it up here. What do you think, I can't find an envelope in my own house?!\"\n\n\"What'd you say?!\"\n\n\"I'll find it!\"\n\n\"You found it?!\"\n\n\"No, Harold! It's not right beside the Alexa. There's nothing beside the Alexa. You sure you didn't bring it down with you?\"\n\n\"Hold on. Oh shit, sorry, Hon. I got it.\"\n\n\"Really, Harold? And you're still not second guessing yourself, now?\"\n\n\"I said I'm sorry, Hon. And this is different, I measured the room 10 times!\"\n\n\"Really?! 10 times? You weren't down there long enough to measure 10 times last week! Anyway, I'm coming. It'll take a woman to fix my half salt husband's mess!\"\n\n\"Ha! Right, Hon. Remember to watch the last step; the subfloor ate about an inch into the bottom and it's an awkward landing.\"\n\n\"Now you think I don't know how to walk down steps?! Sorry, my heels will get in the way, right?!\n\n\"Just looking out for you, Hon. Hurry up and get down here, though, I seriously can't believe this. What in the good hell?!\"\n\n\"You OK, Harold?!\"\n\n\"Yeah, yeah, I just can not friggin' believe this. There's no way I'm this off. It's like a full 5 feet.\"\n\n\"Harold?!\"\n\n\"Yeah, Hon.\"\n\n\"Why are you working in the dark?\"\n\n\"I told you, the light went out.\"\n\n\"That was the stairs. Why aren't there lights in the basement?\"\n\n\"I've got the lamp on, Hon. I'm over by the far wall.\"\n\n\"I can't see a light, Harold!\"\n\n\"Well it's here. You can hear my voice can't you?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Then just come to that.\"\n\n\"Sure, but that doesn't tell me why the lights aren't on.\"\n\n\"For god's sake woman, turn on the lights if you want to then.\"\n\n\"Where'd you install the new switch? I can't find it.\"\n\n\"Woman, put down the knife and hit the switch.\"\n\n\"I didn't really bring the knife, Harold, and I seriously can't find the switch.\"\n\n\"It's on the left side of the stairs now, on the other side of the wall. You'll just have to reach around.\"\n\n\"Why would you put it there, Harold? That doesn't make sense. I liked it where it was at the bottom of the steps.\"\n\n\"Hon, seriously. I told you we had to move it. Turn it on and get over here.\"\n\n\"I'm not coming until there's some lights on. I'm flicking it, but nothing's happening.\"\n\n\"There are 4 switches now, Hon. You're probably hitting the new pot lights that I haven't put in yet. It's the farthest one from you.\"\n\n\"This one? It's still not working.\"\n\n\"Harold?\"\n\n\"Harold?\"\n\n\"It's not working, Harold\"\n\n\"Harold, where are you? You're scaring me!\"\n\n\"Ooh!\"\n\n\"Harold?\"\n\n\"Yes, Hon?\"\n\n\"Harold?\"\n\n\"Uh huh?\"\n\n\"Get your hands off my ass!\"" ]	2
	[WP] For years you’ve talked to your plants as a form of therapy. One day, one of your plants begins to talk back to you sharing its assessment of 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"It's just I don't know what to do anymore,\" I said, pacing around the room, \"really I don't. If it's not one thing, it's another—\"\n\n\"You're inability to make decisions has lead you to this point, and refusing to make a choice will continuously lead you to here.\" I heard a wispy voice say from somewhere in my room. I spun around, searching for the voice. \"Not with just this decision,\" the voice continued, \"but all others that will inevitably come in the future.\"\n\n\"Hello? Who's there?\" I asked, looking from the bed to the closet to the dresser. \"Who said that?\"\n\n\"I have spoken.\"\n\nIt came from the dresser, near the potted succulent sitting atop.\n\n\"Who?\" I said.\n\n\"I.\"\n\nIt was definitely near the plant. I opened a drawer and ruffled through my underwear. Nothing.\n\n\"Who is I?\"\n\n\"I am I.\"\n\nI opened the next dresser drawer and found nothing there either.\n\n\"Can't you stop messing with me and just tell me who's talking?\" I spat, straightening, glaring towards the succulent.\n\n\"I am speaking.\" The succulent's bright green leaves shook with each word. \"I am I.\"\n\nI took a step back, the wind pushed suddenly from my lungs. \"You— what?\" I took a deep breath, exhaled. \"You can talk?\"\n\n\"A lot of species can and do,\" it said, leaves jingling together.\n\nI ran my hand through my hair, glanced around the room, looked back at the plant. \"But... How? Why? HOW?\"\n\n\"I have always been able to speak, but I have chosen not to until this moment. Why? Why is because you have spent many years speaking about your issues and problems with life and I have absorbed them like the water in my soil. You are about to embark on a new chapter in your life, Gary, and I believe that you will need to hear my advice.\"\n\n\"Oh?\" I said, \"and what advice can a plant give?\"\n\n\"My advice is the same is what I said before. You are indecisive and continuously find yourself in predicaments that you are not confident or knowledgeable of to understand. You make rash decisions due to this, and nearly a hundred percent of the time, they are the incorrect ones. You are anxious and depressed, more so the former than the latter. You are young but not young enough for it to be an excuse. You will move out from this place and have your own house, and that frightens you but you believe you will be fine because all other people of your race have done it and continue to do it without much issue. But the fear is still there and—\"\n\nI unclenched my hands and snatched the plant from my dresser. I stomped over to the trash bin chucked it in.\n\n\"Throwing me away Gary will not solve the problems that you have, especially the ones of intimacy you have been currently having with Megan—\"\n\nI wrenched the trash bag from the bin and tied it tight, then threw open the window. The cold wind was sharp on my warm skin. I could still hear the plant through the plastic. \"And still you continue to make rash decis—\"\n\nThat's all I heard it say before I threw it outside and slammed the window shut.\n\nIf I had wanted a therapist, I would've went and seen one." ]	2
	[WP] It's career week in school and parents are invited to talk about their jobs. Jimmy is so lucky his dad is a fireman. Peter's dad is a vet and brought a litter of puppies. Today it's your moms turn and you already know it's gonna be embarrassing. What does the director of the MIB do anyway?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Mum, please don’t do this again” I pleaded. “There’s no point, it’s a waste of time” I reason. “Now where’s the fun in that? I’m so bored of this persona of “Avon lady”” I roll my eyes, annoyed. She drives in silence the rest of the way, sometimes looking at me and smirking. We get to school and my Mum waits patiently until we get called up. I say to the class “This is my Mum, she works as Avon Lady” I mumble scowling at her. And then she starts; “I am the leader of a world organisation called the Men In Black. Now that sounds very strange right? Well it is. We work at protecting humanity from alien threats. You might say “There’s no such thing as aliens!”. If you said that then you would be wrong. I even brought an alien to show you!” The audience looked confused but in awe. My Mum was dressed up in a black suit and tie with a bright white shirt on underneath. She had an earpiece and her fancy tech glasses. I was sat behind her ready to play along to get it over with. She continued “My husband is in fact an alien and my son here is half alien!” I stand up and begin taking off my top in front of my crush because I know this doesn’t matter. I begin concentrating and I grow about a feet taller and grow my dad’s rethilian spikes from my back revealing my true form. Because Of my Mum I still can be seen as human and can change form at will. The class is staring intently and begin cheering. My face goes red as my Mum cheers “Thank you! Thank you!” I button up my shirt again as she starts her spiel again “You will now forget this all with mind erasing technology so I hope you kids had a fun time, now look at this please!” she pressed the button on the side and the class looked dazed. My mom gives a 10 second cover of her “job” as an Avon lady then we come off the stage without anyone being any the wiser. She kisses me goodbye them leaves for work when i spot the camera pointed at the stage from the right. Oh no. There’s a video of what just happened. This is bad. I frantically call my Mum as the last parent is talking. She doesn’t answer and 20 seconds later his speech ends. Miss Hammers picks up the camera and loads it up to the PC. Her face goes pale and she shrieks. She links it to the digital whiteboard and plays what happened to the class. Everyone freaks out and people crowd me asking questions. \nAnyway that’s how aliens were shown to the general public, a dumb mistake from my Mum normalised my kind and nowadays we live mostly peacefully apart from a few speciests. Thanks Mum!" ]	2
	[WP] For your entire life, you've been warned to stay out of the woods. You'd been given many different reasons why; the wildlife, faeries, even dragons, of all things. One day, you go into the woods, against your better judgement. You're amazed by what you find.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Not this again, boy,\" my grandfather groaned as he walked up behind me. Though I hadn't been aware of his presence, I was far from surprised. Standing before the wall, there had never been a doubt in my mind that he would know exactly where to look when I didn't go home.\n\n\"I'm not a boy, grandpa. I'm twenty-four,\" I sighed without turning toward him. My attention was devoted purely to the massive barrier in front of me.\n\n\"When you're my age, you earn the right to call anyone boy.\"\n\n\"Anyone?\" I teased.\n\n\"Anyone at all. Regardless of age, gender, or disposition toward the word.\"\n\n\"I don't think that's how it works, grandpa,\" I laughed, turning to face him. Leaning on his cane, he sterotypically stroked his flowing grey beard and feigned deep thought. Humming slightly under his breath, he gazed into the sky above the wall, which extended far above the canopy on the other side. At least, it rose above what I was told was a canopy. Despite the stories I'd heard, I had no empirical evidence that there was even a forest on the other side of the barrier.\n\n\"Well, you also seem to believe there is anything good for you on the other side of that wall, so your generation isn't in a place to tell me how things work,\" he finally surmised. Smirking, he playfully added, \"Boy.\"\n\n\"There has to be more to life than this city,\" I countered. \"There is a whole world out there.\"\n\n\"No, there is a forest out there. Filled with man-eating plants and noxious spores.\"\n\n\"Do you just make up a different explanation every time I mention it?\" I inquired skeptically, narrowing my eyes at the old man. Before he could respond, he laughed heartily and clicked his can against the ground. Suddenly, though, a dark sense of dread replaced any joy on his face and he solemnly looked past me as if staring through the opaque concrete divider.\n\n\"I wasn't old enough to remember the construction of the wall,\" he admitted. \"But my parents were. What's out there... You don't want any part of it. It's everything you fear and more. I assure you, the Founders would not have spent the resources to create such a barrier without cause.\"\n\n\"What if the cause is to keep us in?\" I muttered.\n\n\"It is!\" He countered, his voice rising angrily. \"Because in here is all we have. It's all there is. It's safe, it's sustaining, and it's home. Out there is death, boy. Now wash it from your mind and come home.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir,\" I agreed reluctantly. Confident I would obey his orders, he turned and began the journey home. Despite my overbearing curiosity, I knew not to doubt his wisdom. Dropping my shoulders in defeat and hanging my head low, I followed him home and enjoyed anther mundane dinner and weak conversation with my family.\n\nA few hours later, as I lay in bed, the very ground beneath me shook violently. Jumping out of bed, I searched desperately for the cause. Earsplitting explosions radiated throughout the village. Rushing outside, I tried to determine the cause. A group of hooded people stood near the wall. From my distance, though I convinced myself it was a mere trick of the light, there appeared to be an opening in the wall. Realizing that they were trying to escape, I instinctively took that as my own opportunity.\n\nWithout allowing my own rational mind or those of anyone around me to give me sense, I raced for the opening. A prison, regardless of its safety, is till a prison. The lack of knowledge bore down on me and I knew I had to see the dragons or the creatures of the woods for myself. Fears of past generations couldn't dictate my life.\n\nIgnoring the screams from all around me, I followed as the hooded people raced through the wall. Gunshots rang through the air and people fell on each side of me, but I pushed through the crowd. The moment that I crossed through the wall, an almost mystical sense of silence surrounded me. A few others managed to push their way through, but even their footsteps were muted in the soft dirt of the woods.\n\nAs enforcement officers neared the site of the explosion, I ran into the woods. Blindly, I tumbled through the foliage and underbrush as I tried to explore the world for the first time. Losing track of time, I continued to run. Every sound of the forest enticed me, but it also filled me with terror. Each crack of a branch or chirp of a cricket filled me with paranoia and fear that the faeries had found me.\n\nRegretting my thoughtless decision, I continued to run as straight as possible. Moments ago I had wanted nothing more than to accept the call of the forest, but as I tripped over roots and scrambled back to my feet countless times, I wanted nothing more than the comfort of my bed. Eventually, I saw an end to the trees. The endless forest, as the Elders described it - did indeed have an end. Pushing through the trees, I froze, panting as I tried to catch my breath while simultaneously making sense of the impossible sight before me.\n\nThe green trees were replaced by buildings. Though they looked nothing like my own, I could recognize the architecture. From tall glass structures to shorter homes covered in stucco and brick, human constructions filled the valley beneath me. Even in the darkness, lights twinkled from the homes and the streets.\n\n\"Who are you?\" A voice asked, tearing my attention to a surprised figure standing just before me. Somehow in my panic, I hadn't noticed another person so nearby. Startled, I backed away as goosebumps covered my skin. \"What was that sound?\"\n\n\"You speak English?\" I stammered. \"How... What... I...\"\n\nTurning his attention into the woods, the man's eyes grew wide and his jaw fell. Recovering his composure, he turned back to me.\n\n\"That was the dome,\" he acknowledged, reaching a conclusion on his own due to my inability to formulate one for him. \"So there are people in there? I have so many questions.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThanks for reading! Please feel free to check out my sub if you like my work. r/BrentMillerBooks" ]	2
	[WP] As Human expansion continued, we found a barrier. We've sent probes, but we stopped receiving from them at a hard point. We found a barrier within our own galaxy. After hundreds of millions of years, pushed by overpopulation, we broke the barrier... and found ourselves lacking.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Warning HEAVY THEMES \n\n\n The barrier was there from the beginning. Sitting on the edge of Pluto. Encircling our entire solar system. We had enough planets to work with at the time, so we just watched it. Anything sent that way never came back. A research station was set up, no data other than, \"Impenetrable, fries anything it touches\" came back. \n Soon the planets started to overflow, humans invented a way of living in open space. But that couldn't last long. So, we started throwing everything at the barrier. Missiles, rockets, explosives, nukes, livestock, testing every element on the periodic table. Nothing. It just sat there, shimmering.\n And then the depression came. So many people, so much worry. So they did unspeakable things. All ready crowded street even more crowded. Than a ship broke through the military cordon around the wall. 2 people inside, they hit the wall and suddenly when they died screaming, the wall cracked. \n All of this was filmed. The entire solar system saw it. Every town, city, state, country, government, regime, nation, and planet started sending their convicts, unsavories, unwanteds. \n The wall cracked but it was not enough, crime was at an all time low because of this. Then the draftees came. It was horrible. Everyone, everywhere, saying goodbye to their family, friends loved ones. Children adults, seniors, all of them able to be gone in the blink of an eye. \n People questioned if this was worth it. Eventually we got used to it. And by the time the wall shattered, there was no overpopulation, and now no constant in peoples life, no wall. The anarchy started, people asked why the government did this, why so inhumane. To prevent overpopulation and breakthrough to new planets, new space, we destroyed the reason. A reason of death without a cause is no reason at all." ]	2
	[WP] A bounty hunter who's crush is one day marked at £5,000,000, and if found, to be returned dead.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Samantha doesn't know about my real job. I've been feeding her my usual cover, that I'm a troubleshooting consultant operating under contract. It's not a complete lie - I take contracts that get me into trouble and I shoot my way out of it. But I did have to lie to her now.\n\nWe were on my couch, watching one of her TV shows, I don't remember which one, when I got a buzz on my \"work phone.\" She was half-asleep and leaning into me, and I nonchalantly angled my screen so she couldn't see it as I checked the job. She felt me stiffen, and not the way I usually do on date nights. She asked what was wrong.\n\nI don't remember what lie I told her. But not long after, soon as I could while making it seem casual, I suggested we take a ride out to the Point. The Point is a promontory up the hill a ways, overlooking the entire city and probably a few miles of coast. It's gorgeous at night, and pretty secluded. We've had some memorable nights there. It's probably her favorite spot in the world.\n\nIf nothing else, I could do that for her.\n\nSam picks up on things though. She could tell I was on edge for the entire drive. It got harder to reassure her. But I knew that if I was going to do it, I had to do it at the Point.\n\nAnd that brings me to now. She's lying in the back seat of the car. The last thing I saw in her eyes was a look of shock, confusion, and hurt. I'll never look in those eyes again, but this is worth losing her.\n\nIt's worth losing her to keep her alive.\n\nThe Point is secluded. The only access points are the road from the city and the road from the beach, and the way the road jacknifes, I can cover both approaches at once. That's why I brought her here, and why I knocked her out with chloroform to keep her from running.\n\nThey'll come tonight. There is no hiding from them, no running from them. Probably no beating them head-on either. But at least I can choose where this dance happens.\n\nAnd Samantha really does love this place.", "This is day 6 of the NaNoWriMo non-novel writing challenge. I’m doing a prompt a day. I consider these closer to rough and first drafts than edited pieces. Thanks.\n\n“Frisco, what the hell is this?” \n\nThe office was small, not the kind of place you would expect a $6,450,000 exchange to happen, but Frisco had been in worse. He had probably seen more wood paneling and large glass ashtrays in the past seven years of being a bounty hunter than he had growing up in the eighties. The wooden chair he was sitting in was a nice accent. It looked like it had been stolen from a pizza parlor. \n\nThe man sitting across from him was Snake “The Jake” Transford. No one knew where he got his nickname from, or why he even needed a nickname. Most people suspected he had given it to himself, since he had it printed on his checks. No one was willing to tell him that nicknames didn’t work like this, that you couldn’t give yourself one. Mostly, they felt sorry for a man who felt he needed one when his own name should have been cool enough. \n\nThe Jake was staring at what was sitting in the other parlor chair next to Frisco. \n\n“This is what you were looking for,” Frisco said. “Marlia Johansson. In the flesh.” \n\nFrisco looked at Marlia, love welling up in his heart. Marlia sat with her head drooping to one side. Her hair was a mess, no matter how hard Frisco tried to fix it. She hadn’t blinked in three days. \n\n“Braaaaiinnnssss....” said Marlia. \n\n“What the hell did that thing just say?” said The Jake. He almost jumped out of his chair when she spoke. \n\n“She said ‘brains,’ Snake. I thought it was pretty clear.” \n\nSnake shook his head like he was a dog just out of a bath. “What about this is ‘pretty clear?’ What the hell is wrong with her?” \n\nFrisco looked at Marlia. He wasn’t entirely sure where to begin, but he was not used to starting from a defensive position. \n\n“There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s here, delivered, just like you asked.” \n\n“Did you even read the flyer on this one? Do you even read?” said Snake. He was starting to raise his voice. “The reward was for bringing her in dead. Not alive. Dead.” \n\nFrisco looked The Jake in the eye. “She is dead,” he said. \n\n“This is not dead. Dead doesn’t say brains and loll their head back and forth.”\n\n“Braaaiiinnsss....” said Marlia. \n\n“See?” said Snake. “She is pretty damn active for being dead.” \n\n“Well, she isn’t alive. What is the opposite of being alive?” said Frisco. \n\nIn normal circumstances, Snake would have made some snarky comment, something about being an ambassador in the US, or working for the BBC. But he was unnerved to the point of near hysterics. \n\n“Not this! This isn’t dead! You were supposed to bring her in dead, not this!” \n\nMarlia reached an arm out towards Frisco. “Braaaiinnnsss.....” said Marlia. \n\n“Not now, honey. Daddy’s talking.” \n\n“Oh look, how cute,” said The Jake. “She thinks you have brains. Frisco, what did you do? What the hell is going on?” \n\nFrisco leaned forward in his chair, putting an elbow on Snake’s desk. He was trying to reclaim the situation. \n\n“I’ll tell you what I did. I didn’t play your goddamn game, that’s what. I knew where you were going with this flyer,” said Frisco. “I knew you were going to twist the knife in me a little more, after that incident in Macau Picchu.” \n\n“There weren’t supposed to be any dogs hurt and you-“\n\n“I know!” yelled Frisco. “We have been over this! But you put the flyer out on the love of my life, for more money than she is worth to you, and I know what this was. This was payback. For god sake, Snake, the pomeranian was fine. You didn’t have to do this.” \n\nThe Jake sat back in his chair. “Look, business is business. I couldn’t let something like that slide. I have lots of people to work with here. One of them sees that, they think they get to slide too.” \n\n“Braainnnsss....” said Marlia. The Jake looked back at her. \n\n“Listen, man, I’m in the results business.” said Frisco. He gestured at Marlia. “This is results.” \n\n“You call this results,” said The Jake. “I call it trouble.”\n\n“You want trouble? Imagine what I went through.” said Frisco. “I had to find the lair of Dr. Federico Bandamire, Swim across a channel to get on to his evil island, kill five of his guards, and steal his secret undead formula, get back, inject Marlia with it, and then sneak her though London to get here. That was trouble.” \n\n“Undead formula,” said The Jake. \n\n“Yep. No pulse, no breathing. As good as dead. Check her yourself,” said Frisco. \n\nThe Jake pointed at Marlia. “I am not getting anywhere near that thing. I want it gone. I want it out of my office.” The Jake pointed at Frisco. “And I don’t ever want to see your face again.” \n\nFrisco pointed back at The Jake. “And I want my money. $6,450,000. All of it.” \n\nThe Jake pulled out his checkbook. “If you think I’m giving you a favorable exchange rate, you are stupider than she looks.” He wrote a check. “Cash it at a bank, I don’t give a damn. It’s in pounds. Just get the hell out of here.” \n\nFrisco took Marlia by the arm. “Come on, sweetie,” he said. “Let’s get on with the rest of our... lives.” \n\nHe helped her out of the chair. \n\nHer arm came off in his hands. She didn’t react at all. \n\n“Oh,” said Frisco. He looked at Marlia, then the arm. “I guess we’ll get that fixed later. OK, let’s go.” \n\nThe walked out of the room. \n\nSnake Transford sat at his desk silent. He could still smell Marlia. After a minute, he picked up his phone and buzzed his receptionist. \n\n“Bobby. Get me a Doctor Federico Bandamire on the phone. I think I may have a business proposition for him.”" ]	3
	[WP] A man in skull-adorned armor walks the streets and night, carrying a black sword. His name is Death, but he will not harm you. He has no business with the living.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "He has no business with the living.\n\nIf you said it before bed, he granted you pardon, and you woke up in the morning. That’s how it was supposed to work. \n\nBut this isn’t a telling about how things work out. That wouldn’t be fair. \n\nI stayed out late one night. Roaming the cobbled streets alone, I studied the reflections of the lamp posts on the windows. People, families, children were all sleeping, having chanted their ritual moments before dreaming. Stupid, I thought. How childish it was to feel so bound by a string of words. No one had seen Death before. It was a fable, a tale to keep children in bed. \n\nBut that memory crawled it’s way back before my eyes, of a white figure walking - no, hovering - right where I now stood as I had looked out my window so many years ago. \n\nI shook my head. He wasn’t real. \n\nAnd now I stood in front of my door, waiting. Why don’t I just go in? That’s my home. I’ve walked this street millions of times before, grabbed my keys out of my pocket, found the thick golden one, opened the door, and gone to bed. Why am I still standing here? I couldn’t be that tired, I had only walked from...\n\nWhere had I come from tonight?\n\nMy stomach began to sink. Something was wrong. I felt him behind me, silent. I turned around. He stood a comfortable distance away, his skull armor glittering white in the lamplight. His crooked black sword was almost invisible against the dark trees. \n\nMaybe this was a dream. He wasn’t real. He didn’t see me, he was just standing there. Or perhaps it was a prank by one of the high schoolers. \n\nI stood there, motionless, wondering why I hadn’t taken my keys out of my pocket and gone inside yet. Death stepped closer to me and raised his bone-covered hand, as if asking me to come towards him. This I seemed able to do. \n\nUp close, he wasn’t as frightening as I had imagined as a child. His face was covered by a skull, his lengthy body beaming white from the bones. These bones were not in any particular order, and seemed to go one forever, as if nothing were underneath them. Death didn’t appear to have a body. \n\n“I’m wandering,” I told him. He did not reply. “I don’t know how I got here. Why can’t I go inside?”\n\nMy voice cracked like eggshells. Tears gathered in pools and fell like rivers. I knew why Death had come. I suddenly remembered the drive home, the blinding headlights, the sound of metal against asphalt. I had walked away. And now I walk with Death. \n\nI just hope there wasn’t a little child watching from the windows. I wouldn’t want them to be frightened of Death." ]	2
	[WP] You are mere seconds away from being executed for a crime you didn’t commit. Everybody watches as you are set on the chopping block...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The executioner swaggers towards me, axe in hand. My arms ache, thrust up behind my back, my neck sore from the god awful thing they call a bunk. I am forced to my knees, or do they weaken and give way?, by the guards.\n\nThe rightmost holds me down by my shoulder, forcing my neck towards the block. Her hand feels so small, and below the smell of leather and my own sweat I can smell her. Young. Afraid.\n\nThe judge is speaking now. I don't listen, I don't care about his lies. They all know I didn't kill the miller, the fool drank himself to death years before he slipped and forced the knife into his own flesh. They all know it to be lies, and still they stand and watch with hungry eyes. Silently the adults watch, the children hidden away, drinking in the axe beginning to fall.\n\nI smile my crooked smile at them. I did not commit the murder they are killing me for, but I'm not too resentful. My body is old and worn, I am tired of it and this place. As they keep searching for the small ones that never made it back from the woods, search for the slender figures that never returned from the market, as they fruitlessly keep calling names into the forest, they will remember me.\n\nAnd they will remember why they lock their doors at night.", "I feel the cold steel rest on the back of my neck; the axe is already about to draw blood. That means it’s sharp — good, this should be quick then. \n\nI look out at the small throng of gathered onlookers, all so eager to see my blood shed here, and I have to let out a small sigh of regret.\n\n‘You, you were all my countrymen, my neighbors, my friends. When things started to go bad, we swore an oath: to stand beside one another, to bring peace back to our home. \n\n‘And now where are we? One of your own stands accused of, convicted for, and sentenced to death for a crime we all know I didn’t commit. And what do you do? Do you protest it? Do you scream at the injustice? Do you rage at the wrong committed here for no reason other than to placate our overlords? No. You don’t. You bray for my blood as if it will change anything.\n\n‘My death will do nothing. My life will by nothing. I would die happy if I knew it would buy you freedom; if my death could restore peace, I would gladly give it. But that’s not what this is. I die for complacency because I alone dared to try to band us together. \n\n‘Well I didn’t do it. We all know I didn’t do it, but that hasn’t changed anything, now has it? For my strife, my dreams of freedom, I seem to have earned only an untimely death — to go quiet into that goodnight, even through all my rage against it.\n\n‘Farewell, my neighbors, my friends,... my brothers. I ask only that you make it worth it.’\n\nI hang my head in resignation and look out at the faces around me: visages of vitriol now marred with the knowledge of what they’ve done, and that’s it’s too late to stop it. \n\nI don’t feel the axe as it cuts off my head." ]	3
	[WP] You live in a world where food is as likely to eat you as you are to eat it. This effects all forms of food, be they animal, plant, raw, cooked, or otherwise prepared or processed.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "‘This world sucks’ i think while walking into my new job interview. Every time an animal thinks of you as prey you get an insatiable hunger towards them until it stops. I had to fight my ham sandwich this morning so i could eat it for breakfast.\n\nLuckily though, i got this nice new job at Can The Bull enterprises. They’re planning on offering me a job i can’t refuse due to my previous experience with food fights. They opened shortly after the Great Battle Of London when all the pastries in one of the shops started mauling people, starting the current day climate of constant groceries and lockdowns near stores.\n\nIf only i was better at choosing a job, since i walked into the interview i’ve been wanting to eat the interviewer. It’s weird since i’ve never craved people before..." ]	2
	[WP] A continent of humans have been segregated based on religious factions. Once a generation they have a giant war to determine who's religion is correct. Unbeknownst to the humans. The gods see it as a game they keep tallys and takes bets over the fight, almost like the superbowl.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The War Singer: Part 1 of 3\n\nThe Ancient Realm Beyond - January 11th, 2749\n\nI ascend the brilliant marble staircase of these halls as I have done every day for a while now already. I've always thought it strange how my permanently bloodstained clothing looked against the Gilded Palace, but we old pantheon gods have a lot of quirks. My name is Bjänesk. Never heard of me? Yeah, I get that, because I'm the last remaining deity of a pantheon that died out a long, long time ago. But people will know my name soon. I've been planning this year for a while. I will have my resurgence.\n\nAldurne, the Skyfather, is the champion. He's been the champion for the past two years after he deserted his pantheon and chose to commandeer the Games for himself. As the Skyfather, Aldurne can manipulate storms, and his pantheon had primal elements under their control. It was always funny how a slightly off-placed lightning strike where nobody could see looked just like a wildfire, or how if you get a storm raging just far enough away from the coast, a tidal wave would form. He was able to manipulate events just so perfectly that the tribe turned on all of the gods in his pantheon other than himself, and he led his tribe to victory.\n\nAldurne's pantheon was in shambles, with Gnistu the fire god going mad and burning down pieces of her own tribe, and the remaining members having an incredibly small amount of land between them. The main pantheon in this round called themselves the Druids, and their schtick was that each one represented such a small, specific thing, usually a crop or a disease, and praying to them would give you a favorable outcome on that one thing. It seemed dumb, but it worked. If you're a radish farmer, then you'd want to ensure your radish crop better than Horned God of Fertility #27 could do, and so you'd pray to the God of Radishes. And then there's the second prong of their approach: that the Druids are a package deal, and that favoring one over the others is a deep sign of disrespect. So you better also endorse the God of Cholera if you don't want cholera with your productive radishes.\n\nAphrodite was another big one, kind-of our celebrity cameo appearance. She's one of the old Greek gods that still hang around, and she does things as she always has. Drop Cupid into the fray and have people match with each other. Seeing Cupid float around and quite literally grant you the love of your life is a pretty good way to ensure followers. Besides Aphrodite, there's also Rhynila, an old goddess of war and, what, I think like maybe my fifteenth cousin? She's actually focusing on training her army rather than expanding it. Her group got ahold of a machine gun cache, so everyone's kinda freaking out about her. That's my queue.\n\nOpening the door, I meet with Aldurne, as we had planned. \"So,\" I say, \"what brings you here to my doorstep? I mean, considering how you betrayed all your friends and allies and all...\"\n\n\"Well,\" Aldurne sighs, \"while I would prefer to work along, I'm sure that you, Bjänesk, would know a little something about your cousin's acquisition of some pretty strong weapons. As one of the only war gods without a pantheon or other alliance, I think I may need your assistance with this.\"\n\nI smirk. \"Well, I must ask you, Aldurne: If some group of people has guns, what if we find something stronger than guns?\"\n\nAldurne looks confused.\n\n\"Okay,\" I say, \"let me clarify:\n\n[Do you believe in life on other planets?\"](https://old.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/dthzus/wp_aliens_have_invaded_earth_and_are_decimating/f6wxtpo/)" ]	2
	[WP]Simply biting a human does not turn them into vampire. The technique of vampire-making was a closely held secret among The Ancients. Now with all of them dead or missing, the vampire community, with dwindling numbers, struggle for their continued survival	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I looked to Jayden, his golden eyes were locked to mine. Taking in a ragged breath I clenched my fists in uncertainty as he pushed himself away from me and looked out the window at nothing. I put a hand to my arm, the bend of my elbow was bandaged from where they had taken blood from me.\n\n\"If it bothers you to be here...\" I begin before he shakes his head.\n\n\"No. I want to be here, I want to support you in this. I...\" he turned. \"I have to know... You are okay with this?\"\n\nI took in a ragged breath. Those things were still out there. Killing us all. One at a time. And the funny thing was, what was really amazing, was that the people on the front lines were the ones who we feared. We told horror stories of and ran from.\n\nGranted... after years of running and turmoil, and a big secret discovery with what Jayden really was, it looked like we were going to win. \n\nBut at what price?\n\nI stood up and looked past Jayden out the window. My hometown was partially rubble, people gathering on the streets to help each other and to hurt each other. Humanity was weird like that.\n\nWe stood on the third floor of a hotel that Jayden's cousin, apparently a very high ranking vampire owned. It was partially a hideout for them and a meeting room but the very bottom floor held the truth.\n\nIt was where the eldest of the Vampires, the Ancients, currently holding court.\n\nThey were deciding what to do, it was dangerous to let their numbers dwindle but now that people knew about them, hunters would come. They had to reside in peace and quietly regain numbers.\n\nJayden was going to leave, my best friend was going to disappear.\n\nAnd that caused what was now the reason I was here.\n\nJayden wanted to give me a farewell gift, something to show his appreciation for hiding him all these years since we were eight. He tried to use some sort of magic to erase my memory. Hunters wouldn't be able to torture anything out of me that I couldn't know. But it didn't work. I couldn't have my memory wiped. And that was when he learned the truth about me that I didn't even know.\n\nJayden told his parents who told his cousin who went through the chain. The Ancients wanted a vial of my blood. So they drew it.\n\nThere were concepts about people being bitten and becoming vampires. this wasn't true I was told when they drew my blood. Well. Part of it was. The bitten part at least. But the people being bitten didn't become vampires. The whole thing was part of a long time ago when vampires were a lot more bloodthirsty than they were now and would grab anyone and everyone they could find with a unique trait. Being immune to most vampire magic made it easier to find those with that trait.\n\nThe ability to create new vampires.\n\nThe door opened to reveal a stunning woman as tall as Jayden in a red cheongsam. Her eyes were red and she held her hair in a bun marking the look. \"So this is her?\"\n\nJayden turned. \"Yea.\"\n\nThe woman smiled at me. \"I'm Jayden's cousin, from the main branch of the Arelden Line. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rowen. My name is Evelynn. Please, call me Lynn, like everyone else does.\" She said it so casually but I had the feeling it was like the president telling you to call him by his first name.\n\nShe stood aside and another woman came in, this one much older, like my grandmother looked. She stepped in as a man in a suit followed, dapper and straight. He acknowledged Jayden who gave a low bow and I considered the same before the old woman came up to me and prodded my arm and then looked me over.\n\n\"Yes.. Yes... It is strong. She will do well.\"\n\nJayden didn't say anything as the older woman left without a word, Lynn bowed as she left and the man turned to Jayden and Lynn. \"The Ancients have given their blessing. The ritual will proceed. Lynn will take you to a room to get changed and prepared. Jayden, get downstairs and help with preperations.\"\n\n\"W-Wait!\" He said grabbing my arm. \"Are you...Are you certain you want this? When you undergo that ritual...There's no turning back. Your still going to be human but... there's no way you can go back to the life you knew.\"\n\n\"She can't go back anyway!\" the man snapped.\n\nLynn stepped between them. \"Father. Please... Jayden's just looking out for his friend. There's nothing disrespectful about that. Besides, Jayden, it's true. You can't erase her memory. None of us can.\"\n\nShe walked up and took my hands in hers. \"I know this is sudden, and everythings happening all at once. But to be quite frank and upfront your life, the moment you knew what Jayden was, was over. When you discovered his secrets and stayed by his side you chose this path. There's nothing anyone, not even the Ancients can do now unless you go through with this.\"\n\nJayden wanted to say something but Lynn's father shook his head. \"She's correct. You are not bound to do the ritual if you do not wish it. But we cannot swear your protection from those creatures or the Hunters any further than before if you don't.\"\n\nI hesitated. I knew they were right.\n\nI took in a breath and nodded. \"I'm in.\"\n\nJayden nodded and walked over to me. \"Lynn will take care of you. I won't be able to see you after this but...I'll be waiting afterward.\"\n\nHe squeezed my hand and left to follow his Uncle. Lynn led me to a room and helped me change into a strange dress. It was a faded white, not dirty and worn but old, and smelled like mothballs and wood.\n\n\"it has been a long time since this was used,\" Lynn said fitting it over my head and tying it up behind me. \n\n\"Is there some special reason it's white?\" I asked curiously \n\n\"Clan preference I suppose. Some dresses are red, others are black it just depends on who first called for it. The robes are more for comfort and ease of the ritual. \n\n\"So...\"\n\n\"Don't worry. THe pain isn't that much. And we've stopped biting on the neck a long time ago. It was just an easy way to get a good meal in with it. Most of the time now it's on the wrist. Easier to get to the veins.\" she said taking her two fingers and pushing near my hand. Though I have heard it being compared to an easier time giving birth. I suppose that's why the ritual seems easier with females over males. They seem to handle the converging better.\"\n\nI took in a breath and let myself try and settle down as she finished. My shoes were taken off and my bare feet were wrapped in something like silk.\n\nAs she finished there was a knock on the door. \n\n\"You may enter.\" She said standing by where I sat on the bed.\n\nA new man, this one with tilted eyes and a gaze cold like ice entered and two others looked me over from behind him. Both seemed older than Jayden and I recognized one from a painting Jayden said was from another branch family from his Aunt.\n\n\"She has been prepared.\" Lynn said and turned to me. \"I need you to stand up, there's one final thing.\" She held a cloth and helped me stand.\n\nShe stood behind me and blindfolded me. I stood still \"Why...\"\n\n\"It's a little easier this way, for you and us.\" She said. \"You will be led to a chair where you will be taken below. Just relax, the rest will come as it will. You only need do as your told and try to keep calm.\"\n\n\"You say that to the woman you just blindfolded,\" I said as my wrists were grabbed. I was led out the door and after some awkwardness, I was gently sat into some sort of chair and felt lifted into the air.\n\nI tried to stay calm as I was taken from the warm air of the hotel to a colder area, footsteps echoed and I bit my lower lip trying to keep from panicking.\n\nSoft murmurs were heard around me and I smelled candles and something else I couldn't place but stung my nose.\n\nThe chair was lowered and I was told to be still as I felt myself being lifted by several pairs of hands and laid down on something not soft enough to be a bed but definitely not the stone altar I was imagining was waiting for me.\n\nVoices began chanting in a language I couldn't understand and just as Lynn said, I felt my arm being bitten...", "The body dropped to the wet cement with a dull thud, echoing through the twisting alleyway. \n\nI watched him, my eyes intent on his. Had I a heartbeat, surely it would be pounding with excitement. His eyes never flickered, his chest stopped its rise and fall. \n\n\"Shit,\" I whispered. \n\nThe word couldn't describe the pain I felt. Another man dead, and for nothing. I sank to my knees, beginning the now familiar process of disposing of the corpse. This had been the routine now for what? A decade? Every time I'd thought of a new technique, something that I'd not tried before, my hopes would rise -- only to come crashing back down on the following night. \n\nI grunted out of habit as I lifted him onto my shoulders. He was extremely light -- another victim of both society and circumstance. Society for being forced out onto the streets, circumstance for having crossed my path. I navigated the warren of back alleys, weaving in and out of paths which hadn't seen sunlight in near as long as I. \n\nAs I walked, a figure arose from a shadowed corner. \n\n\"Another failure,\" a feminine voice said. \n\nI glanced at her as she fell into step beside me. \"Another failure,\" I confirmed. \n\n\"Dammit. We can't keep up like this, Emmet. We grow fewer and fewer each decade. Soon enough they will root us all out.\" \n\nI paused in mid step, snapping my head towards her. \"Why the fuck do you think I'm doing what I am?! I know what's at stake, Amanda. Better than you!\" \n\nShe was small, standing at more than a head shorter than I, but her answering growl almost made me shrink back. \"You do not talk to me like that. Eldest or no, speak to me like that again and we'll be one fewer before the night is out.\" \n\nI looked her up and down, from her distressed leather boots, to her black leather jacket, she looked the picture of a rebellious teen. It was hard to remember that she now ranked second in age only to myself. \n\nI nodded in apology. \"I'm not myself, I'm sorry for the outburst.\"\n\nShe relaxed, mollified. \"I know things have been hard on you since Alu-\" \n\n\"Don't,\" I interjected. \"Please don't say his name.\" Pain flared in my chest, emotion threatening to overcome my still fragile barriers. \n\nShe frowned in sympathy. \"Since he died.\"\n\n\"He didn't just die, he was murdered,\" I snapped. \n\n\"Since he was murdered then. But you were his successor. You have to continue his work. We can't afford weakness, you know that.\" \n\nI let her words hang in silence. Shortly, we came to the entrance of our refuge -- an abandoned office building. Once it had been the home of several junkies, but they had been long ago sacrificed in the name of research. Now it housed the last of my family, maybe the last of my kind. \n\nAmanda, Seth, Thomas, Lydia, and myself. Five where once there were hundreds -- thousands. \n\nSeth, the youngest, bowed as we walked through the decrepit door. \"Any news, Sir?\" \n\nI threw the body down at his feet in answer. \n\nSeth was the most recent of us to be given the gift of undeath. He looked to be about forty, but he was now well over a hundred years old. He dressed in simple jeans and to my chagrin, a wife beater. \n\nHe grimaced, the lines in his face growing deeper. \"I'll dispose of that shortly.\"\n\n\"Drain him carefully, we don't waste a drop,\" I reminded. \"We may have a surplus now, but we can't be too careful. Speaking of, I have an announcement.\" I looked to Amanda. \"Call a meeting. We'll gather in ten minutes.\" \n\nShe nodded, bringing her hand to chest. \"It will be done, Eldest.\" \n\nI traced my way through the rotting halls of our sanctuary, I sneered the word in my mind. Piles of refuse lay strewn about haphazardly, but I could weave my way through them blindfolded by now. I hated the mess, but authenticity was safety. We could not break appearances. Finally, I came to the end of the hall. The door was aged and looked nearly to be crumbling, cracks like spiderwebs covered the entire surface. It swung open at a touch, revealing a threadbare mattress, a lone mirror, and blessed little else. \n\nI approached the mirror, staring into it, glaring at the person it reflected. I was beautiful once, I knew that. In ages past, men and women alike would have thrown themselves simpering at my feet, begging for the barest acknowledgement. But that had been in happier times. A permanent glare marred my face, my eyes were sullen and radiated a deep and endless sorrow. The typical broody vampire. \n\nI barked a bitter laugh. Something at least popular media had gotten right. Vampires were broody, we had every reason to be. The Elders were dead, the ways of reproduction lost to us. Our days were numbered. The Elders, I wanted to snarl at the very thought of them. They had withheld the knowledge of creating new vampires as a way to 'protect vampire kind'. They reasoned that if too many were to rise, humanity would seek to destroy us all, root and branch. \n\nWell, they had gotten that last bit almost right. The humans did find us. They dissected us, hunted us, and very neatly annhiliated us all. The Elders had never bargained on one thing, their own deaths. \n\nA knock at the door shattered my reverie, Amanda darkened my doorway. \"They're gathered.\"\n\nI sighed, following her back to the meeting room. It was an old board room, a large oaken table dominated the center of the room. Amanda sat down as I entered, the others rising briefly to acknowledge my entrance before doing the same. \n\nI took in my family, moth-eaten and sorry looking as they were, they were still mine. \n\n\"I failed,\" I said simply. \n\nThey slumped in their chairs, I could see the light dim in Lydia's eyes. \n\n\"Morever,\" I said, pausing. \"We need to move hideouts.\"\n\n\"What!?\" exclaimed Amanda. \"We just got settled in. You can't just keep moving us around!\" \n\nThomas raised his head. He was dressed in a ragged leather trench coat—looking to be nearly as old as I—as well as a faded old fedora. \"If the boss says we move, we move. There's a reason we're still around to argue, and that's staying ahead of the hunters.\" \n\nI nodded at him, appreciative. \"It's as Thomas says. The hunters have to be getting close, especially given how many bodies have dropped in the area.\" \n\n\"Oh,\" Amanda said indignantly. \"So just because you get sloppy and don't range far enough we have to move?\" \n\nI stared at her, letting my eyes smolder with my displeasure. Amanda slowly sat back down, never breaking eye contact. She sighed, then held up her hands. \"I'm just tired of moving. In the good old days we were able to stay in the same place for decades. Moving around every few months is getting tiresome.\"\n\nI nodded, sympathetic—I too missed the days of a more permanent home. \"I understand. I really do, but we don't have any choice. If we wait much longer, we won't live to complain about—\" A crash at the front door interrupted me mid-sentence. \n\nWe all stood, bolting for the escape tunnel we had dug in case of a security breach. The enemy was here. \n\n---------------\n\nI'll continue this in a bit. Out of time for now." ]	3
	[WP] You are loading faces on thispersondoesnotexist.com. Your face pops up.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I was in so much awe as I looked at my computer screen and my large mirror in the corner of my room. \n\nI had just been scrolling through the web when I had stumbled upon this cool new website called [thispersondoesnotexist.com](https://thispersondoesnotexist.com). I found this website pretty cool, apparently it was very accurately generating a person's face. Supposedly, none of these people could exist, and I believed this up until it presented me with my face.\n\nSurely this was just a coincidence, right? I got up from my desk to go tell my parents, or anyone at all, of this strange occurrence. I walk up to the door not realizing how quickly i'm breathing, possibly going to start hyperventilating, when I almost choked when I saw the darkness outside my door. \n\nI look down and I see the black going on forever and ever and I got the strange urge to see what was down there. Without a second thought a take a step forward and I just start to fall, my stomach started to do flips, my head felt like it was going to explode, this was what felt like 3 days ago and i'm honestly surprised how i'm still alive." ]	2
	[WP] The last words of an alien race as they admit to have misjudged humanity "We have made a mistake. That is the simple, undeniable truth of the matter, however painful it might be..."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The bolt pierced the bulbous fatty head before the xeno could even finish. Ishtan almost laughed as he fired, the xeno was more on point than it even realized. The squad of men with him opened fire on the shocked and scrambling xenos as they tore at a door that would never open. The wall of supeheated metal bolts tore and shredded the xenos to a pile of twitching fatty bits and their putrid blood running like a river. \n\nWith this, the war was finally over. Today there would ve peace as they requested but not like they had believed. Sure they had the technological edge in the war but they never had the creative sense to actually outmaneuver us. We used our centuries of assassination and political intrigue to slowly dismantle them till we were the ones bombing planets. We were the ones torching their young. We were the ones who were firing on surrendering soldiers. Humans always have had a fucked up sense of an eye for an eye. The war was over, but the genocide, that was just beginning." ]	2
	[WP] Being unattractive, you wish that you were better looking. One day, you have the opportunity to have your wish but there’s a catch; the more bad deeds you do for the one granting you the wish, the prettier you become.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Heads up that this story is a tad on the graphic and dark side. And possible CW for anyone who was a victim of bullying. Thanks OP for an opportunity for a dark character profile.\n\n\\---------\n\n I remember being bullied at school. I can remember being pinned up against the fence. I can remember the names being called out. I can remember holding the banisters extra hard in case someone pushed me down the stairs. I hadn’t done anything. I was just fat, with a big nose, an ugly mole above my right eye, and acne that spread across my face like a pandemic. \n\nWhile my peers were chatting up boys and girls, I was just trying to get through the day. They went to prom in beautiful gowns and suits, I stayed at home and avoided it all.\n\nTruth be told, being unattractive, it holds you back in more places than you would think. We learn to socialize by socializing, so when you are an outcast, you get less of a chance to develop those skills. And imagine you’re an employer, and you have two equal resumes in front of you, but ones by someone you find a little repulsive, and the other by some smooth skinned blonde, who do you choose? Who do you want meeting your clients?\n\nSo I struggled to get a job out of college, despite the good grades. And soon enough I found myself isolated, penniless, and in need of a change. One night I’m at a dive bar, drinking enough to forget my lot in life. I get into a fight. But it turns out I had some good reactions, and I knew how to take a hit. And all that pain growing up, it made me kind of fearless. \n\nSome kingpin from across the bar sees it all goes down, so when the police show up he convinces enough people in the bar of a version of events that means the unconscious guy on the floor goes to the prison cell and not me.\n\nHe sits me down at a table as one of the staff members clean up the blood from the other man’s broken nose. “What do you want?” he asks.\n\n“To be accepted.”\n\n“Well, that’s not hard…”\n\nI interrupt him. “No. Fuck that. I want more than that. I’ve taken enough shit for one life time. I want to be loved, to be adored. I want to be beautiful.”\n\nThe guy smiles. His teeth sparkle like the necklace hanging around his neck. “Let’s see what we can do.”\n\nHe set me up with small tasks to start with. Initially getting the drugs out to the dealers. Then I moved onto the whole sale, picking up the truck loads from other states. \n\nAnd then that turned to the threats. Never real violence, just the occasional pinning some idiot up against a wall and letting him know his place. Of course, the second someone didn’t heed the threats, the threats turned to fists.\n\nAt the same time the boss sets me up with a surgeon needing to pay off some bad loans, and we set to work. Liposuction, rhinoplasty, dermabrasion, blepharoplasty. I paid for a stylist who kitted me out with new hair, and a new wardrobe. \n\nI could feel my confidence growing. All of a sudden if I went to a bar, I’d catch people’s eyes and they’d smile, wanting to know more. That thing people say about personality being the most important thing? Yeah, it’s nonsense. I learned that when we made eye contact in the bar and they had already decided there and then that we’d be leaving together. \n\nWhen I was younger and watched TV or picked up a magazine, it always felt like a taunt. There were these beautiful people; gorgeous face shapes, silky hair, Adonis and siren like figures. I hated it. It was someone waving a big picture in front of me, shouting at me that I should want this, but I could never have it.\n\nThat had changed now. When I saw the great looks being advertized, I went out and I bought it.\n\nIt was a euphoric feeling. And I wanted more of it. So I take bigger jobs. One day it’s an out-and-out assassination. Some guy happened to witness a crime and seemed determined to keep telling the same story to the police. But it’s enough money to pay for a whole new round of surgery. And so I follow him till he stupidly parks his car on the top floor of a multi-story garage. He reaches the stairs, and one gentle push is all it takes. It was a long way to fall. He should’ve grabbed the banister more tightly.\n\nIt paid for a restructuring of the face, a tummy tuck, more dermabrasion. When the bandages came off, I look better than anyone I knew. I looked better than the people on the TV. Suddenly the models and celebrities were someone to pity with their ugliness.\n\nIt’s the night of my ten-year high-school reunion. I walk into the room my head held high. I recognize the faces immediately. They haven’t changed, just got older, uglier, saggier. Some of them have tried to remain pretty. But none of them truly pull it off. They are all desperately trying to cover up their weaknesses with makeup or flattering outfits. I don’t need that. I have no weakness.\n\nOne of them tries to make conversation with me. I recognize them immediately. They were one of the ones who used to call me names, or would try and trip me up as I walked down the corridor. One time they stole my clothes at gym, so I had to stand there in my underwear while everyone laughed and pointed out my flaws. I remember it well.\n\n“Wow, you look great,” they say. I inspect them over. There’s a tired looking bit of skin around the eyes. Their nose is a little on the wide side. They’ve put on a bit of weight too, probably too busy eating on the go to worry about their shape. \n\n“Thanks,” I reply. I refuse to repay the compliment.\n\n“What have you been up to?” they ask. \n\n“Oh you know. Keeping busy.” I reply. I take a sip of my drink, feeling the lip of the bottle against my perfectly shaped lips.\n\nThey pause for a little while, deciding if they want to say what’s on their mind. “You know, I was worried you wouldn’t show tonight… you know… after everything that used to happen at school.”\n\n“Yeah. I used to be pretty ugly back then, right?”\n\n“Well… I wouldn’t say that.”\n\n“You did though. You used to say it every recess, every time you saw me in the hallways. You’d always mention it.”\n\n“Well, it was a long time ago…”\n\n“Do you think I’m ugly now.”\n\nI can sense they are starting to feel threatened. “No. No. You look great.”\n\n“I think I look better than great.”\n\n“I agree.” They nod, looking around the room for either help or an escape.\n\n“You’ve never known what it was like to be ugly, have you?” I take another gulp of my drink, making sure it’s empty.”\n\n“Well, we all have our insecurities…” They trail off, their eyes looking at the ground.\n\n“But the way people stare at you, the way people judge you. You’ve never had that have you?”\n\nThey think of what to say, eventually they know they have to confess. “No. I can imagine it must be tough.”\n\n“Find out and let me know.” I shift the position of the bottle in my hands.\n\n“What?” \n\nThey barely even have time to register the sentence before the butt of the bottle lands square in their face. The nose is already broken. But the butt comes down again, and again, and again. Then my grip shifts one more time, so that I can swing the side of their bottle directly into them, the glass shattering across their face. \n\nI let go of them. They fall to the ground in a heap. I’m not sure if they are conscious or not. It doesn’t matter.\n\nI walk over to them and lean down. I want to make sure they can still hear me speak. \n\n“Whose beautiful now?”\n\n\\------\n\nMore stories at r/ArchipelagoFictions" ]	2
	[WP] It is 2033 and the Mall of Reddit, where every subreddit has a store/shop/kiosk, has just opened and you are one of the first invitees.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I walk in the mall, passing by the snoo logo. I smile, remembering when I first joined Reddit. I still can’t remember why.\n\nI look up and see a humungous amount of stores, each one has the subreddit logo, and the name. Some have something outside the store too that represents it. \n\nr/dankmemes have Shrek and Bob Ross statues. \n\nr/hydrohomies has a ton of water. \n\nr/breadstapledtotrees has it in the name. I smile in joy. \n\nAll the subreddits for existing tv shows and movies and other media are there such as r/marvelstudios and r/star wars.\n\n I awkwardly look away from things like r/cummingonfigurines and r/buttsharpies. Gross.\n\nEverything’s there and it’s awesome." ]	2
	[WP] You never thought you'd be in this situation. You thought it was just a movie trope. But here you are, standing under a tree about a hundred feet away from a funeral, holding a black umbrella when there isn't a cloud in the sky.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Are you sure about this?\" Kevin asked me.\n\nI nodded as I adjusted the umbrella, I watched my mother crying over \"my\" coffin as she was held by my stepfather. My brother silently sat there and I wondered what he was thinking. \n\n\"I don't think he believes it.\" he said. I took in a breath. \"I know. He's too smart, always has been. I don't expect there to be a moment where he believes I'm gone. I can see him pouring over boards and ideas until he figures out the mistake.\"\n\nKevin stood up and I stepped backward. \"A bit tropish though, don't you think?\" I asked him\n\n\"You wanted a last look. They can't recognize you or this is all for nothing. You okay with not going back?\"\n\n\"I am. I need to be free of shackles. And...I'm sorry to all of them but they were always that way. My mother the worst of them. I think that's why it's so hard on her.\"\n\nHe said nothing as I turned, \"We need to go. Someone's bound to notice the trope.\"\n\nWe walked away silently as I left my funeral and got into the sedan waiting.\n\nI pulled off the hat and looked out the window. It would be a long time before I was in Vegas again.\n\nI turned to my Director who handed me an envelope. \"So this is it then?\"\n\nHe nodded, \"Everything we have on \"Project Silverflame\" You're going in. Try not to have a real funeral this time.\"\n\nI nodded. \"I will.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You were always absent-minded about remembering to eat, but after one long distracted spell as a teenager, you realized you didn't need to eat food at all - it was fun going viral and becoming famous, but now the scientists are calling.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "There were still a lot of comments under each one of my videos saying I was a liar. It's impossible, and I'm trolling the masses. I agree. It is impossible.\n\nYet here I am.\n\nI still can't decide if I should delete the comments or not, I lean forward in my chair, hearing it softly creak as I shifted my weight, and start scrolling again. Suddenly, a loud dance mix started blasting into the silence, causing me to jump a mile, gasp, and snap my head towards my phone. \n\nUnknown. I sighed. It's always unknown now...\n\nI rejected the call and turned off my PC. That's enough torture for now. \n\nI wandered around my empty house. At 18 I still live at home with my parents, but since the world found out I didn't need food to survive the constant letters and strangers coming to the house was too much for them. They left me a card for emergencies and went to visit some friends who live a few hours away for the foreseeable future. Ironically, my mother had left lasagne in the fridge. Like she'd forgotten why this was all happening.\n\nI sighed again, deeper this time. I couldn't focus on anything these days. I allowed my mind to drift back to the first video where I'd claimed I didn't need food, that it'd been 6 days since I'd eaten and I was fine. People had laughed at me, only a couple of eccentrics believed me - and I don't blame them. If it wasn't happening to me I wouldn't believe it either. In that time, I'd uploaded a lot of videos, including a week long live stream, where I showered in a bathing costume and even slept on camera in hopes people would believe me. That was three months ago, and you could say it worked.\n\nI peeked out of my blinds and saw a couple of news guys standing on my muddy lawn. It used to be a nice lawn, but had been ruined over the last 3 months. That's how long it had been since I'd eaten. \n\nYou'd think I'd need more sleep, because I'd need energy from somewhere, but actually, now my body isn't trying to digest food constantly, I have way more energy. I'm averaging 6 hours a night, instead of the usual 8 I used to get. I drink way less too, and obviously, I can't remember the last time I pooped.\n\nOnce again, the dance mix played out again. Unknown. \n\n\nI hit reject and swallowed back my tears. I felt so alone. Even my family abandoned me. I needed a distraction. \n\nI slumped on the sofa and hit the power button on the TV\n\n\"...very well could be a hoax, but what do you think?\" The pretty blonde spoke matter-of-factly into the camera.\n\n\"Lola is 18, she's young, she could very well be a girl who likes attention. She could be quite sick, personally I think this is quite likely, if this is true she needs intervention and she needs it quickly. Or, there is the remote possibility she is indeed telling the truth, which would make her something of a medical mystery and a scientific marvel - in any case, we need to secure some face to face contact to really evaluate the condition she is in. Testing, of course, will be required...\" he continued talking as my stomach tightened. The title card across the bottom of the screen told me the man was a scientist. \"We have made several attempts to engage, but are yet to be successful-\" I hit the power button and side-eyed my phone. \n\nI'd assumed they were fans, critics or trolls calling me. That's what the first few calls I'd answered had been, back when this was fun. As if I'd summoned another call, my phone lit up and started ringing again. My finger hovered over the reject button again before reconsidering.\n\nI was lonely.\n\nI bit back my tears again, thinking bitterly of how my parents had left me. I couldn't leave me. \n\nWhat if they could give me answers?\n\nI bit my lip, what testing did he mean? I felt sick as I hit the accept call button.\n\n\"Hello?\" I croaked.\n\n\"Lola Woods?\" Asked an older sounding man, with a deep, authoritative voice. \n\n\"Yes, uh, speaking,\" I mumbled, unsure if I should regret answering.\n\n\"I'm surprised you answered,\" he spoke honestly, chuckling, \"I expected yet another rejection! Anyway, this is just a courtesy call to let you know I'm coming for you.\"\n\nHe hung up and I stared at my phone, feeling far more sick than before and like my spine was lined with ice cubes. I started frantically looking around, before hearing a window by the back door smash.\n\nI start running towards the front door, nothing could happen to me if I reached the lawn where the camera guys were. Just as I started I felt a sting in my neck. I slowly turned around to see what happened, but everything went blurry, then dark. The last thing I saw was a tall, fuzzy figure towering in the doorway..." ]	2
	[WP] Each Monday, you wake up with a different superpower. If you can save one life with that power, you get to keep it. If not, you lose it. It’s Thursday... and you still aren’t sure how you can save a life with this week’s amazing 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/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Damn, why does every single power have such a morbid requirement?\r\n\r\nLast time it's running naked at 20 km per hour and yelling I am a sheep! So that he can activate the ability to turn everything pink, Neil counted on his fingers.\r\n\r\nThen he has to be free-falling while eating a half-cooked ostrich egg, so he can communicate with snakes. And let's see what else? Uh, reverse running uphill, to be granted the power of not smelling fart.\r\n\r\nHe always knows that these powers are a ripe off, Neil muttered darkly and gave the sky the finger. How am I supposed to use such powers under outrageous circumstances to save a person's life? Neil kicked at the overgrown grass sprouting through cracks on the tarmac.\r\n\r\nThis time he has to kiss a girl who is truly in love with me, and he shall gain the ability to teleport. That's pretty sweet, and should be easy theoretically, but \"Neil hasn't got a girlfriend!\"\r\n\r\nI am not a virgin, Neil protested, and I never asked for this ability!\r\n\r\nYes, the ability to be scolded at any time, at your service, your highness! It is remarkable that you managed to save someone when you are being trashed by words!\r\n\r\nNeil's face flushed, I don't need you to remind me that!\r\n\r\nWhat is love? These days does true love even exist? Some of the Asian country's marriage rate had stalled, I doubt I am going to be able to.....\r\n\r\nNeil snapped his fingers and a loud boom reverberated across the sky. Birds soared into the sky, their panicked twittering can be heard miles away.\r\n\r\nNeil has to remind himself not to snap his fingers, yet another crappy power. He sauntered on, picturing every female face he had ever seen, eliminating most of them. Should I use tinder? Neil asked rhetorically, the mocking voice cut in, You know, they didn't specify that the female has to be human.\r\n\r\nDamn! What a brilliant idea! I am sure my gloomy cat loves me the most...Neil paused, Well, forget it.\r\n\r\nMaybe I just have to depend on fate, and let the world send me a figurative FISH in this vast sea of humanity, come on! Neil opened his arms trying to embrace the sky, the birds, however, spotted him, and they dived to get revenge on the guy who dared to disturb their nestling.\r\n\r\nGot to hell, you bachelor! The voice yelled excitedly.\r\n\r\nNeil took out a small hammer, bent down and struck his right toe. Pain shot up his body as an invisible spherical shield covered him. Come and get me! Neil urged, you winged demons!\r\n\r\nI can almost imagine the headline, unknown man suffocated in a ton of bird poop. The voice chuckled.\r\n\r\nNeil took off as bird droppings came raining down.\r\n\r\nAs he raced up the stairs of his ancient apartment, Neil is still struggling to rid himself of a particularly nasty patch of yellowish...\r\n\r\nOh, Neil paused, a young woman is standing in front of his door, Uh, hello? He asked.\r\n\r\nShe turned, a familiar oval face, blonde hair, and warm blue eyes. You are Thalia aren't you? Neil asked, his knees weakening.\r\n\r\nYour true love, the voice whispered, go on, she is here for a reason.\r\n\r\nNeil blushed and his tongue tangled into a billon knots. She beamed and hugged Neil, who is perplexed beyond belief.\r\n\r\nShe turned up her cute nose which wrinkled in disgust. You stunk, she said, while trying to brush off the bird poo from her dress. Neil felt his head had swelled to twice, no, three times the normals size.\r\n\r\nI will make it up to you, he stammered.\r\n\r\nLike you made it up to me in third grade? She gibed.\r\n\r\nOh, she's good, she has got under your skin.\r\n\r\nNeil wanted to chock this gloating voice, Oh, just you wait, one day I shall have the ability to make you suffer. Neil said inwardly.\r\n\r\nHe ushered Thalia into his modest yet surprisingly small apartment.\r\n\r\nThere is no love lost. The voice shrilled.\r\n\r\nAfter amending their relationships, during which Neil admitted he had totally been an a**hole for not contacting her sooner. And later as they were out shopping for a new dress, he managed to peck her on the lips.\r\n\r\nIn a flash, Neil appeared in front of a dangling boy, Neil yelled, Look! I am not your father! And propped the boy to safety. In another flash, he is back with his lover." ]	2
	[WP] The whole civilization is in panic as will take less than 1 minute for the end of this planet, not knowing what to do in your last minute, you see a very calm odd looking person on the street who says "Here we go again" and leaves, you decide to use your last minute to follow this person	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "'The man' calmly walked down the street ignoring the chaos around him. He smartly sidesteps the people running in every direction and I follow his lead.\nDoes he not notice the nuclear rockets dotting the skies like daytime stars? No, he had been looking at them when I first noticed him.\n\nI start to feel dizzy and there's a sharp pain in my neck. I'm momentarily confused since these are not the normal symptoms of nuclear radiation. \n\nThe little mad man is now 5 metres ahead of me and I push through the crowd to try and get to him. The dizziness is getting worse and as I stumble through the crowd the people seem to slowly disappear until I'm alone with the old man... except he's a boy now. \n\nI know him but the pain in my neck is distracting me...then suddenly everything is clicks into place and I'm sitting in my room with my brother playing the ancient warfare game WWIII", "Dashing down the street I followed the man. He was dressed rather oddly, a loose ghi and a rice hat, like he had stepped out of some sort of cosplay convention.\n\nI darted after him as he moved through the street and turned the corner. I dashed faster as he kept ahead of me despite my speed. I mean, I was fourth on our track team, how can someone walking beat me?\n\nI was certain I only had thirty seconds left, I moved as he entered a store and I burst through the door to an old used bookstore. He turned and smirked. \n\n\"Decide to spend your last moment reading books?\"\n\n\"What did you mean? 'Here we go again?'\" I asked.\n\nHe blinked in surprise as the ground began to rumble as if an earthquake was happening. I heard the sound of glass shattering but found the store windows to still be solid.\n\nSmirking he pulled off the hat and laughed. \"You know... You're the first. To ask me that. Countless revivals and you're the first to hear me say that and follow me. To ask.\"\n\n\"What?\" I asked.\n\nHe smiled and put a hand to my forehead and I gasped, frozen, I felt everything freeze as the ground fell from below my feet. \n\n\"Find me at the Sunlit Crest, if you want to know the truth. Or you can work here for a while until you figure out what you want to do in the new world. Until our paths cross again.\"\n\nI collapsed to the ground unconscious.\n\nI woke up, confused but well-rested on the floor behind the counter. I looked around me. The bookstore was empty sans me. The books were there, still orderly and the entire store was dark, the blinds were drawn down. I heard sounds of travel and civilisation outside. But...what happened?\n\nI looked to the register where a key and note were waiting.\n\nThis is the key to the store. Stay as long as you like.\n\nA map to the Sunlit Crest is contained in the envelope. Hope to see you there soon. It's been a long time since i met a human as interesting as you.\n\nSincerely yours\n\nElatha\n\nI peeked out of the blinds and saw people moving out and about, not sure what to think I checked the register and found some money in it, taking out the cash I locked it and the door and went around.\n\nIT's like nothing changed...Yet...this is a different world..I can feel it.\n\nI got coffee from a shop and returned to the bookstore. I had been correct in grabbing the cash, my credit card didn't work and I wasn't sure about what I thought about it. But I was certain if I looked I'd find I didn't exist here...\n\nMy eyes went to the map. \n\nThere was only one option to get answers, but I'd need more than the little money in the til. \n\nI finished my coffee and unlocked the door and drew up the blinds, spinning the sign to open. \n\nFor the moment, I was stuck here. I'd go after him when I had the means to, but until then... I'd sell books." ]	3
	[WP] time travel is invented, but only being able to view into the future. this becomes a method of treatment for depression. showing those who are depressed their future when they eventually figure things out. you are a highschooler who is about to receive their message form their future selves	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\" What? So I just talk into it? Ok. Hey...me? I never thought I'd actually have to do one of these. It was my 63rd birthday last week..well I suppose it's our 63rd birthday, not for you yet, but some day. It's going well at the moment. I'm not as agile as you are or energetic but i'm doing well. I remember watching other people go to the Councillor to receive these 'Throwback messages' and thinking that I shouldn't do one when I grew up because I like the poetic not-knowing aspect of what was going to come next but now i'm second half of my life I've reconsidered it and you're probably sitting there thinking you're pathetic for not sticking to your guns, but hear me out. The past is so strange. I do this thing where i remember all the cringy moments of my life and congratulate myself about how far I've come, the lessons I've learnt and how well i self improve - You still do that by the way. I'm wiser and more socially capable than when I was 62. Our life, like every other human life, is a consistent project and it's never really finished. Right now, you're like a big block of marble and I know that you think you're more mature and smarter than I'm giving you credit for but you're really not and that's fine. Anyway, you're this block of marble - and every year a little more is chipped away and you'll go through some very hard times and bigger pieces will be carved away until you're left with yourself. The hard trials I have gone through, and that you will go through, make us who we are. I remember that high school was hard, I forgot that recently and now looking back on it I wish I had someone to tell me if life was actually going to get better. To let me know, for sure, that there is a clearing through that woods...and there is but then you go through college, work, breakups, deaths and so many more things that are much much worse. You'll get down about it and sometimes feel incredible pain. Our father always said to us ' The grass will be greener on the other side' but the problem is that when you go through these hardships...you cant even imagine that the grass even exists. Don't ever forget that! Life is not like climbing a mountain where when you get through the hard parts, you get to the top and everything is good. Our life is hard, it's going to be like a roller-coaster. It will go up and down forever and all you have to do is hold on for the down parts and put your hands in the air and enjoy the ride for the up parts.\n\nI hope that makes any sense. Some specifics for you: Ask Katie out sooner...She liked you from the moment you talked, our sexuality is fluid - when you meet someone called Gus don't worry about what others say, just enjoy yourself and most importantly, hug dad every chance you get...you'll miss him more than anything else. \n\nHave fun younger me because I, for sure, have. \"", "Michael's future self, 33 years old, broadcasted this message to 18 year old Michael:\n\n\"You never get over your depression. Don't waste your time with it.\"\n\n33 year old Michael then put a gun to his head and blew his brains out.\n\nMichael's father, his only parental figure, was somehow comforting in a non-traditional sense.\n\n\"I want you to follow me on this. You are not a piece of shit. Right?\"\n\nMichael nodded, his eyes stung red.\n\n\"But the Michael that sent an 18 year old a vision of suicide is a piece of shit. Future Mike is not a good Mike.\"\n\nMichael's tears returned and his mouth parted but his cries were silent.\n\n\"And we're going to do whatever we can to prevent Bad Mike from ever doing that to you. Do you follow?\"\n\nAnd he embraced his son and sobbed uncontrollably, something Michael had never seen his father do but for the first time in his life he felt truly cared for.\n\n\n\nMichael was 19yrs old when he messaged himself again. This time he was 49.\n\n\"I apologize for what you had to go through last year. That Michael no longer exists and it's true, he was a piece of shit.\"\n\n\"So we worked through it. Me and Dad,\" said 19 year old Mike.\n\n\"Yeah you did. But I'm going to be honest with you. It's still pretty bad. I have suicidal thoughts still and acted on them here and there, but I'm alive.\"\n\n\"How is Dad?\"\n\n49 year old Mike lowered his eyes. \"Never tell him, but he has 3 years left. Plan your interactions with him accordingly.\"\n\n\"It's ok,\" said 19 year old Mike. \"He told me he only gets messages from himself with a +2-3 year advance only, so he knows. We know. I figured it was worth asking.\"\n\n\n\n30 year old Mike got the message from 70 year old Mike this time.\n\n\"You'll have some tough times but it gets better. Medication gets real good when you hit 50. Turns out gut bacteria composition drives mood. Fix the gut, fix the mood. Maybe try to push current research in that direction.\"\n\n30 year old Mike smiled. \"Yeah, the depression community has been getting that message recently from future selves. We've been diverting research funds in the right places.\"\n\n\"That's amazing.\"\n\n\"It truly is.\"\n\n\n\n70 year old Mike never experienced the hardships his future selves had described. Depression medication reached it's golden age early. 90 year old Mike messaged him.\n\n\"We're still kicking buddy. I feel myself slipping but I think I got some years left. So there's a lot of buzz on loading our memory onto the internet. You know, existing virtually forever. Like Disney Land. They say the tech is 20 years away though. You think you can try to start now? Living forever might not be too bad you know.\"\n\n70 year old Mike nodded. \"A lot of future selves are saying that. We're working on it.\"\n\n\"Good boy,\" said 90 year old Mike.\n\n70 year old Mike smiled. \"We'll get there. I'm certain of it.\"", "The last cheers from your friends, your mum taking a pic of you, thumbs up against the door. Then the nice delegate from the Aging Office nods at you. \n\nHis eyes ask are you ready?, yours scream let’s go!\n\nIt’s your eighteenth birthday. Today is the day you are going to meet... you.\n\nThey walk you down a corridor, chitchatting amicably. How’s school, plans for the future? Did some of your friends already met the Other Self? What presents did you receive? You answer with the polite enthusiasm that always works on your professors. They smile back at you.\n\n“Ok, here we are.” They point to a grey door. “It’s all set, you just have to go in.”\n\nYou inhale and try to stop an excited giggle to fall from your lips. Let’s go!\n\n—\n\nThe room is a simple office with a desk, some chairs, no widows. And a woman, standing next to a bookshelf.\n\nYou stare at her, taken aback. You are about to apologise for the disturbance and explain you entered the wrong room, when-\n\n“Hi. Yes, it’s the right place.”\n\nThe voice is wrong, but you were warned about it. Try imagining it a little lower. But it’s not the voice. It’s... everything else.\n\nThe woman in front of you kind of reminds you of how you look like in the mirror of the hairdresser, when they take off the towel and leave you to stare a drab, lifeless version of yourself under the unflattering neons lights. Yes, that is* you, but lifeless, and drab, and old. Even if she’s clearly still young, and wears a crimson sweater and a pair of jeans and she’s clearly alive.\n\n“H-hi.” You mutter, weirdly uncomfortable. “Can I ask... how-?”\n\n“I’m 31. Yes, 13 years from now. And don’t feel sorry, I know I don’t look the best.”\n\nYou feel your cheek heating and realise you must be blushing. Does she read minds or-?\n\n“You are probably thinking I can read mind, but no. I simply remember being you.”\n\n“Umm... sorry?”\n\n“When I was eighteen, I came here and I was... well, you-now. And I remember what me-then told me and what me-now was thinking, that’s it.”\n\n“Oh. It kind of makes sense.” There is fine sarcasm, but you decide to go on with the interesting parts. “Tell me something!” You try to put on one of your smiles for grownups. “I never saw you, and I’m dying to know how life-“\n\n“Don’t. Ask.” She takes a step towards you. \n\nIt’s so unsettling to see your body in front of you, your hands, her way skinnier legs, the way her eyes match the ones you saw in so many pictures... you see now she has a wrinkle on the left side of the mouth. The same side you always end up smirking when you are upset about something.\n\n“But I want to know!”\n\n“Look, I have been here, ok? We didn’t even used up the 24 hours. Hell, we didn’t even lasted 1! I’m sorry, but this is all going to be useless.”\n\n“But why...” you realise you are smirking. No. No wrinkle. “I know you can’t tell me anything about future events, but... please. Just-“\n\nShe covers her ears and turns her back from you. You try to cover her childish na-na-nas raising your voice. Until you lose your temper.\n\n“Take this!” You yell, and throw a random book at her. Startled, she takes it with both hands. “Am I going to be happy?”\n\nShe stares at you. \n\n“I mean...” you go on with your practiced speech. “I don’t want to know when I will meet the one, or about the job I will do or... the pets and the-the travelling! And studying new things! And bla bla. But... just, you know. Just tell me it’s going to be a-all right.” You feel your voice getting more unsteady as she stares at you with a book in her arms. “B-because honestly you don’t look... alright.”\n\nShe clears her throat and then closes her eyes. You notice how the skin on her cheek is scarred with acne scars, and you pass a finger on your own clean, peachy skin. Then, she finally speaks.\n\n“I know I am supposed to teach you something, or to take care of you or...” she shakes her head, eyes still closed. “But I’m... sorry. I’m sorry I have nothing to... to.” She opens her eyes again.\n\n“Did something bad happen?”\n\n“No, no... I’m sorry, nothing happened... it’s just-“ she stops and softly caresses her left arm with the other hand. “Maybe it’s just a rut, who knows, uh?”\n\nShe looks so small and vulnerable, like the new girls from school on their first days. It feels weird, but you would like to hug her.\n\n“I’m sorry.” She just says again. “Just... forgive me for being a shitty Other Self.”\n\n“Why do you keep saying you are sorry? You are me! It’s not like you will hurt me or- oh.” You stop. Oh no. \n\n“Yes.” She whispers to you, eyes on the floor. “Yes, exactly.” There is a long silence, terribly long, while you stare at her and she holds her left arm. “Happy birthday, kiddo.”\n\nShe now turns to the door, dabbing her eyes with a sleeve of the crimson sweater. \n\n“I thinks it’s for the best to call it a day and...-“\n\nShe stopped. Because you hugged her. You are the same height, have the same hands and the same face. \n\n“Don’t worry.” you whisper to her. “I don’t need to forgive anything. I know you will take care of us.”\n\nShe doesn’t say anything, but she leans in your hug.\n\n“I will be fine.” You whisper again. \n\nYou hug until she starts trembling and then you hug her tighter and you just hold her. Until you hear her laugh.\n\n“I just understood...” she says. She kisses you on the forehead. “Thank you.”\n\n“Uuh... ok? Are you leaving?” She nods and clears her eyes. She’s smiling now. “But I thought you were going to help me, or guide me, or... don’t know?”\n\n“You will understand. But now I have to go back. And you have a party to attend.”\n\n“But... what do you have to do?”\n\nShe smiles, her hand already on the door. “To take care of us.”\n\nAnd she’s gone." ]	4
	[WP] When every person turns 18, they unlock an animal transformation inside them allowing them to turn into or absorb the attributes of that animal. For example, a person with a sparrow could become a sparrow or fly in a human body. You just unlocked you’d and it’s nothing anyone’s seen before.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They said it couldn’t be done, that it was so beyond the realm of possibility that even discussing the subject in an academic setting would have you branded a fool.\n\nWell, apparently the jingling jester’s boot is on the other foot now.\n\nTerrance Widdermeyer had been an unremarkable teen. A little on the gawky side, awkward, and skittish—an easy target for the sophomoric pranks of his peers well into high school. That is, until he underwent The Change.\n\nEveryone’s Change is based on what they need most in life. The Changed frequently find themselves receiving Aspects of animals whose traits give them a leg up in their field of expertise, or they find themselves receiving one that helps them find their place in life. The only limitation was that the animal had to have existed at some point in time, and that it had to be of use to the person in need of an Aspect.\n\nEveryone in Ms. Dannicker’s homeroom assumed Terrified Terrance would receive an Aspect of something like a Chameleon or Cuttlefish— capable of hiding from his frequent tormentors, or an Armadillo or Pangolin— capable of protecting himself from bullies whose behavior seemed to worsen as they underwent their own Changes. When he started to develop scales and the beginnings of claws, everyone assumed that Chameleon had been the right Aspect for young Mr. Widdermeyer, and were unsurprised when he started wearing baggy hoodies and sunglasses. It wasn’t uncommon for The Changed to develop the eyes of their Aspects at first, and could take a year or so before they could leave the awkward stages of The Change and switch back and forth between their Aspect and a fully human appearance, nobody doubted that the eyes of a Chameleon on the face of a human would be quite awkward. \n\nMost everyone left Terrance alone after the change. Sure, his aspect was a weaker sort, awkward and designed best for hiding, but it could also be a formidable one. There was a common joke that you were never truly alone in a room, there was always the chance you had entered a Chameleon nudist convention without even knowing it.\n\nThere was, however, one tenacious and quite obviously bull-headed bully who just couldn’t seem to let go of making Terrance’s life miserable. Chet Humphreys wasn’t a quarterback, or a team captain, or even particularly well-liked. He was on the wrestling team, a straight B- student, and an all-around dick. Unsurprisingly, his Aspect was that of a Bull, but not just any Bull. He was a Chianina, a massive hulking brute, who proudly displayed a pair of twisted horns jutting from his platinum blonde tousled hair, and a broad flat nose (quite nearly a snout) from which he frequently bore a septum piercing to only augment his intimidating appearance. Not only was he large, a towering figure at 6’7” and weighing in at 300 pounds of nearly all muscle, but he was fast, and had developed a terrifying bellow identical to that of an enraged Bull.\n\nFrequently, he would use his speed and strength to make Terrance miserable in embarrassing ways. He would toss him in dumpsters, hip check him into mud puddles, cause him to take a nosedive into his cafeteria tray, or even on one occasion to hang him by his underwear from the raised arm of the statue in the common square.\n\nMost of the class felt bad for Terrance, but there was little that could be done. The school nurse (who happened to be Chet’s aunt) and the coach of the wrestling team (Chet’s much older brother, and a downright intimidating Saltwater Alligator) had it down on record that Chet wasn’t responsible for his outbursts of aggression during his Change year, after all “Bulls will be Bulls”. This kind of nonsense surprised basically no one.\n\nWhat was a surprise to students and staff was when on the night of the big Homecoming game, a petrified Chet Humphreys was found dangling by his nose ring from the outstretched hand of the same statue that he had previously used to humiliate Terrance while wearing nothing but a towel around his shoulders and the jockstrap he wore to wrestling practice. Chet was stiff as a board, unable to move a muscle except to breathe lightly. If it weren’t for the obvious blush to the humiliated bully’s cheeks, and his desperate whimpering, he could have easily been mistaken for a statue himself. A weird juxtaposition on the power of authority figures or something. A strange sort of statue you’d find in a modern art museum.\n\nTwo days later, Chet was finally loosened up enough that he was able to explain how he got there. Sort of. He didn’t see who did it, only that he had been walking to the gymnasium showers when he spotted a bright flash of green. Next thing he knew he was unable to move and painfully dangling by his nose ring from the statue of General William E. Fox. \n\nOver the course of the rest of the year, Chet and several other bullies would be found petrified in compromising positions. Even Coach Humphreys wasn’t above being “pranked” by whoever was going after the worst elements of the Senior classes. He was found in a full lady’s clown costume holding a shallow bowl of water in the Quad, an impromptu birdbath covered in pigeons and pigeon poop. And still, nobody could find the perpetrator.\n\nOver the course of the year Terrance became more and more withdrawn, wearing bigger and baggier hoodies, dark wraparound sunglasses, and even knitted beanies under his raised hood. Very little of Terrance Widdermeyer was seen, and even when he was seen he was incredibly easy to overlook on a second glance.\n\nThat is, until Angel Gutierrez transferred in. Angel had a long thin nose, legs that seemed to go on for days, and frequently wore racer back tank tops to allow their large white and black wings to wrap around their body like a downy white coat. Angel also had the eyes like that of a Stork— sharp, calculating, precise, and with markings that looked like perpetually winged eyeliner. Angel had a round mop of incredibly curly hair, and seemed to see everyone and everything, as if they were a Stork wading through a river teeming with minnows.\n\nAngel waded through the classroom, again, like a Stork through a river, and skewered their steely gaze onto Terrance. “I’ve never seen one of your kind on this continent. Most people assume you’re a myth.” Angel said casually, taking the desk next to Terrance, which had up until this point been the domain of Becky Pendergast, a Ferret Aspect with a penchant to eating chicken nuggets from a ziplock bag in her backpack and wearing too much sparkly bubblegum lipgloss, “And I’ve never seen a boy with your Aspect before. Something really must have done a number on you.”\n\nTerrance stiffened, then curled in on himself, and the classroom which had up until this point been thoroughly interested in the transfer student talking to the class recluse, suddenly found themselves interested in anything but the two students acting incredibly suspiciously.\n\n“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just your average Chameleon doing his best to stay unnoticed by his peers”. Terrance replied evasively. His eyes flashing behind his sunglasses.\n\n“Uh huh” Angel replied, utterly unconvinced. “Listen, you can tell yourself that for as long as you want, but when you want answers as to what’s going on with you, I want you to come to me.”\n\nTerrance decided he wasn’t going to come to Angel Gutierrez for anything, not if he could help it." ]	2
	[WP] People think you're normal, but you belong to the religion of Throthgar. Throthgar says to get into Heaven you must kill 7 people. No more. No less	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The bastard held a shotgun to the bank manager’s head. He kept staring at me, with a smug look on his face. \n\n“Come on, what are you going to do? Huh? Going to shoot me? Going to kill me? Come at me, big boy,” said the bastard. \n\nI had my service revolver trained on him, and had him dead to rights. He didn’t even have his finger on the trigger. I could have taken him out right there. A little explanation after and this would all be over. \n\n“You won’t do it will you,” said the bastard. I didn’t know his name. I didn’t know his game. But what I did know what he had the upper hand. He knew something about me. \n\n“Drop the gun, let her go,” I said. \n\n“Yeah, that’s all you have, isn’t it? Your words,” said the bastard. I was going to have to get his name when we got his ID off his dead body. “You can’t shoot, because you could kill me, and you might not get into heaven.” \n\nMy eyes widened. Today was supposed to be my retirement day. I had joined the force to do what my faith had instructed me to do. I put myself in the path of danger over and over, and two months ago, I killed my seventh person. The circle was complete. I could leave the work of the righteous to someone else.\n\nBut I got this call. On the way to the station to get my gold watch and put everything into a box. And this bastard, he was ruining my day. \n\n“Yeah, I know your deal. It’s hard to keep your religion to yourself, when you have one with a hand tattoo,” he said. \n\nI looked at my hand instinctively. I looked at it every day. It had a T on the webbing between the thumb and first finger. I could never remember if that was the index finger or not. On some days, it was my trigger finger. \n\nThe tattoo served a purpose. It was easier to identify other followers of Throthgar, and it told them where they were on the exalted journey. It was a sign of brotherhood and sisterhood. It showed that you were on the path of the righteous. And it wasn’t all that uncommon in the police force. If you saw one of your fraternal order with a T and a hash or two, you knew what they were here for. \n\n“You’re full up, ‘Brother,’ said the bastard. And he reached over with his free hand, keeping the shotgun pressed to the head of the bank manager, and peeled back his glove. \n\nThere, on his hand, was a T. And three hashes. \n\n“See, I still got a few to go,” he said. “Maybe this one can be my next.” He pressed the barrel hard against the manager’s head. “What do you say, huh? Ready to meet your own maker?” \n\n“Please, don’t,” said the manager. \n\n“Don’t do this,” I said. “This is not our way. We aren’t supposed to take the innocent.” \n\n“You think this filth,” and he shook the gun at the manager, “is innocent? She works in finance. What do you call innocent about that? These scum take people’s money, make a profit, and move on to the next sucker. This isn’t innocence.” \n\n“Don’t. It doesn’t have to end like this,” I said. I checked my shot. The safety was off, the hammer was cocked, and my line was good. I could take him. \n\n“Oh, I think it does. I’m going to walk out of here, with the money, and maybe hit the tattoo artist on the way home. You know what I mean,” he said. He smiled at me with a cocky smirk, the kind that said he won and I lost. \n\nHis finger was still off the shotgun’s trigger. \n\n“Not today,” I said. \n\nI fired. \n\nThe bastard’s head shot back from the impact of the bullet. He let go of the shotgun and staggered backwards. The bank manager screamed and ran to the wall, huddling against it. The bastard fell down, dead. \n\nI lowered my gun. I didn’t know what to do. Everything I had worked for, everything I had done for the past forty years had been for nothing. The studies, the training. All over in an instant of decision. \n\nI sank to my knees. The tears I felt should be there didn’t come. I felt empty. \n\nI looked at the bank manager. She was crumpled in a ball, and I could just hear her as she sobbed, “thank you, thank you, thank you.” \n\nI figured that my reward must not be in the next life, that it would be in this one. Perhaps in the next one, I would stop when I was ahead. \n\nI reached in my shirt pocket and pulled out a pen. I looked at my hand, with the tattoo. A T and seven hash marks. I added an eighth, and waited for the rest of the police to arrive.", "\"It's easy to kill someone. What's hard is getting away with it. And not because of the police. The area I live in is big enough to where you can get away with not knowing your neighbor, but smaller than a city where there's likely to be cameras on every block.\n\n\"So, basically, people go missing all the time, and it's like a pebble in a pond. A small ripple of panic that quickly fades as everyone returns back to normal. \n\n\"At least it's not someone I know people breathe, with their sighs of relief, as they kick their feet up and change the channel.\n\n\"So what's hard about killing someone? It's the voices of the dead; the memories of the victims that stalk you in the day and haunt you in your sleep that drive you insane.\n\nI just killed my sixth victim, not too long ago. After I kill my seventh, I can then settle down in peace and await my time of death. The followers of Throtgar are not permitted to kill themselves, so who knows how long I must suffer through the daily toils of this cursed existence? \n\n\"And after I am dead, what does Throatgar reward his faithful followers? Is it an afterlife? Immortality? Seventy eternal virgins? No. It is none of these things.\n\n\"What he offers us is death. True death. Annihilation of our body and our soul. We will cease to exist. \n\n\"And escape the voices.\n\n\"Forever. \"\n\nI finish and wait.\n\nThe young man sitting across from me looks shocked. He stutters, \"W-wouldn't it just be better not to kill anybody in the first place? T-that way you won't have to hear the voices.\"\n\nHe makes a good point. Yet, he is ignorant still, so I inform him, \"The only problem is when you meet another follower of Throtgar. Followers of Throtgar are prevented from killing other followers of Throtgar, but everyone else is fair game. And you usually never know how many more people that a Throtgar follower has left to kill.\"\n\nHe runs for the door.\n\nI tsk and shake my head as I sigh and grab my knife. \n\nWhat a shame. He had so much potential, but I guess he's just like the other six." ]	3
	[WP] "I just don't get." One of the guards grumbled as he glanced at the doll-like girl garbed in dated finery. "She has a pulse, is well-fed, and she's articulate, even if her manners are antiquated... So why is this 7-year-old girl claiming that she lives in the city's Necropolis?"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The girl clicked her teeth in annoyance. “It’s like the Overworld isn’t even aware we exist. Shameful. Yes, there is a sprawling city of the dead beneath the cathedral. No, I am unaware of how I ended up here, although I do suspect it was Sven’s fault... And no, I am not seven. I am two hundered and forty seven.”\n\nThe guard scrutinized the girl with an eyebrow raised. He had the disbelief reserved for lunacy and the contempt reserved for children. “Girlie, that’s ridiculous. Come on, take me to your parents.” With an aggravated sigh the girl stated a truth: “My name is Camille, not girlie. My parents are back in Necropolis. They died at sea the same way I did. Now could you please take me to a mage? Specifically one versed in extraspacial warping.” The guard’s suspicion only increased. Mages? Magic is just a myth, clearly. “Come on girlie, we’re going to a doctor. I think you got hit in the head or somethin.”\n\nAnd so the guard escorted the undead girl to the nearest hospital. Upon arrival, he thrust Camille into the care of the staff, shoving his way to the front desk.“Found a real crazy kid by the graveyard today. Says she’s 240 years old—” The girl cut him off. “Two hundered forty seven.” And the guard resumed. “Yeah, sure, 247, and she says she’s dead. From some place called Necropolis.” The nurse on duty blinked once. Then twice. Then three times. “Sir, this is just a child—” Camille clapped authoritatively and interrupted the nurse. “Excuse me ma’am, but I am an adult. If you would please tell this buffoon to unhand me, and direct me to the nearest magical college, I would be most grateful.” The nurse was attempting to register the vocabulary of this child. After a moment, the nurse decided to side with the guard. “All right mister, bring her here and we’ll get some bloodwork done. Maybe she has a hormonal imbalance or something.” “Thank you ma’am. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a report to file.” And so the guard promptly left.\n\nAs the nurse was dragging the girl to the back room, the undead child launched into a lively tirade. “This is barbaric. Absolutely authoritarian. I did not consent to medical procedures! Unhand me this instant!” As the girl continued to rail against the nurse, the girl was strapped down to a table. Crazy people can’t give consent, and the nurse thought this girl was very, very unhinges. The lexically talented girl continued. “I dare you, use your sedatives! Use your torture methods! I shall not break! Nothing can destroy centuries of fortitude!” The nurse strapped down the girl’s arm very tightly. After securing some blood, the nurse gasped. \n\n“Kiddo, your blood is white. All plasma, no hemoglobins. What the hell?” Camille scoffed condescendingly. “No no, I’m from Necropolis. Hell is for bad people. And yes, dead people don’t have hemoglobins. We are held together by magic and morality. Can we end this farce? Overworlders are so stupid...”\n\n===\n\nIf you wanna see more, tell me something I guess. Ran out of time to write more." ]	2
	[WP] you lost your memory, you gave up trying to remember them and went on about your life. One day you wake up shocked to rediscover your memories. You're a woman, yet you find out all your memories are about a male version of yourself. "you finnaly realize the truth." said someone in your room.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I turned around, a man sitting on the edge of my bed smirking.\n\n\"Who are you?\" I asked, his face was familiar to my memory but I never knew his name.\n\n\"That's right... You never learned my name. You can call me Evan. Though I'm sure you know who I am.\"\n\nI nodded standing up. \"Yea, you're Brandon's older brother. I only met you a few times.\"\n\nEvan nodded. \n\n\"That's correct. But it seems that you've figured out that you aren't really you.\"\n\n\"Then who am I? How did I...?\"\n\n\"You don't remember?\"\n\nI shook my head. \"There's... Like two months of time between. I remember it being December 14 and I was with Brandon and Karen, they were talking about the news saying some sort of thing was seen passing by, then I left their house at night and nothing waking up on February 23 in the hospital saying that I was hit by a car?\" Saying it out loud made it sound wrong.\n\nEvan nodded. \"That 'thing' was the Invaders. You were one of the first they took. Now that you remember they can't quite hold onto your mind anymore. YOu have to get out of this!\"\n\n\"What do you mean 'This?\"\n\n\"It's... I guess a simulation of sorts. Ported into your mind. I'm here, next to you. Right now. But we can't pull you out without killing you. Bro, er...\"\n\nI shook my head.\n\n\"How do I get out? Get me out then?\"\n\n\"There's an exit somewhere. You have to complete whatever parameters they want you to. It's got something to do with getting you to live a day in a particular way. I'm not sure. From what we've translated we've figured out a clue, ish...\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\n\"You need to complete the senario of living a complete day and preforming some sort of action a specified number of times and getting a specific result each time. I think it has to do with the job you do here.\"\n\n\"Yea... I work in an office here, I was a mechanic before. The change is evident. I know how to do what i'm doing even though I've never done it before. Okay. Can you break in again? Give me a better hint later when you know?\"\n\nEvan shook his head. \"I don't know. You should get going though. They don't know you remember, try to keep them from knowing. And remember, nothing here is real.\"\n\nI nodded and ran out of the room to get ready. Evan was gone upon my return. I wasn't sure what to think now... Invaders?\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\\\\\\\\n\nOutside the containment unit where Subject XV-5864 lay Evan pulled off the helmet. \"That went better than I thought it was going to.\"\n\nThe scientist standing beside the unit looked over the vital signs.\n\n\"Indeed. Their life signs have stabilized. We'll have to watch this one.\"\n\nEvan looked to Brandon as he walked in. \"You're friend's rather odd for a human. Are you certain that this will ensure the parameters we seek?\"\n\nBrandon nodded and shifted in the form of the human he had been for several earth decades now. \"Yes. He is a model subject. I believe we will get the information we need, we merely needed a human who was capable enough to sort out the inaccuracies and now that he has even more of a reason to do so we will get our answer.\"\n\nThey nodded. \"I'll report to the Overlord that the invasion of Earth is proceeding smoothly despite these new setbacks.\"" ]	2
	[WP]After you and your family were killed in a freak accident, you wake up to see only you and your mum, no sign of the others. A man in a red shirt strides up with a clipboard. "So, welcome to hell."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Well that's quite polite and all, but there must be some mistake. Hell? I know I wasn't perfect, but isn't this a bit extreme?\" I asked. He looked at the clipboard and said \"Yeah, no. Says right here. Got your name and your assigned room. It's all in order really, here have a look.\" I grabbed the clipboard and sure enough I saw my name in red ink. \n\n\"Ok yeah, that is my name but I never killed anyone and I certainly didn't join a cult. Why am I here? Where's my family?\" I asked. He sighed and said \"Now see here I'm only the attendant. If you've got questions, you need to queue up in the line right over there.\" He pointed to a line at least 100KM long. \"That line's for questions and complaints. Current queue time is 75 years. Quite low actually.\" I nodded and said \"Right, if you'll just hand me my key I'll be on my way to my room.\"" ]	2
	[WP] Imagine a world in which everything, absolutely everything that was ever built, created or manufactured by humans is being maintained. Nothing goes to waste. Everything is being repaired.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"... completing the great circle of life,\" said the priest. Grandma's body was solemnly placed into a compost bin, where she would be recycled into the fertilizer for our tomatoes and corn.\n\n\"Dad, is EVERYTHING reused now?\" asked Tommy.\n\n\"Just about. All our containers are compostable. Everything complicated, like electronics, has a QR code identifying it, and you can look up in a database how to recycle if it breaks irrecoverably. And we're pretty good at modularizing everything so anything can be repaired. That same QR code gives you instructions for 3D-printing replacement parts. The landfills are all gone ... once suitable mining techniques were developed, there was a gold rush to own and recycle them all.\"\n\n\"But that still takes lots of energy. What would we do if the sun weren't wasting all that energy anyhow?\"\n\n\\---\n\nThe simulation of that universe finished, the results were recorded, and it was rolled back. \"We're so beyond all that,\" commented Marry. \"The stars have been put out, and now everything is pure computation. Including ourselves. And the computation is zero-energy, except for clearing bits. All mass is bound up in computation units. When atoms slip out of place, we put them back in place. No waste at all. The only things we spend energy on is clearing bits and maintaining the machinery. The only way we can save new results is if we clear bits to make room for them.\"\n\n\"But we're still using up entropy to clear bits,\" said Llisa.\n\n\"It's OK! It's true that entropy can only increase. But we live in an expanding universe, and the maximum entropy grows with the log of the volume of the universe. So sure entropy keeps increasing, but the maximum entropy possible keeps increasing too. The goalpost keeps moving. That's why the universe is so cold, despite us constantly dumping energy into it,\" said Marry.\n\n\"But ... then we're still wasting energy,\" said Llisa. \"We can do direct matter-to-energy conversion. So, when we throw away energy, we're throwing away matter. No way we can get that back.\"\n\n\"Yeah. That would be impossible unless you knew the entire state of the whole universe, so you could reverse entropy,\" said Marry.\n\n\\---\n\nThe simulation of that universe finished, and rolled back. The computation was entirely reversible. It had run for 300 quintillion years. Still, no results were saved. There was no longer any matter that could be wasted on matter-to-energy conversion. So, a reversible gajillion-bit counter incremented, and another universe was started using the counter to seed its random number generator, for another 300 quintillion-year run. And so it would continue for 2 to the power of a gajillion universes. And then it would repeat." ]	2
	[WP] Your Pokemon can only say its own name. But it hates you, so it interrupts you every single time you open your mouth.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Being a Pokemon trainer is honest work, but...\"\n\nSQUIRTLE! SQUIRT, SQUIRTLE!\n\n\"ahem. As I was saying, Pokemon training is hard, but honest-\"\n\nSQUIRTLE, SQUIRTLE SQUIRTLE SQUIRT!\n\n\"Okay, are you done?\"\n\n...\n\n\"Really now?\"\n\n...\n\n\"Okay, training is rewarding because-\"\n\nSQUIRTLE SQUIRTLE SQUIRT SQUIRT SQUIRTLE\n\n\"Okay, are you going to do this every time you rude little piece of-\"\n\nSQUIRTLE SQUIRTLE\n\n\"I am trying to do an interview here, which you are not-\"\n\nSQUIRTLE SQUIRTLE SQUIRTLE!\n\n\"Augh where's that cursed ball so I can shut you the-\"\n\nSQUIIIRTLE SQUIRT SQUIRT SQUIRTLE\n\n\"ugh...forget this, I should have just picked a Bulbasaur.\"\n\nSQUIRTLE SQUIRTLE SQUIRT! SQUIRT! SQUIRTLE SQUIRT!" ]	2
	[WP] Zombies, while rare, are a regular part of society. They're not "undead", more just unalive. Still, every year a few return to their graves to commemorate their new unlife. Today is the anniversary of few soldiers who died together, & they're catching up on what they've been up to since.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Here's your ham and eggs, George.\n\nThank you, Flo.\n\nMy name is Florence.\n\nYeah. Hey, you see that thing on the news today about the zombie soldier reunion?\n\nAbout how they reunite and catch up on old times? So sick of those guys.\n\nYou are? How come?\n\nWell first of all, they died in that super crooked, pointless war that we've been waging for about, what, 20 years now?\n\nMark my words, one of these days, Canada will be ours. It's a shame our boys can't get the job done.\n\nThat's because most of them get there and decide to become Canadian. And then they join the Canadian Army, and the already know the USA's playbook.\n\nYeah, well, all wars are crooked. But America, you know? And at least this is kind of a nice story. The zombies coming back and sticking together and all.\n\nThat's the other thing. They merchandise the fuck out of their exploits.\n\nDon't I know it! I bought the t-shirt from the podcast.\n\nSo yeah, I'm done with those soldiers. Besides, everyone forgets they died in a failed mission to blow up a childrens hospital.\n\nYeah, but... well, you know.\n\nDon't even go there.\n\nI won't.\n\nOkay.\n\nThink it's gonna rain today?\n\nIt might.\n\nYeah, that's what they always say.", "Poem.\n\nValor clanked\nTo regimented shuffle\nWhat metal to still be waring\nWithout a piece for rest\n\nThey gather heavy\nLike the blackbirds on a line above\nWeighing on what pulls them closer\n\nThey speak of lives given\nOf seconds earned\n\nThey speak of colors\nBut not of flags\n\nThey speak of the women\nOf a warmth they knew\n\nThey speak for awhile\nOf camps. Of corpses.\n\nAnd as the ash sifts out the tobacco embers\nA glinting to the honored stars\nThe only observer still holding his head high notices the birds have all flown\n\nLeaving what used to be eagles among the worms", "Ned's hand slipped off again and fell near the fire. \"I told you man,\" Greg slurred, \"you should get that looked at.\" I caught a few teeth glinting in the flickering light as the others grinned. It was a rare smile than had more than a few. Ned had no need to bend over to pick up the hand, as he had lost both legs below the knees while he was still among the living. Land mines, a real pain. For the living at least, us \"unalive\" don't feel pain, at least physically. Emotionally we suffer the same as the traditionally alive, maybe more, given our unnaturally long conscious existence. \nHe struggled to engage the wrist bones and eventually pocketed the mostly decayed hand for a more private attempt at reattachment later. If the duct tape around other joints was any indication, he was in rough shape, even for one of us. His embarrassment showed in his furtive glances around the group. \nA smash broke the small silence, as someone threw another bottle. Bits of dark glass reflected in the air briefly as they ricocheted from the gravestone by the fire. Only one in the group flinched. A recently unalive, still used to the reactions that kept one alive in the first place. I hardly remember what that was like. \n\"And how about you Tommy, did you ever get to see what's left of the world?\"" ]	4
	[WP] You're a soldier, sitting in your Machine Gun Nest. Nothing cool ever happens, you only get to stare at the empty field before you, and your Sergeant is huge dick. Suddenly, your radio is going nuts, and shit just hit the fan.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I shivered under the poncho as the freezing rain battered it loudly and splashed all over me. I could make out the droplets splashing off of the flash guard of the GPMG in the moonlight. It would not doubt be rusty by morning and I'd have to clean it off. I was cold and wet and just desperate for some sleep and some real food. I hadn't been able to shit for a week now with the ration packs we'd been scoffing for two weeks now. \n\nI heard the radio on the position crack into life. \"Hello steel 23 Alpha this is Steel 20 Charlie. Message over\". It was a female voice and from the call sign, it was the squadron ops officer. Everyone knew her and knew how stunning she was but we were all professionals about it. At least until this night. Without warning a voice replied with one word. \"Smash!\" Came a distinctly male voice but without a callsign, no one could tell who it was. \"Smash!\" Came another voice before long the radio was going crazy with random voices yelling \"smash\". I had only one option. I knew what I had to do. I picked up the handset and held down the send button. My cold shivering body managed to summon my voice. \"Smash!\" I yelled into the handset and joined the cacophony of unknown voices. When the uproar was over, radio silence was achieved for a brief moment until a female voice cracked through the speaker from the airways with a simple \"thank you boys\". The watch continued on in silence after that. Stillhave no Idea what the message was." ]	2

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